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 August
2005 Rock Creek and Roll This is the column I have been dreading writing for months. So far, I’ve been able to put it off, but with the good weather so comes the dreaded biking-to-work column. My boyfriend, the personal trainer, has been threatening for months to buy me a bike. Being a minimally active person (meaning I hit the gym twice a week max, when I’m feeling especially agile), I really could not think of a less appealing thing than riding a bike anywhere, let alone to work, where I would have to shower and change my clothes upon arrival, not to mention work an 8-hour day after that. The appeal of biking to work ranked right up there with a root canal. I know I’m supposed to be this champion for air quality, but couldn’t I do that from the comfort of a multi-passenger bus? Did I have to work up a sweat in order to accomplish the altruistic goal of decreasing pollution and taking cars off the road? The only Tour de France I was interested in was the kind that involved wine and cheese. I figured I’d ask the girls what their feelings were about biking to work even though I was pretty sure what they’d say. Alison was all for it, having been a long-time biker. Stacey said she’d consider it if only she didn’t live so far from her office, while Erika was about as pro-biking as Saddam Hussein was pro-human rights. With that many varied opinions, I had nothing left to do but try it myself and form my own opinion. It was clear that there was no way I was going to get out of riding a bike. But would I cruise smoothly into the office, or would I end up with the same scraped knees I had when I was eight? Cut to my boyfriend and me bike shopping. I didn’t know a pedal from a spoke and was totally confused when it came to picking out the best bike for me. The hot pink bike with a little straw basket on the handlebars was definitely alluring, but according to my boyfriend, not practical for my needs (never mind that I didn’t know I had needs). The only other thing that was remotely appealing was the cute little biking outfit I would get to pick out and maybe even wear, assuming I was brave enough at some point actually to get on the bike. If only biking also involved getting new shoes, then we’d really be in business! After the big purchase, we went for a test ride in Georgetown along the river (with that not-so-cute helmet crushing my ‘do). Not bad – there were even other people riding down there, a lot of them! But that was a sunny Saturday afternoon, not a Monday morning. That was leisure-time recreation. That didn’t involve dodging traffic. Somehow I had yet to find my optimism about the bike commute. I decided to cheat a little in the interest of safety (and laziness) – I was going to take my bike (on Metro and various buses, of course) to Alison’s house, near Arlington hospital and just a few pedals away from the Custis Trail, which would take me all the way to Rosslyn and my office. She even agreed to give me a personal escort to work before backtracking up to Ballston. Plus, I’d be going downhill and wouldn’t have to navigate rush hour along Connecticut Avenue and other busy District streets or ride alone through Rock Creek Park. Then on the way back, my boyfriend would meet me at work to ride over the Roosevelt Bridge and home to Dupont Circle through Rock Creek Park. We left early, wearing our helmets (hello, hat head!), our cute outfits, and carrying our work clothes in backpacks. I was even a little excited since I was trying something new and I wouldn’t have to go to the gym that day. It was surprisingly easy to get to the trail and ride down it to Rosslyn. It hardly took any time at all, and I didn’t even break a sweat (that’s the beauty of the downhill ride, I guess). I was even early for work, which was good since I had to freshen up before getting to my desk – and no scraped knees! The ride home was equally enjoyable. However it was warmer, being early evening, and I definitely broke a sweat riding up several long hills in the park. I was happy to have company for both of my rides, and by the time I arrived home, I was invigorated and ready to turn around and do it again. Okay—more like I was ready for a martini, but I did feel refreshed. I wasn’t sure how often it would be practical for me to ride to work, but I had definitely faced my fear and realized that there really is nothing to fear but fear itself. |
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