The "Hey"

I've only seen a pack twice since I started riding, the same group of three guys both times. I've seen some families riding together, but that's it, no bike clubs or groups of riders. Either there are no packs on the west side or they ride early in the day. The afternoon crowd is made up of lone riders, including me. There's some freedom wrapped up in that.

The dynamic of the active community is intriguing. A few riders and runners, only a few, pass others without saying, "hey." Families just smile or say a variety of things from "Merry Christmas" to "It's a beautiful day for a ride, isn't it?" It's their way of acknowledging that you slowed down to a crawl to avoid their kids and dogs.

Cyclists and runners just say hey or nothing at all. That's it. So what is in that greeting? Is it just a courtesy, a friendly hello because we just can't pass another human being without saying something? I don't think so because, otherwise, we would say it to everyone. We usually don't say it to the people we pass or who pass us going the same direction. We just shout a warning, and if we're nice, a thank you for not getting the themselves injured. And we never say it to people who are just out for a stroll.

Maybe it says, "I know why we are riding on this miserable day. It's the same reason we rode yesterday when the sun was shining. We ride because there is nothing in the world like it; and even if the only place we have to ride is the same path up and down the river and through the same park, we will continue to ride it every day that we can."

Maybe it says, "Good. You are still riding even with that crappy bike." Maybe it says, "Yep, I rode into that same headwind 20 minutes ago." Maybe it just says, "Hey."

Yesterday, I saw another rider coming up to the pedestrian bridge over the river on the east side of McLean at 9th street. I found it mildly interesting that at our current pace, we would both pass the bridge entrance at exactly the same time. There, the path is interrupted by a sidewalk. With little care taken to make it a smooth transition, they essentially created a very shallow table. I've passed this same rider dozens of times. We watched each other move right, passed each other on the sidewalk, tires not quite touching the pavement, "Hey," and gone.