On my last trip back to the Rio Grande Valley, I brought my bike with me. It's a Trek 4500 mountain bike. You may be thinking, are there any mountains in the RGV? No, it's a valley. There are, however, places where you can go riding to hurt yourself. I have issues with riding in traffic and prefer to ride on trails. I haven't been riding since I brought the bike to Austin because I did not bring my helmet, light, or a lock. I could have just bought the lock, but I have a prodigious talent for falling (flying?) off my bike. Thus, a helmet is useful. Also, at the time that I intend to ride, it's still dark, hence the light. If I go riding later in the morning, I'll be in the morning traffic, which is more excitement than I want.
One of my challenges for riding to work was that I did not know where to park my bike. I asked House Parking, and they told me where I could put my bike. It's near the exit I normally use and has a DPS officer nearby to allay my fears of having my bike stolen. I know bike theft is a popular sport here, I lost a bike to this passtime in Austin once.
My only remaining challenge is riding in work clothes. I may just rubber band my right pant leg to keep it from getting caught in the chain. Or, I could change clothes. If I keep my shirts at work and take them to be dry-cleaned, all I need to do is take my pants and shoes in a bag to and from work. Then I could switch riding wear with work clothes at work.
Once the cold weather has passed us, I hope to be able to start riding again. The forecast calls for a drop in temperatures this week. Riding in cold weather won't kill me, but I would live to regret it during the ride. I can't wait to go for a long ride one of these weekends.
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