Biking to work

Most people who knew me a few years ago remember only one thing about me: the bike grease. Under my fingernails. All the time.

I was a dedicated bike commuter for most of 2005 and 2006. Well, *I* use the word dedicated; other people may have referred to my obsession with riding my bike everywhere as "insane," "stupid," or "who the hell is that reckless dude riding his bike in the six inches of snow - oh, wait, that's a chick." (Actual comment.)

For two years straight, I barely used my car. I rode my bike not only to work and back, but also to the mall, the grocery store, the bar, and occasionally to fancy dinners. I rode my bike to the closing on my first house, to my friend's wedding rehearsal, and to my brother's graduation from college.

It all started in the spring of 2005 when a coworker that I barely knew asked if I wanted to "ride bikes to work" (we lived in the same neighborhood) one day. I did it that day, the next day, the day after that, and long after my coworker got sick of riding with me, I was still doing it. At the time, I lived about 10 miles from work on a busy main road, but my competitive "I can do anything better than anyone else" spirit got the best of me.

I rode in all kinds of weather, including rain, snow, sleet, cold, wind, brutal heat, even ice. I had all the geeky gear (blinking lights, headlamp, racks, messenger bags, arm warmers, etc.) I only had to call for a ride twice: once when I literally came six inches from being struck by lightning in the Target parking lot, and the other when I misjudged the fact that rain can actually make you colder than snow, and ended up so soaked and frozen I could barely move my fingers to dial my phone. I absolutely hated calling for rides -- it made me feel like such a failure.

Say what you will about my reckless stupidity. If you don't, I'll do it for you. But I'm glad I basically lived those two years without a car and proved to myself that it could be done. (I'll admit, I did have to drive about 200 miles round-trip each Monday for my job, so I couldn't feel too morally superior about my carbon footprint -- but my car sat in the driveway Tuesday through Friday.)

Today, I rode my bike to work for the first time in more than a year. I was terrified! I feel like I've lost all my riding skillz and didn't remember how to behave in traffic (as opposed to the "I OWN THE F**KING ROAD" mantra of my past). I was so nervous about a potential flat tire that I left way too early and arrived at work at 6:50 a.m. My office doesn't have a shower or locker room, so it was probably good that I was so early -- it gave me time to apply makeup and deoderant before the masses got there.

But most importantly, the ride felt good both on the way to work and back, and I didn't crash into anything or get grease all over my work clothes. Under my fingernails, yes. But would you expect anything less?

I think I'll try riding again on Friday.

Edited to add: my knee felt good during the ride, especially once I stopped obsessing over whether it hurt or not, and today (Wednesday) it feels fabulous!