First Commute of 2010

I wrode to work today for the first time in a little while. The combination of frequently needing a vehicle for work and a harrowingly slick layer of ice that was laid down earlier this month made it a little too easy to find an excuse to not commute to work. A mid January thaw and the addition of gears to my Cross Check eliminated my excuses. I have still been riding my bike daily, it was just that when everything was coated in 1/4 inch of ice I preferred to do some studded rides around town later in the evening.

I can get myself around just fine on a bike when everything is glazed over, in fact I really enjoy it, but I don't trust drivers around here during broad daylight in the middle of the summer, much less during their bleary eyed, early morning commutes when the whole world has been turned into a skating rink. I saw a guy crash into a parked car in his own driveway at one point. Having been clipped by a car in a hit and run incident and subpoenaed to testify as a cyclist against a reckless driver in the last 14 months I think justifies my paranoia. I'll cover the details of both those stories at a later date.

All that to say it was fantastic to wride to work today. It got even better when I get a message from my wife shortly before leaving work saying that she was on her bike and riding to meet me. Nothing clears my head of work stress like a bike ride, and I like it even more when my wife and yet to be born baby join me. I'm still forming my opinions of the addition of gears to my Cross Check. Definitely needs a little tweaking to achieve optimum comfort, but I'm pretty sure I made it to work in record time. I don't bother to time myself so I can't say for certain. I'll give the set up a little more time and then share my thoughts.

Looking forward to polo tomorrow night. Ride safe.

-bike wrider