Biking to work: The Beginning

If you read my saga in the last post, then you already know that on September 10th, I scrapped my car, and made the choice to begin biking to work full time. The prospect was daunting; I wasn't in the kind of shape necessary to bike 22-25 miles a day every day. I didn't even know how to do it, or what gear I would need for darkness and winter riding. I barely knew how to change a flat tire and while I am comfortable riding in traffic (vehicular cycling), I had never really tried it in the dark. What if I can't do it? What if I am constantly exhausted? What if I get injured or hit? What are people going to think when they find out that I have no plans to get another car? All of these questions running through my mind as I spent the weekend cleaning and lubing up my trusty steed, the machine that would be my ticket to independence for the foreseable future.

I started to read as much as could the stories and advice given by the wonderful people at www.bikeforums.net. People from all walks of life and ages commuting anywhere from 1 to 30 miles each way to work. Some, like me, were just beginning, and some had been commuting their entire lives by bicycle alone. My 12 mile trip to and from work was a moderate distance, but no longer seemed impossible. My route was already planned, and I pored over it extensively looking for any improvements. Ways to cut out dangerous parts of the trip, or where to avoid a nasty hill. On my first day setting out at 6:15 A.M., I felt liberated. I had the excitement that comes with anything new, a heady feeling of rebellion, and sense of accomplishment as I pulled up to my place of business. My legs ached, unused muscles screamed out, but I looked forward to the ride home. It was a bright and glorious late summer day. I wondered why I hadn't done this sooner.

I had started on a Thursday, and so had the weekend to rest after two days of commuting. The true test would be the first full 5-day week. My routine was as follows: Pack clothing the night before in my pannier bags. Get up at 6 A.M. and get on the bike clothes. Check the tires and brakes and depart. I had my MP3 player, but after the first few days decided it was dangerous to use headphones, so I mounted an external speaker to my bicycle. It sounded awful and was quiet, but I could sing along and still hear traffic. I had a great jacket that I had recieved as a present the year before and it worked great for biking, along with a flourescent yellow reflective vest given to me by my father. The mornings were cool, but I discovered that I was never cold. After the first hill, I was warm and found I usually removed some layers as I went along. Making it through the first week was a great accomplishment, but the fatigue was alarming at first. My body was in no shape for this, and I had not increased my physical activity gradually. One week I was shuttling my lard ass around in a vehicle, the next I was burning 800 calories a day trekking 22 miles back and forth across a county. My commute is very hilly and my quads were screaming. In fact, I was in bed by 9pm every night, everything ached. I dreaded Monday and secretly wondered if I had bitten off more than I could chew. I decided to press on.

I fought through saddle pain and saddle sores, tried different clothing combinations and bought a better tailight. At first I had no appetite or energy to eat as sometimes happens when you start a rigerous exercise program, but I forced myself to eat and sleep to avoid the dreaded overtraining syndrome. I had to take care of myself - *I* was the engine. Food was fuel; sleep was repair.

After three weeks, My body became acclimated to the daily slog and I started to get into the rhythm of it. The saddle soreness lessened, my quads strengthened, and my confidence grew. I was no longer a bicylist or a "biker". I was becoming a transportation cyclist. A strange breed, especially in car-centric suburbia. I saw calories in terms of miles and ate whatever I could, and still lost 5 pounds before the leaves changed.

...Continued in the next post...