Bike / Longboard / Run more!

This morning CBC TV contacted me though my contact form and then by my work's phone # (that's what I get for not publishing my personal phone #) and asked me to be interviewed for CBC News. I should be on sometime after 6 PM on Vancouver's CBC's evening news, talking about the Vancity Bike Share program.

My time with the Vancity Bike Share is over, and while a little overdue, it's time for me to pass mine on. First one who comments and can pick it up in the heart of Gastown gets it. I'll ride it into work and give you the bike, the lock, and the helmet.

This morning, instead of working from home as I had promised, I ducked out to ride around my neighbourhood for a half hour before the deluge predicted by Claire Martin. A half an hour turned into an hour and a half, and took the route that I decided will be the route to work.

This morning, Roland, Karen and I went to the launch of Vancity Bike Share, to wait in line and eat pancakes served by Libby Davies, Gregor Robertson, and Shane Simpson, all BC MLA and pick up my shiny red, Vancity logo-emblazoned one-speed cruiser plus non-branded red bike lock and non-branded red helmet. And a Vancity logo-emblazoned red t-shirt. Pretty good score for writing a 98-word blog post. After three weeks of going who-knows-where with the bike, I'll be handing it off, likely to Karen. Photos forthcoming from me, but Roland already has a set on Flickr. This will be my first ever bike ride home from work, so I'll have to dig deep for my signals and etiquette, having lived in the Lower Mainland for 10 years but having ridden a bike two times at most in that timespan.

I haven't owned a bike in years, and never while in Vancouver. I'm a little nervous about the concept of biking to work, since I know how many hills, up and down, there are on the way. Thankfully, the bike path starts just outside my apartment, and maybe I can get some experience with the bus bike rack if it comes to it.

A couple years ago, I borrowed my girlfriend's bike and zipped around for a few minutes. It had been years since I had ridden one. I was hooked (again). The memories of tearing around various campsites as I was growing up came flooding back.