18 Miles Per Hour

UNIVERSAL TRUTH OF CYCLING #15:  OBSTRUCTION SYNCHRONICITY.

Carl Jung must’ve been a roadie. There’s no other way to explain how he so adequately detailed and summarized the theory of synchronicity.

Here’s how it always goes down:

You’re riding along, the road to yourself. Up ahead you see flotsam in the bike lane. Hazardous flotsam like shattered glass, nails and destroyed pavement. You have no choice but to swerve into the roadway to avoid it.

But at the exact moment you reach said pile of tire-shredding material, here comes a flood of cars that whizz by you, right on your elbow.

Planets align leaving you with nowhere to go.

In the miles leading up to this obstruction you had the road to yourself. And once you pass this obstruction, the road will again be wide open.

But at that exact moment, all comes together.

Jung calls it Synchronicity.

I call it a maddeningly frustrating, perfect storm of horseshit.   

I like my description better.

(And yes, Mr. Jung is sporting the soon-to-be-released 18milesperhour.com kit.)