Good vs Bad (or Worse) Cycling Moments

Yes, I think I’ve experienced most of these.

Bad: Having dogs chase you.
Good: Having dogs chase you on a 35mph downhill.

Bad: Getting low on water on an unfamiliar strip of road.
Good: Finding people sitting in their yard in the middle of no where, when you need water and borrowing their outdoor water faucet.

Bad: Getting caught out in a lightening storm.
Good: Beating the lightening storm home.

Bad: Loose gravel when climbing a steep hill.
Worse: Loose gravel, causing you to slide on a very steep downhill.

Bad: Finding a stream to cross that you aren’t sure how deep it might be, with loose gravel.
Good: Finding a stream to cross with 2-3 inches of water on a paved road

Bad: A cold rain on a cool day.
Good: A cool, gentle rain on a hot day.

Bad: The feeling you get when you think that maybe you were too ambitious in planning how many miles you could ride that day.
Good: Having your own personal SAG support.

Bad: Riding a MS150 and discovering you missed a turn and have no idea where you are.
Good: Calling in lost on the MS150 ride and discovering you accidentally took a 10 mile short cut.

Bad: Not getting comfortable at night while camping because of too many rocks.
Good: Camping on RAGBRAI in Iowa where there are no rocks.

Bad: Being a moron on RAGBRAI and missing the turn off to your camp site, and riding an extra 10 miles.
Good: Everything else about RAGBRAI.

Bad: Being on a long ride, wishing you had a fellow rider to keep you company.
Good: Riding partners.

Bad: Waking up in your tent the morning after your first day on RAGBRAI, thinking you aren’t really in good enough shape for this when the thought hits your mind, “I may die this week”.
Good: Realizing you are capable of more than you think, if you just keep a steady pace.

Bad: The sad feeling you get seeing the final destination of a week long bike ride, knowing the adventure is about over.
Good: The happy memories that flood your mind as you reach the final destination of a week long ride.

Bad: After about 30 miles of riding and you just can’t seem to find the “sweet spot” on the seat.
Good: The feel of a nice leather saddle as you begin a ride.

Bad: Topping out on a long hill, just to find out once you ride down the other side, there’s another hill to climb.
Good: Topping out on a long hill, to find out you’ve reached a plateau.

Bad: Running low on snack food.
Good: Finding a well-stocked country store in the middle of no where with all sorts of food items.

Good: Riding 70, 80, or 100 miles in one day and feeling like you could ride that many more.

Good: Meeting a non-cyclist that’s interested in your bike ride.
Would be Bad: meeting new people who beat you up and steal your bike. No, that’s never happened to me.

Bad: Any kind of mechanical problem…flat tire, gears not shifting smoothly, broken spoke, etc.
Good: The feel of a well-tuned bike.

Bad: Rumble strips. Anywhere.
Worse. Rumble strips at edge of narrow, winding road with no shoulder (think hwy 13 from Blue Eye to Branson West).

Good: Finding "treasures" along the road side.

Bad: Sitting at a stop light way too long, because your bike is not a large enough object to trigger the light change.

Good: A smooth-as-glass recently paved asphalt road.
Worse: A rough as can be recently paved chip-and-seal road with large gravel.

Bad: Motor homes that don’t realize how wide they are….or don’t care.
Also Bad: Vehicles pulling wide trailers, and forgetting how wide they are.
Good: People who pull into the other lane to pass you.

Good: Food on a ride.

Bad: Those diesel pick-up trucks that feel the urge to “put the pedal to the metal” and fill the air with black smoke as they pass you.

Bad: Head winds.
Good: Tail winds.

Bad: Riding at the speed of the tail wind on a hot day, making you feel like you are riding in a vacuum.
Good: The feel of a gentle breeze in your face, on a hot day.

Bad: Getting a call from a friend wanting to ride on a day when you just don’t feel like riding.
Good: Getting a call from a friend  wanting to ride on a day when you just don’t feel like riding, but soon “get the gunk out” and start feeling great.

Good: Stopping and visiting with "colorful" characters along the way. 

Good: Sunday night on RAGBRAI and you decide to check out the evening service inside the cool, air conditioned church where you are camping.
Bad: Sunday night on RAGBRAI and you decide to check out the evening service inside the cool, air conditioned church where you are camping, but soon realize it’s not a church service, but an AA meeting (yes, happened to me….lol)

Good: All-you-can-eat-waffles on RAGBRAI.
Bad: The 30 minute wait in line for all-you-can-eat waffles.

Good: The fresh smells in the air on a spring day.
Bad: Cycling by a field that’s just had chicken litter from a laying house spread all over it.

Bad: Laying in a ditch with leg cramps.

Good: Finally getting the hang of riding with clipless pedals.
Bad: That first 40 mile ride with clipless pedals, then riding up behind your car and falling over because you can’t get clipped out.

Bad: Sagging in on an organized ride.
Good: Completing an organized ride without having to SAG in or push up a hill.

Bad: That uneasiness you feel, trying to keep up with all your valuables on a long ride…..wallet, camera, cell phone, sunglasses, etc.
Good: Completing a long ride and not loosing anything.

Bad: Flying off a hill at 40mph and those negative thoughts start running through your mind…..”What if a wild animal crosses the road and I hit it?”….”What if I have a blow out?”….”What if I hit debris in the road?”…..”What if a car pulls out in front of me?”
Would be Worse: If any of those things actually happened.

Would be Bad: Being hit by a car.
Would be Worse: Being hit by a car, while dressed as Santa.

Good: Seeing the sunrise after a half hour of biking.

Bad: Riding down a 30mph hill late on a summer day, and riding through a swarm of gnats that you inhale into your nose.


Bad: Seeing what you think is a piece of rubber at the edge of road, that turns out to be a large snake.
Worse: Seeing what you think is a piece of rubber in the edge of the road, that turns out to be a large snake, while you meet a car, with another coming up behind you, not leaving you anywhere to go….Yes, happened to me on hwy 23 south of Eureka Springs.

Bad: Reading those cycling magazines and often seeing the phrase, “The average 150 pound cyclist……”.

Good: Drafting off someone.
Bad: Trying to stay on someone’s wheel, but having them drop you going up a hill.

Bad: Getting a feeling you might be lost.
Good: Coming to an intersection, and suddenly realizing where you are.

Good: Group ride.

Bad: Realizing you left one of your favorite water bottles setting on a table, 2 or 3 miles back.

Good: All the friendly people you meet…other cyclists, people helping with supported rides, folks along the way.

Bad: Mentally, when for whatever reason, boredom sits in and you wonder, “Why am I doing this?”
Good: Having a riding partner to keep the conversation going and that makes the miles pass faster.

Bad: Windy days.
Good: Days with no wind.

Good: Those neck cooler things you buy at Walmart for use on a hot day.

Good: Meeting someone on a big organized ride, who tells you stories about their cross country bike ride.

Good: Dressing up like Santa and biking around town, handing out candy canes and seeing joy and happiness on the faces of the children…and adults.
Bonus Goodness: Having your grand daughter tag along as your elf.
Bad: This weird feeling you get putting on a Santa suit and riding your bike, thinking to yourself, “This is really stupid”.

Bad: Bonking, defined as, “Depleting your body’s energy sources, sometimes called hitting the wall”.
Good: Riding 70, 80, or even 100 miles in one day and feeling like you could ride that many more.

Good: The coolness of concrete on bare feet after riding 60 miles on a hot day.
Or Better Yet: The coolness of concrete on your whole body as you lay down on the concrete to rest on a hot day.

Good: Exploring a road you’ve never been on before.

Good: Finishing a MS150 ride and being greeting my cheerleaders.
Bad: Finishing a MS150 ride and being greeting my cheerleaders, who start to pack up because you are the last one in.

Good: Biking down a hill on Main Street and hitting 35mph….in a 25mph speed zone.
Would be even Better: Getting a speeding ticket for biking 35mph in a 25mph speed zone.

Bad: Blogging too much when I should be out there riding.

Contributions From Other Cyclists:

Bad (and kind of embarrassing): Having to inform your friends you’re not supposed to wear undies with your cycling shorts.
Good: Saving the volume of Butt Butter required, once you quit wearing undies with cycling shorts………From David Summerlin: Cyclist and Photographer.

Bad: Getting caught in a wicked lighting storm and nearly dying.
Good: People feeling sorry for the drowned rat and buying me a hotel room for the night Thanks Mobile, Alabama............From Ted Schredd: Cyclist, Photographer, and Author of “The Cycling Adventures Coconut Head”.