Biking makes you good-looking

I just left a comment for Jason over at Rocbike, a blog about bike commuting in Rochester, in which I said that my blog has a bicycling aspect to it. Then I realized, I have not posted ANYTHING about bicycling, even though that is one of my 45th year goals!

So, yes, I have been biking. I bike almost every day to work. It's only about 2 miles, but it is such an invigorating way to start the day! I bike along the Erie Canal, and this is my view as I head into downtown.

I also bike around the city to a lot of my errands. Those little trips add up, but they don't really prepare me for 45 miles in one day. So, I've started doing longer trips, mostly at various points along the Erie Canal. First 8 miles, then 12, then 15. I have a fair amount of endurance, although not a lot of speed. My bike is a Specialized CrossRoads, which is a perfect commuting bike, but heavier and slower than a road bike. That's okay, I'm not really in a hurry. My goal is to complete my 45-miler in early October.

There are all kinds of good purely recreational reasons to bike...it gets your body moving, it connects you with your neighborhood, it reminds you that you are a part of the natural world, it's a time to de-compress from the everyday.

And you already know the environmental reasons, I'm sure...you know, global warming, peak oil, yada yada...You have heard of a little movie called Inconvenient Truth? Made by someone we elected president?

Okay, if you're not convinced yet, I send you to the powers of the Yarn Harlot. She mentions the most important part about biking...it makes you feel "pretty good-looking"!

Go ahead, just try to resist getting out on your bike.