The Brickell Metrorail station is just about at SW 9th Street. The street sign at the corner reads "Beethoven's Ninth Symphony St." Guess what ditty plays when a train enters the station?We heard the "duh-duh-duh-DUH" as we pedaled past the station early this morning. We were heading to the Rickenbacker for our daily ride. We'd done about 50 miles yesterday, including the Saturday EBC group ride to Black Point Marina. We're becoming quite fond of the 16-18 mph group. It isn't much of a physical stretch, but it's a nice social ride with a pleasant assortment of people. Nice banter at a easy pace.
Sunday is still my favorite day in Miami. Light traffic in Brickell and Downtown. Lots and lots of bicycles. Which brings me to the Sunday Bozo Peloton. The Sunday Bozo Peloton is not a small group of riders. It is a very large group. We've run into this group every Sunday, unfortunately often at Bear Cut Bridge. There is one stretch of road at Bear Cut Bridge where bike and pedestrian traffic is two-way affair. (Clue to the Bozo Peloton: If the little bike sign in the bike lane is upside down, you are going the wrong way.) The Sunday Bozo Peloton swoops through this section, riders hunched over their handlebars, heads down and hammering away, totally oblivious to anything else on the roadway. There is a leader of sorts who flaps arms and yells wildly for the group to move over, but his flock pays only vague attention. It's like watching a flock of crazed seagulls on road bikes. The easiest way to deal with them is to move to the margin of the lanes and stop. Is it any wonder why so many people hate the road bike community? I'm on the road riding a road bike, and I hate this peloton.
Sunday is our day for a picnic lunch on the Miami River, watching the boats go by and the bridges going up and down. This week we were joined by a cyclist on a beautifully restored, elegant 60s era Bianchi. Now that was a nice addition to the already lovely scenery...
