Co-Workers, Geez.

[Crankin]

IF Jane, I commute on my road bike, too. It has carbon bars that are ergonomically shaped and they cannot hold a light, so I also have to wait a few weeks to ride in. I like to get there early,with plenty of time to change before the students get there. I leave at 5:45 and get to school in about an hour. It's often still getting light when I leave, so I use a couple of blinkies and reflective strips on my arms.
You will love it!

[Grog]

I got hit in September while on the job by a dude than ran a red light, and now people say, "You've learned your lesson?" Like it was a crime to ride, to do right by the environment, my health, and my wallet. I cannot wait until I am well enough to ride in again.

This must be one of the stupidest things I've heard this year. I'm glad you're not letting their silly comments discourage you!!! How ridiculous.

[IFjane]

I hope you can bring your bike in and keep it safe and close by! With such a nice bike for a commuter, you definitely don't want to risk it getting stolen or rained on.

Congrats on the commute! Lovely roads out your way.

PS, I forgot to tell you that I rode Skyline drive last year from Front Royal to Big Meadow and back. Awesome!

Tulip - I can take my bike into the office with me so that will not be a problem. I DARE anyone to touch the bike!

How far is the ride from Front Royal to Big Meadows? We have a century route we ride up there that takes us north to Thornton Gap (we park at Swift Run Gap, ride south to just past Loft Mtn, then head north, then back to the car) - never been north (on a bike) to FR. How did you like the tunnel at Thornton Gap? I thought I would get bounced off the bike! The NPS is repaving up there now - I sure hope they work on that tunnel.

[IFjane]

IF Jane, I commute on my road bike, too. It has carbon bars that are ergonomically shaped and they cannot hold a light, so I also have to wait a few weeks to ride in. I like to get there early,with plenty of time to change before the students get there. I leave at 5:45 and get to school in about an hour. It's often still getting light when I leave, so I use a couple of blinkies and reflective strips on my arms.
You will love it!

Great ideas, Crankin. I also plan to wear screaming neon yellow. Riding home won't be such a problem because there are cyclists out in the afternoons. It will be the early morning when drivers are not expecting someone on a bike.

[tulip]

I'll repost here for you commuters: www.alertshirt.com I got the t-shirts in hi-viz and they were great for my commutes. No back pockets, though, although if I were more motivated, I could sew a pocket on. Cheap, though, like $8 a few years ago.

Front Royal to Big Meadows is 50 miles. There's a lodge at Big Meadows, and we stayed there overnight back in September and then rode back "down" the next day. Down was nearly as much climbing as up, however. The tunnel was fine going up, but I just had to let the Force Be With Me on the way down. I couldn't see a thing and there was a roaring F-250 breathing down my back. It's amazing I didn't spill.

I miss my commute!

[yellow]

They waddle, they groan when getting in and out of chairs.

Hey, that's me!!!

Many, many people can't even walk a mile. As people who exercise regularly, we forget that and then are amazed when someone thinks 2 miles on a bike is a big deal. Well, it IS to most people!

When I started working where I do, no one rode their bikes. Now 3 others do regularly during good weather, and they are all very happy about it. I think I just pushed them closer to doing it; they'd probably all thought about it and when they saw someone actually doing it, well...why not? I even helped one gal figure out good routes.

If this is the only thing of consequence I ever contribute to the office, that's good enough for me. Even the office manager has asked me about making fitness a priority, etc. Mind you I don't normally say ANYTHING about what I do--riding, running, skiing...but somehow, they know. The conversation always happens in some corner of the office, with no one around, and generally starts with, "So, how do you fit it in?"

We lead by example. Some people will see the positive in it, and others won't.

[Meg McKilty]

That made me laugh out loud. I used to commute 9 miles each way to my work, also a hospital, and I am the ONLY one that was known to ride in. I got hit in September while on the job by a dude than ran a red light, and now people say, "You've learned your lesson?" Like it was a crime to ride, to do right by the environment, my health, and my wallet. I cannot wait until I am well enough to ride in again.
Beside all that, last year I only filled my 4 runner's tank once every 2-3 months. And filling it twice a month at $50 a pop is painful. UGH!!

I can't believe they said, "You've learned your lesson?" MY WORD! I would never say that to someone who got hit by a vehicle.

Also, I own a Jeep Wrangler I love dearly, but it is a pain to load up $45-$50 in gas a pop. Ouch!

[Zen]

"You've learned your lesson?"

people are absolute idiots at times.

If someone was walking and got hit by a car would they say the same thing?
Of course not.
Idiots.

[7rider]

I DARE anyone to touch the bike!

I'd dare!
But only in the most loving, respectful way!
I don't think I'd ride my Seven to work - even my old Seven. But maybe now with the bike locker, it'd be more conceivable. Several co-workers who ride and know what I ride (outside of the commuter) have already asked me "Do you ride your Seven??".

And as for ding-dongs who ask "have you learned your lesson?" after a bike accident....Well, I suppose you could turn that around and ask them that next time they're in a car crash. I know....2 wrongs don't make a right, but geez, people.

[Crankin]

Well, my bike (a Kuota) is as nice as a 7 and I ride it to work...
I bring it right up the stairs, and leave it in my classroom next to my desk.
There's always some boy who wants to "touch" it and I always say NO!
They are very intrigued by how my shoes attach to the pedals and how I can get out of the pedals. So, I leave the shoes by the bike and show them how they attach. This has earned me brownie points with some "bad boys" (12-13 year olds) who think this proves how tough I am.
A couple of years ago, I had the son of the president of a local bike club. When we did free writing, he often wrote about his rides with his dad. It was so much fun, talking to him in his journal, about his rides, his speed, etc. I wish more kids were into cycling!

[Trigress]

At my old workplace I was the extreme sports chick. After all I used to walk to the grocery store, and that must've been around 1K. But in the north of Norway people take their car out to move 150m, even if they have to dig the car out first. I just couldn't get myself to understand the priority: spend 20 minutes to dig out the car, or walk 10 minutes each way to the store? On mad days I would even go skiing before going shopping (snowy mountain side a four minute walk away)...

I didn't mind the extreme sports label, what pissed me off was my colleagues' tendency to place extra work on me - after all I couldn't have enough work to do when I had the time to walk to the village centre or even go skiing in the afternoon.

[Andrea]

I still need to get the jersey I blogged about a while back...
Pictures & Link to Purchase...

That could be the solution to some of my Memphis driver problems

[invsblwmn]

What really drove me nuts with my coworkers was that they liked to do "practical jokes" on my bike, like scotch tape up the mirror. When I explained it was my car they were messing with and how would they like it if their driver's side mirror suddenly disappeared one day, people left it alone. Most of my coworkers were supportive, I do have to say. Even when the Dept. of Health came for a visit, my boss let me put my clothes (hang up ones) in her office. They call my cubee "the closet."

[IFjane]

I'd dare!
But only in the most loving, respectful way!

And I know you would be kind to Godiva, 7rider!

[Zen]

I don't think I'd ride my Seven to work - even my old Seven.

pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?