Consecutive bicycle work commute number 2055:

Happy commutaversity! Nine years ago today marks the last time I drove a motorized vehicle to work.

Woke up a couple of hours early due to weird dreams. Then I couldn't get comfortable mostly due to the effects of a Superbowl food-hangover. When I got out of bed I got partially dressed, and then sat down in my chair for a while. Once again the "fear" of heading out in the weather sucked a lot of the motivation from me. This is one of the benefits of having a long commuting streak, as on days like this it forces me to ride versus throwing in the towel and driving to work. Eventually I got my butt out of my chair and finished getting dressed.

The air temp this morning was 8°F with a -7°F headwind. We had gotten a couple inches of much-needed snow over the weekend, and are supposed to get a few more inches today, so I made the decision to ride the fat bike. The side streets were covered in packed snow, but the main roads and most of the MUP were pretty clear. If it snows like they said it will, I'll be glad I have the fat bike for the ride home.

I made it a little more than a mile from the house when I suddenly remember setting my pannier bag down in the garage while I checked the air in my tires. I reached back to feel for it and sure enough, it was still sitting back in the garage. It contained my work clothes and my laptop computer, so I couldn't just go without. I uttered some words of dismay, and then turned around to head back home. Unfortunately, I live on top of a very large hill which meant I got to do the slow climb to the top on the return trip.

Once I got to the client's office I had ridden about six miles. It took me right at an hour, which using the power of math works out to averaging 6 mph on the fat bike. Ugh, I'm fat and slow. The good news is I was drenched in sweat and wasn't cold at all in the single digit temps.

I took a picture to commemorate the day: