Bike Nation Comes To Los Angeles

I just started to ride to work this week. I figured I was settled in enough; I knew my route well, I was set up at home and at work for showers, and all the necessary details were in place, etc. So, it was time to start. I have been really looking forward to it. Getting back into the routine of having a guaranteed hour of exercise built into your day is just a stunning way to live. So I headed off with no limit to my enthusiasm.

As luck would have it (and after Meg told me "be really careful, dude" at least a hundred times) I crashed on the way home! I have ridden various bikes, in various circumstances, for literally years without a crash. On road, or off road. On my first day of commuting yesterday, I had a full-on, "The Walshman Is Down!" road rash wipe out! And here's the kicker! Guess what caused it? I was trying to avoid a puddle! There's no water on the road anywhere for about 100 freaking miles and I find the one dumb-ass big puddle that I have to swerve around (so that I don't get my nicely cleaned bicicletta dirty, of course!) and that manouvre did something unexpected and BAM! I am on the ground. I am fine, of course, aside from some skin cells I can stand to lose. I managed to just shrug it off and get on the bike again this morning... One of the great myths about cycle commuting is that is it "more dangerous than driving your car to work." Total hogwash. I feel so much safer knowing that my commute is largely devoid of traffic than when I am pinned inside a steal box going 50 miles an hour on a crammed full interchange with a bunch of whackos just waiting to go into road range mode. Yeah, a lot safer. No thanks.

On the plus side, in Vancouver, I would ride to work in appalling conditions, down pours, black ice, you name it. So here it seems like a breeze - always so nice out. I have a great route to work - mostly on separated bike path - and at about 30 minutes, it actually counts as "exercise." Since I arrived in Los Angeles I have been putting in about 150kms per week "training", so the added kilometres are not all that crucial, but at a minimum of $50 a week savings on gasoline - there are more reasons than one to keep bicycle commuting.

Anyway, I am back at it in force and I feel so great about it: 1) morally 2) financially 3) health-wise. Now, if I can just stay upright for another couple of years...