back in the saddle

You can call us fair-weather cyclists if you want, but the weather today was too good not to ride. So we oiled our chains and pumped-up our deflated tires for our first bike commute of the year. I'm home now and taking stock of how Day 1 went. My breath is heaving, thighs are burning, I'm soaked in sweat, and I swallowed a swarm of gnats. Still, it didn't take long before I fell back into my "competitive commuter" routine and frantically worked to pass everyone I came upon. That's the point, isn't it? To get home first?

I'm so stoked on cycling and the weather right now that I not only want to sit on our back steps drinking gin & tonics, I want to sit on my bike drinking gin & tonics. It'll be good balance practice for staying on my pedals at stop lights.

But as good as it was to be riding again, I have to say that I felt out-of-the-loop without a fanny pack and the latest bike fashions. I guess that it's time to start customizing our bikes. I'm thinking new grip tape for me, maybe handlebar streamers and spoke beads for A?

Then we'll be stylish for Day 2.

(For more Stumptown bike-love, the New York Times just ran a travel piece on biking Portland. The best part was that the article focused on how cycling is a practical way to get around, rather than just recommending that tourists rent a beach cruiser for the waterfront.)