The Behind View
By Darryl MacKenzie

Winter may not be frigid in San Diego, but this time of the year, the cyclist certainly knows there is a cool change in the air. Normally it occurs late November or early December. We dig deeply into our closets for reinforcements against the cold. Out comes that 4-5 year old Cyclo-Vet long sleeve jacket, old designs are immaterial, it is the warmth that matters! Long finger gloves? It may not be that cold, but maybe it is best to put them in the car just in case. And, that trusty pair of tights that have protected bare legs for 4 years now, or maybe it has been seven? Now we are ready for the Saturday ride!

The pace is always slower starting the ride on a cold morning. It takes longer to get the 50 year old parts moving and, of course, the faster you go, the colder the chill factor of the air becomes.

As we go out Mission Valley, the morning sun behind us is finally starting to shine on our backs to warm us. It glints off the helmet of the rider in front, radiates the yellow on the rider's jersey and reflects off the tights of his… oh no! Definitely too much information displayed by that rider's threadbare tights! There is a Full Moon in Mission Valley!

Medical people tell us the Crack Kills, it would be difficult to refute that concept from this point of view.

Now what do you do in a situation like this? Pace Line Etiquette says you should not stare at the rider in front of you for safety reasons, Most likely this specific situation was not taken into consideration. Do you move to the back of the peloton, away from the display? That would certainly share the problem with other riders. Or do you simply grin and bare it? On the positive side, your face does appear to be warming up.

There is also a moral dilemma here – do you tell the rider that his exposure is dangling out? It is like having a brake light out in your car, unless someone tells you, you may never know. How do you approach the situation? Given all the visual clues at my disposal, I am glad to say that I am unable to identify the rider. You could bellow out “Does your ass seem a little cold today?” and see who turns around. But no, that would be unkind. It is obviously a situation that must be dealt with one on one, preferable face to face, of course, not, well, as we currently are. What if the rider does not take it positively? You would hate to get slugged! Then, what if the rider is of the opposite gender? That may increase the probability of getting slugged, and you could be criticized for lingering too long back there.

Then reality set in – what if MY old tights are making life difficult for the riders behind ME?! I think I will move to the back of the peloton.