bike commuting soon!

friday, june 2nd, 2023.

A few weeks ago, I visited the local bike shop and left my old commuter bike to get rebuilt. It's due back any day now, and I'm excitedly waiting to get a call to tell me the bike's ready for pick up.

I had a conversation with my coworker about it, and she got me thinkin' about getting back into bicycle commuting. I had sort of written it off in my mind because the main thoroughfares between home and work are very busy and, frankly, dangerous for bicycling. They're called "stroads," and here's a video explaining them.

But— I started looking at Google Maps out of curiosity to see if there were any routes that could get me to work by the sort of quiet residential streets that make up my neighborhood. It turns out I can skip the big commercial zone stroads!

So I've plotted out a 6.5 mile commute that'll get me to work. 4 miles of it on quiet residential streets and 2.5 miles on a highway with an enormous shoulder that's basically a bike lane wide enough for cars.

Further, there's accommodations at work that'll suit me perfectly. There's showers and a spot in one of the loading docks that they'll let me use to store my bicycle. They think I'm a little nuts for doing it, but I think it'll work peachy keen!

I actually used to have a longer 10.5 mile commute when I lived in the Atlanta suburbs, and the roads I rode were generally more dangerous, despite having included dedicated bike lanes.

I could flap on and on about how excited I am to get back into bicycle commuting, but I think I'll leave some for the next writing or two. Suffice it to say: I'm pumped.

Until next time, be well! :)