Over the last year or so, I’ve been considering cycling to work, and this morning made the first run. Whew.

There are 3 reasons which led to this momentous outcome:

1. Drop the spare tire. Yep, I’ve been up and down with weight, and of course consistent exercise (without feeling like having to sacrifice time etc) is key. So, my primary reason is health.
2. Save the planet. I’m hardly the “greenest” individual in the world, between the 4WD, the 3 (soon to be 4) car family, the computers, and regular international travel; I reckon my carbon footprint is the size of a small Pacific island. That said, a 10% drop for me would make a huge impact, right?
3. Pecuniary Strangulation. Ok, this is tenuous. After all the GFT (Global Financial Tsunami) hasn’t had too much personal impact. Yet! Also getting a bike required some significant investment in its own right. But the GFT will have an impact, and it’s good to be proactive about these things.

So justification over, I signed up, headed out on Saturday and purchased my new “trusty steed”

And this morning, I thought to capture the experience on the phone. Unfortunately the first chapter of my Vidblog corrupted somehow, and didn’t upload to the server. However, the next two – Getting to the top of my first hill (about 600m from home) and actually making it to the office, did. Here they are:

The way I feel right now? Unsure if I’m going to be up for cycling home – or trying out the new Chatswood to Epping Railway Line….

We’ll see

R42