Cyclist, please make way

I like to do a little running from time to time, but sometimes the roads just aren’t big enough for everyone. \nI’m a big fella, about 6 feet 3 inches tall, 220 pounds and I have the width of an industrial refrigerator. It’s always a little awkward when I hit the trails and get passed by bike riders training for the Little 500. It seems every time I go for a jog nowadays, I’m dipping and dodging through the mean streets of Bloomington while trying with all my might to avoid these damn cyclists.\nIt’s just the nature of the beast down here. Every spring we see more and more people training for the big race, and it overcrowds the sidewalks. For example, I was doing a little evening jog around the water gardens between 17th Street and the bypass and I was literally bum-rushed by a flock of six cyclists. I freaked out and ran off the beaten path into the grassy area. The side of my shoe clipped a hole and I tumbled (big man fall hard) onto the earth. I looked around and acted like nothing happened in an attempt to maintain my cool demeanor as a runner. I looked upon and spotted a girl walking her dog, laughing hysterically.\nNow go back to the top of this column and imagine someone of my dimensions biting it right in front of your face. Pretty hilarious, right? To make matters worse, my accidental somersault was met with a couple honks from some very entertained onlookers, sitting high above me in their automotive pedestals, judging me.\nThe fact of the matter is, spring time in Bloomington is a biker town and not a runner’s paradise. With all the potholes and imperfections through the streets and back roads, there just isn’t enough room for the both of us. There is nothing more annoying than getting in that perfect rhythm amidst a run, only to have to yield to a rider. The engine that is my heart is beating fast and my lungs are at full capacity. My calves are like pistons during this stage, never wavering as they go up and down. And right when I hit perfect stride, some Floyd Landis comes up next to me, signals his next move and totally throws me off the road while jetting by in his Schwinn. \nI beg of you Little 500 riders to share the roads. Just because I don’t have half the athleticism and a 10th the speed you do doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to roam the streets and trails of Bloomington.\nI’m not angry, just a little jealous. That’s all.