Thursday, May 17, 2012

Biking To Work

Well, this is going to be my second week rocking Tour De Thursdays with CarmelPedals. My bike and helmet are in the car, I’ve got a change of clothes under my desk, and I think I’ve figured out where the annoying clicking noise came from during my ride last week.
And yes, the clicking noise was there before I laid my bike over, so don’t give me that.
I’m looking forward to another beautiful ride around the city of Carmel with a bunch of good people. I really wish my family could ride along, but Shannon isn’t too keen on riding a bike right now, and I really don’t think I could keep the Geekling confined in a bike trailer or seat for that amount of time.
I’ve had a couple people today remind me that tomorrow is National Ride Your Bike to Work Day. Now, if this was something that I felt safe doing, then EVERY day would be Ride My Bike to Work Day. I live 3 miles from the office, and in the complex is a workout center with showers and a changing area, so even if I do get a bit funky, it’s okay. Really, especially with only one car, this should be a no brainer, right?
Well…
My path will take me either to 96th Street, or 82nd Street, from Craig Rd. between Castleton Square Mall and I-69 to Keystone at the Crossing. Both of those make me cross Allisonville Rd. after 5PM on the way home. There are no bike paths between there and here, just a ton of impatient drivers who barely pay attention to traffic signals or other vehicles, let alone some poor fat geek on a bicycle.
I admit that I’m afraid to ride to work. I know that the chances of me ending up as a hood ornament on some Beemer because the D-Bag in the driver’s seat was too busy updating their Facebook to pay attention to where they were going are pretty dang good. Let’s face it, at least once a commute I almost have someone smack into my BRIGHT YELLOW CAR. I drive a BRIGHT YELLOW BOX down the road. If people can’t see that, what hope do I have riding a bicycle around here?
Hopefully, when they move the office this fall, I’ll be able to find a place close enough to make riding a reality. However, until then, I just hope my car doesn’t get hit again, and enjoy my Thursday rides around Carmel.
Tony

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