Ten days into April and ten days into 30 Days of Biking, so here’s my first report. I don’t intend this to be awe-inspiring but I do believe anyone who told themselves “there’s no way I can ride a bike 30 days in a row” will look at this and think “I could do better than that!”
April 1 – The day started with snow mixed with rain, not the best weather for the first commute of the season nor for commuting with child. So I sadly left the bike behind and we took the T to work. Luckily, the weather had improved by the end of the day and my son and I took our bikes out and rode side-by-side for a while on the sidewalk by our house. It counts.
April 2 – A beautiful Saturday, and I had to go to a conference in Providence. No, I did not ride my bike to Rhode Island, but I did ride to the T station so I could take the commuter rail and rode back home from the T in the evening.
April 3 – Egads! Three days into the project and I already fail to ride, and on a Sunday no less!! What can I say, parenting is a busy and exhausting job (I had a monumental nap too).
April 4 – Monday cold & wet, no bike. 🙁 Things were complicated by a morning appointment and an evening meeting so no time to sneak in even a short ride.
April 5 – Cold & wet again, but at least made the short ride to the T station and back. I think locking the bike up at the T station took longer than the bike ride.
April 6 – This is more like it. Rode all the way to work today along the Southwest Corridor Bike Path, Massachusetts Avenue, and the Charles River Bike Path. The headwind along the Charles was pretty stiff, but the ride enjoyable. Rode all the way home too. I’m taking a drawing class at the Eliot School on Wednesday nights and if I can figure how to strap my drawing pad to my bike I would ride there too.
April 7 – Another glorious ride to work. Along Mass Av, a passing cyclist pointed to my son and said “That’s awesome!” Not sure if he was referring to biking with a child or my son’s nifty new Buzz Lightyear umbrella that he carried with him all week. At the end of the day, I was feeling pretty tired so I left it up to my son to chose whether we should ride the bike or take the T home. He chose the T so the bike spent the night locked up by child care.
April 8 – I picked up my son at the end of the day and we rode home even though he was agitating for taking the T. I thought he was upset that he had to wear his helmet and was saying “I want my hat!” Finally, I realized he wanted a snack. We had a good laugh as he learned that he could have a snack on a bike just as easily as on the T and shared an enjoyable ride home.
April 9 – Another gorgeous Spring day in New England, so the whole family went to the Arnold Arboretum with our bikes. I rode my Red Line Conquest and my son rode his Puky balance bike. My still bike-less wife walked behind and carried the things my son left behind. I tried to let him ride ahead but he usually fell behind. Still people were impressed by a three year old on a pedal-less bike and how well-balanced and fast he could ride.
April 10 – Another Sunday, another busy day that didn’t involve bike riding. Well, I guess I have twenty minutes to go out and ride around the block or something.
Check out more posts at the 30 Days of Biking website or follow the hashtag #30daysofbiking.
