My heart full of 2 wheeled adventures, this week has been a mish-mash of rediscovering the cyclist within and balancing the promise of adventure against the 'danger' of 2 wheeling. Of course, having been doing the biwheel balancing act for over 40 years, I have no sense of fear at all, whether weaving through chaotic African traffic or flying down long hills. 
I must admit tho', I do spend a lot of my riding time off road...i.e. on the pavement. I worked out long ago that people are softer than cars.
In Washington DC it is illegal to ride on the pavement. I spend most my cycle time on the pavement here and in Nairobi. It is simply too dnagerous to ride on the road all the time. The SA average for cyclists involved in accidents is 1.6 per day! In the last 2 weeks here in Durban alone 5 sport cyclists have been knocked down in hit and run accidents.
One ended tragically and when I think of the calibre of person that Willem Van Heerden was....I am once again reminded of how precious and fragile life is, with no intrinsic meaning or purpose, other than that which we give to it, moment by moment. 
Barely a week later, on the same stretch of road, in the early pristine hours of the day, 5 cyclists were knocked off their bikes by yet another hit and runner. The outraged sport cycle community called for a mass ride and memorandum of demands to the city.
There was even one cyclist from my very own solar system, marked by the lack of shiny gear and a bicycle with no gears!
I must admit tho', I do spend a lot of my riding time off road...i.e. on the pavement. I worked out long ago that people are softer than cars.In Washington DC it is illegal to ride on the pavement. I spend most my cycle time on the pavement here and in Nairobi. It is simply too dnagerous to ride on the road all the time. The SA average for cyclists involved in accidents is 1.6 per day! In the last 2 weeks here in Durban alone 5 sport cyclists have been knocked down in hit and run accidents.
One ended tragically and when I think of the calibre of person that Willem Van Heerden was....I am once again reminded of how precious and fragile life is, with no intrinsic meaning or purpose, other than that which we give to it, moment by moment. 
Barely a week later, on the same stretch of road, in the early pristine hours of the day, 5 cyclists were knocked off their bikes by yet another hit and runner. The outraged sport cycle community called for a mass ride and memorandum of demands to the city.
Cameras in hand I headed down in support and apart from the rather stylish and tribal dress of all gathered I had a sense of being with a bunch of very healthy-minded and sensible people. 
There was even one cyclist from my very own solar system, marked by the lack of shiny gear and a bicycle with no gears!
The mass ride sadly was competing with possible next resident president Zuma's corruption trial so it was disallowed by the powers that be and this decision was respected by the organizers, Cyclesafe SA.
My head full of images of cyclic intropection we 2 wheeled off back to our lives here in paradise by the ocean.
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