Mishigas

My mother in law had a great phrase to describe her live and let live attitude:  “Everyone has their own mishigas (craziness)”.

So too with the people I ride with.   While some of it is annoying, most of it is just interesting.

I have ridden or do ride with groups on (yes, it is ON Long Island and IN New York City – I have no idea why) Long Island NY and in Kansas City and  Laguna Woods California Ride Groups

• My wife was usually the only woman on our group rides or one of two or three.   Whenever she passes a bunch of male riders, most of them will, invariably,  peel out after her.
  • If a guy pulls out, this does not happen.
  • I once said to a male friend of mine, “It’s okay if Susan gets up the hill first.”   His reply, with a smile on his face: “No its not.”
• Many years ago we rode with a man who would always chase you up a hill, whether you were male or female.  A group of us would take turns making him nuts and exhausted.   On each hill one of us would dash ahead.   By the end of the ride he was shot.   He totally understood what was going on, but that was his mishigas.
• 
• I used to really bother people about ride etiquette, often with limited positive results.  I continued to do it, because that was my mishigas. Now, I just hang off the back, because I realized it was not going to have any real effect.
• One rider would extend every ride until his cyclometer for total mileage ended in a 5 or 0.
• Any ride was only as long as the first yard sale, then he was gone.
• Looking for hills was one rider’s goal.  The hillier the better.
• One ride leader hated long breaks.  20 minutes was the limit.
• Some riders in our group will only ride in front or back, unless the group is extremely well behaved, because they do not want to be in a pack of people shifting positions at any moment.  Not sure that is really mishigas or just being safe.
• If it is past 11 am and there is beer available, this group of two to ten will stop for glass, whether near the end of the ride or not.
• One rider who, just about when everyone it ready to get back on the bike at the break, goes for a second cup of coffee.
• The riders who suddenly wanted to do the longer rides of their youth, once they got their ebikes.

Anyway, I am sure there are more.

What is your mishigas? Share it with us.

Glenn