Well, I got no excuse for the recent paucity of posts. I do indeed have a lot of stuff worth writing updates about - the end of the semester, my decision not to renew my contract, future (un!)employment opportunities, another 10 day retreat, veg night recipes, movie night successes, fragments about Korean, and so forth. However, for the moment, I'd like to brag a little bit, and perhaps worry the parents and grandparents in the process.
I have long been completely certain that biking around town is faster than busing. The combination of heavy traffic, bus stops, stoplights, and indirect routes slows buses pretty severely, so it isn't much of a surprise that whether I'm just heading downtown (6km) or all the way to the burbs (12km), it only takes me half as long on my cycle. Even on trips as far as 70km, if you count the time from house to bus stop, bus to subway, subway to intercity bus terminal, city to city, bus terminal to bus stop, and then bus stop to destination, I can usually come out about even. One of my favorite things is to head downtown with some coworkers, waiting with them for the bus in front of our apartment, then racing (safely, of course) downtown; I invariably arrive in 15-20 minutes, them in 25-35. Factor in the time they have to spend waiting for the bus and walking from the bus stop to whatever destination downtown, and I come out the clear winner.
Tonight, though, I did myself one better. Having just split up with some friends after dinner, I was on my way home, when I heard a yell from across the intersection: "HEYYYY MIIIIKEEEEYYYYYYYY." Sure enough, my coworker Niall and his wife were cabbing it home. I'd often been fortunate enough to cross paths with a bus following my same route, but never a car, so I figured this was a pretty rare chance. I pedaled full-speed for a solid 13 minutes, luckily managing to hit green at the two big intersections between home and downtown, and pulled into our apartment entrance at the exact moment my rivals popped out of their cab. I cackled with glee as they pondered, out loud, how two scrawny legs could manage such a feat. Maybe the meditation supercharged me somehow? Or maybe it was the curry and herb tea I had at dinner, or the recent tune-up a mechanic buddy gave my bike? Or the nifty little nylon toe-warmers that were my compensation for staffing 6 of the 8 Daegu Bike Festivals this year. Who knows?
In any case: getting exercise, saving money, saving the world, and saving TIME! How about that?
I have long been completely certain that biking around town is faster than busing. The combination of heavy traffic, bus stops, stoplights, and indirect routes slows buses pretty severely, so it isn't much of a surprise that whether I'm just heading downtown (6km) or all the way to the burbs (12km), it only takes me half as long on my cycle. Even on trips as far as 70km, if you count the time from house to bus stop, bus to subway, subway to intercity bus terminal, city to city, bus terminal to bus stop, and then bus stop to destination, I can usually come out about even. One of my favorite things is to head downtown with some coworkers, waiting with them for the bus in front of our apartment, then racing (safely, of course) downtown; I invariably arrive in 15-20 minutes, them in 25-35. Factor in the time they have to spend waiting for the bus and walking from the bus stop to whatever destination downtown, and I come out the clear winner.
Tonight, though, I did myself one better. Having just split up with some friends after dinner, I was on my way home, when I heard a yell from across the intersection: "HEYYYY MIIIIKEEEEYYYYYYYY." Sure enough, my coworker Niall and his wife were cabbing it home. I'd often been fortunate enough to cross paths with a bus following my same route, but never a car, so I figured this was a pretty rare chance. I pedaled full-speed for a solid 13 minutes, luckily managing to hit green at the two big intersections between home and downtown, and pulled into our apartment entrance at the exact moment my rivals popped out of their cab. I cackled with glee as they pondered, out loud, how two scrawny legs could manage such a feat. Maybe the meditation supercharged me somehow? Or maybe it was the curry and herb tea I had at dinner, or the recent tune-up a mechanic buddy gave my bike? Or the nifty little nylon toe-warmers that were my compensation for staffing 6 of the 8 Daegu Bike Festivals this year. Who knows?
In any case: getting exercise, saving money, saving the world, and saving TIME! How about that?
5 comments:
That is awesome. Make sure you wear a helmet!
Super cool. The same serves true for a lot of routes in LA.
It's cold outside, so I'm always in full gear! Helmet, beanie, face mask, giant orange parka, two pairs of gloves, and, most importantly, spandex toe warmers. And three blinking lights. And finger on the eject button.
:) Great.
I've finally gotten caught up on your blog. You can now post again.
Also, my commute is the same way. Biking is almost certainly as fast as and potentially faster than driving. The one negative is the time it takes to put on and take off all the cycling specific gear.
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