Last Friday I biked to work for the first time this spring, and today I went for a much longer ride, over to the co-op, and back downtown to work.
I'm one of those fair weather bikers that my brother was just complaining about - but I don't feel that bad about it - I really only like biking when it's nice out. I don't like to wear all the proper gear for bad weather - heck, I don't even like wearing a helmet all that much. I don't ride a fancy bike (I only have two bikes - a 21-speed hybrid for riding on bike paths for fun, and a 7-speed also hybrid clunker for riding to work) and I much prefer to ride in a skirt and sandals. In fact, I think my clunker, a Giant Bike, is in the category they call Comfort - meant to be ridden leisurely and fairly upright. So the only times I get to feel that better-biker-than-thou-smugness is when I, on my chubby-tire clunker wearing Birkenstocks, with a big satchel on my shoulder, pass someone on a skinny-tire bike, all tricked out in spandex, with fancy panniers that cost more than my bike.
This year the problem is that I really got old and fat over the winter - it was icy and snowy and I did not ski all that much, and I had too many days where I just walked to work and back - about 50 minutes of gentle walking altogether - better than nothing, but not really enough exercise. I went swimming last week, and my arms hurt afterward; that's never happened before.
I've been doing a little better recently. Swimming, like I said, and I've been going for more walks for exercise, in addition to walking to work. I'm planning to swim tomorrow morning. But I'm still basically a wimp. There's covered bike parking - by default, it wasn't built to be covered bike parking, but there's an outdoor cement stairway & terraces on the Brutalist-style '70s building that houses the undergrad library at University of Wisconsin where I work that provide shelter - so when it started raining, I simply left my bike there. I was going to take the bus home, but Mark called and asked if I wanted a ride. I'll get my bike back tomorrow.
The areas in the shade in the picture are where you can park your bike and it won't get wet.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Biking to work
Posted by Deb's Lunch at 9:47 AM
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1 comment:
I didn't realize there was actually an architectural style that HCW fit into. Very cool!
And I hear you about getting old and fat over the winter. But there is promise of spring in the air, so more opportunities to take advantage of the world.
Take care!
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