In the Pacific Northwest, March is crap shoot when it comes to weather. One day, it can be 60+ degrees and sunny, the next it’s snowing. March has long been my least favorite month of the year because it seems to just be a place holder as we wait for spring. There’s nothing going on in school that is anything but the mundane, we “Spring forward” and lose an hour of sleep, and even the official arrival of spring toward the end of the month has little to do with the change of the season. However, this March, in addition to getting itchy about my garden, I find a growing desire to pull out my bike and go for a ride.
This is a relatively new feeling for me. I bought my bike a couple of years ago but due to where I lived, never really had an opportunity to get out and ride it much. The nearest bike trail was a known danger zone in terms of assaults and even murders, and the next good trail was almost 20 miles away and a hassle to get to. So, the bike stayed in storage until my recent move. Now, I live just off a good riding trail (ironically, it the same as the first trail above, but in a much better area). I got my bike all ready and went for a five mile ride a couple of weeks ago. It was great. Biking definitely uses different muscles than running and I was a little sore the next day, but it felt good to get out there.
Now I have the urge to ride my bike to work. Several of my colleagues do this all year long. I went to a free class held my the REI Outdoor School this past week which discussed the basics of bike commuting – equipment, laws, what to expect. It was pretty useful. I’m going to a bike maintenance class soon so I can take care of basic problems when they arise. I’ve mapped out my trip – it’s only about six miles and mostly on trails. All that is left is a trial run on a weekend to time how long it will take and any problems that might come up.
Maybe I’m thinking about this because gas prices in my area are about $4.00 a gallon. I’ve looked at bus options, but there is no way to take less than three buses or to do it under 90 minutes. I may not do it every day – I do have to look somewhat professional at work and March and April rains can be drenching – but if I can even do it some of the time, then it could be a lot of fun as well as a good cross training activity.
May is Bike to Work month. Last year, my school had three teams participating in the local competition for number of miles biked in May. The Seattle area logged over 1 million commuter miles last year. Even our Mayor bikes to work. It’s nice living in such a bike friendly community with the number of bike lanes and trails expanding all the time. It’s no wonder that I want to ride my bicycle….
Or for those of you who prefer the 1980s…