November 12, 2012 10:27 pm

Velocipedestrienne

We talked about running; now let’s talk cycling.

I work outside the home three days a week, and I ride my bike to and from work on those days. It’s not a very long ride, about 2.7 miles round trip – 3.1 if it’s a Wednesday and I’m taking Wesley to daycare before I head to work. I’ve been doing this for roughly six months now.

I can’t say that I love riding my bike to work (sort of neutral on it, actually, trending toward dislike because I show up to work all sweaty and horrible) or that I miss it on the days I’m at home (I don’t). I feel slightly virtuous thinking about having ridden nearly three miles a day on my bike all summer, but other than that, I haven’t seen any tangible benefits. I’ve gained five pounds since I started commuting by bike that I haven’t been able to do anything about.

I persist because it’s obnoxious to be the person stuck at home with a toddler and no car – household policy states that the caregiver of the toddler gets the car for the day. This system worked great in the summer, because we all (me, Daniel, my mother-in-law [who picks Wesley up from daycare on Tuesdays]) have bikeaboose couplers on our bikes and we all ride bikes everywhere and just leave the bikeaboose at daycare. However, now that it’s been snowing I have not been so keen to keep up my cycling habit. (And neither has my MIL!)

I am totally a fair-weather biker; active snowing doesn’t really bother me, it’s the unplowed roads and accumulated lumpy snow and hidden icy patches that does. Daniel rode his bike all winter last year and did fine (save for one spill), but I am not that brave. No more imaginary virtue for me until next summer when all the snow melts!

*title is from Hark, A Vagrant. In case you needed something else to get hooked on.

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