Bike to work

I rode my bicycle to work today. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was. I must be in pretty good physical shape, I never struggled throughout the entire ride. Now dealing with traffic was another issue. There were a few times I thanked my guardian angel for protecting me as cars rode way too close. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the temperature was comfortable, it was a beautiful morning, so all in all, the ride was great. I rode down Drexel Avenue to Howell Avenue to Kinnickinnic to First to Water, then to Clybourn and I was there. I know that sounds pretty complicated but Howell to KK to First to Water is really all one street with a name change as the neighborhood changes so it's not so bad. I was getting so comfortable with my bike shoes clipping into the pedals that I almost fell off my bike when I'd forgotten I was clipped in. As traffic picked up near downtown I got nervous once and couldn't clip back in very quickly. Those were the only two struggles I had on my ride in and the entire trip took me 45 minutes.

On the way home, an avid biker co-worker suggested that I take some back roads out of downtown. It was a good suggestion and the traffic wasn't that bad. I did get warm about halfway home since the sun was much hotter than the morning ride. My backpack started to feel heavy and sweaty against my back. The funny thing was that I ran into Jeff on my way. He was headed to the gas station to fill up his motorcycle. But I think he was really checking up on me to make sure I was OK. I discovered as the traffic passed me by that I liked being all alone on the road. Those instances when I caught up with the cars at the light made for more worry over close calls so I tried to fade back and avoid them. It did take me longer to get home. The ride took an entire hour. The euphoric feeling of accomplishment when I got home was well worth the effort and I look forward to my next opportunity to ride to work.