Day 9-Albuquerque Dislikes Cyclists

Encino, NM to Albuquerque, NM
Distance: 114.71 miles
Time: 7:31:49
Max Speed: 37.8 mph
Average Speed: 15.2 mph

I have to say that in my very limited cycling experience, New Mexico, especially Albuquerque, has some of the least cyclist-friendly drivers I have ever encountered. But, at the same time, there were many people encouraging us as we rode into town late yesterday evening. I am actually writing this on our day off in Albuquerque because I was in a not so good mood last night after a very challenging day and being cutoff by two cars coming into town who were very aware that they had cut me off and seemed to have done so purposely. Please do not ever do that to a cyclist, I beg you.

Anyway, it is about 7:45 AM right now on our day off, as I said. I went to bed around 3 AM, but my body woke up at 7:15 because it has fallen into our routine and refused to let me sleep any later than 7:15. Thus, I am using the time to write. I also hope to see if I can't find some sort of deal with a massuse or multiple in town to treat the team to massages. Hopefully it will work out. One way or another, I could really go for a massage; my shoulders and upper back have been numb since we began and I started to get shooting pain in them the other day while riding. I also need to go to a bike shop today, and we are visiting the local oncology center, so it will be a busy one, but I think the day off will do wonders for the team. Everyone got a good night's sleep in Encino and when we woke up yesterday, the overall mood of the team was so much better than it has been any other morning. I am hoping this day off will have the same effect.

But, I am supposed to be writing about yesterday, so I guess I should do that. As I said, everyone was in a pretty good mood to begin the day, so that was motivating. It was very foggy and slightly chilly when we woke up, but that lifted quickly and we were once again treated with nearly perfect weather almost all day. With the exception of some strong headwinds, I really do not think we could have asked for better weather so far on this trip. I only hope it continues.

Leaving Encino, we got into some awesome hills. They were very gradual, but at a decent grade. You could charge up them or take your time and spin up them if you prefer. The first rest stop caught me by surprise as I was pumped from all the hills. We stopped at soe dried up salt lake beds after the first rest stop, but due to the intense storm that hit us last night in Encino, the bed was very muddy as you approached white, salty area. Darlene attempted to make it but instead got her legs, hands, and shoes covered in dark brown mud. It was quite entertaining.

Our second rest stop was amazing. Elyor found this gas station/mini-mart with one of the most generous ladies we have met. She gave us ham, cheese, and bread to make sandwiches and let us use her mustard and mayo. She also gave us a large pan of popcorn, and while we were sitting in the shade outside the mini-mart, she brought out a large carrot cake that had fallen apart and asked if we would like it. Of course we devoured it; we were in heaven. Rachael was just abou to begin riding again, but when she saw the carrot cake appear, she quickly changed her mind and stayed a bit longer.

Contrary to what I had anticipated based off of past experiences, New Mexico has had nice, smooth roads for the most part. Though, many of them have had little or no shoulder, which has not been a problem, with the exception of Hwy 333 (a stretch of Historic Route 66) into Albuquerque. We were told it was a bike-friendly road, but either someone did not know what they were talking about or we are just spoiled in Austin and have very different standards for "bike-friendly". The first 10 miles or so of this road had some pretty good hills on them, and about a 4 inch shoulder , which was pretty much unsuited for bicycle use. Many riders were honked at, gawked at, laughed at, and nearly hit by cars. Within the first mile my group was on this road, someone drove by and threw water on us. At least I hope it was water. People refused to move over and give us any space, even though we were being forced to ride on the white line or in the road, and most of the time the other side of the road was clear, so the drivers could have easily given us more room. One group of riders even got a bunch of coins thrown at them. Perhaps someone was just trying to make a donation.

After climbing for a while, we peaked at around 6,800 ft. or so I believe, and from there it was all downhill into Albuquerque as Albuquerque is at 5,000 ft. This stretch was awesome, though I was going about 30 when some jerk pulled into the right turn lane right in front of me, forcing me to slam on my brakes to avoid slamming into the back of his car or swerving out into traffic going. As the driver turned, I looked back and he gave me a very smug smile, as if he had done it on purpose. I was so angry that I just began sprinting down the hill, flying at nearly 40 mph, just to blow off steam. It takes a lot to make me angry, and granted I was in a foul mood to begin with as the day was turning out to be much longer and harder than anticipated. But when someone is so blatantly and intentionally rude to someone, it really strikes a nerve with me and makes me wonder how a person could possibly be so selfish and inconsiderate. It also makes me wonder why so many drivers hate bicyclists with such a fiery passion that they go out of their way to let us know how they feel. Cycling is the only sport I have ever participated in where people dislike you simply for the sport you enjoy.

Once we got into town, my legs had next to nothing left in them from sprinting down the hill, and I had cooled off some. But then, as we were going down the main street in Albuquerque, a car that had been parallel parked on the right side of the road pulled out right in front of me, cutting me off, causing me to swerve out into traffic to avoid hitting the car. Had I hit the car, the driver probably would have had a fit that I had run into his precious vehicle. Needless to say, this pretty much made me boil over. I wanted to give up riding for the day because it had been such a long frustrating day and I was so discouraged by people intentionally cutting me off. I sprinted to catch up with the car, riding next to them through town, and then getting in front of them at a light to let them know I was unhappy. At the light, I saw it was a whole family in the car, and the mom and dad in the front seat were mocking me and laughing. I do not know whether or not they had intentionally cut me off, but they did not seem to be the least bit sorry at that point. When the light turned green, I blocked them from going through the intersection, smiling at them. I realize my actions were probably a bit rash, but I was so frustrated already after such a long day of riding and did not want to simply let the driver think that cyclists appreciate being cut off. We are just like any vehicle on the road, we just stay to the side because we are slower.

Sorry to rant and rave on the issue, but I really do not understand how people can be so rude to one another. I do now know who reads this, but I hope at least one person will be more conscious when driving around cyclists and encourages others to do so as well. Waiting an extra 20 seconds to allow a cyclist to pass safely is not going to make you late. As they say in Austin, Please be kind to cyclists.

Peace and Love,
Traffic Tito