Three points TODAY…. None earth-shattering:
Point One
….. Do you remember
the series, BLAH BLAH for Dummies? NOT intending to be rude, just informative,
I want to add a “simplified chapter to the series, today; Drafting for Dummies.
…… Years ago
a man name Bernoulli simply stated, ”Moving air has less pressure than air
standing still.” Applying this
principle has allowed man to learn how to build airplanes, etc. It also allows for what, in cycling , we call
DRAFTING. When cyclists are riding in a line, the one in front forces the air
out of his way. That air, once moved,
will come rushing (faster) back into the spot it was moved from once the rider
has gone forward. Depending upon the
speed of the first rider, the returning air corresponds proportionately. If there is just dust and debris along the
road, it joins the returning air and helps fill the space back up. If there is a 2nd rider, his/her
body can move into the space. He or she
is now drafting. HOWEVER, the person
moving the air is doing a lot more of the work (the faster they ride, the more
moving air, that which is forced out of the way, rushes in.) Simple enough: The
rider 1st in line works harder to move the air, the rider behind get
to be pulled along with help of the ‘air rushing back in, and is continued to
be pulled by the effort of the rider 1st in line.
…..Okay, very simplified, I hope. (other
forces are at work too, but we’re sticking with Bernoulli)
….. DRAFTING
MANNERS: When you pull up behind a
stranger, on a ride, and ‘draft’ for a while, it is polite to offer to ‘pull’
for a while! Drafting onto someone’s effort
(for more than a ¼ of a mile, can be considered ‘rude riding.’ You are causing the rider first in line to do more work.
….. I
dislike being rude, but my ‘drafter’ just didn’t realize how much extra work
he/she was causing me to pull him/her along.
Please, just be aware of common courtesies.
……………………………………………………Point
Two………………………………………………………
WRITING
EDITORIALS: We all have things to say,
we all have our valid points of view, none of us are perfect. All of us will never agree!!! Often, embued somewhere in an editorial we write is
something worth considering……….. But that point can be totally lost.....
As a published author I can tell you that the
hardest thing to do is to sit and write a chapter, and then ‘toss’ it out
because it just wasn’t right. It didn’t
communicate in such a way that it got the interest, or response, or the understanding,
that I had hoped to elicit. Sometimes,
when writing open letters to the public, the above mentioned components might
be more carefully examined. Simply said,
communicating is an art, and you’ll catch more flies with honey than
vinegar. (trite, but……. OMG…….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
………………………………………………….Point
Three………………………………………………………
I have been a member of the GCC since
1992. I joined a club of cycling enthusiasts. I did not join a “republic” wherein we
elected leaders to vote or speak for all the members of the club. I did not join a “democracy” wherein I got to
vote on everything. I joined a club with
organizational leadership. For all the
years and hundreds and hundreds of hours of dedication to the club, I want to
thank Roger, Chandler and the core group that has made GCC into the stellar
organization that it is. And I’ll
repeat, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours of hard work! You have made it a pleasure to be part of the
organization!
Keep the rubber side down,
Jere Steele
Prof Emeritus, UofF
note: Recently, and as some of you are aware, my cancer has returned and numbered my riding days. I'm 68 and have no problem with that. Each ride I take has become a wonderful moment in my life. The sun, the fresh air, the movement down the road. Take a moment, next time you ride, (just a moment) and truly enjoy the gift of just plain cycling.
see you on the road...............