I Want To Ride My Bicycle, Year 7-ish: Cyclus Interruptus
By Mitch Berg
It was back in 2007, working at a job in downtown Saint Paul, that I was able to start biking to work for the first time.
And I loved it; for most of the next four summers, I biked every morning I was able to; in 2008, that was every morning from about April 23 on (because the spring of 2008 was almost as late as this one seems to want to be) into early December; 2009, less so.
Back around election time in 2010, I went back to contracting – at a place that had no locker room. I’m not one of those guys who can bike to work without a shower handy; cue Sammy Hagar, but I can not ride slow. If I see someone on a bike half a mile ahead of me, I’ll try to catch them.
From there, I went to a job in Minnetonka. The bad news; it was 16 miles each way, which after the previous winter required a little getting in shape to do the whole thing reliably. The good news? I did it; in late summer of 2011, after a month or two of riding from Park and Ride lots in the western subs to work, I did the whole thing for the first time, there and back…
…and as I sat at a stoplight at Prior and Marshall, after climbing the long, grueling hill up from the Marshall-Lake bridge, got a cell phone call about a family medical emergency that ended the biking season, and pretty much everything else, for the next three months.
After that, I spent a year at another contract at another building without a locker room, silently gnashing my teeth at the fates that left me commuting in a car through such a gorgeous summer for riding.
But now – knock wood – things may be looking up.
Started a new gig last week. It’s not too far away – ten miles, by the usual bike routes. And they’ve got a locker room. The route is a beautiful one – a little dangerous in places, but it’s gonna be a fun ride.
I’m chomping at the bit, here.
And the weather seems to know it.
April 17th, 2013 at 3:24 pm
First bike race of the season locally was last night. A little strange racing with snow at the curb.
April 17th, 2013 at 4:13 pm
I’m wanting to get ready, too…..13 miles of country roads!
April 17th, 2013 at 5:39 pm
Gotta ride when you can, especially this season. There are photo sets of the ‘Tuesday Night Worlds’ cycling event at http://skinnyski.com/
April 18th, 2013 at 8:57 am
Skinnyski did not get those of us who race the lower categories. But Prezlowperspective.com has all good pictures from all the races.
April 18th, 2013 at 9:42 am
Good to know.
By the end of April last year I had nearly 500 miles on my bike. I burned through 2 cassettes and chains over the course of last season just due to the extended season. The lads @ the Penn Cycle near me, say they are down from where they were this time last season for sales and repairs.