Cycling In The Cities: Time For A Change
Where has Fall gone? I've been a sorry excuse for a blogger the past month or so. In all honesty my job got the best of me. November is a brutal month in the TV News business. We're in a fight every day to win the most coveted ratings. It takes the full attention of many people, a ton of focused energy… and pretty much everything I've got. By Thanksgiving every year I am totally out of gas. This year the fatigue comes with pride. My colleagues at WCCO busted their butts and we are succeeding on many fronts. So, if you watched us this November: I'm thankful for you today! You're part of the reason I get to keep coming to work. Now, as for how I get to work each day… well I have some updates for you.
About three weeks ago when it really started getting dark early I had to make a change. It's funny, really. When I set out to become a bike commuter the only thing people wondered about was how I would do it in the cold. And people actually think it's too cold for biking right now. But the cold (so far) isn't the issue. In fact after about five minutes on the ride I'm perfectly toasty. It's all about layering. The real problem for me right now is darkness. Until you're out there on a bike in the pitch dark with only a tiny beam from your headlight you really don't realize how treacherous it can be. I'm like a hawk watching for drivers who may not see me. All the while trying to steer clear of potholes and road debris. And so I no longer feel comfortable lugging my sweet boys around behind me. Hey, I know they say you can't choose your family and those little men have a piece of work for a mother, but there's no need to drag them along for the truly crazy part of this journey. Until the sunshine comes back in the spring I'll have to take the bus or drive on the two days a week I need to get to daycare in the evenings. I hope I'm not disappointing the purists out there. After all, this is an experiment to see what it takes to work bike commuting into a real life, hiccups and all. Now if anyone out there could help me figure out how to squeeze a few more hours out of a day, that'd be great.
Angela Keegan Benson is the Assistant News Director at WCCO-TV and a mother of two. On August 1, 2011 she began her quest to live one full year as a bike commuter. Follow along as she figures out how to mesh the cycling culture with the demands of parenthood and an affinity for 4-inch heels. And yes, she's committed to sticking it out through February storms. For more Cycling In The Cities, follow @Angela_Keegan on Twitter.
