April 2012 will mark the 4th year I have been commuting to work. Here are just a few facts about by bike riding.
~ 8000 Miles
- 6331 Miles on my Road Bike
- 1518 Miles on my Cyclocross Bike
- ???? Miles using CaBi (Capital Bikeshare)
1 Crash
Well, I would not really call it a crash. I was side swiped by a car changing lanes from a stopped position. Being observant of your surroundings at making sure you have an escape route along with learning basic avoidance maneuvers can really help keep you safe.
2 Falls
One was because I decided to drive over a bridge joint in a parallel direction, and the other was because of black ice. The first could have been avoided, but the second, was totally unforeseen and unavoidable.
363 Days a Year
That is an estimate, but I ride my bike practically every day to work and to the National Zoo on Saturday and Air and Space Museum on Sunday. The only days I don’t ride my bike are when it is either raining very hard when I head out in the morning, or if it is very cold with a chance of freezing rain.
Fun Rides
While my main use of a bike have been transportation, I have had a chance to go on some fun / fundraising rides recently.
- 2011 Air Force Classic Crystal Ride ~63 Miles
- 2012 WABA VASA Ride ~69 Miles
I am looking at doing the Air Force Classic again this year and have been anticipating open registration for months. While I don’t plan to travel for a Gran Fondo, I am hoping the one that was scheduled for DC in 2011, will actually happen in 2012. I would like to get out in the scenic countryside and enjoy the ride as opposed to staring at a cue sheet dodging cars which tends to happen on rides based in the DC Metro Area like the VASA Ride. The Air Force Classic was on a closed course, but was an 8 lap route which became a little mundane.
Bike Education
Since Dec 2010, I have been teaching adults and children how to ride bikes safely in conjunction with WABA and Georgetown University as a hobby. I need to thank the cranky residents of Georgetown for routing the GU Dupont Circle shuttle buses off local streets onto major roads. The extra time it took to get to work sparked my switch to the bike for commuting and I have never gone back 🙂