And so the cycling for the year comes to an end. From my first commute on the 29th of July, not knowing what to expect, until now, months later, where I still never know what to expect! The OCD & ADD in me kept some stats... Total commutes: 127 Total ride time: 145 hours at an average of about 1:08. Commute out MUCH (10mins) faster. May have to do with the birth of my boy ;-) Sets of tyres: 1 Energy consumed: 431,631Kj or 103,158 Calories Saddle sores: 1 Tubs of chamois: 2 Punctures: 0 Technicals: 0 Best bit of kit: Scwhalbe Marathon Extreme tyres 2nd Best bit of kit (or best, depending on how dark it was): Magicshine 808 Most beautiful sight: 1) Riding in early one morning and seeing the full moon positioned above Lionshead, almost as if rolling down the hill. 2) Dad taking his son and daughter to school on the bicycle and all of them smiling. 3) The Outriders coffee tent! Worst sight: All the dead animals on the Melkbos road because of careless speeding. Where's the justice in a majestic eagle taken out by a speeding lout. Best feeling: 1) Having the cool wind at your back, pushing as hard as you can. 2) Riding in with a buddy. Worst feeling: 1) Realising you forgot your work shirt at home. 2) 14:00 in the afternoon when your body goes into powersaving mode. Friends made: Many! So, what have I learnt? So many things, like having the right kit...being prepared...always being courteous...that the wind will turn...not take yourself too seriously...never forget to enjoy it...but most of all, that we as cyclists are our own worst enemy. I see cyclists going through red lights, then shouting at car drivers parked in the wrong place...cyclists complaining they don't have place to ride, then riding in buslanes...riding three abreast on lanes so people have to go off the lane to miss them... My hope for a happy 2012 of commuting/riding is that we're all able to look at ourselves from an outsider's perspective and ask: "Did I ride like a yob, or did I ride like a decent human being?" Forget about the cars and the taxis and buses and glass and paving and the million other excuses we love to
