October 27, 2016 – Sun, 80 degrees
Miles Today: 75
Miles to Date: 18,568
States to Date: 46
Kudos to me: I have survived Texas yet again. The first time I exited the Lone Star State I enumerated the finer points of heckling. After 18,000+ miles, I’m keyed into the hazards cycle tourists face living on the shoulder. Pedal at your peril:
- Shoulder debris
- Right turns from side street. Make eye contact with everyone entering from the right. Curse those tinted windshields.
- Shoulder gravel. Slow down or skid.
- Trucks passing cars in the oncoming lane. They gun right down on you.
- RV buses pulling autos, usually driven by retired men without commercial license who are Masters of the Universe in their minds but don’t really understand how big their rigs are. Oh, and they sometimes forget to push the side steps under the chassis before pulling out of their driveway, which can clip you right in the ankle.
- Right turns from behind. People in a hurry, which is pretty much everyone, will not yield to a cyclist.
- Rumble strips in the shoulder. Instant migraine.
- Darting across a main road from a side street. Who looks for cyclists?
- Single direction drainage grates aligned with your tires. I yield to all drainage grates. Get your tire stuck in one of these and you’re flying over your handlebars.
- Unsignaled left turns. Been there, done that. Can’t blame that one on Texas, but I am wary of it at every intersection.
The Awkward Pose 