Two of Two

No, the title isn't my latest finishing position (I dream of a 2nd place finish, but seem relegated to n of nth place finishes - I'm OK with that). The title is a reference to my second day of bicycle commuting to work. I realize that some of you commute every day of the month, and every month of the year. Given my residential situation (nine miles northeast of my work, half of that gravel), I've never done the bicycle commute. Now I'm 2 for 2.

Today was perfect. Just as I arrived at work this morning, it started raining, and as I left work tonight, the sun broke through the clouds. Perfect!

My initial impressions:

The upside -

• Arriving at work all energized.
• Getting in two rides in one day.
• Wind generally less in the morning.
• Traffic generally less in the morning.
• No gas required for the commute.
• Two hours of riding in by 5:30 pm. That's unheard of for me on a week day unless I take some vacation time.

The downside -

• Safe storage of bike at work. So far I've been leaving it in the hallway outside my office, and no one has complained.
• Changing out of sweaty chamois at work. So far no problem. I've got a place to change.
• Carrying work clothes (dockers/golf shirt) in a messenger bag. I've learned to leave my shoes/belt at work.
• It take about 55 minutes each way. It takes 20 minutes to drive. Not that big a deal when you consider that I've got my riding hours in for that day when I get home from work.
• Have to get up about 1/2 hour earlier. I've also been going to bed earlier, which is a good thing.

The jury is still out as to whether I will keep this up after this week. I'll keep you posted.