Commuting is a Joy

It's really been a while, hasn't it. That's apparently going to be standard fare for the next 4.5 weeks.

Recently I've had the opportunity to get to know a neighbor. Tom lives a few houses down and commutes to work everyday by bike. Well, until he crashed in a race and recently had surgery on his leg. We had a nice chat on the bus the other day. At one point I asked him what he does in the rain. He basically said, there's nothing you can do. You will get wet. Just get out and ride.

So I have. Well, twice. Two weeks ago I rode into work, and got a flat two blocks from the office. That put me off until yesterday when I finally changed the tire and cleaned up the drivetrain a bit and rode this morning. What a treat! Beautiful view of house lights on the lake. 52 degrees and no rain. Very few cars on the road. It was great.

I did take a different route this morning which took me up a short but steep hill (not unlike most hills in the area), about 75 feet vertical in one tenth of a mile (~20% grade). Near the top of the hill was a fresh(ish) spattering of vomit. Rough hill, too much breakfast. I hope they're okay.