Two weeks ago I talked with two cyclists, a couple who were on their way to South America. And last week I met two cyclists who were returning to Montreal after having ridden as far west as Kingston. The woman had a ferocious little chihuahua that was restrained in her front handlebar bag. Today, I watched in awe as five men sped westward along Number Two, pedalling at a cadence of at least 90 strokes per minutes, with barely enough distance to slip a banana peel between the rear wheel of the lead rider and the front wheel of the one following. All were drafting, in the same fashion as migrating Canada geese.
The ones heading far south, and the ones heading back to Montreal were well equipped; their overnight accommodations and other essentials were secured to their bikes. All that the swiftly moving quintet had with them were tightly-fitting Lycra, aerodynamically refined helmets, water bottles affixed to their 20-pound bike frames. No doubt, each had a credit card strategically tucked away somewhere.
The couples occupied about an arm’s length of roadway whenever no motor vehicle loomed in their rear-view mirrors. I could hear them chatting amicably. Occasionally, the little one in the handlebar bag would bark to threaten any passing car.
Periodic snorts, or a shouted “Car Up!” and steady heavy breathing were all that came from the fast riders. All they demanded was the handlebar-width of asphalt next to the shoulder of the highway.
All these pedallers were amazingly green. No fossil fuel consumed; only the occasional belch or passing of gas was added to the atmosphere. The amount of raw material (aluminum frames, steel spokes, Fiberglas helmets, rubber tires…) weighed less than each cyclist.
In stark contrast were the streams of tourists driving by. Ford F-150s towing tandem axle trailers; Mercedes Sprinter vans that looked as if they were being pushed by the Honda Civics hugging their rear bumpers; RVs that seemed to be proclaiming, “Yes! You can take it with you: air-conditioning unit on top, two motorcycles secured to the rear, shower, toilet and kitchen sink all on board!” Home away from their Montreal or Ottawa home.
The cyclist’s carbon footprint is as different from the typical motor home campers as a canoe is from a 4,000 passenger-cruise ship.
À chacun son goût, eh! Something to think about.
