Ya just can't win.

Riding a bicycle. Who would have thought that it would be so stressful and emotionally tiresome. Not I.

***Keep in mind I'm a newbie to the bike scene. I don't have spandex and I don't even wear a helmet. Nope, I'm just a girl wearing a dress riding her one-speed around the 'hood. I probably have more fears and insecurities than the speed-racing pro's who can change their gears.

Typically while riding my bike I veer from riding on the road to on the sidewalk quite frequently. The choice is dependant on the nature of the road - whether it is brimming with vehicles or deserted therefore free for my domination. Due to the fact that I am both a sidewalk and road rider, I get to experience the reactions to bikers from both motorists - while on the road, and pedestrians - while on the sidewalk, and just to add something else... from motorists while on the sidewalk. It's all very interesting.

My bicycle: Metallic blue, granny style, coaster brakes, fenders, horn on the left handle-bar.

Me: Happy, female, leisurely and pleasant looking (A.K.A... I don't look like I'll ever smash your face in if you look at me wrong... in fact... I probably give off the impression that if you look at me wrong I might be scared... and bike faster)

Riding on the sidewalk = My own reception of nothing but love from my pedestrian friends. Honestly. Especially from elderly ladies. In most cases, when riding past an older woman, they stop their sidewalk shuffling and give their approving smile at me. I like it. Within other age demographics of the female gender I either get smiles or blank stares and from the male gender - well - approval, to say the least. If riding on the sidewalk wasn't illegal I wouldn't even consider riding on the road. The problem is that it is illegal and I feel a little bit scared of getting a ticket as my dear brother-in-law has been the not-so-proud recipient of. I am getting less scared of the cops though because, as I live in Osborne, I pass them frequently on my commutes around the area and I have gotten much approval from them as well. Who knows when that will be cut short though... Even though I receive a lot of love from pedestrians on the sidewalk, along with the fact that it's illegal, it's impossible to ride on busy sidewalks of streets like Corydon, Osborne, The Forks, and other highly populated areas of the like.

Road riding = Honks and yells from fellow friendly Manitobans. I'm not even talking about the "you're hot" kind of yells and honks. No siree, that is definitely not the case. In my experience, vehicle drivers don't have the fondest sentiments towards bike riders on their terrain. The thing is, I don't even blame them. Since the age of 16 I too have been unimpressed with sharing the road with bikers. Not because I hate them and I think they shouldn't be on the road, but because it really scares me. Who knows when they'll move a little bit too far to their left and I'll have to swerve not to hit them, or if they hit a pot-hole and fall and then I'll hit them, or even if I can't get into the other lane and have to drive 15km/hour behind them until it opens up to get around the congestion commencer. It's a terrible situation and I don't blame motorists for their negative emotion towards bikers and I, as a biker, feel the same, on busy routes I'm scared of cars! The problem is that, in order to be an upstanding citizen as a biker, I need to ride on the road. Recently my brother-in-law was riding home after hanging out at my parents house. It was late at night so there weren't many cars on the road, but as one car drove by the driver yelled Get on the sidewalk!!". Real cool buddy, real cool. Luckily Nils was feeling ballsy and called him out on it in a parking lot with threat of u-locking his car. Ha.

Here's where it gets tricky. When I'm biking on the sidewalk I get yells and honks from drivers as well! To be completely ill-written and un-classy - It pisses the hell out of me. I'm off the road kids, I'm not taking up your precious pavement and yet you still want to honk at me and tell me to "Get on the road!!" when I get in your way. This is a situation that happens to me on a regular basis. I'm at an intersection and when the light turns green (and since I'm at a sidewalk, the little man lights up) I go ahead and start crossing the street, but some jerk in a car wants to turn left onto the road I'm crossing so they go and then have to stop for me which brings out their spirited energy in the form of a firm press to the center of their wheel an open mouth out the window yelling some form of negativity. What they don't realize is that their situation would have been identical had I been riding on the road. I would still be crossing, just about a metre and a half to my left meaning they would go and then have to stop even shorter for me. I don't understand.

So there you have it. The on-going drama of being an amateur biker in the city of Winnipeg; the constant dilemma of choice between road and sidewalk. Assured safety vs. Fear, Illegal vs. Legal, Please the pedestrians vs. Please the motorists. Proposed Solution? I have none.

So what IS a girl to do? If you know... let me know.