St. Patrick's Day Bicycling Anyway



My adventures with bicycling continue into 2017.  Today is the anniversary of one of the scariest moments of my life and I cannot remember the car hitting me. Today back in 2014 I was hit by a car while bike commuting to work.  Today I am bike commuting to work on my cruiser bike with a titanium full hip replacement that I got on October 3 2016. I am glad to be alive and riding my bike.

I use to have deep life reflections on the last day of the year, but now I have a fondness for doing life reflections on St. Patrick's Day.  I have never been a big fan of holidays.  I tolerated them when my two children were small and I seem to be getting back into the holiday spirit with my wife +Sylvia Wormley .  St. Patrick's Day was always at the bottom of my list of holidays when I was in grade school with all of the pinching and wearing green.  Well today I am wearing green.  I am not wearing a green bike jersey, just a plain old shirt because I am bike commuting in street clothes.

I have had two stints in a walker due to cycling accidents since moving to Albany, Georgia.  I still find that the cycling here in South West Georgia to be some of the finest that I have ever experienced. I am really glad that I can still ride a bike.  Transformation is amazing, but it is hard work.  For me getting back into shape is a process that I know cannot be rushed.  This time around I am not being so compulsive about it.  I am really taking time to smell the knockout roses (go ahead and laugh, I know you cannot smell these type of roses).  Instead of a 25 mile commute I am doing a 4.5 mile commute to work.  I am taking my time slow rolling through the back streets on my way to and from work.

Why am I so passionate about bike commuting?  There are a bunch of reasons why I like to ride a bike to and from work.  One of the main reasons is that I like human powered transportation.  i also like doing multiple things at once.  when I ride my bike to work I not only accomplish one less car on the road, but I am getting a breath of fresh air and exercise while transporting myself to and from work.  The environmental impact of burning fossil fuels just to get to work makes a big negative impact on the environment.  I like doing my small part just by keeping my truck off the road as much as possible.


It was 34 degrees on my ride into work this morning.  I had the opportunity to wear my Shower Pass jacket and arm warmers today.  Wearing a cross between street clothes and high end cycling gear is a first for me.  I have gradually taken gear off of my road bike and installed it on my cruiser.  I laugh at myself as some of my gear by itself cost more than my used $300 cruiser cost.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wednesday Evening Loop Ride in the Country

Image
Riding down Mud Creek Road this evening was a joy.  One of the highlights of this road is the Beggars Bush property.  There are usually some nice horses in the pasture, but when I see them I rarely take time to stop and take a picture.  This evening I did stop to get a shot of the main entrance to the property. For you Rolling Stones fans this property always reminds me of my favorite Stones album, Beggars Banquet.  I would love to have a cycling event where we ride to this property and have a picnic in the pasture.  I would call it The Beggars Banquet. Beggars Bush on Mud Creek Beggars Bush Main road Te Seven at Beggars Bush On a technical note I was testing my USB charging interface on my Garmin GPS tracker. I rode for 90 minutes and the Garmin stayed charged at 100%.  This confirms that I can ride all day and not use the internal battery on the Garmin.  At night I will disconnect the USB interface and run my light and let th...
Read more

St. Patty's Day Smack Down

Image
I think I am ready to write about one of the scariest days of my life.  Funny thing is that I do not remember the horrific details, but I will write what my friends tell me what happened when I was unconscious or just do not remember. On Monday morning March 17, 2014 I put on my #Bicycle Commuter Cabal green jersey and  headed to work. It was drizzling slightly, but it was warm.  I had my yellow rain jacket on and three tail flashers on my bike, two red and one white. I left my house about 6:15 AM and started my 25 mile commute to work.  This commute takes me about one hour and thirty minutes. I was taking an easy pace because I had just finished a big 145 mile ride to St. Mark's on Friday so I jut wanted to relax today. Everything went as usually until I was riding on the short stretch of Newton Road (HWY 91).  I do not remember turning on to HWY 91 so everything that I write from here on is from what my friends have told me. I was struck from behin...
Read more

Shine on you crazy bike commuter

Image
The next time you see a bike commuter take the time to ask them when was the last time they had a cold or if they get flu shots.  I bet that most bike commuters can not remember when they were sick last.  As a bike commuter I ride my bike all year, rain or shine.  When I ride all year I hardly ever get sick. I believe that my immune system stays strong because I am outside riding my bike at a minimum of three hours each day.  During that time I am breathing hard and sucking in all sorts of pollen and man made pollutants.  As a result of exposure to these air borne particles and the ever changing weather my body adapts to the seasonal changes and thus stays in sync with nature and I remain healthy and vibrant all year. If you are a cyclist and your agree or disagree with this fact post your comments so non cyclist reading this will be convinced to start riding everyday to stay healthy.  This morning I started my bike commute of 51 miles at 5 ...
Read more