I rode my bike to work today for the first time in years (since 2005!). Back in 2004, I commuted pretty regularly, but I stopped as I got more serious about racing. I decided to start back up again in an attempt to get a little more riding in during the week. The route I took today is a little less direct than my 2004 route and ended up being about 11.5 miles... pretty hilly as I get close to work too.
The riding was nice, but I've forgotten a few things about commuting. The big one was that it isn't so comfortable to carry a bunch of stuff on your body. Today I took my clothes, shoes, lunch, cable lock, and some basic repair stuff, all in a messenger bag. I used to bring my clothes and shoes ahead of time so I didn't have to carry them around. I also used to have a rear rack on my commuter bike so I didn't have to carry stuff on my back; I didn't particularly like the way that changed the handling of the bike though.
Next time, I think I will at least bring in my clothes and shoes ahead of time. It should cut down on the bulk of the bag quite a bit.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much stronger I felt than I did back in 2004 (I guess it shouldn't be a big surprise). I always used to suffer a bit on the hills as I got close to my office. Today though, they just didn't seem as bad as I remembered.
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