Toronto cycling an adventure

©pursuit
15 years ago ago by votreceinture.
(Photo: votreceinture)

Ever considered visiting Toronto streets simply to experience the adrenaline rush of cycling its streets? Few would. Don Irvine, the exception, likes to get his fix whenever he visits from tame Victoria with its immaculate bike paths and pothole-less roads.

That's why I can't stay away from it. Aside from it being the shortest distance for a cyclist between a large number of points, there is never a moment cycling Bloor St. when you are not fully engaged with your surroundings and feeling utterly alive. The whole downtown is like that---the maneuvers you have to make to just to stay in one piece are the best reminders you will ever get that you are vibrant flesh-and-blood, and that life is great. There are times---particularly at night---when I find myself laughing almost insanely as I make my way through hopelessly moribund Toronto traffic: The wind in my hair, car-exhaust in my nostrils, the darkness seemingly doubling my speed... moments when the universe clicks into focus and looks good.

For the aging road warrior's perspective this in entertaining. The joy is in feeling on the edge and that you will get somewhere faster than the cars, just like nimble birds flying amongst a herd of rhinoceros; the trick is being quick and avoiding getting crushed underneath the giant hoofs.

The crummy Toronto roads are a great leveler of humanity in this dying age of the automobile, because however bad the streets of Toronto are for cyclists, they are far worse for cars---and the drivers know it. Drivers in Toronto may be rude, reckless, insane and horrible in just about every way possible. But they save all their invective and vile behavior for each other, so cyclists just don't register in their consciousness. In scientific parlance Toronto drivers are a fixed variable; a margin for error that can be predictably allowed for. Sometimes you'll ride your bike somewhere in Toronto just so you can notice how much faster you're getting there than the cars you pass along the way.

I can relate to the adrenaline rush. But since Don is only a visitor, he avoids those times when one would just like to take a relaxing, stress-free ride as well. Those are the time when I avoid biking with the heavy traffic and give myself more time to get to my destination.