I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve rolled a ton of stop signs.  When I first started riding, it wasn’t even an issue.   People that drove cars didn’t blink an eye if a cyclist rolled a stop sign.  It was to be expected.  But, that was a long, long time ago.

Somewhere, through the time, drivers started getting up in arms about cyclists.   It isn’t only rolling stop signs, but nearly everything, just riding.  I wonder why that happened?  More cyclists, or people having less time?  Whatever the reason, even if you are the most responsible cyclist, concerning laws, you will feel the wrath of drivers occasionally.

Cycling laws interest me.  Each state and their perceptions of what is important enough to restrict cyclists from doing.

Here in Kansas, we have a two-abreast law, which makes it legal to ride side by side.  Plus we have the 3 foot passing rule.  These two laws make it nearly impossible to pass a couple cyclists without crossing the centerline, which is how it should be.   Nearly the only way to pass a cyclist when there is oncoming traffic is for the car to cross over the centerline.  The 3 foot law makes that pretty much mandatory.

We, in Kansas have a Dead Red Law too. which allows bicyclists, and motorcycles, to legally proceed through red lights in Kansas when it is safe to do so.   It is a good law for cyclists.

I saw an article that in California, a couple politicians introduced a bill that would allow cyclist to roll stop signs.  Treat them as yield signs.   This would make a huge difference riding nearly anywhere in the state.  When I’m riding in Southern California, you could go through 100’s of stop signs on any given ride.  I think the state of Idaho has this law already.

Plus, like the creators of the legislation understand, it is safer for the bicyclist.  We all know how to get across an intersection after stopping, but you have to think of a person that hardly ever rides that has trouble locating their pedals while starting, thus looking down and not paying enough attention to the cross traffic.   Going slowly across a busy street isn’t the wisest way to cross that street.

I have no idea whether this will become law.  I’d bet not, but what do I know?  I’m way more interested in alleviating the animosity between cyclists and drivers.  I don’t really get why it even exists.  You’d think that a driver would think it is great that someone is out riding a bike.  For commuting, recreation, or actually training.   People are fickle.

Think all the money they would save putting up special signs for bicyclists.

I’ve been riding a fair amount the last week.  Nothing crazy, but pretty hard considering the wind has never been blowing much less than 20 mph.  It has been pretty usually warm the past couple weeks, in the 60’s, but when that is the case this time of the year, it is nearly always super windy.

I rode 440 miles last week.  I did a 90 mile ride and sort of fell apart around 50.  But I just kept training and yesterday did 80 miles and felt fine. That is with a lot of wind, once again.  I have no idea what my body does to compensate for those extremes?  It is so weird.

I got a racing license last friday.   I was considering racing on Saturday, but thought better of it after riding over to the race.  The Spring Fling course is pretty safe, but the wind was crazy and I do realize that I need to stay vertical on a bicycle for the near future.

I don’t quite understand the licensing deal from USAC nowadays.  It cost me $255 for an international license.  Something about extra for a t-shirt and insurance at gravel races/gravel fondos.  Then there is a $25 fee for extra drug testing, the Race Clean program.  I guess I don’t mind paying for either of those things.  Both seem like a good use of funds.

I was just looking at my license and I’m a Cat 5 for MTB cross country racing.  Actually, I’m a Cat 5 in all aspects of MTB racing, except observed trials, where I’m a 3.  Not sure what happened there.  I maybe didn’t race enough sanctioned MTB races, so got downgraded to 5?

I had been only riding around 250-300 miles a week, but felt I needed to get some endurance.  A 440 mile week in Kansas, with this wind, is like a 550 mile week in California.   I try to ride as much sidewind as possible, since riding straight into the headwind is way too hard.

I was looking at Strava and they are doing a March Distance Challenge.  I noticed this because Amanda Coker had signed up for it.  She is the woman setting the ultra endurance record down in Florida.  She has been riding daily, what I had done the previous 3 weeks.  She has upped her mileage to around 250 miles a day now.  Guess she only has 10 weeks or so to go, so she is going longer at the end.  And faster.  The numbers are mind blowing.

I don’t understand it at all.  Not any of it.  Her time riding, her speed riding, how she can consume enough calories for the effort, none of it.  She finished week 42 last Saturday and rode 253.3 miles that day.  I’ve never come close to riding that far my whole life.   And she does it for nearly 42 weeks straight, everyday, pretty much.

She is winning the Strava March Challenge, having ridden 2024 km. in 5 days.  She is 753 km ahead of 2nd place.  This is out of 112,585 people signed up.  I am in 429th place, not that I’m keeping track.

I don’t understand why she isn’t getting more press from cycling publications.  RAAM gets way more press than this and what she is doing is way, way more impressive.  On so many levels.  I can ride a bicycle alright and there is absolutely no way I could do what she has already done.  It is amazing.

Okay, it is windy again here in Kansas.  Gusts today over 40 I heard on the radio.  The upside to this crazy wind is they can’t burn the grass, so the air is cleaner.  A little I guess.  It is supposed to get to 76 this afternoon, but thunderstorms then.   Guess I should get out early?

We came in on gravel yesterday to try to get some shelter from the wind.

This is John-Jack. We stopped for coffee in Lawrence and he decided to refuel.

Amanda Coker rides more a day than I did in 3 separate weeks.

My license.

After 3 days of the Strava March Challenge, I was tied with Tony Rominger.

I saw that Amanda has a GoFundMe page to help with her expenses. She has raised a little over $5,000. I figure she is going to go through 56 tires, if she gets 3000 miles per tire. She could probably use some assistance. Here is a link to her GoFundMe page.