The Dry Run

Not to be shown up by my sister-in-law and brother-in-law who have been biking to work for a month or more, I've been considering doing the same. Actually, I've been feeling a bit fat and lethargic lately, and have been looking for a way to be a bit more active and energetic. For several weeks, I've been intending to hop on the bike some lazy Saturday morning to ride to work to see just how difficult the ride would be. Would it be hillier than I ever noticed in my car? Would I be able to avoid the bike-unfriendly intersections? Would the brief section along the edge of Paterson be shadier and scarier than in the car? It would be hard to tell without actually doing it. For one reason or another, I just couldn't find a lazy Saturday morning to do it. So this morning, while my wife was getting her hair cut, I made the 16 mile round trip. It was actually not such a bad ride. I took a couple of short cuts and rode in residential neighborhoods where possible. All in all, it took about 40 minutes, which is only about 10 minutes longer than driving. Not too bad, I'd say. Time to do it. Now I just have to find a good way to keep myself from stinking all day at work.