Karen writes: Sociable cycling

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I have just had an extremely social 2 hours, riding, alone on my bike.   Of course it was a perfect Auckland morning, and the lead-up to the Taupo cycle challenge will have started, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that there were cyclists everywhere, some 1’s and 2’s, then quite large groups as I got closer to town.  All ages, all levels of experience, ranging from chattering flocks of obvious beginners in their rainbow of visibility gear (very smart people, they got extra big waves from me), to those in fast paced pelotons in dark colours, deigning not to see anyone else on the road as they rushed by.  Then on the Takanini straight jockeying for space on the road were runners, lots of them!   Aha, Auckland marathon is coming up, this must be the ‘long’ run on their programmes and they got a “go runner” from me as they slogged it out on the by now heating-up tarseal.    

I got a big fright at one point, a trades van decided that he could pull out in front of me from a building yard as I was scooting along at a good speed, it was slam on both sets of brakes and a little fishtail, fortunately I didn’t fall off, I wouldn’t have had a hope of getting a foot out of the cleat as it all happened so quick, even luckier I didn't crash into his drivers side door.  I don’t think he even realised how close he had come to potentially killing me.  

Then on the way home around the coast there were be-flagged camper vans which must have been heading south from the city, big windows crowded with waving overseas visitors.   I came home with a smile, not just because I managed my 50km at an average of 25km/hour, not just because it was a beautiful way to start a Saturday, but because I had ‘met’ lots of friendly people on the road and that always makes you feel good.

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