I first participated in Bike to Work day in 2007. I had a Diamondback hybrid bike that I bought for $280 and rode it from Glendale to Burbank. It was about 20 miles round trip and it was a huge accomplishment for me. I had neither rode my bike to work before nor gone that far. I have subsequently participated in Bike to Work day since then. Except for last year. I was getting married that weekend.
I now work five miles from home, so I ride into work on a regular basis. This year, I wanted to feel that same sense of accomplishment that I did in 2007 so I gave myself a new challenge! I would ride my bike to work everyday of the week during Bike Week.
I knew this would take some planning, so Sunday evening I dropped off all of my clothes for the week at my office. I have a little wardrobe/locker in my office that I keep my clothes in. It makes it very easy keep clothes, shoes and such at work so I don't have to carry a backpack each day.
So Monday morning came, and it was off to work I went on my two wheeled, human powered mechanism! My commute is all down hill to work, then I come back up to Montrose which is always a good workout. It takes 15 minutes to get in and 30 minutes to get home. On Tuesday, I went for a group ride in Pasadena and put in an additional 20 miles on my bike in addition to my commuting. It was a lot of fun, but I was pooped!
Thursday was the offical Bike to Work Day and I rode to four of the seven . I grabbed a few bars, a bananna and a goodie bag and said hi to all the nice volunteers that woke up so early to man the booths.
It is now Friday, and I feel accomplished! My car has a thick layer of dust on it from not being driven and I might have even shed a pound or two. All in for the week, I put 69 miles in on my bike and rode every day. I am pretty proud of myself, I never really felt like giving up and just jumping in my car. I knew I had a goal to go after.
I'm not sure if I would do this regularly (my butt seriously is in pain), but I do realize that I could ride more to work than I already do.
Overall, a great experience! Did you ride to work at all?
