I am no longer a cyclist! Don't miss me too badly.
 

Over the past 3 years I have gradually given up recreational cycling entirely, sold the road bike and several others, and strictly used my bike for getting to work, doctor visits, grocery, etc. 100% utilitarian cycling. I have been car-free since 1989 as well.

During the past couple of years I have been searching for a new job closer to home. Landed one and started yesterday. Now I work ONE MILE from my home - a 20 minute walk or about 10 minutes on a longboard (giant skateboard). If I ride a bike it takes about 5 minutes to make the trip. So I am no longer a bike commuter! My walking/skating route passes through the campus of a community college (looks like a park), then I cross one street to enter City Park where I now work. My commute is literally 99% through parks.

I gave up unnecessary cycling a couple of years ago due to the current cellphone-while-driving mayhem. Now I don't have to do ANY cycling outside of a couple of MUPs and parks. Even to get to the grocery. Doctor visits will still require a nice 30-minute bike ride across town on back streets and trails.

I used to LOVE cycling. I have commuted to jobs as far as 18 miles each way and toured self-contained across the USA five times. I could not count the numbers of local tours I used to ride along with road bike training rides. Thanks to the prevalence of rumble strips on our nation's highways and motor vehicles commonly too wide for a normal highway lane, along with all of the electronic distractions, I gave up touring several years ago. Regular news reports of touring cyclists getting hozed out there on the roads has only reinforced my concerns.

Unless something changes at this job I am officially OUT! No longer defined a "cyclist", just a dude who bikes to the grocery 1-mile away on an MUP. I have a wealth of knowledge from my 50+ years of cycling to share but I doubt you folks will be hearing from me very much in the future. I no longer have a passion for exposing myself to imbeciles behind the wheel nor the desire to encourage others to take the chance.

Be careful out there folks! The roads have become stoopid crazy. I will not miss the mayhem and stress. Something else is going to have to kill me.

We will miss you. You've come a long way from your wild (and fun to watch) traffic carving, red light running video days. I'm not sure how much safer you are now... peds get hosed too!

Oh, and anytime you're riding a bike, you're still a cyclist!

Are there any good country roads nearby?

Long bike paths/trails?

I used to enjoy driving from St. Louis to St. Charles, then heading down the Katy Trail when I was in Missouri. Unfortunately good long trails are few and far between.

They didn't prioritize cycling when they rebuilt New Orleans a few years ago?

Sometime there are consequences to the decisions we make and sometimes there are consequences to the decisions we fail to make. Each of us weighs the odds for our safety and the possible consequences we may have to suffer so I can't say you are in error. It is plain that there is considerable anger in many people as evidenced by many incidents of road rage. I lived in Biloxi for 10 years or so and though I miss the South, I would not be comfortable riding in many areas.

I find walking to work preferable. Ages ago in a different city I'd bike when it was nice and walk when it wasn't, but here the trip has either tended to be too short, or too much dealing with urban annoyances and not enough just riding.

So when I want to ride I head somewhere with a better enjoyment-to-annoyance ratio and do some serious miles.

I don't blame you one bit. Take care.

Good luck to you JoeyBike. I've enjoyed reading and sometimes responding to your posts over the years. You'll be back in the saddle again, I predict. I hung my bike up for 2 decades because of distress over motorist behaviour, but thankfully regained the fervor for the freedom I feel when cycling.

Seems the motorists took you out anyway. Have fun, stay safe on the sidewalks, ie, watch for dogs, cars coming in and out of driveways and falling pianos.

I would think it'd be easier to ditch crime or being chased by animals on a bicycle rather than on foot...

Good luck to you!

you had a good run and will be missed

Why not take up mountain biking? Trail or all mountain.

Did you ever hear of Mountain Bikes? Singletracks?

but yes the roads are a mess

Don't think there are many mountains near NOLA, and more swamp than singletrack....

I took up riding a Mountain bike because the roads weren't good enough for rollerblading. Still, I would rather rollerblade on a on a brick road than walk. To each his own.

1989
 

Car free since 1989. Amazing to me , regardless

I've been riding all my adult lifeand am more jazzed about it than ever though I'm sure the locale does influence ones POV. With that much fear and pessimism it's probably a good thing to take a break.

Bye and good luck!

A lot of what you say resonates with me Joeybike but I am not ready to take the leap you did. I hope it is the right decision for you and if isn't you can always come back to the fold. Enjoy your life on your terms.

Life is short - enjoy the (longboard) ride! Can't say I blame you one bit: some places are pleasant to ride and some are not. My own experience down that way was in the latter category.

Well, you certainly gave it a better try than most. Good luck, and don't sell the bikes quite yet. ;)

You may be leaving but those videos of yours are forever burned into my memory bank. Thanks for the entertainment. Take care of yourself and enjoy this next chapter of your life.


-Kedosto

Walking sucks. Get an antique.

I can understand. Today was a year since I was hit by a car. I celebrated with a 6 mile round trip to and from physical therapy for the injuries. And I'm looking at months more of PT. After a nap I took the road bike out for a 24 mile workout on the quietest route I know of, but still found myself tense and just wanting to get the day over with. I suppose I expected some magical reassurance connected to an arbitrary anniversary event. But I'm glad I did the rides and got home safely.

And there have been way too many close calls since, both as a cyclist and pedestrian. I still believe 90+% of drivers are fine. But there's a tiny fraction of them who need to be off the road. The worst aren't necessarily distracted drivers. I'm bothered more by the drivers who make eye contact but drive directly toward me, missing by inches, while I'm in the crosswalk with the walk signal, etc.

I wouldn't criticize anyone for giving up on the losing battle with motor vehicles. It takes only one careless, negligent or belligerent driver to change a life or take one.

honestly as longboarder i wanna know your set up :D share pics and or write up

let me guess, your new job is at a bike shop, so you get to talk "bikes" all day long & the forum is no longer useful?