Slow down and smell them.
I've never had much interest in speed. Indeed, that's one of the reasons I choose to ride a bicycle: 12 miles per hour through the elements holds more appeal than 70 miles per hour in a climate-controlled vehicle. I still remember my drivers' ed teacher explaining the laws of physics as they apply to head-on traffic collisions. No, thanks.
Even among two-wheeled travelers, I move relatively slowly. And I would like to to take a moment to extol one of the many benefits of taking your time on the trail: accidental bike trains.
When I'm riding in to work on the Burke-Gilman Trail, my coworkers come up behind me more often than not. We talk about the weather, or we talk about our weekends. We trade stories and share smiles. And it's nice.
So if you're rushing to the office during Bike Month, I urge you to slow down and take a moment to chat with whomever you meet on the trail. You'll probably also sweat less and run down fewer unsuspecting pedestrians -- and you won't add more than a couple of minutes to your commute time.
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