The week of May 11-15 was Bike to Work Week and Thursday, May 14 was Bike to Work Day. I decided to try it this year, though only for the 1.5 miles that I normally drive from our home to the train station. Biking all 25+ miles to work would take too long and there isn’t a clear route. This wasn’t my first time biking to work. I used to bike nearly every day when I lived and worked in West Los Angeles.
The day before, I moved my 13-year-old Bianchi Advantage bicycle from our balcony storage to our garage storage room. I hadn’t used the bike since we moved into our condo nearly three years prior. I pumped up the tires and rode the bike around the condo parking lot. The chain squeaked a bit but otherwise it still rode well. I found that I could open the parking gate by making a wide turn right before it.
On Thursday I got up at the usual time and left just before 7 AM. I took a bit of time to retrieve my bike from the garage storage, put on my helmet and gloves, and made sure I had my parking gate remote and blinking red removable bike light. I left the garage just after 7 AM. Though it’s only a short distance to the station, riding to work was very different from driving. The road seemed much wider. I could smell the car exhaust and hear the engine noise and the birds in the background. Luckily, there weren’t very many cars on the road. I didn’t see any other bicyclists. The weather was cook and breezy.
I was able to ride into the left turn lane and turn left into the train station. No cars honked at me. I reached the station not long after 7:05 AM. I took less time than driving, though when I drive I have to park at the Metro West parking structure and cross the street. Anyway, I still had to lock up my bike. As I did so the 7:00 AM train arrived five minute late, unloaded and received passengers and departed. There were several other bicycles locked to the bike rack. I waited and boarded the usual 7:20 AM train.
For the ride home the weather was warmer and there were more cars on the road. Still, no one honked at me or tried to run me down. I was able to make the left turn into the condo parking lot from the left lane. I used my blinking red light going both ways to ensure I was visible to drivers and I think it helped. When I arrived at the condo parking I was soaked with sweat. With my remotes I opened the gate and garage. I put my bike, helmet, and glove in the back of my car in preparation for Saturday’s El Monte Bike Rally (see future blog entry).
Riding partway to work and back was different. I could probably do it every day if I had to but I’ll stick with driving for now, as long as we can afford it.
The day before, I moved my 13-year-old Bianchi Advantage bicycle from our balcony storage to our garage storage room. I hadn’t used the bike since we moved into our condo nearly three years prior. I pumped up the tires and rode the bike around the condo parking lot. The chain squeaked a bit but otherwise it still rode well. I found that I could open the parking gate by making a wide turn right before it.
On Thursday I got up at the usual time and left just before 7 AM. I took a bit of time to retrieve my bike from the garage storage, put on my helmet and gloves, and made sure I had my parking gate remote and blinking red removable bike light. I left the garage just after 7 AM. Though it’s only a short distance to the station, riding to work was very different from driving. The road seemed much wider. I could smell the car exhaust and hear the engine noise and the birds in the background. Luckily, there weren’t very many cars on the road. I didn’t see any other bicyclists. The weather was cook and breezy.
I was able to ride into the left turn lane and turn left into the train station. No cars honked at me. I reached the station not long after 7:05 AM. I took less time than driving, though when I drive I have to park at the Metro West parking structure and cross the street. Anyway, I still had to lock up my bike. As I did so the 7:00 AM train arrived five minute late, unloaded and received passengers and departed. There were several other bicycles locked to the bike rack. I waited and boarded the usual 7:20 AM train.
For the ride home the weather was warmer and there were more cars on the road. Still, no one honked at me or tried to run me down. I was able to make the left turn into the condo parking lot from the left lane. I used my blinking red light going both ways to ensure I was visible to drivers and I think it helped. When I arrived at the condo parking I was soaked with sweat. With my remotes I opened the gate and garage. I put my bike, helmet, and glove in the back of my car in preparation for Saturday’s El Monte Bike Rally (see future blog entry).
Riding partway to work and back was different. I could probably do it every day if I had to but I’ll stick with driving for now, as long as we can afford it.
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