I’d Cycle, Except For . . .
I was at a networking thing in Newcastle yesterday evening. Somehow, although I’m supposed to be talking Work at these things, the conversation always gets around to cycling. Talking with a small group, I was impressed that two of them actually brought up the subject of cycling without (much) prompting from me.
The first - a smart media / TV -type woman (looking like someone fresh from the pages of Copenhagen Cycle Chic) was showing off her groovy pannier bag (see picture), and saying how she’d recently started cycling to work from Jesmond to St Peters. OK, so at a couple of miles at best, it’s hardly a long distance commute. But that’s also kinda the point - most of us do live within a couple of miles of work, and yet we drive instead of cycle.
Sadly, she then went on to ruin it all, saying that when she remembered about the evening’s event that we were all attending, she left the bike at work and drove. D’oh!
Then someone else in the group started talking about his weekend cycling. He lives a couple of miles up the coast from me, and said that it’s really nice to pootle down to Tynemouth and back to get a bit of exercise. Naturally, I asked about cycling to work - having established that it’d be about eight miles in each direction. His reaction was kinda predictable:
I would, but we don’t have any showers at the office.
Hmmm . . . Of course, I asked why you’d need showers, as cycling at an easy pace really doesn’t work up any kind of sweat. But I think I was asking a question that the rest of the group’s perceptions of the world (that cycling is A Form Of Exercise that you need special gear for, and to have a shower after doing) had already closed off. I didn’t even get an answer to my question, and may have been marginalised at that point as an obvious wierd-o.
It was either that, or . . . the fact that yet again I’d left home late to get to something in the centre of Newcastle, and had ridden like the hounds of hell were snapping at my back wheel meant that actually, perhaps I really did need a shower. And this was just their way of politely bringing this to my attention.
Things to do:
- Leave home in plenty of time in future!
- Ride sedately. Actually this gives me problems - none of my bikes’ geometry seems at all conducive to”taking time to smell the flowers” type of riding. Or maybe that’s just me.
Workout:
- Type: Cycle
- Date: 07/30/2008
- Time: 14:04:54
- Total Time: 1:26:00.00
- Distance: 24 miles
- Average Speed: 16.74 mph
Hmmmm - I know all of these excuses too - time to hit the bike again.
Sooooooo…..hypothetically speaking……If a certain young laydeee were thinking of doing the Dunwich Dynamo next year with her crazy (but verrrrrrrrrrry lovely) cycling friends (which include a ginge, a tall person and Doktor). Do you think those same friends would be willing to go at a slightly slower pace and not leave her on her own. She would of course start training now, giving her a whole year to prepare for it…..
In the absence of showers, you could become a master of the stand up wash. All you need is a wash cloth and a handbasin, preferably not a communal handbasin. It works for me.
I would guess we have different metabolisms, I am completely incapable of cycling three miles, slight incline, against the prevailing wind (Cullercoats to Silverlink) without getting completely lathered, winter or summer. Doesn’t matter what pace I take, I need that stand up wash when I get to the other end.
It’s likely you. Usually is.
The shower thing has been my excuse all spring summer and fall….and the factt that there is no real good route to get to and from work without going even furhter around. shortest distance to the office by any means would be 17 miles, in a car…18.5, on a bike with good shoulders or paths….22.5 miles. I’m bound to sweat, and I need to get there in a timely matter. My .02 cents, but thats just my scenario. The oter half of my life I drive because it is hard to ride a TRI bike with 3 kids. Haha…keep on rolling Bro!
GK17
But 22.5 each way miles is quite a trek - if you took it at the kind of leisurely pace to avoid any kind of sweat, you’d be at it for somewhere around two hours! And even if you hammered it, you’d likely spend more than an hour each way - great for a regular little training ride, but too much time to spend on a commute.
The absence of showers is really a deciding factor among lots of people. Especially if you live near the equator where sun is shining hard 24/7. Come on over to kuala lumpur and try cycling to work
Fair comment!
In northern Europe even though it’s the middle of “summer”, I’m still having to wear two layers just to keep warm on some days.