As a sort of New Year's resolution, I promised myself that this year I would act on an old standing offer, and take in a scenic cyclotour of the great United States of America… But is US soil safe for foreigners? More specifically cyclists riding Italian bike parts?

I happen to know this American artist friend who keeps referring to the USA as the United States of Adolescents, citing that a vast segment of its population is developmentally arrested, in so much as that American affluence has created a stunted, entitled class, devoid of empathetic feeling or social responsibility. It is with this background awareness that he brings me up to speed for our upcoming trip.

He tells me that many cyclo-tourists in the US fly little American souvenir flags from their panniers, believing that those entitled, non-tolerant automobile drivers, will think twice about running over a cyclist if it means desecrating any mini star spangled banners. However, I suppose this détente in understanding could easily break down if say, a foreigner like myself, made the cultural faux pas of wearing a red, white, and blue Betsy Ross across my backside!

Speaking of which, on my first trip to the States (Feb. 2002) I found myself taking umbrage at motorists, going up the road, flashing a backsided “peace symbol” out the window at me. Do Americans really not know the British F#%K Y@U gesture? This unfamiliarity with things Euro reminds me of Mick Jagger’s cheeky practice during the 1970s, when he signed US hotel registries as Eddy Merckx (Americans knew nothing about European bike racing back then), and it allowed him to travel with complete anonymity. A decade later (when Greg LeMond introduced America to professional cycling), Keith Richards tried to attract American groupies by signing Greg LeMond in US hotel registries... It got him a short-lived relationship with Trek!!

                                                                                                         

I may have to look into this whole US cyclotour thing a bit deeper. - Euro Freddie.

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