February 2, 2017

2015 was the year of spinning--yarn, that is--a total of 18 pounds, 11.8 ounces.  2017 will be the year of biking!  The biking actually began last summer when I returned to Madison, carless (carfree!)  My transportation needs were met with a mix of biking, city bus, and occasionally borrowing my parents' 20-year-old car-on-life-support.  I biked to work and volunteering, bused to school (across town), and bought my own car at the end of September, once I'd moved to my own apartment.  I could have gotten by without the car, and maybe I should have tried to do it longer to save money, but it sure made life easier.  Groceries would have been a burden to always get by bike & backpack, and social time would have been pretty much limited to work and school.  Also, I felt like I needed a car to ensure I could get Molly and George to the vet if/when needed.

But even once I had the car, I biked to work every weekday.  (Weekends, parking is free, and I admit I took advantage of that!)  As the weather got colder, coworkers regularly asked me how long I would keep biking.  I told them all that I'd like to bike as long as I can, but I'd take things one day at a time.  (Secretly, I was hoping I could bike through winter.)  Bitterly cold temperatures in mid-December gave me a bit of a reality check, and I took the bus a few days, but I still managed to bike more days than not to work. 

As you can imagine, I became a bit focused on (obsessed with) the weather.  I'd check the weather app before leaving for work, paying attention, too, to the forecast for my ride home.  I learned what clothing I needed to wear for what temperature points, and I celebrated each 10 degrees cooler that I conquered¹!

My somewhat fanatical dedication to biking (remarked on by coworkers) was really just me being a cheap-ass and not wanting to pay for parking if I could avoid it.  Parking for the evening shift runs around $350 a year, I think.  That really isn't that much, but dammit, I'm not going to pay for it if I don't have to!  And so far, on February 2nd, I've paid exactly $12 for parking since starting at my job 6 and a half months ago (I missed the bus one day, and it was snowing).  Of course...I may have spent a few dollars on needed bike gear...a few dollars, like, more than $350 at this point²!  But I'm not paying for parking, haha!  I figure parking would be an annual expense, but this gear should last me (much) longer.  Additionally, I'm saving on gas & car maintenance, and I'm getting great exercise.

Anyways, 2017: I'm going to keep track of my mileage :)  I don't have a specific goal in mind, other than 'a lot'.  I think if I bike less than 1,000 miles, there'd be something weird happening (like a broken leg or extended illness).  Would I like to hit a (much) bigger number?  Of course ;)  But we'll see.  January, admittedly not the best month for biking, I managed 64.5 miles, over 8 days of biking.  June, there's a tentative bike trip in northern Wisconsin (location of many great adventures already!)  The bike trip has been on my bucket list for a number of years; 2017 is the year it happens³! 

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1 I've 'conquered' down to a windchill of about 15. I'd have to get warmer gear (gloves, especially) to go much further.^↩
2 There was the derailleur adjustment (about $15), good head & tail lights ($90, I think?  SO worth it!), warm gloves ($75, meh, could be warmer), warm pants ($145--damn, those were pricey, but they are amazing and worth every penny!), a balaclava ($45--it's so awesome!), safety goggles to cut the wind ($10, and I got what I paid for), and just last week, fenders ($75, installed, they're beautiful, and keep my clothes from being a slushy mess).   Brakes will be replaced this weekend, estimated $140.^↩
3 Woot! Footnotes!^↩