ChiWhoBike #22
Biking in the city is not as scary as you think - you just have to be aware of your surroundings. It’s funny, when I first started telling people I was taking the train every day, you know, for people that don’t take the train, they’re like, ‘oh, I’m so nervous about taking the train.’ You know like that, you just do it once, and then you do it again. And I really think the best thing that I did was I got lights, that was the first thing I got. Then my bike rack and bag were just the best addition, because then I didn’t have to have stuff on my back when I was commuting down to work. But biking is not as hard as you think it’s going to be.
I have been really proud of myself that I’ve stuck with it through the colder weather that we’ve had. I don’t bike in the rain or the snow, so if anything’s falling from the sky, I normally don’t bike. But the cold weather really hasn’t been so bad. I just went to a thrift store, I bought a bunch of leggings, and then I did get a heated vest for Christmas. But I think even if I didn’t have that, just having layers. But I would say once you’ve got a good pair of gloves and a good pair of socks and, oh, my ski mask. I got that a couple of weeks ago, and once I had that, I felt like, oh, I could go anywhere. So as long as, as long as you have as little exposed as possible you really can go anywhere.
I think I will say that starting to bike in the city has done more for my mental health than almost anything except probably therapy. I mean, it is just such a good boost to the mood and it’s just such an enjoyable experience. I mean now I can’t believe I spent two years in the city without biking to work every day. Things just have really started on the up and up when I started biking every day. If you used to bike or you are interested in it, once you get started, it’s great.
