Cycling During COVID - a PSA for 2020 and Beyond

Hi, friends! As has been thought about and stated more eloquently by others, 2020 has been kind of like a video game (or at least the ones I remember, like Mario Brothers) - we get through one level, only to graduate to a more difficult level. Along the way, we have also been fortunate enough and grateful enough to realize that we have picked up some clutch tools, helpful friends, and unforeseen gifts that have helped us confront the next level.

One way people have been able to "level up" is by engaging in new hobbies. New hobbies that often result in the tools, friends, and gifts mentioned above. One of those hobbies or experiences is cycling - even now, bicycle shops struggle to keep merchandise on the shelves. And no wonder - biking is a great way to be outside, social distance, get exercise, and have fun. I am all for it - we have known for a long time people need to be more active and if the COVID-19 pandemic is helping people realize that, great! I personally love biking and have been doing it for about 10 years.

So...please keep that in mind as you read on. I decided to write a blog on this topic because I reasoned there had to be something more I could do besides bitch on the trail every time I go biking. What do I bitch about? I bitch about what I call the COVID bikers (not very nice, I know). COVID bikers are people who started biking because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And in the midst of my bitching, I try to have some grace because I truly know they are out trying to get through this like we all are and aren't intentionally trying to be annoying, at the least, and dangerous, at the worst.

That brings me to the PSA purpose of this blog. The following are things everyone who is biking on trails, sidewalks, or roads needs to know. Not just because I get annoyed but because it is truly life threatening to yourself and others to willfully or ignorantly disregard the following rules of bicycle etiquette. Please read and implement these if you are getting on a bike!

1) MOST IMPORTANT - do not get on a bike without a helmet. I don't care if you think it looks dorky, it's going to mess your hair up, or whatever other inadequate excuse you might come up with. This is non-negotiable and is lifesaving. If you have kids, get them helmets, even if they are "only" on balance bikes. They need to get used to it and know it's important. And if you're biking with your kids, wear one so they see it is important. They take their cues from you and if you don't wear one while telling them it's important for them...well, that's about as effective as the old "Do as I say, not as I do" hypocrisy. Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of traumatic brain injury and death in the event of an accident. It doesn't take a very high speed to suffer severe head trauma or death. Even riding a short distance - you don't know what someone else is going to do or what might happen. It's foolish to chance it. I'll say it again - helmets are non-negotiable.

2) When riding on a bike trail, it is critical to communicate with other people using the trail, whether they are riding, walking, running, rollerblading, or blowing bubbles. Since bikes don't have blinkers, cyclists rely on hand signals and verbal communication. Again, this is not only to protect others, it also protects you. It's great if you want to use the traffic hand signals we all learned in driver's ed back in the day - however, merely pointing with an outstretched arm to communicate a turn gets the job done. Let people know you are turning. If there are people behind you and you are going to slow down, get off the trail, or come to a stop, verbalize all of these actions by saying, "Slowing", "Biker off", or "Stopping". Letting others know what you are doing prevents things like another bike slamming into you because they didn't know you were stopping or running into you because they didn't realize you were taking that right.

3) In the same vein of communication, when you pass someone from behind, whether it's another biker or someone walking or running on the trail (just when you're passing anyone, regardless of what they are doing),

pass them on the left and verbally say, "On your left." Always pass on the left and always let someone know you are passing them. Again, letting someone know you're there and passing them prevents them from coming out in front of you and causing a collision. By the same token, when you are riding or walking on the trail, stay to the middle or the right and if you're not already to the right when someone let's you know they're on your left, move to the right.

4) If you have to stop on the trail for anything (beer, more beer, or something else), get off the trail. Do not leave all or part of your bike on the trail...or anything for that matter, including yourself. Also, refer to number two above and hopefully you already communicated "Biker off" in your rush to get to the beer.

5) If you are riding with another person or a group, when you encounter someone coming or going either way, ride single file. The trails are not wide enough for three and the crowding creates an unnecessary risk if someone were to swerve even a tiny bit. I know you might think your story about that hottie is of utmost importance but it will wait until you pass people safely.

6) This is another non-negotiable. If you are going to ride at dusk or night, or if there is any chance that you will be riding at dusk or night (remember all those beers?) you need a headlight and a taillight for your bike. Again, this is for both others and yourself. The other night we were riding home and we had lights on...it was still extremely hard to see a group of eight cyclists coming toward us. It was pretty scary because it was around a curve, as well. If you don't have lights on, especially on the tree covered trails, you are not going to be seen. This could cause a collision a number of ways. Both headlights and taillights protect you from cars, also...most of us have to get off the trail at some point to get home. This is a common sense safety precaution and it's plain rude not to have lights.

These are the basics. Biking is a great sport and I've met and bonded with some great friends on bikes. We are glad you're out there. We hope you stay on your bikes even in life after COVID. We want you to do it safely and keep us safe while you're doing it. Then we can all continue to enjoy those beers. Cheers, enjoy the ride, and stay safe (I really want to say, stay sexy and don't get murdered!).

An Open Letter to 2020

Dear 2020,

I wanted to write you this letter to let you know how I feel about you.  You have been the oddest year I have ever lived through in my life to date and that is saying something because I have had some pretty odd years.  I know everyone wants to trash you and tell you how terrible you have been to us.  And yes, I agree, I would like to tell you off most days as only a real asshole can.  I would like to tell you about all of the stress you have caused – Kobe Bryant’s death, the pandemic, George Floyd protests, an explosion in Beirut and now some freak storm in Iowa that took my relatively new trampoline and utterly shredded it. You cancelled sports which means that for the first time in 12 years, my sister, Molly, and my best friend, Krissi, won’t be meeting up for our annual Cubs weekend in Chicago.  Do you realize that not even a deployment to Afghanistan stopped us from making that trip happen? You really deserve a big fuck you, but I can’t quite make myself say that to you. 

Why is that?  Because you have also been an incredibly eye-opening year.  I have gotten to spend more time with my children and family than ever before.  It has not always been good or easy but we had time to do things together we would not have had if they had been in school.  I taught them how to bake homemade bread, we went through their baby pictures and started their scrapbooks.  We tried geocaching and painted ceramics.  My entire family got to hang out in Cape Cod together.  Before the pandemic, one of the sisters had plans and was not going to be able to make the trip.  Thanks to COVID-19, however, the plans she had were cancelled and she was able to attend which made it really cool that all five sisters and our divorced parents were together for an entire week long shit show. I no longer watch TV for a variety of reasons.  I was able to fully move on from a prior relationship and start over in a new house that feels like home to me now.  I have had time to address some things I had been putting off.  I became a pet owner for the first time.  I was able to get to know my family better through a text message chain we started where we all had to answer a question of the day.  I have had to rely upon my family for help more, including having my dad come over to kill a spider in a moment of true crisis.  You have made me slow down and reflect, and as a result, I have realized some things about myself that I need to change or adjust.  I think a lot of us had to explore new hobbies and have reconnected to the outdoors.  I have learned to laugh again and experience joy – emotions that in the past had escaped me because I was too busy or too stressed.  All of these good things can sometimes seem small in comparison to the negative things you have brought but the good things are there if we look for them.  

So you see, I cannot completely despise you.  Part of me respects your don’t give a shit attitude.  I admire how you have shaken things up and given us all a wake-up call to varying degrees on varying topics.  Part of me wishes you didn’t need to be so damned heavy-handed but as a fellow asshole, I sort of get it.  I don’t know what the rest of your reign will bring.  Perhaps it will be calm or it might be tumultuous.  What I do know, is that nothing is all good or all bad and you are no different.  Whatever happens in the next four months, I know we will deal with it and come out stronger and hopefully, kinder, on the other side.  You are like that teacher that no one wants to take his or her class because it is so hard and so much work.  But like those classes, perhaps we will find we have learned the most from you. I hope we have learned the lessons you wanted us to learn.   I only have one simple request.  As you leave us and 2021 takes over, please do not give 2021 any pointers.  

Staycation: All I ever wanted!

Hello everyone! We are back from a bit of a summer hiatus! Well, truth be told, I, Molly, am back from a summer hiatus…it has been my “turn” on the blog since about the 4^th of July but somehow even during a pandemic we have been (probably overly) busy. Thank you for understanding our absence! I actually had a really long blog written about what we have been up to for the month of July but then I decided to spare all the details and just share some pictures and a couple of bits of wisdom I learned from my 7-year-old niece and 4-year-old son.


Prior to COVID, we had planned the month of July to be full of vacations and family time since I would have just returned from Annual Training where I would have been away for two weeks. Annual Training did not happen as it was originally planned and neither did most of our vacations…


For the 4^th of July, we had planned to go to the Catskills like we usually do but we ended up driving almost 7 hours to visit Larry’s cousin, his wife, and their daughter in Massena, New York, which is only separated by the St. Lawrence River from Canada. It was absolutely beautiful and we had a wonderful time. Here is a pic of me and the kids (Daddy was fishing) at the Eisenhower Locks (which are fascinating if you have time to read about them!): 

We had a couple of days back at home and then we had a vacation planned with my family down in Hyannis. We rented a huge house near the Kennedy Compound, visited the National Seashore, went on a lighthouse tour and whale watch, etc. It solidified our family’s love for the Cape. Yes, my family came all the way from Iowa before the current quarantine mandate but we followed every recommended safety precaution. Please do not travel shame us – we would be happy to discuss different points of view but that is not the point of this blog. Here is a pic of all of us in our Cape shirts that we had made. This was taken after an awesome beach day at Craigville Beach. We all look burnt and exhausted but also filled with so much love (and homemade burritos):

Finally, about a week later, we had a “staycation” with Larry’s parents, his brother and sister-in-law, and their two children. Similar to the 4^th of July, we originally planned to go to the Catskills but ended up just staying local in Stoughton. Although I love traveling, the song that was going through my head for this week was “staycation: all I ever wanted…!” It was so nice having the comforts of home but also being able to do things we wouldn’t normally do like visiting local beaches, the zoo, spending days playing in the backyard, having dinner meals at home together, etc. Here is a picture of LJ and Adeline with their cousins:

Anyway, now to the bits of wisdom:


1)  After our Hyannis vacation, we had a day back at our house in Stoughton before my Iowa family had to fly out the next day. We basically did nothing after driving back from the Cape in the morning. We had lunch, we played a couple board games with the kids, sat around together in our living room, and then spent a good portion of the afternoon running foot races around the house, which is LJ’s newest passion (he likes me to time him on his watch – ha!). Anyway, the next day my niece commented on how it was such a busy and fun day. I asked her if it was as fun as spending our days at the beach at the Cape and she said that it was even more fun! It was surprising to me because I had considered the day somewhat of a “wasted” day.


2)  After back to back outings during our Stoughton “staycation” of the beach and the zoo, LJ said to me unprompted, “Mama, I really like special days but I didn’t get to just play with Taylor (his cousin).”


 MORAL(s) OF THE STORIES: You don’t have to go far for fun. Sometimes the best adventures are right outside in your own backyard. Often as parents we have almost an anxiety to give our children ALL the experiences and travel that we maybe had or did not have as children growing up. And adults can sometimes use travel as a way to “get away” from a place, a life, or a home with which they are not comfortable and drag their kids along in the process justifying it by saying they are giving their kids experiences. I think it is important to remember, myself included, that kids are often happy with the most simple of things such as being in their own home, running races in a backyard or getting plenty of free play time with their siblings and cousins.