Last week, I did everything wrong on my practice ride, but now I can help you get everything right on Bike to Work Day.
That’s Friday, by the way, which gives you just enough time to check your brakes, inflate your tires and spray WD-40 on your rusty chain and gears.
That’s Step 1: Make sure your bike works.
Step 2: Figure out clothes and equipment for work. Don’t carry too much on your bike or your back. That was my biggest mistake.
Step 3: Don’t chicken out.
This is fun. This is worth doing. This is a chance to gain a whole new perspective on your work, your community and your commute.
LWR to SRQ
I live in Lakewood Ranch, where the Herald-Tribune has a branch office, but that seemed too easy.
Our Main Street office in Sarasota, though, is about 17 miles away. This is nothing for a serious cyclist, but it’s a pretty good ride for the rest of us.
I left way early — 7:45 a.m. — but barely made it to the office by 9.
There’s a lesson for you: No matter how long the ride to work, it will probably take longer than you think it will.
On my route, I had to stop for several red lights. And I wasn’t riding very fast on the fat tires of my mountain bike.
The worst thing, though, was carrying a laptop in my backpack. That thing was like an anchor. My back was stiff the rest of the day.
Shade and bike paths
I started out on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, which was shady and quiet, then turned onto University Parkway, which was busy and loud. Then I took Cattlemen Road down to Fruitville Road, which headed straight downtown.
Pretty simple ride. Bike paths the whole way. Lots of rush-hour traffic.
On Fruitville, especially, huge trucks rumble along right next to you. If you think that might freak you out, you could try smaller roads, but then there might not be bike lanes. You’ll have to figure out a route. Also a place to clean up.
I was bathed in sweat after my ride, but the downtown YMCA is just two blocks from my office. Lucky me. Instead of toweling off in some rest room, I could enjoy a hot shower and change of clothes.
After all that exercise, I felt great at work. Hungry, too. Talk about looking forward to lunch.
You know those gigantic bowls of pho you get at a Vietnamese restaurant? I slurped down one of those in about 5 minutes.
For the ride home, I left my backpack at work, which made all the difference in the world.
It felt great. A good tired, if you know what I mean. I’m looking forward to the next time I’ll bike to work.
Maybe this Friday.
