Going batty

 The Merriam-Webster company defines batty as, "mentally unstable : CRAZY," and while some might think that definition best suits what I'm about to describe, the dictionary also shows another definition: "of, relating to, or resembling a bat," so let's focus on that.  I think bats are really cool.  My house is near a brook with extensive flood plain as well as a vernal pool, both of which make excellent mosquito breeding grounds, so each year I cheer the return of the bats to their prime hunting grounds, also known as my back yard.  Bat flight is amazing to watch with its flitting direction changes silhouetted against a dusk sky, all performed in virtual blindness.  I'll admit, that level of agility can make this mountain biker a wee bit jealous, so maybe that's why I'm drawn to riding a bit batty.

Recently, I've figured out that I sleep best by going to bed early.  The setting sun and gradually diminishing light seem a natural sedative to my system, but this effect is negated by the hours and hours of artificial lighting that is standard fare during winter months, so I find myself nodding off by 7 or 8 PM.  Add eight hours to that, and I'm often well rested and awake as early as 3 AM, which seems a bit early for breakfast, so I'll often head out into the cold morning air for a predawn bike ride.  This is magical time to be on the roads, when even arterial routes have little traffic and back roads are virtually empty, so with just the faintest starlight to guide me, I'll often shut off the headlight to more keenly feel myself moving through the night air.  Humans, especially modern ones, are distinctly sight dominated animals, but bringing our other senses to the foreground can reward those who dare to go a little batty!

Turn up your screen brightness, and you'll see more than a black box, but that might miss the point

When cyclocross nationals last came to Hartford, I worked as a volunteer and met Tara McCarthy, the national events manager for USA Cycling.  Someone named Dave on the event staff had told her that I used to join nighttime mountain bike rides without using a headlight, and she asked me if this was really true.  I confirmed, yes, it was, and described how, with enough light spill from others in front, it was a great way to train looking far down the trail, not quite as batty as it sounds.  But it had me pondering this Dave person whose last name was never given.  I wondered who he was and how this rumor had reached him, and by extension, about the other various rumors that found their way back to me over the years.  Here's a chance for me to share a few, with corrections:

    1. Salem rides at night without lights: True, and I wish more people experienced this.

    2. Salem won a race on a bike from the dump: False, the bike was found under a bridge.

    3. Salem joined Tim Johnson to lead a road ride into Hartford aboard an old mountain bike and shod in hiking boots: True, but the main group had started in Boston, and I only met them in Rockville, CT.

    4. Salem slept in -5F temperatures to join a 3 AM snow trail run along the Mt. Tom ridge: True, it seemed preferable to riding there at 1:30.

    5. Salem's tears cure cancer: No, that's Chuck Norris.

    6. While Salem enjoys hearing these rumors, he's a little embarrassed sharing them and hopes you'll forgive him: True!

And with that, I'm going dark