Cyclists in London are sort of like cyclists in Minneapolis - decent bikes, decent gear, and a decent amount of fluorescent yellow so as not to get hit by those big double-decker buses. Cyclists in Oxford and Cambridge are somewhat similar to each other - mostly students, pretty basic bikes, no gear (e.g., no helmets, no clothing to be comfortable in the rain in 30-degree temps). It felt like there were more bikes in Oxford than in Cambridge, but that in Cambridge, there were more non-student riders with some better bikes and gear, such as waterproof panniers. The cyclists near Fareham, Portsmouth, and Southampton seemed to be like the ones in London, but I wasn't in those cities on a weekday, so it is hard to say. Since all of my statements are generalizations, though, I think I'm safe.
Although our Oxford hotel had bikes I could have used, I did not ride. Not only was it cold and rainy, but I had a hard time understanding, reliably, the traffic patterns. It was hard enough to cross the street on foot. I decided I'd rather come home alive and/or without a broken leg.
Instead, I walked and walked and walked many hours every day. I saw a lot and took a lot of pictures, and enjoyed drinking coffee and tea all day long, while spending my vacation with my sister and the Harris family.
 |
| Typical sight in Oxford (photo from some blog from Google images) |
Next up: (1) Resuming work while trying to get back in the swing of fat biking and swimming to not be too out of shape when spring rolls around. (2) Planning that trivia night, since I put down a deposit! (3) Attending a team captain meeting for the MS bike rides and getting stragglers to join my two biking teams. (4) Soliciting donations.
No comments:
Post a Comment