Yield to Life indeed

Don't worry: Yield to Life isn't some cryptic attempt to proselytize. In the traditional sense anyway. Time-trial monster David Zabriskie has decided being hit three times by cars was enough. So he's starting a public-education campaign to educate both cyclists and drivers.

Such efforts are not new. The League of American Bicyclists, for instance, talks a lot about cycling safety and works to train members to train the general public about how to ride safely.

Zabriskie's message isn't just share the road, but "to promote positive attitudes toward cyclists and replace any hostility that exists between motorists and cyclists with understanding, respect, and appreciation for all life on the road. Safety for every cyclist is the top priority of Yield to Life."

He, and the rest of us, have a lot of work to do. When I talk with noncycling friends many of them believe bikes shouldn't be on the road. I can usually bend that attitude even if I can't break it. I hope Yield to Life can provide me more ammunition as well as leverage Zabriskie's stardom and experience as someone who understands better than most that going for a ride should not just be a desperate attempt not to die.

My own private time trial

As I mention in this post, this 9.35-mile back-and-forth fills the bill when I want to ride hard — for me — but not long. In the original post, I said I wanted to bring this one in 30 minutes or less, with emphasis on less. Today I came in at 27:51.9: 20.13 miles per hour, after two rides last week that blasted through the half-hour barrier. While for an overaged schlepp I'm thrilled and proud of my 20.13 mph, I'm also willing to put my effort in some context. David Zabriskie holds the Tour de France time-trial record at 33.97 mph over a course of 11.8 miles in 2005. I don't expect to race Zabriskie any time soon. Even with his longer route he will have finished his first beer by the time I join him. Figuratively, anyway, since he probably hasn't enjoyed a beer and cheeseburger in a much, much longer time than I have.