Because I Can
Because I Can
Earlier this week I started riding my bicycle to and from the nearest train stop as part of my commute to work, which is a distance of about 5 miles each way. Since it is still late winter here in the north with morning temperatures in the teens or twenties, some people look askance at me as I get on the train as if they would like to ask me just why in the world I would choose to do that. It is not a matter of economic necessity or convenience…my wife works just a mile from the train stop and has been dropping me off and picking me up there all winter long. It is not a matter of environmental principle, either; I would live much closer to work if that was the case. Rather it is simply because I can do it. I no longer have to just wish I could do something, but can’t or won’t because I am too big, too out of shape, or too embarrassed to do physical things in public.
This morning I walked my bike down the hilly, ice-covered part of my driveway, threw my leg over the pack strapped to the cargo rack and took off. At first my legs were a little stiff from the cold and the effects of starting to ride again after several months off, but they quickly loosened up before I had even gone a mile. The air was crisp, if a bit damp, as I breathed through the ski mask that covered my mouth. Fog was settling in and I found myself hunching my neck like you do when you walk into a room with a low ceiling, which was silly because there was only air overhead. Soon the air smelled vaguely of mud and wood smoke, with occasional whiffs of barns and septic systems that will need to be cleaned out come spring. I pedaled through the sand left over from winter ice control measures that had been pushed to the side of the road by the passage of cars. Except in a few places, the sand presented no hindrance to my speed. There were a few small potholes to avoid and some patches of ice from puddles that had re-frozen over night. No problem there, either. A few cars passed me, all of them giving me plenty of room. I pushed myself a little harder today than yesterday and yesterday I pushed myself a little harder than I had the day before that. I had to wait at the one traffic light that is located between my house and the train station. When the light turned I accelerated just a little faster than the car beside me did for the first few seconds. From there I cruised to the train stop, locked up my bike and got on the train. The warmth inside the train was a bit much for me with my winter weather gear on, so I took off layers until I was sitting there in my tee shirt and long bike pants. I drank some water and pondered my morning ride, an experience I simply could not have had two years ago and one that I choose to have these days simply because I can.
RP
