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 96^th Street, or 82^nd 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