Even in the snow and the rain? Well, that's the plan anyway!
When gas prices started going up, and up, and up I decided to try and save a few pennies by riding my bike to work. It's only about a mile and a half each way: very doable, even for someone as out of shape as myself. I'd save money on gas and help myself get on the road to better health. (no pun intended!) As an added bonus, the less I drive my car the better it is for the environment, too. WIN all around!
I have been riding to work, to the farmers' market, to my favorite coffee shop downtown, but not as consistently as I'd like. The other day this thought came to me that I should ride my bike every day for a whole year-- in the rain, the snow, the heat, the cold, all of it. Even if I could only go three blocks-- because how far can you really ride in the snow?
So that's my vague plan-- ride my bike every day, 365 days straight, and see what's what at the end of the year. Will I really be healthier? How much gas money can I actually save? Can even a short bike ride give me some quiet time and keep me on an even keel on the most frazzled of days? And how many miles can I ride in a year? I guess I'm going to find out!
My bike is just a regular old bike. My sister gave it to me a few months ago; she had been using it for getting around the city, but over the last few years it had simply been cluttering up her apartment. I was very happy to take it off her hands.
I added this nifty basket set up to transport linens and clothes for
work, groceries and whatever else I might feel like carting around.
Press the top yellow button and the basket slides out so you can carry it into the market or the grocery or wherever you're going. It would have been just as workable-- and less expensive-- to bungee a milk crate back there, but I got dazzled by the high-tech-iness of the basket contraption while at the bike shop.
I hope to post about my rides each day, even the short ones, as well any other stuff I might be thinking about. I can't ride very far just yet, but will keep trying to add to my distances. I might even join a bike club ride when I work up the stamina.
See you tomorrow!
4 comments:
I think this is an awesome idea--I'm jealous! The bike looks great in the photo--love the basket. I think you should keep a log at the end of each post that shows the number of days biked, and the approximate distance you rode that day to keep it all in perspective.
I'm very excited about this project. Who knew that my bike, gathering dust in Queens, would lead to a cool experiment like this? I'll be checking in often!
Maybe I can find some kind of widget that keeps track of the miles. I guess I should get an odometer, too.
Maybe I should change the name of the blog to "City Bike in the Country" or "City Bike, Country Bike."
:)
What a great idea! I'm looking forward to following your adventure throughout the year.
Can't wait to keep up with you on this blog. I love the idea!!!
Another great site to keep track of those miles or figure out how far something is...http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/
GOOD LUCK! :)
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