I don’t think my rides are nearly as intense as Larry’s, but today at least I can boast about earning some (mild) scars. Here’s my route.
It was a running-around morning; I had an early appointment up on St. Clair Avenue and then I had to go down to Toronto General to get my tuberculosis test read. Being a programmer doesn’t exempt me from the disease and vaccination screening (and N95 mask fitting) that every employee in the health system gets.
I say “up on St. Clair” because Lake Ontario is a vestige of a larger lake, Lake Iroquois, that existed during the ice age. St. Clair is at the top of the north shore of that lake, while “lower” Toronto is on the old lake bed. It’s not like a real mountain or anything; next time I’ll try to remember my GPS to prove how much of a wimp I am.
Anyhow, after work it was my turn to get the kids out of storage and tow them home in the trailer. They’re currently rebuilding the streetcar tracks on Dundas St. through downtown Toronto, so traffic is a nightmare. We usually take the bike lane along Gerrard Street, even though the pavement is pretty rough, because there’s enough room to get past cars with the trailer.
Today, just before I got to Yonge St. a woman walked off the sidewalk into the bike lane without looking. Rang my bell, braked hard, and almost missed her, but the end of my handlebar just hooked her and flipped me onto my side. Very mild road rash on one elbow and knee, and smug satisfaction about having the kids in a trailer (which stayed upright) instead of a jump-seat.
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Not long after Marc’s first birthday, I managed to roll his Chariot with him in it, and not crash my bike. That’s the opposite of Irving’s experience. Not surprisingly, Marc was a bit nervous (okay, he cried a lot) the next couple of times I put him in the Chariot. He got over it, and we’ve had several years of pleasant riding.