Cirque de Soleil appeared to me on NE Broadway

I was on my way home and had just come over the Broadway Bridge toward the East, and had just crossed over to the wrong side of Broadway like I always do so I can take the sidewalk and turn left on Flint Street.

What comes sailing down Broadway toward the bridge but a woman performing some kind of circus stunt? It all happened so fast there was no way I could pull my camera out in time.

She stood on one pedal – a feat most riders can accomplish, but the similarity ends there. Her other leg was raised high behind her, toe pointed, while she bent forward at the waist and spread her arms out in front of her like….. like a bird in flight.. ok never mind, birds don’t even have arms, what am I saying? like some kind of flying super-hero figure.

And you know what else, speaking of safety, speaking of SLIGHTLY RISKY BICYCLING? As if this lunacy were not enough, I’m quite sure she was without a helmet. Dressed in some kind of bloomer pants and a sweater or something. Hippie clothes, kind of. Definitely not bike clothes. There was no mistaking she was a girl and she had braids flying behind her.

This was last Thursday at about a quarter to four in the afternoon. She was sailing right through that part of Broadway where the bike lane turns blue and merges in and out of the car lanes. Fortunately there did not seem to be many cars on the road at that moment, at least not going in that direction. And at least it was still very light out.

I must admit I enjoyed watching her. Had she sailed past my window while I was driving a car, I might have felt quite differently. Instead I pulled my bike over and gaped in astonishment. I felt lucky, as if I’d been given a free ticket to a sudden impromptu circus. At the same time, I feared for her life.

Since I couldn’t possibly move fast enough to take a picture, I tried to draw her when I got home. She looks naked in the picture but in reality she was fully clothed, as I explained above. In the drawing I was mainly trying to picture her riding position. I swear I am not exaggerating.