The Long Road

And so the new commute started. By late April, things started to hit a rhythm, and I’d adjusted my commute route to incorporate modifications such as riding the Alliance Gateway Freeway. By May, my bike commute frequency surpassed that of the same time the year before. It also surpassed the prior year in June, July, and August. This was something I hadn't expected - not only a longer commute, but more often as well. By June, I was closing in on matching the total door-to-door time I’d achieved at Haltom City. I’m still five minutes slower on a good day. Perhaps I’ll need to study “Cycling Past 50” a little more seriously. I think it's possible to do the commute in an hour flat if traffic and the lights cooperate, but I'd be happy with 1:15. "Casual Urban Cyclist?" I think no longer...

Postscript: Yes, there're tough roads going to Alliance. Yes, some of those roads feel a bit uncomfortable at times & even a little scary - like when I encounter my hostile OU "friend." By comparison, the roads I rode in bicycle school were relaxing. No, I've not had any close calls unless you count the time I fell - on a wooden bridge with a damp deck on the Keller Bear Creek bike path. If current trends continue, I'll hit 5000 bike commute miles for 2009 shortly after the beginning of November. Things will slow down in December - I don't plan to commute during the Christmas shutdown and there's a week of vacation to be taken. Given the length of the commute, I'm not sure I'll ever do it frequently in the rain or when it's especially cold, but I've done it in the rain, and I imagine I'll be silly enough to do it in the cold at least once in a while. Bike withdrawal is an ugly thing...

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