So, it’s Earth day today – a calendar date I have to be honest and say I’ve never heard of before. This is despite the fact that Earth day has apparently been in existence since 1970!
It was the guys over at Commute by Bike that brought it to my attention though and a great idea it is too. I have to admit that I used to be a bit of a fair-weather bike commuter – easily persuaded to take the car at the slightest hint of moisture in the air. In fact, if I’m honest, easily persuaded by the car at the slightest hint of laziness… I’ve since moved a fair bit away from where I keep my car though (nazi-esque Edinburgh parking restrictions keeping it where it is) and, having now become an everyday commuter, I’m loving it!
In the olden days, some mornings the thought of getting on my bike just filled me with dread. I think a large part of that though was the fact that an easier option was available, and so I subconsciously invented nasty feelings towards cycling in the cold and the wet (or so it always seemed, even on the sunny days) so that I could justify taking the car instead. Now that that option isn’t there though I don’t even think about it and I’m actually loving my road cycling for a change.
The exercise has definitely had an effect – the last few times out on the trails I’ve felt great – and I’m feeling good about not wasting fuel by driving a stupidly short distance. Cycling’s actually faster than driving due to Edinburgh’s great traffic, and I’ve only been almost run-over 145 times so far, so that’s pretty good. Although I did see a guy a few days ago having a hard time cycling across a pretty busy junction. He was slightly hampered half way across by the fact that his left crank fell off, causing him to pitch forward, simultaneously head-butting his bars and whamming his crotch off the top tube. The cars graciously refrained from running him over right away though and simply drove around his prostate body so, again, that was nice.
Anyway, hopefully barring any penis related injuries, bike commuting could be the best thing you do this week. Do your bit for Earth day and increase your climbing speed in one go. Oh and let me know in the comments if you’ve seen any good commuting related incidents – the roads are crazy…
[tags] Earth day, bike commuting[/tags]
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