I cannot understand why this thing keeps happening. As any loyal reader of this quintessentially unread blog knows, I ride my bike places. Even semi-unprofessional writers have a full schedule of self-indulgent crap we make up that interferes with biking. So, instead of an obligatory group ride, I choose to bag the car and go somewhere. It seems difficult to understand. Here we are in the midst of an El Nino winter with nary a flake of snow on the ground
and cyclists at our annual Recovery Party were shocked that I rode my bike.
How else was one supposed to get to a bike gathering?
The damn things were meant for more than riding back to a car.
What can I say, the car is king among cyclists, it dictates the destination for each of their rides.
It was fun at the annual gathering again and I won the annual award
for the least amount of auto mileage in the group @2500 for 2015.
There was beer, too much food and more beer to go around.
After it all, I went out to the streets
with only the court appointed cyclists to keep me company.
Our local cycle club did the same thing for our holiday party this year. They held it at the least rideable restaurant I can think of in town. No way was I going to ride that 50 MPH four-lane road with minimal shoulder at night, so I didn't attend.
ReplyDeleteTheir logic defies common sense sometimes. I couldn't believe that, given the mild weather, I was the only one on two wheels. Go figure!
DeleteMarc
Last year I put very few miles on our car. I didn't track it though. This year, I'm keeping a log. In January I rode 368 miles and drove 76. 31 of those miles were taking my spouse to and from the airport, so that skews the numbers a bit. I'm curious to see how February will go.
ReplyDeleteWhat's interesting is how often the thought "I guess I'd better drive" will cross my mind before I realize that there's really no reason to do that. I've noticed a pattern, though. I'm most tempted to drive when I've come home from work (bike commute) and need to go out again for an evening obligation. I either need to change my schedule or change my mind!
I grows on you at an exponential rate. As you get more comfortable with the bike, you just find less reasons for the car.
DeleteMarc
I drove to work today when I'd normally have ridden. It was a combination of running late and 20 MPH winds forcasted all day. The predicted snow didn't really enter into the decision as I have a Pugsley, but with the wind it's slower than my normal ride.
DeleteExtreme winds bring some pretty nasty wind chill factors which can definitely make things dangerous for bike commuting around here. I once rode in -30F wind chill and regretted it when I realized I couldn't feel the cold.
DeleteMarc