2010 Commute Opener

I decided that March 1 would be the kick-off for my 2010 bike commutes. I picked the date partly because it's earlier than I started riding to work regularly last year, partly because I am sick of the bus, and partly because we had a really nice weekend and the weather looks pretty good this week as well. I have ridden to work a few times in January and February, but enough to really count, so this is "the opener".

We have lost a lot of ice and the road conditions were generally good except for the locations where day-time melting has refrozen over night, which can make for some slippery patches. Surprisingly, pot holes weren't as bad as I expected, but it seems like there a lot of little micro frost heaves making for some humpy riding.

It felt very good to get back on my bike, and the ride both ways was quite enjoyable except for the very last stretch on Marquette Ave. on the way in to the office this morning. These clowns (see photo above) were loading scaffolding on to a flat bed truck. As I approached from the south in right lane, two of the scaffolding decks slipped off the truck as they tried to jam some more on the truck, and they crashed off the driver's side of the bed and into the traffic lane just a few feet in front of me.

Here's to defensive riding; I saw what was happening, knew there was no traffic behind me, and I saw the scaffolding slip and come crashing down, so I was able to swerve, brake and avoid the accident. Still, it was quite startling and I did swear pretty loud when it all happened.

The most enjoyable part of commuting is how good you feel when you get home - it was a pretty stressful day and the ride home at dusk was a great discharge. That's what I like the most about commuting.