If you ride your bike long enough, bad things tend to happen on occasion. Unfortunately, "bad things" to a cyclist can mean anything from dropping your chain to getting plowed by a dump-truck. Somewhere in between these extremes fall "mechanical failure", "flat tire", or "embarrassing crash while slowing at a red light and forgetting you are clipped in to your pedals."
Been there, done that.
For these reasons, it pays to look out for your fellow cyclists. Whenever I pass someone on the road who is hunched over and examining their bike (or a road-rashed body part), I ask if they need any assistance. Usually, people are just changing a tire or refilling a water bottle. But it's better to check and make sure...cause if I ever get caught out 30 miles from home without a spare tube, I hope someone would stop for me.
As I was out this past weekend, I passed a guy who had just blown a tire, so I stopped and asked if he needed any help. He looked surprised that someone stopped, but was very appreciative, and told me that he had a spare. We chatted for a few more seconds, and I was on my way. I couldn't place it as I was talking to him, but the guy looked very familiar.
About a mile down the road, I realized that it was the Mayor of DC, Adrian Fenty. He's pretty big into endurance sports, and I know he rides through Rock Creek park on the weekends. But it certainly was a surprise to have an up-close encounter.
He probably rode off thinking "Wow, that was JC."
Or at least that's how I like to imagine it. In retrospect, I'm just glad a sniper didn't mistake my kindness as aggression.
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