More bike commuting

Wow it’s been a long time since I’ve posted! Training, working, kids and life sure take up a lot of time.

Now that the kids are out of school I’ve been commuting on my bike about 4 days per week and just driving in on Monday. Generally Mondays my legs are burnt toast and I just don’t feel like getting on the bike so I enjoy the drive in and wish I was on my bike – pretty strange huh?

Thought I would throw out a couple more interesting things I’ve noticed while bike commuting.

A few weeks ago I was waiting at a light behind a lady in a semi beat up ford truck, she was puffing away at a cigarette, tossed the butt out the window, hung up her cell phone and started vigorously picking her nose. The only thing I could think of was a bug or something flew up her nose and she was trying to get it out. The light turns green and she guns it trying to make it past the next light. She didn’t make it, but that really didn’t bother her because she just ran the light, fully red. Wow, these are the people that scare me.

I’ve been cut off a few more times by people trying to get around me to make a right hand turn. These folks speed way up to get around you and then hit the brakes in front of you while making the turn way to fast, tires screeching, and me yelling at them. And to boot, I’m generally in a bike lane. Yep, more scary people, they saved maybe 4 seconds or so.

There are some crazy folks commuting on bikes, people without a helmets, with sandals on, and riding in traffic, sometimes all at the same time. Wow, talk about pushing the odds.

On one of my Monday drive days I was repeatedly cut off by a cyclist. I pretty much know the ride down Lead goes and I was giving the cyclist lots of room. This guy refused to play nicely, was inconsiderate of other folks on the road as was just generally a pain. Sure hope I’m not like that when I ride!

When you drive in a car you don’t really get to see how fast or slow people accelerate from a stop sign or light, when you are on a bike you can really get a feel for how people drive. It’s amazing how fast some people accelerate, they must make a lot of money to pay for all the gas they are wasting. Wha'ts $4.00 a gallon to these folks?

We now have seven steady bike commuters in the office! Seven out of thirty, not too shabby! I really have to hand it to the bike commuters. Most of them are recreational riders and for them, a twenty mile round trip is a whole lot of work. Sometimes it takes them more than an hour to make it ten miles home or to work, that takes a lot of dedication. Kudos to them.