Spring Biking

This is only a post about spring biking because the official first day of spring has sprung. For all intent and purposes, it is still winter. Below zero in the am and mid 20’s in the afternoon.  I am now a mere 6 weeks away from 1 year of total bike commuting. That will amount to roughly 5,000 miles less driving. Or almost 390 gallons of gas. Or almost $1500 in gas. Or a little bit less traffic. Or one more parking space per day. Or just about 8300 pounds of CO2. A start.

Folks keep telling me I’m crazy to ride in the winter. Not really. Yeah, it is cold. And some mornings my toes turn to wooden stumps in my boots and my fingers ache with the omninous threat of frostbite. But really, truly, I’ve enjoyed it. With my busy schedule, this is ME time. I never ride with anyone else. (Unless I’m biking with kids–but that’s recreational biking and a totally different experience.) My commute is my time to collect my thoughts, focus my mind and get a bit of exercise at the same time. I’m unwired. I can’t email, text or play Words with Friends while I’m biking. A needed break for sure. The trail is bumpier, slushier, icier, colder, narrower, darker, moosier, more challenging for sure and therefore quite possibly more rewarding. My daughter asks me how that is more rewarding. Hmmm. Hard to articulate. Okay, think of it this way. Do you ever feel great after driving to work? Right, I didn’t think so.

PS: “Moosier” is my new term for LOTS more moose encounters in the winter. I average 3-4 sightings per week, sometimes that many in a day.