Commuting Lessons

I started my new job Tuesday, and decided since I would not have to drive out to other offices yet I would take advantage and ride my bike. Here is what I have learned about commuting over the past 3 days.

1. It is best to pack your messenger bag the night before, so you don't forget something. And as a gal some things are more important to remember than others....I almost walked out the door without packing a bra! Oh the horror of wearing a stinky sports bra all day.
2. If you leave your clothes in the messenger bag they stay moist all day long, yuck.
3. You can leave your shoes at work instead of bringing them home with you. I had 3 pairs of shoes at work today. :-)
4. When the weather is 34 degrees in the morning and 70 degrees in the afternoon you end up having to put more clothing in your messenger bag in the evening than in the morning...hence the shoes stay at work.
5. It is best to put nectarines, plums or other possibly soft fruit in a sandwich bag in case they get squished. I did and they did, but no mess thanks to the sandwich bags.
6. Wearing a dress at work is fine, but when you need to go get lunch you cannot jump on your bike and ride to the nearest store.
7. Wearing cycling shoes in a food establishment always gives way to conversation.
8. Some bags are not big enough to carry your lunch you made the night before....plan ahead.
9. When there are 2 left turn lanes and one gives the option of turning or going straight it is best that you go straight and then wait to cross again to go up the street otherwise you could get caught in between cars. I am sure I was cussed out by a couple of drivers, and it certainly scared the bejeebers out of me.
10. Don't forget to turn off your rear light when you get to work....oh, and batteries last longer than 12 hours on those rear lights.
11. Even if it is only supposed to be a light recovery ride day when you see the head bobbing ahead you have to work the pedals harder, then smile and carry on a conversation as you pass. Of course your legs hate you later for not recovering like you were supposed to.
12. Intervals with a messenger bag on make you tough.
13. If you end up having your husband come and get you because you need the car for an appointment, don't forget your helmet otherwise you cannot ride when you get home. :-(

So there are a few things I have noticed over the few days of commuting. Anyone else have some suggestions or words of wisdom they care to share?

Ride to Spanish Fork

Map my ride is not entirely accurate. Today I decided I would ride my bike to Spanish Fork to meet with a client. I got on map my ride to pick the route from my house to my office in Spanish Fork. After mapping out my ride it said the entire route would be 20 miles. This is no problem, so I decided to ride to my office and back home. Great way to commute and save on gas. I took off at a good time to get to my office and change before my client arrived. The ride was nice, not too strenuous perfect for a commute ride. There was a small part on the road where there was no shoulder. This kept me on my toes as cars were going by at 50 mph and I hoped they would go around me. The worst part of the ride was in Springville. Springville was great because they have a bike lane, but there was a driver turning and talking on his cell phone at the same time, and didn't pay attention that he had a red light! I had to yell at him and he didn't stop, he only slowed up and made me come to a complete stop (along with the other traffic). After that the ride was uneventful as far as cars were concerned. When I got on to Route 6 I was excited for the upcoming decent. However, there was a head wind, so I ended up pedaling a lot. The ride ended up being 25 miles not 20 which put off my time a little bit for arriving to my office. What I discovered on the ride that riding 6 miles with a computer on your back versus 25 miles is very different. By the end of the ride my back was very sore. I had a difficult time changing riding positions because of the pack. If I could figure a way to take my computer that far I would ride every time I had to go to my Spanish Fork office. I guess I'll have to do some research to see what I can figure out.

I rode to work today.

Today I rode to work. Now this may not be a big deal, but it has been one I have been trying to figure out. See my job is not very far away (only 2.3 miles), but the problem I have is how do I carry my lap top and files, and do I go in cycling clothes or work clothes. I finally figured out the laptop issue. I found a back pack with padding in it. It holds my files and lap top and wouldn't you know it a change of shoes. So I gave it a shot and rode. Today I rode in my work clothes. It was not hard, because I had dress pants on, but I think even a short ways needs to be in cycling clothes. It was just hot enough to cause a slight perspiration. If I would go slow then I wouldn't have to worry about perspiration, but I have to see how fast I can go....it's just something I always have to do.

My new bike accessory.