Morning Commute by Bike

The top of my climb, early in the morning just after 7 o' clock.


Over the Holiday, and as we’ve had a cold and wet start to January—I’ve been off the bike for the commutes into the office. It’s been okay sleeping until 6 or 6:30 in the morning, but if I’m on the bike, I’m well into my commute to work by that time in the morning. I can certainly tell, as you can too, Gentler Reader of This Blog, that 10 pounds has quickly attached itself to me mid-section!

Darkness, and cold have played a part. I have say that as I get close to where my car is parked in the evenings—just when its busy and most dangerous—its suddenly quite dark. That transition leaves people a big groggy or something; there were several near-misses where a motorist just flew past me, still talking on their cell phone, completely oblivious to almost running me down.



Commuter bike, 1977 Raleigh Super Grand Prix, all set up with dynamo light and saddle bags. I'm here at the bike lockers just about 20 minutes after 7 a.m.

The temp was 43 degrees this morning. I called a colleague up in South Dakota last week and it was 20 below. Time was when I lived up there, and it was over 40 degrees, I’d be in shorts and sandals. I recall still finding snow drifts riding horseback—in April. So now that it’s not so cold in the morning and I’ve a bit more light in evening, I have no excuse but to get back in the saddle. Temps for the ride home should be close to 80—that’s almost 100 degrees difference from my friends living up in Vermillion, SD, to be exact.

Legs were sluggish at first, and my lungs were not wanting to get loosened up. I coughed and wheezed for part of my climb up the ridge. A headwind came in and that made me have to work that much harder. But I’m happy to report that I just took it slow and steady—back in September and October, I was flying up this road. Now I’m just plugging along. My hope is that I’ll get fit quickly the more I ride.

I drive about 9 miles, then ride 15 miles to the office. The bike goes on the bike rack and then I'm off for home.