Cycling to work

Hello, I think that biking to work is for champions!

Well, here I am at October 31st and still cycling to work! It's cold most mornings now (40F or lower) so I need the light jogging leggings from MEC, and on my upper body, long sleeve underwear, a woven long sleeve top and a shell (all from MEC). Oh, I can't forget gloves - two pairs of thin woven gloves. (I need to get something warmer)

I must say the ride in to work is amazing, leaving the house at or before 7am with the stars still out, and arriving in the office between 7:15 and 7:45 with the sun up. Yesterday and today I left the house at 6:40 and by the time I reached the Hamilton Mountain brow at 7am and descended the escarpment on the Bruce Trail it was exhilarating with only a small bike light to guide me through the darkness!

I learned today my current acting assignment due to end today, will extend until mid December, so with an office to change in vs being in a job mostly on the road, I am very tempted to keep riding as long as I can. I am getting fit (commute time has dropped 12%, and I have lost just shy of 20 lbs), saving money on gas and parking (putting it into bike clothing), helping the environment, and I suspect projecting an image in the office one can only earn by hard work.  I continue to encourage one and all to give commuting by bike a try - if not now come the first sign of spring.  It quickly becomes habit forming of the best kind.  

Hi,
I chanced upon your blog while googling for inspiration to get off my winter butt and start cycling to work again. I luckily live below the mountain in Stoney Creek and commute to the General Hospital....thanks for the little bit of motivation! Perhaps I'll do some fun blogging too! First point, in the years that I've been a fine weather commuter...I've come to appreciate the varied neighbourhoods and aspects of Hamilton in a whole new way. I even have a house that I love to ride by every morning because it smells delicously of bacon:)

happy biking!

It's been awhile since I've been on the site and actually looked at this blog. I am very pleased I helped inspire someone to do a bit more cycling. I find the commute to be much more a mental challenge than a physical one. I continued biking to work until the end of November last year, and then started up again right after Easter this year. Getting back into it this year was loads easier than starting last year. Oh what a delight it is when you know each day will get progressively warmer! :) This year I no longer had an office to myself so what with sharing an office I switched to using the lockers we are fortunate to have in our building - it took a bit of getting used to, but isn't a big deal. I keep a few pairs of Dockers in my locker and bring a fresh shirt and pair of dress socks to work every day. This June I decided the time was right for a good bike and replaced my cheap mtn bike with a Kona Jake (Cyclocross) - I love it! I took five weeks vacation this summer and tried for some of it to keep up my cycling - hilly back roads in Haliburton and my favourite - the quiet country roads of Manitoulin. Here we are at fall once more. I went in Tour de Greenbelt again last weekend and pushed myself to do the 50K+ vs the 30 last year. It was tough, but I'm glad I have that sense of accomplishment. The weight has stayed off, and I've likely paid for my Kona with the $$ saved from not driving. Here's hoping to continue cycling until snow arrives... I continue to highly recommend people give bike commuting a try. It helps turn the "drive to work" into something much more palatable and influences one's mindset for the entire day :)