Muscle memory

And urban cycling

I used to ride around this city like a maniac.

Bike lanes were few and far between. Riders were not separated from traffic like they are here now. There also seemed to be fewer bikes.

Of the bikes that were there, there was a large group of goretex clad commuters. They had all of the bells and lights and whistles on their machines. They even wore helmets. They waited at lights.

Then, there was the rest of us. Red lights were observed - when necessary. Same with stop signs or signs pointing out one way streets.

The rules of the road were more of something to negotiate with.

Now?

Now there are more bike lanes. Now there are more bikes. These days every traffic signal has a clump of wheels and flesh clogging up the intersection making boosting through red lights difficult. The cement barriers there to keep cyclists safe have us penned in.

But the memory of how I used to ride is still there in every sinus of my body. I was a bike courier. Paid by the package delivered, time was money. Nothing ha…