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Roslindale man sets off on cross-country bike ride
By adamg on Sat, 05/22/2021 - 1:36pm
Wright, in front, gets a sendoff.
Literally cross country, as in Alan Wright left Roslindale today to pedal to Oregon to promote bicycling and raise climate-change awareness. Mark Smith captured his send off this morning - after he'd dipped his wheels into Boston Harbor yesterday.
You can follow his progress online; he expects to make 70-80 miles per day on flat routes, 50-70 on hilly terrain, and 30-50 in the mountains."
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Comments
Great plan
Congratulations on your retirement and a great way to start it off, Alan. Visit some swimming holes along the way.
I going to come out and say it
I don't like Alan Wright.
Now, before some of you come out of the woodwork, this has nothing to do with advocacy for cycling. It's how he goes about it. He doesn't try to convince. He browbeats rather than countering arguments.
And that's just from reading things he has written over the years, but today, in looking at his photo, I think I have another reason. A short while back, while I was climbing up my front stairs coming back from whereever, I heard a guy swearing with road rage. It was a guy who looked like him, on his bike, yelling at a car that in no way threatened his progress on his way. Either way, Wright is a bitter man.
Logan airport
Into the WAYBAC machine, there's a uhub page about Mr. Wright's transportation advocacy again, but I think he's putting a lot of effort into point / counter-point. No?
Evidence:
https://www.universalhub.com/2017/plane-truth-roslindale-and-surrounding
You don't know Alan
Waquiot, your anecdote just shows that Alan doesn't limit his advocacy to just what affects *him*, but stands up for what affects all of us. People blocking the crosswalks with their cars. Driving the against one-way traffic for their convenience, creating danger for others.
Yes, he has little patience for people who use their vehicles in ways that endanger more vulnerable people. Or those who willfilly ignore or deny the danger to all of us from climate change. And he expresses these strongly. But there are lots of things he does, all the time and often not recognized, that are kind, and community minded.
I'll miss having him around the next few months, and will follow his progress (both geographic, and his interactions as he travels) with interest.
Yesterday on Jamaicaway
There was a stream of bikes crossing a street and took several cycles of lights to do so making cars sit and wait? You wanna tell me about illegal things? That’s illegally taking right of way at a controlled intersection. You, Alan and the rest of them can have a seat.
Pearls
You're not clutching them enough.
Try harder.
Yesterday on the Jamaicaway...
...thousands of people driving cars (including myself) exceeded the speed limit. Surely that must upset you too, Hank.
But that’s not really to the point. For some reason you’re holding what happened (during a protest ride) against a guy who is taking a trip and talking to people about climate change? Or is it just “Four wheels good, two wheels bad”?
IF you're talking about around 2:15 on Saturday...
I was in that bike ride, which is the monthly Ride for Black Lives. We crossed the J-Way at Bynner Street (first light south of Brookline Village). We had a smaller group than usual - we often do take multiple light cycles to cross an intersection (in cases when we have 500 riders - geez, do you think it might take a while?) but that was NOT the case on Saturday - was one light cycle at most.
So, if you're talking about that crossing, you're lying.
Meanwhile, also on Saturday, Boylston Street was blocked to traffic in front of the library for the USATF event. And on Sunday at Wollaston Beach the State Police motorcycles came through in a formation, clearing traffic, sirens going, blocking intersections... I wondered if maybe Biden or someone else was in town. NOPE - it was to allow the North Quincy High graduation motorcade to pass through with some fanfare.
Would those delays and closures bother you as well?
There you go tone policing again
Feels like we are missing some details here, maybe you omitted them because they don't help your narrative, maybe you honestly just don't know the details.
And you aren't even sure if it was Alan, just a weird way to go about life but its pretty much on brand for you. Some might even call it bitter and/or browbeating.
Something something I give cycling advocates a bad name, I know I know, you have nothing of substance to add. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I omitted no detail
There was nothing untoward apparent until the cyclist started yelling about the car driving too fast. And remember, this was in front of my house, so I have an idea about traffic in the vicinity, being the top place where I drive my car. But as you note, the said cyclist just kind of looked like the guy in the photo above.
That said, the series of letters to the editor by Mr. Wright and a similarly annoying person on the opposite side of issues has definitely convinced me that Wright is a pain, along with some boneheaded comments he has made in other venues.
Alan can be very difficult...
....but he is very generous with his time. He contributes greatly to the community. As someone who has been on the receiving end of his 'provocative' commentary; you know where he stands.
Pot calling kettle black?
Accusing a person in public of being "a bitter man" is a nasty, abusive insult. The statement borders on an attempt to cause him harm. Hope he is not so bitter that he sees a cause for a libel suit.
Ah, a friend, I see
Very similar in temperament.
And the thing it, it's not his causes. It's his approach. Same as you. It takes a bit to get my blood to boil, but it appears that you are constantly at about the boiling point.
That's got to take a couple
That's got to take a couple of months.
FKT is about 18 days. https:/
FKT is about 18 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_Am_Bike_Race
No.
Trans-Am racers are insane, often sleeping 4 hours per day for the duration and pedaling the rest.
They also go west to east, which means they're following the prevailing wind direction. It also means the midwest is all downhill.
~40 days is a better estimate of how long this will take.
I did this with my wife a few
I did this with my wife a few years ago. Boston to Seattle by way of Nashville...a little out of the way. It took 50 days of biking, but we also took a bunch of rest days, so 77 total. If he goes straight across the northern tier, and does longish days, it's less than 3800 miles depending on route, so will be 40-60 days depending on how much time he takes off.
Race Across America (RAAM)
People that ride RAAM generally do it in 8 days and change. This is a west->east course fully supported by a team. Absolutely sick. People fall asleep riding their bikes, see monsters on the road at 2 AM, all sorts of sick stuff.
Alan is carrying his own stuff and I assume wants to enjoy the trip. Who knows how long he plans on taking.
I've done it. It took 60
I've done it. It took 60 biking days. Add another couple weeks for days off to rest and explore.
Someone who looks like him? Really?
Can't deal with Alan's focus on cycling, but that's my problem not his.
I worked with him a few years back on an airplane noise presentation for my neighborhood group, and found him to be gracious and knowledgable.
His generally helpful comments in local letters to the editor are usually spot on.
Magoo sez
Magoo won’t be posting for several months because it’s difficult to text while biking errr not to say that Magoo is going on a long bike ride. Nope Magoo is errr just errr ummm Magooing about. Magoo.