I was going to print some sort of April Fool type thing but decided against it.

 

     Last Sunday, while sitting on my trike in a parking lot, a lady approached me and asked if trikes are safer than bikes. I told her no, that the only difference was that you don't fall down but that it is still a dangerous sport and that a rider must still use all of the same safety precautions that a two wheeler uses. I could have told her that some of the other advantages of a trike are that loose gravel is of a lessor concern and the passenger can move around without affecting the rider but I didn't wish to give her a false sense of security.

 

     No matter if you ride a Trike or a Bike, Safety is of a major concern. There is no way I could possibly go over or address every safety issue or scenario possible but I can remind you to always stay alert and to wear as much safety gear as the weather permits and make sure you're physically fit for a day's ride.

 

     People do not see bikes so do all you can to make yourself visible. I did see a fellow last week who went to the extreme and painted his bike florescent orange. I won't suggest that you go to that extreme.

 

     Besides making sure that you're ready you must also ensure that the bike/trike is ready. The most important part of any ride is to arrive atyour destination safely.

 

  

     In 1983 the Associated Press reported that the mystery of the origin of April Fool's Day had finally been solved. Joseph Boskin, a History professor at Boston University, had discovered that the celebration had begun during the Roman empire when a court jester had boasted to Emperor Constantine that the fools and jesters of the court could rule the kingdom better than the Emperor could.

 

     In response, Constantine had decreed that the court fools would be given a chance to prove this boast, and he set aside one day of the year upon which a fool would rule the kingdom. The first year Constantine appointed a jester named Kugel as ruler, and Kugel immediately decreed that only the absurd would be allowed in the kingdom on that day.

 

     Therefore the tradition of April Fools was born. News media throughout the country reprinted the Associated Press story. But what the AP reporter who had interviewed Professor Boskin for the story hadn't realized was that Boskin was lying. Not a word of the story was true, which Boskin admitted a few weeks later. Boston University issued a statement apologizing for the joke, and many papers published corrections.

 

I wish everyone a safe and exciting 2007 riding season, Don Coons