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Thursday, March 13, 2014

paved with good intentions

I was talking to a classmate yesterday - the guy who's wanting to get on the bicycle commuter bandwagon.

"So", I queried, "Ya ridin' yet?"

"Nah", he chagrined.  "I'm fat and scared".

So we laughed a little, but truth be told, I admitted to being scared too.  Not so much scared about riding a bike, but just thinking about all that can go wrong when you've got a schedule to meet.

We worry about getting a flat or having some other malfunction.  We worry about the weather taking a turn for the worse.  We worry about unexpected bad road conditions.  We worry about people that just don't like people on bicycles, for whatever reason (they're out there).  We worry about things that will keep us from getting where we need to be when we need to be there.

I know what he's thinking about.  It was scary to do at first.  To come out of the comfort zone.  I assured him I was scared too, in fact, I still get scared.  But then I get on a bicycle and go to class and then I wonder what I was so scared of.

Today was a nice-ish day, so I dusted off the helmet cam and took Alice to school.  Here's the 7.5 -mile commute in four minutes to save the world.

Or to save the fat and scared...





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15 comments:

Guano said...

Hmm. Inspired me to Googlemap a bike route to work (about 9mi), some of which is on an actual bike path -- fun!
But here's the thing: There's this one KILLER hill. And I mean killer. It's steep, heavily trafficked, and little/no shoulder. And it rains here. A lot, actually.

So yeah, I get it. Kinda scary.....

Abby said...

All it takes is one bad stretch to ruin an otherwise lovely commute. I've got the Queen of the Mountain hills (Lungbuster and Thighbuster) at the end. No shoulders, construction zone, BUT not a whole lot of traffic and the speed limit, if anyone's paying attention, is like 25 mph. I like to think they provide me with a "healthy glow" (stench?) for class.

It does rain there. A lot.

LL Cool Joe said...

I get scared about doing everything. It's just the way I am, but you just work through the fear and do it. Easier said than done sometimes. I used to ride a moped before I learned to drive and came off a couple of times, but you just have get back on again, or the fear takes over. My mother has so many fears she's almost a prisoner in her own home.

Anita said...

For a minute, I was wondering where the people were. You had the bike path to yourself for a stretch.

Once again, love those paths. Maybe other places will get on board by building more.

Next time you see reluctant biker guy, maybe supply him with this you tube link.

Abby said...

I know there are people like your mother. It is easier said that done sometimes. I'm trying to picture you on a moped!

Abby said...

It was a low traffic time of day/week. At those times, I often wonder who the others on the path are!

terri said...

Oh, it looks so lovely there! My coworker who lives in CO was in the office this week. I asked her where she'd been. She was tan. She said nowhere. She said CO just has good weather. Sigh.

Keep encouraging that guy to ride. Sounds like he just needs a little push to really do it.

Anonymous said...

Some of those intersections look kinda scary, but maybe it's because you were traveling in fast motion.
Lucky for you, if something were to happen to your bike, you could easily run the rest of the way. Of course, your 'glow' would be even 'healthier'....

agg79 said...

Nice ride but I'm with SR300 - some of those intersections looked harry. Glad the weather cooperated. Looks like Alice was really flying along some stretches of the ride. Like how you were dodging pedestrians around campus.

Abby said...

Yup, CO does have good weather. I was reminded of this when I read your "Turning the Corner" post. Some corners are different from others!

Abby said...

The intersections are a big part of the "fat and scared" factor. That's why I was so glad to find the path access this semester. Hopefully no bike malfunctions. Don't want to be too "healthy"!

Abby said...

It was a bit windy, I could feel the drag from the helmet cam! But I'm not complaining, Alice got 'er done.

CiCi said...

How long are you riding in streets before you get to the bike paths? You are such an inspiration.

Abby said...

It's about 3 miles from home to the path.

LL Cool Joe said...

That was pre-bling days. :D I was more of a biker dude then. I did ride a Harley too, but I did love my moped as well.