5000
Tuesday, May 29th, 2007It so happens that the same day I hit 5000 miles on my bike is the same day I purchase a new car. I’m not sure what to make of that particular coincidence. There’s probably a lesson in humility in there somewhere.
But first, the bike. Yes, I bike to work. The daily round trip ( depending on the route I take ) is between 17 to 18 miles. Multiply that by 5 days and you get 85 to 90 miles a week; multiply that by the weeks in a month (and subtract out the days that I’m sick or the weather is bad or the bike needs maintenance or some other errand ) and you get, on average, about 330 miles a month. And so on. Of course, it’s usually not that neat and tidy.
I began riding to work in January 2006. When I changed jobs I also changed locations. And when we changed locations we sought to get as close to work as possible to make biking to work possible. By God’s grace we found a condo about 8 miles ( by freeway ) from my current employment. I took the job in December 2005 and was riding by mid-January.
One of the most important factors to the success of this whole endeavor was the fact that we only had one car. (A rare thing indeed in So. Cal) Though it was faintly conceivable that my wife Heidi would drive me every day, we both agreed that riding was to be the usual mode of transportation. With no other option, riding soon became a daily (and welcome) method of transportation.
Besides the obvious physical health benefits, I was surprised at the mental health benefits as well. My ride to work helped me feel sharp and focused. Likewise the ride home served as a time of “decompression.” I had time to work out the frustrations of the day and by the time the ride was done I was ready to engage Heidi and the boys with my full attention.
Most people upon learning that I ride to work are impressed with the distance (18 miles round trip ). “I could never do that!” is the most frequent response. And to be quite honest, I probably would have been of the same mind had Heidi and I not lived in Vancouver for three years. Biking to work isn’t all that common in California ( at least of the Southern variety ) - but it was a fairly common site in Vancouver. Though I didn’t bike to school or work in Vancouver ( I walked - we were only a few miles from UBC ), the idea of getting to work (or school or the market or wherever ) by foot or bicycle just gradually began to work its way into my soul.
And though I would love to continue biking to work indefinitely, the reality of modern life prohibits it. I knew at some point I would probably have to reluctantly rejoin the car-commuting masses. I didn’t know when. But I knew it would come. That time has finally come with the advent of a new job (which I’ll probably write on later ). It has been a good run and I feel blessed to have exceeded 5000 miles. As far the tide of global warming goes, it was but an onion.
I guess I’ll have to join a bicycling club now.
