Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 5

I am fatigued today and slightly grumpy.  My legs don’t seem to want to pump.  Once I get going, though, blood starts flowing, and I begin to feel better.  Temps are warmer than previous mornings.  I sit back on the downhills and turn my face to the sun.

It's the warmest day of the week, and since I have nowhere special to be on this Friday evening, I take my time on the ride home.  I hit every traffic light wrong and encounter even weirder obstacles than usual - like a grocery cart on its side, taking up the entire sidewalk.  Good thing I'm not in a hurry.

I get thinking, as I ride, about what to do next, now that Bike to Work Week is over.  Then I wonder if there needs to be a next thing.  Not really.  It’s good enough that I did this, that I took on a new challenge and went for it with gusto.  Most people don’t and won’t.  Will I do it again next year?  Sure, if the circumstances are right.  It’s been worth it.

I decide that I’m not going to ride every day to work.  I often have meetings outside the office, so it’s not really practical to totally commit to bicycle commuting.  But, once-a-week on Fridays sounds good.  I need a bigger and better backpack to carry food and water… and maybe some panniers so I can carry clothes with me, instead of having to bring them in ahead of time.  A road bike, rather than my mountain bike, might be good, too.

As I pedal into my complex, a big grin splits my face.  I just biked a whole week to work, and overall, it went great!  I set a goal, and I totally accomplished it.  I am proud and happy. Woohoo!

• Best smells of the week: fried chicken and cinnamon buns
• Best part of the ride: bike surfing underneath a wave of camellia bushes growing over the sidewalk near the Washington/Rancho intersection
• Best comment of the week: being told I’m “fit and trim” by a colleague when I share with her that I’m bike commuting for the week
• Most challenging ride: super windy evening commute on Monday , Day 1

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 4

The alarm goes off at 6 a.m., and I stretch with a small groan.  My body feels compressed.  I think it’s from hunching over the handlebars.  Aside from that, though, I feel good.  I’m on a high from my great voice-over class the night before, and I’m excited that I’ve almost made it through Bike to Work Week. 

Time to change things up by bringing food to work.  It has occurred to me that, so far, my bicycle commute hasn’t been very cost-effective.  Although I haven’t been buying gas, I have been spending money every day on water and food.  I usually bring my breakfast and lunch when I drive.  Seemed like too much trouble when I started this at the beginning of the week.  I have a puny backpack that can only hold so much. 

But this morning, I stuff some double chocolate Vitatops, a couple of Quorn cutlets and a jar of pomegranate salsa into the pack along with everything else.  Thinking ahead, I double bag the salsa so that I won’t have a soggy mess if I take a tumble or drop my pack.  I bring cash for water.

I’m pleased with myself.  Now I’m really making this alternative transportation thing work on all levels!

Because I was planning to ride to voice-over class the previous night, I took a slightly different route home.  It was eye-opening . The sidewalk was much better, with fewer traffic lights and consistent curb cuts.  I take this route this morning.  It’s slightly longer and a better workout, and I knock another 20 seconds off my time.  Sweet!

There are no weird weather advisories, and the late afternoon is warm when I head out.  I ride with my zip-up sweatshirt tied around my waist. 

The warmer temps make me rather lazy.  I don’t feel like pedaling furiously to get home.  I let my mind drift and pedal  at whatever intensity feels right.  Despite my lack of ambition, I make my best time home of the week.

Wow!  Day 4 is already over.  Only one more day to go.    

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 3

I’m feeling stronger today, less fatigued, maybe because I got some decent sleep.  As I carry the bike down the stairs, I can feel right away that something’s different.  It’s windy… in the morning!  Up to now, the wind has confined itself to afternoon hours, so I’m surprised.  For a moment, I question my comparatively effortless morning commute.  This might be a bit more challenging than I’m used to.

Although the winds periodically gust as I pedal the 6½ miles to my office building, they never really raise a ruckus.  Wind worries behind me, I’m rocking out to my music when my tires crunch loudly.  Uh oh.  I’ve just ridden over a broken beer bottle.  Ugh.  I’ve never changed a flat before.   I know; I know.  I seriously need a course in basic bike maintenance.  I’ve been way too lucky so far.  Will my tires go flat?  Will I be walking my bike home tonight?

Deciding that there’s nothing I can do about it now, I get back to pedaling.  It’s a good ride, and I cut my time by 3 minutes.

By now, I feel almost at home in the locker room on the first floor as I shower and get ready for work.  My dark blue towel looks natural hanging between the shower and the handicap stall.   I leave my shampoo, soap and razor on the shower shelf every day, with no worries that they’ll be gone when I return. 

So far, only two people have come into the locker room while I’ve been in there, one person on Monday and Tuesday and another this morning.  This morning’s visitor is very helpful; she flicks a switch as she walks in, asking me how I can apply my makeup in the dark.  Yeah, I admit it; I didn’t realize there was more light. The locker room has a forgotten feel to it, so I just figured I was doomed to dimness.   I’ve been leaning into the mirror, squinting to better see the foundation I’ve been smoothing onto my cheeks,  fingers crossed that it looks okay.  Thanks, unnamed friendly co-worker, for literally enlightening me!

For the second time in two days, my morning news scan has me nervous.  There’s a weather advisory for rain and thunderstorms, including the possibility of hail.  I have voice-over class tonight, and I really don’t want to be looking like a drowned rat when I arrive.  I also haven’t ridden on wet roads on my bicycle yet.  In Vegas, wet roads can be very dangerous.  The dry, hard-packed earth doesn’t readily absorb water.  The liquid combines with the oils on the tarmac to create black-ice-like conditions: super slippery.  It’s tricky to deal with in a car; I can only imagine how it’ll be on a bike.

However, the weather gods are looking out for me again today.  There’s a hard rain about an hour before I leave, but after that, the skies clear.  I make my best time home of the week.  I make such good time, in fact, that I have a few minutes to change before driving the car to voice-over class. 

Day 3 is behind me.  I’m more than halfway through Bike to Work Week!  Woohoo!

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 2

I start a bit late today.  I had a meeting after my ride the night before and then popped into a birthday party after that.  It was a long night, and I didn’t get much sleep.  Maybe that’s why I’m running a bit late and feeling tired as I hop on my bike around 6:30 a.m. for the second day of Bike to Work Week.

It’s amazing what a ten-minute time difference can make in terms of who’s out and about in the early morning.   A couple miles into my ride, I start hitting school zones, and there are more kids on the sidewalk than yesterday morning.  There’s also more road traffic, including buses.  One of ‘em comes along right as I’m using the bus lane to avoid sidewalk strollers without merging fully onto the road.  It’s a slow-speed close call, with the bus’s back wall passing mere inches from my shoulder.  I don’t like being so near the giant hunk of metal on wheels.  It makes me acutely aware of how small and insubstantial I am on my bike.

The rest of the ride is uneventful, and except for feeling tired, I’ve enjoyed the commute.

I scan online media for my job, and my review this morning turns up a disturbing article in the local paper.  The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory til 11 p.m. - 20-30 mph winds with gusts around 45-50 mph.  Yikes!  The previous night’s ride home was pretty brutal, and that forecast does not bode well.  I cringe as I read, and then post it on Facebook.

My post generates several offers of a ride home.  It’s tempting.  As the afternoon wears on, I’m still feeling tired and not relishing the prospect of struggling against Mother Nature.  One offer includes dinner, and I almost say yes.  I don’t, though, because I’ve set a goal for myself, and I want to see it through.  Plus, I have no plans after work, so does it really matter if I have to walk the bike home?  It’s only 6½ miles.  I’m from New England, so maybe it’s my Puritanical roots showing themselves when I think, “it’s good for you!”

As I get changed at the end of the day, I’m apprehensive.  When I roll outside and get going, I’m pleasantly surprised.  The winds aren’t blowing at all!  

I’m pedaling down a torn up sidewalk about two miles from home, and it’s like a driving test.  I’m weaving in between lampposts and industrial-sized trash cans and cardboard boxes, like a student driver navigates through orange cones.  In one instance, I’m navigating those same cones on my bike because they’re inexplicably scattered on the sidewalk.  Another time, I ride over what looks like a Persian carpet.  It’s folded roughly in half, like it fell off a moving truck. 

As I ride I notice the other non-car travelers: young kids on BMX bikes, men on slim 10-speeds who probably lost their licenses due to excessive DUIs, ambling day laborers wearing ball caps.  I wonder what they think of me as I pass by in my helmet and pink zip-up sweatshirt with ‘Boston’ printed across the front.  We are all a little bit out of the mainstream.  Ours is a car-centric society, particularly in Vegas where sidewalks suddenly disappear and bike lanes are a rarity.

I feel a bit of relief when I’m able to finish my ride on the suburban back streets.  There’s less traffic, and the sidewalks are nice.  I ride on the road without concern.  My body relaxes, and I feel like I can finally enjoy the trip. 

Day 2 is in the can.  I did it once again, and despite my earlier worries, it was pretty okay.

Bike to Work Week 2011 - Day 1

6:15 a.m.  It’s an unseasonably cool mid-May morning in Vegas, about 60 degrees.  I’m carrying my bike down the stairs of my second-floor condo.  Sure, I have a garage, but I don’t keep my bike in it.  Our neighborhood has declined a bit.  I’m nervous about leaving my precious two-wheeler in an easily penetrable tin-fronted box that also contains a trashed motorcycle and a defunct fridge.

One last check before I start my 6½ mile ride to work.  My husband tweaked and oiled my gears a few minutes ago.  My tires are firm, filled with plenty of air.  My clothes, shoes and jewelry for the week are already at the office along with a towel and other “getting ready” stuff.  I ride to work periodically, so I keep a bag there, ready to accompany me to the locker room on the first floor.  My other necessities – wallet, makeup bag, windbreaker, bottle of ibuprofen, etc. – are stuffed into a small backpack.  My iPhone is snug in its Otterbox, protected from any drops that may befall it on the ride.  I’ve opened the RunKeeper app so I can easily start recording my stats when I’m underway.

I start my music, and I’m off!

May is National Bike Month, and May 16-20 this year is Bike to Work Week.  I could have just gone with Bike to Work Day on Friday, the 20th, but I wanted to see how it’d be to ride for a full week.  I was worried about the heat because Vegas can get warm in the afternoon in May, but I should have been more worried about the wind.

My ride to work involves a very slight downhill slope all the way.  Depending on traffic and lights, I can make it in 30-40 minutes, and those are easy minutes.  The ride back, however, is a different story.  It has a couple of short, steep uphill spots right away, and then it’s a gradual incline the rest of the way.  In the heat of the day, it can be uncomfortable.  In the wind, it’s miserable.   

Winds tonight, at 5:15 p.m., are blowing 15-25 mph.  It feels like it’s skewing to the higher end.  I have a meeting at 6, and I know within a few minutes that I’m going to be delayed.  Thank goodness I gave my colleague a heads-up that I’d be riding.  At least I am not stressed about being late.

As I ride, I think over the day.  It was a bit gloomy, with head-shaking and some unhappy people.  Not horrible but kinda blue.  It feels good to shake it off by having to focus on the ride.  As the miles fall away, I forget all about the down day and focus on fighting the wind. 

Normally, the music helps, but tonight it’s not inspiring me particularly.  I wonder why I decided to do this.  Who’s idea was it?  Oh, yeah… it was mine.  No one asked me to do it.  In fact, my husband would prefer I don’t do it.  He worries about the cars in this un-bike-friendly town.  I share his concerns, to a milder degree, which is why I ride predominantly on the sidewalk.  It’s illegal but safer. 

But I’m glad to be doing it.  It feels productive, like I’m making the best use of my commute.  I’m getting my exercise for the day; I’m saving money and fuel and the environment; I’m experiencing my world in a whole different way.  I like setting a goal and seeing it through, even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient or slightly dangerous. 

My muscles strain as I pump against the wall of wind, and my eyes tear so much I almost can’t see.  I don’t need my sunglasses for glare;  I need them to protect me from the wind and dust.  By the time I arrive at my appointment, I feel gritty.  But, I’m pleased with myself, even a little proud.

I did it! I blocked out the time on my calendar, brought my clothes in, prepped my bike and got up early to do this thing.   I overcame nerves and laziness, and I did it.  Now I just need to do it for four more days.