morning rides ain't what they use to be
life with two dogs, two kids, and a straight 9-5 job alter my freedom to ride my bike in the morning
just too much to do and not enough time
there was a time when work was a little further so I had the force morning ride, aka the bicycle commute
but these days...
my morning commute tends to be short, very short, about 15 minutes short
not enough for a work out sometimes enough to develop a sweat
always long enough to post some complaints

the other morning on my pre-work pedal I ran into a fellow City Bikes Mountainbike Team Member, Chris Clarke
we met at a light and shared morning greetings
I asked where he was coming from
he asked where I was coming from
Chris was shocked at how short my ride to work was.... clearly implying that on my BLOG this ride seems longer
well.... this morning was a classic example of why my ride can sound so long
Car Drivers as a rule are self centered assholes
(when I drive I have to intentionally not be this way)

not 20 yards from the exit of the alley behind my house to street there is a 4 way stop
in the morning there is always cross town commuter traffic coming down this street
the cars have a simple "slow and go" mentality
never to they look
never do they yield to anyone else
they just slow and go
they most definitely never stop..... even if an officer is parked there to monitor the activity at this intersection
so on my bicycle I made my stop
did not argue the tie with the downhill traffic
paused in a track stand
then went as it was clearly my turn
then I was of course nearly hit by the two cars that were after me in the queue
then was tailgated
then was passed illegally and aggressively by one of the drivers

that was just incident one
I will not go on about the teen age tailgater behind the zoo.... the man dialing his cell phone as he meandered back and forth within the lane, or any of the other annoying/obnoxious/dangerous encounters of the morning

the point is that whether the ride before work is an hour, two hours, or 15 minutes... as long as there is bicycle to car interaction... there will be an incident
this is the modern age.... an age that is not evolving for the better
brace yourself for the future
cars are getting faster.... people are becoming more stupid

there are days where I do get an extended prework ride.... those days happen when I work the late shift
not having to be in until 11 allows for a longer walk with the dogs and a longer ride before work
my schedule is such that I have at least one of these days a week
these days it has been more than one day a week
on these days I come into work more refreshed like my morning coffee had an extra shot of esspresso in it