Coming off the New York City ride yesterday, I thought it might be a go idea to try something else that was new. And what better thing then commuting to work by bike for the first time.

I have been flirting with this idea now for the longest time. I have owned my mountain bike for almost as long as my road bike and it has just been sitting here… like a good bike (but partially sad since I haven’t ridden it) and it only has 5 miles on it.

So I thought it might be a good time to turn it into a commuter. Long story short, about three weeks in the making to get everything I needed like fenders, panniers, a rack, headlight for helmet, horn of some sort, gator tires, etc. Finally, it was done (almost at least).

And…. Watched the weather and there was no rain in the forecast plus I only had to work a half day today. What perfect ingredients for a successful dish! I woke up, showered, at breakfast put on the cycling clothes, packed the panniers and off I went.

Now, the panniers hold a lot of stuff. They might not look like they do but they do. And I didn’t really plan on the whole “bringing clothes to work the day before” thing so I had to bring in all my work clothes plus work shoes. And I am a big guy so it takes up some room for sure. I happened to lift my bike up and WOW….. so heavy compared to my road bike. Yikes! But no more excuses or delay…. It was time!

Off down the road I went. I first noticed that it was tough to gain speed. So OK…. Maybe commuting to work won’t be about speed at this point. Let’s just get there safe and sound. I also noticed how NICE it was to have an upright position (on the mountain bike) versus a road bike. I can see soooo much more stuff. It’s amazing. I was looking left and right a lot and noticing the finer stuff that you don’t see if you drive a car.

The bike felt really heavy and I played with the gears a lot, especially going up hills and yes… there were some small hills.

I got to work and struggled for a place to put the bike. I didn’t want to park it on the bike rack because it’s all open and exposed. I know…. But I don’t want my bike sitting in the rain or snow or anything so I found an undercover parking area for my bike and locked it up to a fence that was put up for the smokers to have a place to go under and smoke. I parked it on the outside of the fence.

Then I grabbed my panniers and headed inside to change. I was hot and sweaty. The gym, where one could shower, is located in the middle of my work in a building so I am not sure how simple it would be to get to if I wanted to change but I will work out the details as I go.

Got changed and still couldn’t stop sweating. And it wasn’t even hot out! Yikes.

Worked a few hours and then it was time to go home. Packed up the panniers and off I went. Got changed in the bathroom and went outside to load up. What do I find? A smoker sitting on my damn rack on my bike. Really? I mean REALLY? That pissed me off a little. I don’t sit on his car. Maybe I should. Note to silly self: don’t park there!

The ride home was nice. Palms started hurting a little. But I made it home. Total 22 miles round trip and each way it takes me about 55 minutes.

I am glad I went to work by bike today. I loved the feeling. One thing though is that both trips made me really tired. I mean I feel tired. Eyes a little heavy too. I wonder if this is typical. One of my coworkers said I looked half glazed over.
Things I learned:

1- Need to get order when it comes to packing my panniers. I swear, it took me forever to find my apartment keys. I need organization.

2- Don’t park the bike where smokers are.

3- I sure hope it gets easier!

Bike fit will need to be addressed as I go along and I hope it gets easier too. I plan to try to park my bike in a storage area across from the kitchen I work in. We will see how that goes. First time using my U lock!

All in all, it was a wonderful ride. I thank so many people who helped me and encouraged me.