Somehow, it occurred to me, many months ago, that I could fairly easily ride my bike to work. Even with that realization, I, for some reason, required several more days of mental preparation before actually attempting to implement my bike commute plan. Here I am, months later, pedaling to-and-fro a few times a week on my beloved monster.
Observations thus far:
1. Bike commuting does accord a peculiar sense of liberation (additional pensees on this later).
2. It takes the same amount of time to pedal to work as it does for me to drive, park, and walk to my office.
3. Seeing other cyclists and their bikes imparts a certain notion of camaraderie, although not always, as when one cyclist ran a stop sign to pull out right in front of me and proceeded to pedal at half the speed I was going...of course, I had to dust her!
FAQs
1. How far is it?
Well, I've read the stories of commuting warriors who pedal 10-15 miles each way, climbing hills and traversing highways and such, and...
I'm not one of them.
My commute consists of approximately 6 miles there and back. I consider myself pretty fortunate to live just a few miles from work, and even more fortunate to have a lower-traffic route to get there and back.
2. Is it hard?
Well, that depends: on the weather, on my fatigue, on my hunger, on my legs.
Mornings tend to be rather enjoyable. It's not quite hot; there's usually a breeze; few people out and about; the sun's just rising...fairly peaceful pedaling.
(Summer) afternoons entail triple digit temps (it was 102 yesterday), more people, and a generally uphill pedal all the way home (albeit in a false flat kind of way; I can still feel that incline though, even if it's not especially obvious on much of the route!). The worst afternoon stretches are that "hill" around 30th St. and the shadeless broil that is the Guadalupe Street bike lane alongside the Intramural Fields.
3. Do you have paniers?
No. Just me and my backpack, the contents of which typically include my so-called "professional attire", my lunch, my keys, and my cell phone.
4. Do you get all hot and sweaty?
Not so much, but a little on the ride home in the heat of the afternoon.
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2 comments:
Rock! I'm considering doing the same when the semester starts, instead of hoofing it to the bus stop and going through those shenanigans-- among other things, I'll save 15 minutes. Now I just need to figure out how to get all of my books, the laptop, and a change of clothes into one backpack...
yeah you right!
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