Jun 29, 2011

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Pedal Pushing

Thanks to some feedback on Twitter, it sounds like y’all are loving the new blog layout. YIPPEE! I’m loving it too :)

The header picture is courtesy of The Cowboy – it’s the view from our condo balcony looking west. Man, I’m sure gonna miss this place when (ahem, yes, I’m going with when now, not if/when) it sells.

When I was 12 my parents started having me bike to swim practices instead of requiring them to come home early (thanks dad) to drive me to the pool only to turn around 90 minutes later and pick me up. It also alleviated the pain in waiting for me to get changed. From 12-16 I was usually the last person out of the change room. My dad only left me at the pool once.

Riding my bike solved lots of problems, I could head to practice early if I wanted, could chat with my friends after practice and not rely so much on the parentals.

When I moved to Winnipeg in 2002 I had no cash and no car, so I started biking to work. At first a friend loaned me a bike, then when she needed it back another friend loaned me a bike (how awesome is that?!). I had 2 jobs so sometimes I’d bike 8km to work, bike 8km home, rest for a few hours and then do it all over again. This was also on the side of a very busy road (Bishop Grandin, anyone?) and I didn’t think twice about it.

After I moved to Calgary in 2003 I was also without a vehicle so I had my parents ship my bike via Greyhound to Calgary for me. I lived close to downtown and the bike paths so I’d ride my bike to and from work on a near daily basis – even on the days when I started work at 6am. That’s one early morning, let me tell you!

After The Cowboy and I moved to the ‘burbs I wasn’t able or willing to bike the 30km one way to work, so the bike was put on the backburner for a while. Then, in 2007 The Cowboy and I realized there were super awesome bike trails just 1km away from our house, so we bought ourselves mountain bikes and would ride every day after work for 45min or so and 2 or so hours on the weekends. It.Was.Awesome.

In 2009 we moved downtown and out came the bikes again, only this time we swapped the off-road tyres for road tyres and had a great time on the pathways. We’d ride nearly everyday and go for rides of up to 40km on the weekends.

Summer 2010 was a ridiculously busy year for us and we only took the bikes out once or twice.

Our love for cycling appears to be renewed in 2011. I work 8.5km from home, which makes for a perfect 30 minute cycle to work in the mornings and a relaxing 25 minute cycle home after work (it’s more downhill on the way home).

With all the cycling I’ve been doing and all the off-road cycling The Cowboy has been doing, we invested in new bikes this weekend. A cray-cray mountain bike for him and an awesome commuter bike for me – complete with pontoon bags for all the crap I bring to work (like shoes!).

The problem?

My bike needs a name.

I feel like if I’m spending an hour eat day with my butt glued to this bike, I should at least give her a name.

To help you out, here’s a picture.

And, just for kicks, here’s a picture of me in my padded bike shorts. Don’t knock ‘em, I may look like I’m wearing an adult diaper, but my cooter thanks me daily!



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