Bike Commuting Challenge: Week 5

Well, I am still going at it. :)

This was a short week with just 47.5 bike commuting miles. I had to drive to work on Thursday and Friday for the first time this semester: Thursday because I had to pick my son up from school and get him to the orthodontist (one of my conditions for driving when I first undertook this challenge way back in week one) and on Friday because I left straight from work to head to Ohio for the Air Force Marathon.

I am still commuting by road bike. The weather here has been wonderful. I've had only one day of commuting in the rain (if I am remembering correctly) throughout this challenge so far. I did, however, take my hybrid to the bike shop this week to get it commute-ready. I got a headlight and a tail light put on, a new wireless odometer, and new pedals (clipless on one side and platform on the other). It felt so weird getting on the hybrid again when riding it home from the bike shop. I hadn't ridden it in over a year and I felt so unstable, as if I was learning to ride a bike for the very first time.

Riding my hybrid again brought back so many good memories of life before the road bike, back to the summer a few years back when my friend Deisy and I used to regularly ride the state park trail together. Those were the days when I said I would never be road racing. Those were the days when I had Terry put a Bar-ista cup holder on the handlebars for my coffee-shop coffee cup to fit into. Those were the days when I couldn't even fathom riding a bike without a mirror on it... or riding clipped into pedals... or giving up my kickstand. Those were pure times indeed.