Last September I started cycling from home to work sometimes, and in November I bought a new race bike (a cyclocross bike to be precise). Before that I was still riding my old bicycle back from when I was 12.
Yesterday: Cycled to work and back home. The distance is about 52 km one way. In the morning I had a punctured tire for the first time with the new bike, so I lost a lot of time changing it. In the night I did it in about 2h and 20 minutes, but it was raining and partly along dark roads. My best time so far was 2 hours and 5 minutes, but that was with heavy wind from the back.
Today: Took my bicycle for a ride to the bicycle repair shop, about 10 km away, to get some spare tires and an extra lock. After 2 km I tried to overtake a slow old lady, who was on the cycling lane in front of me, by passing on the main road. When passing the border of the cycling path again I slipped and fell flat on the road. That's the first time I really fell with my race bike. Luckily the lady could stop in time, and besides a bruised knee and hand I'm still ok. I was close to the house of a family member, where I could wash and disinfect my hands. The steer was seriously bent though. I could still continue to the shop, and the repair man says he can still fix the steer, and I left it there for a check-up. I think that was enough exercise for today.
For the next weeks, I plan to go 4 to 5 times a week, and my goal is to be able to do the route I take in less than 2 hours, without taking too many risks in traffic.
At work I found out some other people cycle in their spare time, which gives me a good topic for conversation with them.
I haven't done it since I was a kid though. What kind of attire do you normally wear for summer?
