Twelve Months, And About Twelve Hundred Miles Later
I was envious of my friends who rode their bikes around Alameda and brought their bikes on the ferry, but after nearly crippling myself a decade ago, I didn't think I'd ever be able to ride a bike again.
But the desire to ride nagged at me and one day I found myself in Alameda Bicycle. An hour or so later, I found myself loading my new bicycle in the back of my Subaru.
I didn't expect to start commuting for a couple of months. I'd work up to it. A couple of blocks here and there, just to make sure my back could handle riding and to get used to riding on the road. (Although riding on the sidewalks is legal in most of Alameda, I wanted to train myself to ride safely in traffic.) I also wanted to get a bicycle safety class or two under my belt.
My first ride, which was going to be just a couple of blocks, ended up being a little over two miles and I found myself here:
March 12, 2011
A few days after that, I took my first spill off of the bike (she'd pick up the name Daisy soon after). Having got that first spill out of the way, I decided to start commuting to the ferry the next morning. And the morning after that. And the morning after that. And most mornings, for the past year.
March 12, 2012
My life with my bike, Daisy...those words seemed so impossible not that long ago. I have discovered so much around Alameda by riding my bike (besides the daily commute, I take her grocery and cat food shopping and on photo tours). More than that, I've learned so much about myself. I'm stronger, physically (I've only had two colds this year and only one of them was strong enough to get me off the bike for a few days) and mentally. If you had told me a year ago that I'd be able to safely and confidently ride, not just in traffic, but in the dark and in bad weather, I wouldn't have believed it. I've not only survived falling off of my bike (and my first road rash), I've gotten right back on. I've had inattentive drivers nearly hit me and I've kept right on riding, when it may have been tempting to just lock Daisy in the garage. I've ridden in heavy rain, hard head winds and thick fog. I learned what precautions to take and I've kept going. I've only missed a few days due to illness or storms blowing in from the Pacifc a little too hard.
Not only can I ride. I need to. I find that I miss the ride on days I'm off the bike and, when I'm having a tough day at the office, I look forward to my ride along the bay, the scenery and slightly briny air cleansing my senses.
I can't wait to see what the next twelve months brings!
