I’ve done the new commute three times now. As providence would have it, those three days coincided with the worst of the weather for the past two weeks. Yesterday was a bit of watershed, I think, raising the bar of my tolerance for hideous conditions to new heights. In the first seven miles of the commute, I experienced (in no particular order) rain, snow, sleet, ice (always pleasant during a 30mph descent), hail, thunder and lightning. By the time I reached the base of California Avenue, I was wet, a bit cold, and utterly miserable. And I still had 13 miles to go, including the always-lovely crossing of Neville Island against what felt to be a 15mph headwind. Crossing the McKees Rocks Bridge, I received a Mr. Wizard-esque lesson on the Bernoulli Effect thanks to the crosswinds and the steady stream of tractor trailers. By the time I reached McKees Rocks, I wanted to stop, but that really wasn’t an option. What was I going to do? Turn around and ride home? Neville Island was better than expected–still a stiff headwind, but nothing terrible. The rest of the ride passed without incident. On the return trip, I enjoyed a fierce tailwind. On the flats of the island I was comfortably pushing my biggest gear. Gears can be fun.

Nearly each time, the ride is a rollercoaster of sorts, if you can pardon the cliché. There is always a time when I hate it, hate the new office, hate the job. It’s a surprisingly dark pit the industrial underbelly of the city can push you into. But once across Neville Island and the McKees Rocks Bridge, it all goes away, and I enjoy the ride, enjoy the feeling of the effort in my legs. And enjoy the stubbornness that gets me a through a wet, windy, cold ride, one where I get to my destination covered with grit and mud.

Posted on 23 February 2007