Lazy bikers

 Cyclists are essentially lazy. If we weren't lazy we'd be runners.

Admit it. Look at us as a whole. What's trending now? Ebikes. It's just the latest in a long timeline of putting humans on wheels. We can't even say "at least we don't have motors" anymore.

I know, I know: lots of us, myself included, refuse to take up power assistance. But plenty of people who feel perfectly pleased with themselves have choked it down and now parade it proudly. And, as I said, it's just the latest variation. From the wheeled "swift runner," down through every innovation in the development of pedals and drive trains, riders have looked to get more for their effort. In racing, every innovation started out as an unfair advantage, rapidly disseminated throughout the field and soon superseded by something even more clever. Performance enhancing drugs were just more of the same.

Just this year, after riding my commuting route from Effingham for 30 years, I finally noticed how the old route of 28 used to veer off before the height of land that it now climbs over, traveling a longer distance, but without the little nuisance knoll that marks the peak of the route. It's been bugging me ever since. The road used to go around a little wetland pond, through what look like picturesque stands of spruce and hardwood. A good chunk of that route is still public right of way. It now leads to a trailhead for Trask Mountain. But the continuation that would connect to the highway on the other side of the pond has been obliterated. Not only is it no longer there for an intrepid bushwhacker to reopen slightly for riders and walkers who might appreciate it, it's been dug away to let the wetland fill in. It was only a little shelf -- hardly a major loss of habitat. Further down the north slope you can see sections of overgrown blacktop. They didn't rip it all out.

The meander near a wetland was probably more prone to frost heaves, and did make the road that little bit longer, which is more to plow. Motorists just push a little harder on the gas pedal to surmount the crest. Cyclists do the equivalent, but we feel it when we dig further into the fuel tank and strain the engine.

Not to take anything away from the masochistic riders who seek out climbs and like to pound themselves to extinction on epic challenges. I've logged plenty of triple-digit rides, trained and raced in the rain, and ridden in the depths of winter, despite being a dilettante. The bike riding population is vast. But I'll bet that the majority prefers downhills to uphills and tailwinds to headwinds. I know my ride home would be vastly more enjoyable if I had the option at least to skip some elevation and cruise a nice woodsy flat stretch.

Now that it's park and ride season, I won't be pedaling that bit of 28 until daylight returns again in late winter or early spring. Weather determines when full commuting season finally starts.