I bailed out!

A combination of some running around to do this afternoon and the fact that my legs (and the rest of me) are feeling pretty knackered mean that I commuted by car again today.  I keep telling myself all sorts of reasons why I should be driving today and not cycling.  I have plenty of excuses. 

The simple truth is though, that when I woke up tired this morning, the little voice in my head that said “Take it easy today, use the car!” won over the determination to cycle.  There’s no more to it than that as I could have managed all of the jobs I have to do today on my bike.  Sure I’d have to lug my laptop around as well, which makes my rucksack heavier, but it’s not like I have to cycle mega-distances. 

It is very easy to jump in the car though – too easy.  As SaddleAmericana commented yesterday, it does make you realise how dependant on cars we have become and how our lifestyles are set up around the ownership of one.  If our family didn’t have the luxury of two cars, I’d have had to do something different.  I could have rescheduled a meeting (which I ended up doing anyway) and working from home or I could’ve manned-up and cycled.  I could even use a bus as well as the train to reduce the total distance on the bike if I’d needed to. 

But I did none of those things, I jumped in the car.  The easiest but most expensive, least healthy for me and worst for the environment option.  Maybe I should sell it and try out life as a one car family.  It would need a bit of planning and creative thinking but would, I think, be an interesting experiment. 

Food for thought…

The scores so far

Last week was a bit of an odd one.  I had two separate days with cars in the garage and one day where work necessitated the use of a hire car.  Never the less, I still managed plenty of time on the bike bringing the results to date as follows:

Week 8 – 79.5 miles

Total to date – 548 miles

In other news I now have a Twitter account too (as if I didn't have enough ways to waste the day on the internet.)  It is @foldingbikeuk though I haven't really figured it out what it does yet.  It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Lastly, this blog has a follower!  Stand up and be counted Naz Scott - a mate of mine from church and an all round good-egg.  The first of many I hope.  Naz's own blog is here:

http://nathanielscott93.blogspot.co.uk/

That's a lot better

I never realised how weather-obsessed this cycling lark would make me. I keep a general eye on the weather forecast but the most important portent of the day's cycling is the flagpole in the garden of one of my neighbour's. It's fluttering or lack thereof lets me know when I set off for the morning whether I'll have a headwind to cycle against on the way in to work. This morning I did. Not a big one but enough to make a difference!

However, come home-time the sun was out and this morning's headwind had become a slight tailwind. Not a big one but enough to make a difference. And what a difference!

I had one of the fastest, happiest rides of my cycle-commuting career. It was truly amazing - hills that have sometimes had to be crawled up in first gear were blasted up in third. I'm definitely getting stronger but the positive physical and psychological effect of the wind and fine weather played a big part too.

I was, but for tremendous hunger, almost disappointed to arrive home.

A couple of pics

I'm still getting used to this iPhone thing and the Blogger interface. I took a couple is snaps on the way to work yesterday. The weather wasn't great so I didn't stop for any scenic ones. Here's the obligatory "bike on the railway station platform" shot:

Folded ready to get on the train:

And on the train (this phone has no flash so apologies for the poor picture!):

I wish I could've taken some on the move too. There was a huge double traffic queue like the one I sat in the other day. How I laughed smugly as I zoomed between them all to the front of the queue. I did stop to take this one though:

It's a road I ride downhill on the way in. The combination of telegraph poles and trees mean that (especially on bin day) it's like the Star Wars pod racing sequence! Laughs all the way!

Interestingly (or not) on the way home yesterday, I left the office car park at exactly the same time as a colleague in his car. Through a combination of traffic and traffic lights, it took almost the full four miles to the station for him to catch up with and pass me!  I don't know who was more surprised!


Added from laptop:  The iPhone blogger app is quite good but doesn't seem to let you put your pictures in line with the text.  On a personal note, I need to sharpen up my photography skills - some of those pictures suck on the big screen!

Another car day

Yes it was another "needed to use the car" days today. I took my old runaround to the garage to price up a couple of things that need doing to it. The price quoted made me turn greyer - more than the car's worth to be honest - so there's a tough decision to be made there I think. I digress.

While some parts of me (not least my war-worn legs) were glad for the much shorter commute, I had to sit through a dreadful pile of traffic on the way home:

As ever I arrived back feeling dreadful and in dire need of fresh air and exercise!

I realise my cycle-commuter evangelism might read with a similar zeal to the rantings of, say, a reformed smoker. It's true though - commuting by car sucks and cycling is the way forward!

I got hi-tech

I am currently glued to my new iPhone which, being way better than my old BB, means I can now blog on the go. Well maybe not actually from in the saddle but from the train at least.

Need one of those funky Bio-Logic phone mount/charger things now...hmmmm...

To work or not to work?

As I may have mentioned once or twice, I am really enjoying the cycle-commute to work.  Even in the wind and/or rain (like this morning) I wouldn’t swap places with any of the car drivers for love nor money.  Been there, done that, hated it. 

By definition however, there is work to do at the end of the commute.  I like the job I do but just recently days in the office have been grinding me down and sometimes, I really feel the need for a day out on the bike doing my own thing.  All it would take is to miss one of my usual turnings and head off for the day somewhere… 

The temptation is almost too much on some mornings!  Clearly I am due a day of fun…watch this space.