Last night, on my way back home from the Blue Moose ride, I had a hell of a stiff neck. I rode in the drops most of the way down to Prairie Village and most of the way through the group ride, because I can brake WAY better in that position, but in the interest of looking around and being able to see traffic and other riders, I ended up craning my neck quite a lot. So, after I got off 71st St./Gregory Blvd and pulled onto wide, gracious Ward Parkway I was more than ready to change my position on the wheel.
At 8:30-ish, on Ward Parkway, on a Thursday night, there’s not a whole lot of automotive traffic, so I just kicked back, hands off the bars altogether, and cruised along at my own pace. Since I was going downhill mostly, I just left it on the big ring and stroked along at a low cadence, just relaxing and cruising along. I reckon I rode no-hands for something on the order of about 30 blocks. That may well be my personal best.
And yes, I know it’s kind of dangerous and dumb and probably illegal. Shit, I take few enough risks, the indulgence of cruising along no-handed on a nearly deserted street is probably not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things.
And on to the feat of one-handed riding–operating a camera and a bicycle simultaneously:
I’d been meaning to video the Meaning of Cliff Drive for quite a while. So, here’s a two-part video featurette of Cliff Drive. Parts of the route are missing, because I belatedly learned that my camera will only record in 3-minute sessions. Still, it’s a good idea of what Cliff Drive is all about.
Cliff Drive Part One and Cliff Drive, Part 2.
Cliff Drive, by the way, is one of my favorite routes home, because it is so pretty and peaceful, and it smells good. It’s especially nifty in the fall, when there are leaves all over the road. If your ride fast through the fallen leaves, they whoosh around, and it’s kind of like one of those swanky car commercials, only better, because you’re not stuck in some boring-ass Lexus, but actually out in the fresh air, crunching leaves and getting your scurry on.