2011 TOUR de BROWARD METRIC CENTURY BIKE TOUR

After cycling 61+ miles Sunday morning in congested Broward County, FL, and being forced to intermingle with the apathetic car culture crowd, the Netherlands come to mind where there are more bicycles than people. However, I do not live in the Netherlands where bicyclists and pedestrians are respected, even revered.

Perhaps escalating gas prices will reverse America’s and Broward County’s automobile versus cyclists onslaught, maybe even putting us in line with more bicycle-cultured countries.

I recently learned that the State of Florida is the most dangerous state in the union for cyclists, which in my opinion places a label of shame on most motorists in the sunshine state.

Keeping the previous in mind, I doubt that I will again sign up for any distance bike ride with Tour de Broward or any South Florida bicycle tour for that matter.  I’ll opt instead for the safer 5k runs, basically assuring my safety while donating to a worthy cause.

Even though no personal close calls were encountered during Sunday morning’s metric century bike ride, the potential risks were real and nerve-racking.  When you consider that a small percentage of our roadways have adequate bike lanes, cyclists must share regular roadway lanes with hurried motorists, dodging or being alert for debris along the side of most roads is the norm and not the exception, and there are no police escorts except for the hardcore front-of-the-pack bikers, is there any wonder why the average cyclists can become disheartened?

The upside of Sunday’s ride was the camaraderie shared with fellow cyclists and the friendliness of all rest stop volunteers. There are some wonderful people on those two wheelers and at the stops.  It was each one of them that made Sunday’s 100 kilometer bike ride a relatively fun ride!

It’s the four-wheel pilots that I’m mainly concerned with. 

Sunday's ride was a good reminder why I choose to do most of my cycling in county and state parks.