My first ride of COVID times. Boy did my head and stress levels need that! (Must stay out of COIVD threads … must stay out of COVID threads …) One of my common Danshui routes, up the 101, down it a bit, counter-clockwise around QingXi Road / 北11, down the 2 to Qianshuiwan, up the 北7, and home to Danshui via the 101 - it’s about 2.5 hours elapsed time for me.
Now that I’m neither swimming nor getting in as much walking as I usually do, I’ve got to try to make a habit of near-daily short morning rides: maybe an hour or so to get up and down Denggong Road for example. Living in Danshui, I can be getting a good workout on a hill very, very quickly, and be home and showered and working by 9am if not earlier. I’m too wedded to longer rides only (er, longer for me, i.e. 2.5-5 hours). Nothing wrong with those, but I’ve had way too many days when I’ve thought “Oh, I don’t have a half-day to spare for a ride, so I can’t go.” But I don’t need a half-day, do I? (At least as long as Level 3 lasts.)
Masking report: I wore a typical mask at the start and end, when I was going by shops and pedestrians in a denser part of Danshui. As soon as I got on to the 101 I put the mask in a pocket and pulled my new buff up over my mouth and nose (and huh, that’s actually a nice-looking accessory!). It wasn’t as uncomfortable as I feared. I saw three other cyclists: two wearing standard masks, a third with a cloth mask of some kind I think.
I have no idea if I look like a selfish shit wearing just the buff thing, or if I’m letting either the foreign or cycling communities down by going about that way. I was idly wondering how much I even look foreign with that thing on - my arm color and hair are a bit of a giveaway, but I’m not sure how big a giveaway they are.
I have zero concerns about the risk that I’m endangering anyone with the buff on, or that a mask would make any difference anyway in such situations. Apart from cars and scooters, I was within five meters of people maybe twice, for a half-second or so each time; there was another guy on the opposite side of the road on an uphill stretch, and I was going slowly enough (so slow …) that he said something to me that I didn’t catch, and I responded with a chuckle and “Zao.” His tone was friendly and jovial, so I’m guessing he didn’t say “You’re not fooling me with that lame excuse for a mask, you plague-spreading filthy foreigner!”
Cycling is nice. I hope it isn’t taken away from us.
