Two week wrap up

It’s Week 2 of the Challenge and my stats are...(drum roll, please!)... 8 out of 9 rides!  Yesterday was the first day I missed and boy, did I ever miss the ride.    

Me (and my snazzy new bike!) at BikeFest!

The cooler weather over the last while has been perfect for biking and the rainy days have taught me an important lesson:  riding in the rain is totally doable!  Before heading into this Challenge, rain was my #1 cycling nemesis.  To be honest, I envisioned myself sliding out on slick roads or at best arriving at work sporting a drowned rat look.  Turns out with a few simple steps and some handy bike accessories this doesn’t have to be the case.   On my rainy rides, I simply ride slower, dress for the weather, and swoon over my hard-working fenders and waterproof panniers.  I’ve never had panniers or fenders on a bike before and I’m loving them!  (Thanks, Ziggy's!)

Now that I’ve conquered my fear of riding in the rain, my commute has been fairly smooth and easy going.  I ride on a combination of quiet and busy streets including Margaret Avenue, which has devoted bike lanes.  I’ve learned that cars will creep into the bike lanes on certain curves of the street, so I’m going to play around with some alternative routes in the upcoming weeks.  Since I work mixed shifts at KPL, I ride at various times throughout the week and have discovered different times of the day yield very different rides.  By far, my favorite rides are the evening ones when I can cruise through quiet neighbourhoods with little or no traffic.  Overall, though, any time spent on my bike so far has been great!  

Kristin J.

PS...If you’re reading this blog, you could win a free bike by completing the BikeKitchener cycling survey. Fill it out online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/bikekitchener2013. #BikeKitchener