The Maroon Marauder and Me

I've been conducting a personal study testing the feasibility of bike commuting to work. My new job as Assistant Pastor will begin in t-minus ten days, and the local United Church of Christ church that has hired me is approximately six miles north of my residence in the wealthy neighborhood of Richmond Beach, of the suburb just north of Seattle, Shoreline.

This personal study began with just me and my bike, pictured here.
This natural fit 2009 Marin Portofino is made by a San Francisco bike company and is a low end road/racing bike, priced at about $800. Yes, that's low end. The aluminum 58 cm frame is very efficient, converting most of my pedaling into motion. That's what I learned from the bike shop and not incidentally is about all I know about bikes at this point. Side note: bike shops can be incredibly intimidating to novices like me and folks who are not knowledgeable about cycling. It's best to just get in and get out.

Anyway, I fear my Portofino is going to be named the "maroon marauder." It's an unfortunate name for the bicycle of a pacifist, but when it sticks it sticks. I'm open to new suggestions, but I don't know if this gender-neutral bike personality will change after these thirty-ish days of ownership.

Back to my feasibility experiment: it began on a warm day two weeks ago when I decided to ride to Richmond Beach. The ride there was pleasant, but the thing about cycling in Seattle is that what goes down must come up - at least from where I live on Crown Hill. And Richmond Beach as you might guess from the name, is at a lower elevation. The struggle home was exhausting. I walked my bike once and crept along in the lowest gear ("granny gear" I've heard it called) for a good long while. Indeed this project has been difficult.

I've since spent my energy trying to establish a better level of fitness: a couple ten mile rides, then up to twenty. I'm getting there. Of course then I read an article about how cycling, because it's not a weight bearing activity, must be supplemented with other exercise so that the risk of osteoporosis isn't heightened. Thus I've interspersed the cycling with running, adding up to the best shape I've been since the old days of collegiate athletics.

Now as I see it, there are two advantages to this prep activity. First, the better shape I'm in the less I will sweat, and the less I sweat, the more pleasant a day at work will be after said bike commute... for me and those around me. Second, I have explored an ever-expanding chunk of the city. This morning I found the Elliot Bay trail, which runs along the water into downtown. Even on a gray, coolish day like today, the ride was splendid. Bike lanes and trails are everywhere: the Interurban took me to the suburbs on Monday and the Burke-Gilman is smooth, paved, and flat.

The only thing that remains is the final test: will I be able to make it home from Richmond Beach? I'd better not try it yet. I've got to do some more work on my legs to get ready for that big day. The distance, I've learned, will be no problem. Six miles in one sitting - easy. The hill on the other hand will be my defining geographical obstacle.