First ride to work on a bicycle

After saying "tomorrow I will bike to work" every morning since I got my latest and greatest cycle, finally I rode to work. It is just a 2KM ride, but on the busy Bannerghatta Road, in fact not very bad stretch compared to the ones towards the city. The terrain is not flat, in fact there are very few flat stretches(as you can see from the map) - there are some nice gradients up and down. I need to climb from my apartment, which is on the Bannerghatta Road, with the last stretch being a bit steep. Having a geared cycle sure helps - I don't need to stand and ride anymore.

Once you get on to the main road, it goes down to Hulimavu Gate and Arakere Lake(no water, only weeds) and then climbs again a bit. Before the next dip, I take a diversion which is narrow and dug up, but traffic free and avoids a nasty traffic light. There are 3 bus stops on the way, with one of them being a busy stop. But no buses blocked my way today and it was around 8am! I was at work within 10 minutes and I tied my bike to one of the poles of the emergency staircase in one corner of the office parking lot. No it doesn't block the emergency stairway, cycle will be under the landing - may be I can take the cycle along with me even in an emergency! :)



I went home for lunch in the bike, which was more demanding - the only traffic light I have on the way back is a messy one and with no cops around everyone wants to jump the lights during off peak hours. On the way down the first incline, I had to break fully to stop behind a car that was taking a left when it looked like they were headed straight. I was wearing a helmet which drew a bit of curiosity especially among school kids on cycles. Then there were many cars and vehicles parked in no-parking zones and some dusty school bus traffic near home - I had to stop in between the steepest climb to give the school buses way. They kicked up a lot of dust around the upcoming shopping mall. There is a median all the way through my route, but the last 50 meters is a narrow stretch with just space enough for two vehicles. You get honked out by vehicles zooming past. Kids within our apartment who just arrived by the school buses were all over the place and lack of a bell forced me to stop in another steep incline down. With the sun out in full, it was a sweaty ride as well. I took a bus back to work - may be I should do the evening ride back instead of the lunch ones.

Overall I felt good and commute by cycle didn't appear that difficult as I thought it to be - while you get terrified when you see other folks riding in the traffic, but when you are out there riding, it is not that bad. I need to get off my Cyclist-Inferiority-Superstition(aka road fear) and that will happen only by riding in traffic. I plan to bike 3 days in a week - rest of the 2 days I run and my legs need some rest. Not having the rear view was a bit uncomfortable though. I guess I need a bell, a pollution mask, a riding glass and may be a mirror(not many seem to have them though). May be I need a cyclocomputer as well - or may be I will gift that to myself if I become a regular.

Hopefully I can make commute to work a habit.