Bike To Work Week

http://www.merrimackvalleytma.com/BiketoWork09.htm

My local “Transportation Management Association” sponsored Bike to Work Day today, and I’m happy to report that I actually got off my sorry butt and did it.  I rode my bike the 3.5ish or so miles to work.  It’s not a lot – I particularly like how the guy at the finish line said “We’ll round up.” –- it was more for the feeling of accomplishment that I could actually say I’d do it and then do it.

Wore regular work pants, sneakers, and a t-shirt.  Packed fresh shirt, along with my laptop, in a backpack, the only travel bag I really have.  Will have to look for some sort of messenger bag if I do this more often.  Wore helmet.  Did not listen to iPod.

Ride was good.  Tried to stay in the road (to the side) like I’m supposed to, not on the sidewalk.  Still getting the hang of intersections and the right combination of “I’m a vehicle obeying the rules of the road so please don’t smash into me if I want to go straight and you want to turn left” and “I’ll go ahead and slow down and be careful, just in case.”  Did almost get hit, ironically enough in front of the police station, as a woman in an SUV was so busy pulling up to a point where she could see who was coming to her right, that she never bothered to look at me on her left.  On top of that, I was even in a crosswalk at the time. 

When I arrived at work there was a guy there to hand out t-shirts and offer free breakfast, as expected.  Also to tabulate results, as they’re doing some sort of statewide challenge and trying to bank 300,000 miles this week.  Well, I contributed my 7 :).  8, if you look at what the guy wrote…

It was also much quicker than I expected.  I allowed myself half an hour  / 45 minutes, since I really had no clue.  Turns out it took me closer to 25 minutes.  And I’m sure if I was riding with more confidence that I wasn’t gonna die, it’d get faster than that.

Maybe this’ll be my new thing?  Could be.  I’m going to ride back home over lunch and swap out for the car, since I’m not sure whether my legs are going to have the energy to make the trip back and I’d rather not find out during rush hour traffic.