It was beautiful this morning, and I didn’t need my car today for work, so I rode. I did not, however, check the weather forecast re the return trip. When I looked up the weather at 4 p.m. and saw 25 mph (40 kph) winds out of the south, with stiffer winds forecast by the time I would have been riding home, I needed a plan B. My commute takes me essentially due south.
There’s a reasonably convenient bus route, but I’ve been wanting to try a commute on the new RailRunner. There’s a stop a couple of miles from my work, and the train runs in to downtown. From there, just a three mile ride up heart attack hill (note to Chantal: I was wearing relatively sensible boy shoes) to get home. That means total bike miles are really just a mile shorter than riding direct. But that wind!
The numbers:
By car, 15 minutes one way.
By bike this morning: 40 minutes (with a tailwind)
The return commute: 14 minutes to the train station by bike, 10 minutes on the train, 22 minutes home from downtown, plus incidental waiting around – you don’t wanna cut things too close. Bonus points: riding the train is fun. And I loves me that hill.
We get some brutal winds out here on the Front Range, and twice last week they were ~35 kt as a headwind as I’m climbing, so I don’t blame you for wimping out.
Oh. Mention to Chantal that to be treated like traffic, act like traffic…and keep wearing the shoes…rrrrRRRRrrr!
Best,
D