I hate being late to work, I do not want to let bicycling to work become an excuse. The last thing I want to hear is someone saying something like, "Yea, he is late every day because he bicycles to work. He should get his act together." What I want to hear is, "Wow! Can you believe he peddles in every day on a bike and he is here early?"
Well, it was a hard and tiring week, so on Saturday I just couldn't get out of bed; just a few minutes more seemed to whisper in my head. At the last possible minute I jumped out of bed with a silent curse and stumbled into foggy action. I rushed around eating my banana and gathering up my stuff in the dark so as to not wake my family. My shower was barley a rinse, and shaving would just have to happen another day.
Most mornings I put a few drops of oil on the chain but acts of love would have to wait. I kept shoving the key in the lock upside down in my haste until a glance told me to turn it over, when you are in a hurry sometimes the simplest things become so hard. I shoved off across the lawn and down the first grassy decline taking a short cut to the road.
This first road has a meridian down the middle that is a mess with bushes and trees, so it has to be circled; but for no apparent reason the normally deserted street is peppered with passing cars that kept passing at the crossing point forcing me to wait. At last a driver let me cross, and I bounded up the sidewalk on the far side and down a bike path through the public space. It is a narrow twisty path and goes about two tenths of a mile, shifting down I cranked it faster than safe. Crossing three bridges leads to a very steep climb back to a street, it is a very rare day that my heavy Huffy mountain bike can take it but with the momentum and quick gear changing the climb is conquered. The next climb is a fight, it is not long but it is another steep one, slowing me down little by little by the weight of my bike, backpack, lunch, and change of work clothes which grows heaver each yard.
A stroke of luck, or God's mercy, finds me at the top and no cross traffic at what is normally a fast and busy street. Taking advantage of the vacant street I give it all I got for the next mile covering slight inclines and declines. The sun is up now and shining through a mist, almost fog, that hangs in the air. I said thanks to God for the first green light I sailed through, but as I approach the second a lady in a red car looks like she is going to run her red light as I am going through the green. She stops about ten feet into the intersection leaving me a foot of clearance, this made me brake for about ten feet and louse speed; now I had to shift down and back up. With a sigh and a shake of my head I press on.
The next half mile is a decline through suburbs so I give it everything. My legs ache, I am using calories needed to make it through the day. A look at my watch tells me the progress is good, not great, but good. At the bottom of this decline is one of the biggest intersections in the town of Columbia MD with a long red light controlling a high volume of traffic. It is frustrating for me to come to the light after racing downhill and stop to give up momentum and speed to wait three minutes for all the light changes, but today the light was green and I flew threw, keeping my speed.
A half mile and a turn to climb a hill that takes the "safe" road. I always take the safe road even though it is thirty percent longer than the main road; the main road has very high speed, no visibility, no shoulder and many merging points for cars coming off of freeway. The safe road is hilly and winding but I feel I will be alive at the end. Although tired I climb the steep hill and cross to coast downhill. For two miles I give it all I got, over one rolling hill after hill. About half way and I start a long low grade climb but I am experiencing a second wind, a runner's rush, and checking my watch tells that arriving on time is possible. Topping this hill leads to a long and fast decline. I am going downhill dangerously fast, the cranks are spinning so fast they are almost not engaging the wheel.
At the bottom I have to go up again this time over a freeway overpass that has traffic merging at high speed as they exit the freeway and I am trying to get past or ahead of around them. At my speed I do not have much time for decisions as a car approaches. I take the lead seeing plenty of space for them to yield and stop, since I do technically have the right of way. My fortune is holding out they wait as I zoom past.
The other side of this overpass is another red light that never seems green for me. I squeal my brakes all the way down the other side. My watch tells me I can still make it to work on time, if only this light would turn green.
Finally I get through the intersection to start the last climb and there is construction on the road. The city is repairing sidewalks and has a crew of workers breaking up concrete, building forms and pouring fresh cement. The man stands in the middle of the road blocking traffic he has a sign that says stop on one side and slow on the other. I stand on peddles and gasp for air to get to him while his sign still says "slow." I can't afford for him to turn it to "Stop." Crank, and crank, and crank I am getting closer and closer to him; behind him is a line of cars waiting for him to turn the sign for them to pass. Maybe he sees my exhaustion or determination but he holds it for me and I get past the construction.
Seeing the shopping center I work at now gives a little panic of worry about the time. It is just a little higher up the hill, (in a car these never seemed so high). After the last yards a left turn puts me in the parking lot, where a moment later my bike was standing by itself locked up safely at the bike rack. A look at my watch relieves and astonishes me to see that it is four minutes early until my shift. Going through the door I get a "Good morning," from the boss- she has no idea.
Well, it was a hard and tiring week, so on Saturday I just couldn't get out of bed; just a few minutes more seemed to whisper in my head. At the last possible minute I jumped out of bed with a silent curse and stumbled into foggy action. I rushed around eating my banana and gathering up my stuff in the dark so as to not wake my family. My shower was barley a rinse, and shaving would just have to happen another day.
Most mornings I put a few drops of oil on the chain but acts of love would have to wait. I kept shoving the key in the lock upside down in my haste until a glance told me to turn it over, when you are in a hurry sometimes the simplest things become so hard. I shoved off across the lawn and down the first grassy decline taking a short cut to the road.
This first road has a meridian down the middle that is a mess with bushes and trees, so it has to be circled; but for no apparent reason the normally deserted street is peppered with passing cars that kept passing at the crossing point forcing me to wait. At last a driver let me cross, and I bounded up the sidewalk on the far side and down a bike path through the public space. It is a narrow twisty path and goes about two tenths of a mile, shifting down I cranked it faster than safe. Crossing three bridges leads to a very steep climb back to a street, it is a very rare day that my heavy Huffy mountain bike can take it but with the momentum and quick gear changing the climb is conquered. The next climb is a fight, it is not long but it is another steep one, slowing me down little by little by the weight of my bike, backpack, lunch, and change of work clothes which grows heaver each yard.
A stroke of luck, or God's mercy, finds me at the top and no cross traffic at what is normally a fast and busy street. Taking advantage of the vacant street I give it all I got for the next mile covering slight inclines and declines. The sun is up now and shining through a mist, almost fog, that hangs in the air. I said thanks to God for the first green light I sailed through, but as I approach the second a lady in a red car looks like she is going to run her red light as I am going through the green. She stops about ten feet into the intersection leaving me a foot of clearance, this made me brake for about ten feet and louse speed; now I had to shift down and back up. With a sigh and a shake of my head I press on.
The next half mile is a decline through suburbs so I give it everything. My legs ache, I am using calories needed to make it through the day. A look at my watch tells me the progress is good, not great, but good. At the bottom of this decline is one of the biggest intersections in the town of Columbia MD with a long red light controlling a high volume of traffic. It is frustrating for me to come to the light after racing downhill and stop to give up momentum and speed to wait three minutes for all the light changes, but today the light was green and I flew threw, keeping my speed.
A half mile and a turn to climb a hill that takes the "safe" road. I always take the safe road even though it is thirty percent longer than the main road; the main road has very high speed, no visibility, no shoulder and many merging points for cars coming off of freeway. The safe road is hilly and winding but I feel I will be alive at the end. Although tired I climb the steep hill and cross to coast downhill. For two miles I give it all I got, over one rolling hill after hill. About half way and I start a long low grade climb but I am experiencing a second wind, a runner's rush, and checking my watch tells that arriving on time is possible. Topping this hill leads to a long and fast decline. I am going downhill dangerously fast, the cranks are spinning so fast they are almost not engaging the wheel.
At the bottom I have to go up again this time over a freeway overpass that has traffic merging at high speed as they exit the freeway and I am trying to get past or ahead of around them. At my speed I do not have much time for decisions as a car approaches. I take the lead seeing plenty of space for them to yield and stop, since I do technically have the right of way. My fortune is holding out they wait as I zoom past.
The other side of this overpass is another red light that never seems green for me. I squeal my brakes all the way down the other side. My watch tells me I can still make it to work on time, if only this light would turn green.
Finally I get through the intersection to start the last climb and there is construction on the road. The city is repairing sidewalks and has a crew of workers breaking up concrete, building forms and pouring fresh cement. The man stands in the middle of the road blocking traffic he has a sign that says stop on one side and slow on the other. I stand on peddles and gasp for air to get to him while his sign still says "slow." I can't afford for him to turn it to "Stop." Crank, and crank, and crank I am getting closer and closer to him; behind him is a line of cars waiting for him to turn the sign for them to pass. Maybe he sees my exhaustion or determination but he holds it for me and I get past the construction.
Seeing the shopping center I work at now gives a little panic of worry about the time. It is just a little higher up the hill, (in a car these never seemed so high). After the last yards a left turn puts me in the parking lot, where a moment later my bike was standing by itself locked up safely at the bike rack. A look at my watch relieves and astonishes me to see that it is four minutes early until my shift. Going through the door I get a "Good morning," from the boss- she has no idea.
