Do we take the Bicycle for granted? Who knows. It seems to have been originally a German and French invention, so far as I know. I've owned only a few bikes in my life, but went through brief intense periods of riding. Two serious spills made me wary, both caused by aggressive (i.e. careless/reckless) drivers of cars. Once in Philadelphia and once in Detroit. Even now I can feel the effects in my left arm, which was already screwed up from 1970s high school football clashes and a broken arm dating to the late 1960s. Being left-handed, this is a drag.
In any case, wheels -- how many do you need to keep moving forward? With a non-motorized bike, if you don't keep pedaling you fall over. Memory flash of almost doing that very thing in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, circa 1968. One learns quickly, or one doesn't learn to ride.
As for the annual Tour de France, it began in 1903 and is still going strong. The Kraftwerk track above gives a pretty good idea of how it goes. Ain't that something?
Even now, there are more bikes than cars or trucks or planes or trains or ships or motorcycles in the world. Only the horse has been left behind as regular mode for transport in the mad parade of modernity. God save us all, indeed.
Today's Rune: Defense.
5 comments:
If it weren't for the auto folks two wheels would be better than four.
Progress for good or ill will still progress. *shrug* Give me a hydrogen powered car and I will move confoundedly forward in it.
What jerks some drivers can be. I definatly take bikes for granted. I like my car so much more. XP But I also like to watch out for the other bikers as well, haha.
I'm an avid bicyclist, both for transportation and exercise. My school is a 10-12 minute ride from my home-- I can lock the bike up right in front of the school, where it's under constant guard by security; not that I worry too much about it. It's an old Schwinn I bought for fifty bucks from a friend of my ex.
Incidentally, the same trip in my car takes about 20 minutes, sometimes more. I have to park three blocks from the school. Time gets added on if there is bad traffic and more if I have trouble parking. I take my bike in all but the worst weather.
Erik, I love biking and I love Kraftwerk, too!
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