Biking home

Oh, to be in Allegan County now that spring is here.

Sorry all you Browning fans (that's you, Roel), but I couldn't resist after such a good bicycle ride this morning.

I had to drop off my mother-in-law's van to be repaired -- a smell of gas permeates the cabin whenever it's driven. The various folks we've called say it's a catalytic converter problem, a fuel pump issue or gnomes and pixies mixing meth in the muffler.

So, I dropped the van off in Holland and cycled home. I had forgotten how different city riding is compared to the countryside I usually traverse.

Holland is not a huge city, but the number of traffic lights is numbing. And there are many "right turn only" lanes, meaning I have to maneuver into the center lane to go straight. I think this may be illegal -- I was reading that the state code says I should stay in the right-turn lane and go straight. No way! That's a recipe for a crash, and the cyclist always loses that confrontation. There is a bill in the state Senate stating cyclists can go into a center lane when needed. Duh.

All the traffic lights and stop signs make the ride through Holland slow and taxing on my legs. Writing of stop signs:

A columnist in Sunday's Sentinel lamented about cyclists who don't stop at stop signs. I can symnpathize from a driver's standpoint. I know that, when I cycle, I should come to a complete stop at these intersections, but I often don't if the road is clear.

Here's my analogy: When you drive your car and come to a stop sign, turn off your engine. Then, restart it to move through. That's what it's like to stop on a bicycle. When I pull my foot out of the toe strap and set it on the ground, I've just turned off my engine.

Back on the road

Once out of Holland and through Graafschap, the ride turns enjoyable. No wind today, little traffic and not too hot.

I went across the New Richmond Bridge -- man, does it rattle even with just a bike on it. This time, I smartly shifted early before the steep incline out of New Richmond. The last few times, I shifted late on the front sprockets and threw the chain.

And Fennville Street is now completely repaved. This is the last few blocks of my ride and keeps me off M-89. Nice new sidewalk, too.

Thought: School's out so the kids are home. Dad, whatcha doing? Dad, can we have cookies for breakfast? Dad, 'Lyssa spilled her juice. Dad. ... When does school start again?