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Publisher’s Statement<br />
By Jeff Guerrero<br />
The sky is blue and the air is icy cold as I throw a leg<br />
over my cross bike. These Saturday morning rides<br />
are always my favorite of the week. I don’t have a<br />
set destination, let alone a schedule to keep. I’m free to go<br />
wherever my camera or my appetite takes me.<br />
As much fun as these rides are, though, in the back<br />
of my mind I know they’re perhaps the most dangerous<br />
type of riding I do. Because I’m not focused on the destination,<br />
I’m riding slower and taking in the sights; letting<br />
my eyes wander off the road, scanning the neighborhoods<br />
for murals to shoot bikes against or cheap and delicious<br />
ethnic foods.<br />
And of course that’s what drivers are doing on a Saturday<br />
morning, too. So the odds that they’re looking out<br />
for cyclists while they scan the block for a place to park<br />
are slim to none.<br />
But these thoughts are merely in the back of my mind,<br />
14 URBANVELO.ORG<br />
and they quickly vanish with the sighting of an Afghani<br />
takout stand. Sadly, it’s closed, and so I’m left to ponder,<br />
“Should I try the Turkish place in Shadyside, climb Squirrel<br />
Hill for dim sum, head down to the Strip District for pho,<br />
ride over to Bloomfield for Thai or maybe venture into<br />
Homewood for BBQ?”<br />
En route to the Turkish restaurant I’m distracted<br />
by the notion of picking up a bento box at the Japanese<br />
grocery. Parking would be a nightmare, but of course that’s<br />
no problem for me.<br />
Heading home with my stomach growling, I pick up the<br />
pace and split the lane. I trackstand at the light, reminding<br />
myself, “Don’t expect any kind of respect for cycling in<br />
freezing temperatures.”<br />
Surprisingly, the car across from me beeps and waves<br />
for me to take the left in front of him. It goes to show, like<br />
life, urban cycling is unpredictable..<br />
<strong>Urban</strong> <strong>Velo</strong> issue #23, January 2011. Dead tree print run: 5000 copies. Issue #22 online readership: 55,000+<br />
Photo by Jeff Guerrero