Bike to Work recap

All in all, I thought Bike To Work Day was a great success. Many of the vendors ran out of food and drink, which to me indicates that there were more people there than they planned for. I was lucky enough to get a cup of Peace Coffee before it ran out, plus a granola bar and a spinach gorgonzola quiche bite from Birchwood. I didn't end up with nearly as much free stuff as last year. There were no multi-tools and no water bottle giveaways that I saw. No t-shirts either.

The prizes that were being drawn were way better this year than last year. Kevin won a water bottle. While it may not sound like much, it was the first drawing-type event he had ever won. And it truly does pay to be present to win. There were many folks whose names were drawn but were not there to claim their prizes. As a result the organizers had a surplus of prizes. They drew names for quite some time before finally opening it up to anybody who was left. After just about everybody in attendance had gone up, I visited the prize table. I ended up with a $25 gift certificate to Trailhead Cycling. It should be a good excuse to ride up to Champlin some weekend.

It was great to have Kevin show up (even though he wasn't working that day) and it was also great to finally meet Karl. I also enjoyed meeting the other riders, most of whose names I don't remember. City Counselman Peter McLaughlin was on the ride too. We set a great pace, riding about 15mph all the way in. While I'm no slouch on the bike, Kevin and Karl made me feel a bit like a slacker by riding their single speed and fixies, respectively. I've got the parts, I really need to single out the Raleigh. The gears on it aren't doing any good anyway. Either that or I need to get serious about getting the orange Gitane rolling. Now that I've got an extra wheelset I don't have an excuse not to.

Because it's not only bike to work day, but also Bike Home From Work Day I took the long way home. I crossed over the river at Franklin Ave and rode East River Road home rather than taking West River Road. It adds about 5 miles to my commute by sending me down Shepard Road to 35E and then down into Lilydale. But it was a beautiful afternoon and the change of scenery was welcome. It's nice to mix it up a little every once in a while.

Date: May 19
Mileage: 30
Ride type: Commute
May mileage: 256
Year to date mileage: 1443