the Friday habit

Today I finally got out for a real ride on my new, beautiful bike.

Isn’t she a beaut!  When I first started thinking about getting a bike, I was looking for something speedy.  You know, for all those races I plan, train for, but never actually complete.  But while I was looking, I realized just how impractical that really was.  I might possible someday complete a distance event, but it certainly won’t be for speed.  If in the future I really want to look at doing something like that, well, we can afford to buy me a second bike.  But the reality is I’m much more likely to actually use the bike if it’s sturdy, practical, and comfortable.

Jesse got a bike at the same time and has been commuting to work all week on it.  I’m really proud of him!  I’m still trying to build my confidence a bit before I start commuting to universite with it – riding into town is still a rather uncomfortable idea for me.  Although I’m edging up on 40, I haven’t truly ridden a bike since I was about 14.  And back then I lived way out in the country and simply didn’t have to contend with more traffic than the occasional tractor or pickup.  Riding into Mons will take some getting used to.

I’ve taken a few zips around the neighborhood – up and down the road, to the bakery on the far side of town, … – but this is the first time I’ve really gone for a ride.  I took it instead of the car to take some DVDs back to the library, then to the beauty shop, to lunch with my husband, and back home again.  In all, about an hour and forty minutes of biking.  It was fantastic and fun — I’d forgotten how fun riding a bike could be!

It was also freezing!  I got home and saw that it was 32 degrees on the nose.  I had intended to take a bunch of photos of the commute for all of you, but I quickly found that every time I stopped to take a photo the cold would set in again, so I chose to stay moving as much as possible.  Here’s one very cold one from alongside the canal, which I was able to follow for about two-thirds of my ride.

I’m planning to make this my Friday habit.  It’s the one day of the week I have mostly to myself and can afford the time.  I love that it felt like an indulgence, rather than a chore.  I can only imagine how much I’m going to enjoy this experience when the weather turns warm!