It’s been a frustrating year for biking.
The bad news: My office is in the western burbs. I live in Saint Paul. That makes for a sixteen mile commute.
The good news: Those sixteen miles are almost completely striped lanes and bike paths. I know – taxes, transportation dollar, silly expenditures, bla bla bla, but I paid for ’em, so I’m using ’em.
More bad news: my daily schedule frequently doesn’t allow me the hour-and-change it’d take me to ride home at night; stuff needs to get done after work. It’s clearing up…just in time for autumn. Not that autumn is bad bike weather – not at all – but it does mean that the season is going to end in the next 2-3 months.
Semi-bad news: since I really only got to start biking consistently in early August, I’ve been working my way up to doing the whole run. I started by throwing my bike on the rack and driving to a park-and-ride out in the western subs. Every week, I switch to a park-and-ride a little farther from the office. I’m currently riding in the last eight miles or so.
The bad news: between eight and 16 miles, there are no park and rides. So I’m mentally working my way up to taking the plunge and riding the whole 16 miles each way. But it’s my goal to fit the whooole thing in at least once a week,and ride all or part of the commute at least four days a week.
It’s more psychological than anything; three years ago, when I was biking all the time, sixteen miles wasn’t that big a deal.
The good news: Oh, screw it. I’m going to do it. Monday.
I can’t believe tha tsome biking enthusiast hasn’t invented either chains for bike wheels or studded tires for same. I live out by Quality Bicycle Products in Bloomington and I’l bet half of their work force ride their bikes to work. I pass many of them on both sides of my commute, sometimes groups of as many as twenty riders, but usually groups of 3 – 6.
I’ve seen studded tires.
Now that you mentioned it K-Rod, I do remember seeing them before.
Mitch,
SSgt Hancock, USMC once taught me “mind over mater” which basically amounted to ‘If you don’t mind, it won’t matter.’ Good luck, and may the force be with you!!!