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26 August 2009
First commute
Yesterday was my first actual commute to and from work entirely by bicycle. A bit tiring, especially the trip home -- I hadn't done a ride of that length in the relatively warm afternoon before. But not particularly daunting.
Remember, a month ago I was exhausted after just riding the thing up and down the block a few time. If I can do it, anyone can.
Great that it worx fine for you. Hope that your route is not too heavy traffic...need to be careful,even though I realize having visited PDX myself,that it is a bike friendly town. That rush hour traffic in Central PDX is pretty thick,and it's very concentrated. It's probably a lil better being warm than having it near freezing and rain though for riding.
But I disagree with your last sentence, Infidel: no, not everyone can do it. And yes, I have stories to tell (to prove it), but I won't. Too traumatic and embarrassing.
I rode to work yesterday just to get a feel for the time it would take, which turns out to be about the same amount of time it takes for me to use the transit system. Given that the person I normally carpool with is moving this weekend, I'll be taking one or the other depending on weather. I do think I will be looking for an alternate route using less busy roads though. The sheer number of drivers I managed to drive into an apoplectic state in one round trip makes me nervous.
RC/Blurber/Eric, I'm fortunate in that most of my route is on a car-free, bikes-only pathway and a bridge with very wide sidewalks. Only the last half mile at each end is on regular streets, and on the end near my home the traffic is very light. Also, here in Portland biking is popular and drivers are more used to having bikes around. Eric, I'm not sure where you live, but cities vary greatly in their bike-friendliness.
Biking is less safe than transit in terms of the risk of accidents, but you are less exposed to the germs and disgusting personal habits of swarms of other people.
Elizabeth -- "anyone can do it" is hyperbole to an extent, I suppose. No doubt you've noticed the huge prevalence of overweight in this country, partly because so many people think exercise is too difficult (in many cases they're too lazy, frankly). That's what I had in mind.
I meant that comment to be (mostly) facetious, but, obviously, my attempt at humor fell flat (and that reminds me of my biking experiences -- so I better shut up now, yikes ;).
Individualist, pro-technology, pro-democracy, anti-religion. I speak only for myself and not for any ideology, movement, or party. It has been my great good fortune to live my whole life free of "spirituality" of any kind. I believe that evidence and reason are the keys to understanding reality; that technology rather than ideology or politics has been the great liberator of humanity; and that in the long run, human intelligence is the most powerful force in the universe.
6 Comments:
Great that it worx fine for you. Hope that your route is not too heavy traffic...need to be careful,even though I realize having visited PDX myself,that it is a bike friendly town. That rush hour traffic in Central PDX is pretty thick,and it's very concentrated. It's probably a lil better being warm than having it near freezing and rain though for riding.
Congratulations! I hope you can keep it up.
Congrats!
But I disagree with your last sentence, Infidel: no, not everyone can do it. And yes, I have stories to tell (to prove it), but I won't. Too traumatic and embarrassing.
I rode to work yesterday just to get a feel for the time it would take, which turns out to be about the same amount of time it takes for me to use the transit system. Given that the person I normally carpool with is moving this weekend, I'll be taking one or the other depending on weather. I do think I will be looking for an alternate route using less busy roads though. The sheer number of drivers I managed to drive into an apoplectic state in one round trip makes me nervous.
RC/Blurber/Eric, I'm fortunate in that most of my route is on a car-free, bikes-only pathway and a bridge with very wide sidewalks. Only the last half mile at each end is on regular streets, and on the end near my home the traffic is very light. Also, here in Portland biking is popular and drivers are more used to having bikes around. Eric, I'm not sure where you live, but cities vary greatly in their bike-friendliness.
Biking is less safe than transit in terms of the risk of accidents, but you are less exposed to the germs and disgusting personal habits of swarms of other people.
Elizabeth -- "anyone can do it" is hyperbole to an extent, I suppose. No doubt you've noticed the huge prevalence of overweight in this country, partly because so many people think exercise is too difficult (in many cases they're too lazy, frankly). That's what I had in mind.
I got that, Infidel. :)
I meant that comment to be (mostly) facetious, but, obviously, my attempt at humor fell flat (and that reminds me of my biking experiences -- so I better shut up now, yikes ;).
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