Sorry for the late post. Wordpress was being RIDICULOUS last night!
Ever since I got my bike about a month ago I’ve been wanting to try riding it to work.
But I’m scared.
You see, Kamloops is an incredibly hilly city. It’s really difficult to find any part of the city that does not have some sort of incline. In order for me to get to work I just happen to have to go down a massive hill that is also one of the busiest streets in the city as it connects “uptown” with “downtown”. Now, it’s not the going home that I’m worried about. I would likely just pay the $2 and take the bus up the hill. But going down Columbia (this extremely busy street) on my bike scares the bejeezus out of me!
I’ve been practicing and I am getting better at biking in traffic. Last night I biked to the yoga studio and had to make two left-hand turns at intersections and I did really well (I think). Also, last weekend I rode 19 km on the highway with vehicles whipping past me. So I think I should be able to handle riding through traffic down this massive hill. I think, anyways.
And, since I’m determined to get in the habit of biking to work twice a week, I’m going to start this week. And I’m going to tell YOU that I will be biking to work on Thursday so you can hold me accountable! Tomorrow on my “day off” I am going to buy a backpack to carry my stuff in and Thursday will be the first day I bike to work!
Do you bike to work? Would you? Anybody else live in an incredibly hilly city?
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
Good luck to you! It’s great that you want to ride your bike to work. I’m scared to death to ride a bike on any busy street and my busiest streets probably aren’t really that busy compared to lots of others. Guess everything just gets better with practice though!
i would totally ride my bike to work, alas it’s about 12 to 15 miles, and that would take me hours to get there.. because of all the hills, and insane amounts of traffic. if it were under 5 miles, I’d do it in a second!
I would if I could but would have to leave HRS ahead of time.
One note….please wear a helmet. I cannot believe the amount of people I see not wearing one. You only have one melon.
I can totally relate to this. I have been wanting to ride my bike to work for over a year and I haven’t taken the plunge to do it. I have a huge hill problem too which I could avoid but it would take me a lot longer however I am deathly afraid of busy streets and I have no idea what to do with my bike when I get to work because we don’t have bike racks (apparently we don’t support the kids biking to school because it could be dangerous…? don’t ask). I am now tutoring this boy less than 5 minutes away and if I don’t bike there at least once I’m going to be mad at myself haha
I would love to live close enough to work to bike! This summer, I have a 40 minute commute though so I don’t think that’s going to happen. You can do it! Just go slow and be aware!
I don’t live in a very hilly city, but I’m still scared - I live in Manhattan! So no, I don’t bike to work. I take the subway. Underground. I have biked along the Hudson river though, on a bike path, and we’re planning on going to Central Park this weekend. yay! I do not know how you can ride a road bike though. I hate them. I don’t like my hands being so far from the break. I have to know I can get down to them easily. Ugh. I road on a road bike for like 5 minutes and it was the scariest 5 minutes of my life! Hybrid FTW!
I was scared to reach down for the brakes at first but you get used to it!!
My husband has a road bike, and it’s fixed gear (it wasn’t originally, but he altered it so that it would be). It scares me to death watching him ride it! I, however, have a hybrid, and I definitely prefer it.
You can do it! If you can do it on the highway you can tackle that hill - and just think, going up the hill is going home so if you’re all sweaty you’ll be walking into your apartment like that, not work.
i just went on my first “real” ride last night!! its scary but i was so much better at the end than the beginning… i think with the bike you just have to keep practicing. you will be a pro before you know it
Hey Amber!
I believe in you! You can totally bike in that town. Take ownership of your lane, and go for it. (always watch out for the other guy though…) I personally think that every person should have to take the Motorcycle bike training before getting a Class 5 license to make people aware of others on the road, motorized or not.
I would totally ride to work if I had a bike! I see lots of people doing it here, we don’t have a lot of hills…(Saskatchewan). But I am pretty sure Canada’s worst drivers practice here! lol.
I will be waiting to hear about your ride to work on Thursday!
Have a great Tuesday!!
xo
tam.
I biked to work today! Yes, backpack will be helpful. Just remember…don’t overdress. YOu will get hot and sweaty quickly. Have fun!
Oooh I need to pick your brain! Do you wear your work clothes while biking or do you bring them in the backpack? Any advice for must-needs to quickly clean yourself up at work?? I’m buying all my “supplies” tomorrow. Haha
I live so far from work, it’s not realistic to bike…. and there isn’t a great way to get there either…
I would be afraid that I would be hit by a car or somethign. I think I would have to take a bike safety class or something like that first!!!
Well, if I wanted to bike 24+ miles to work one way then I guess I could bike to work
But that’s not very realistic for me. I’d have to leave a few hours before work I guess and then be sweaty when I got there (no showers at our office). So, yeah. Not an option. BUT if I lived/worked closer together I’d consider biking or walking.
(I’ve had a few accidents on bikes and they just terrify me!)
There are 2 main reasons I can’t bike to work, otherwise I would (it’s only about 7 miles)
1) I’d have to go over the river, through the woods and up the hill (kinda like to grandmother’s house…I work in the middle of cornfields). The Hill. It’s massive. Steep AND long. And there’s no shoulder so I’d probably get run over.
2) I have no bike. That’s an even bigger issue than the hill!
I would love to bike to work…except, I don’t have a bike and as I get out of work after dark I’m not too keen on biking at night…especially in the area my job is located at. Not exactly the safest area.
I think you can do it; I wish you luck for Thursday! My husband bikes to work every day, unless the weather is really bad. He leaves when it’s still dark in the morning, and sometimes doesn’t come home until it’s late, so he bought a light to put on the front. He also uses a backpack to transport all of his things. Some days, he takes his time coming home, but other days, he puts his all into it to see how fast he can make it home! When he comes in out of breath and all sweaty, I know what he was doing, lol! He says it’s a great workout, though.
We don’t have hills in MB! I miss them
I used to bike to work… when I didn’t work in the dodgiest area of the city lol. I’m a little too scared now
Good luck!
The main reason I wouldn’t ride a bike to work (apart from the fact I don’t own one) is because I’d be terrified to ride in traffic. Some bits of Glasgow can be quite hilly but generally there’s a flat way around them, i just wouldn’t want to be on the road with the motorists, and other crazy cyclists (they are AWFUL here!)
Having driven through Kamloops I would like to just stand up and give you a moment here for even considering this:
*golf applause*
Because you’re totally hardcore for trying! I think that if anyone could do this, you could
I used to bike to work in our very flat city, but I always felt kind of wrecked when I got there. I think if you get there early & bring a backpack of your work clothes & makeup it’s easier (that’s what I used to do at least) but in the summer it’s not for the faint of heart!
But I wouldn’t count you among them even on a bad day
I would totally bike everywhere I went if I didnt live in the foothills of a dang mountain range. it is so hilly and humid here it takes all the fun out of biking
Be careful biking on the highway- that’s dangerous & I’ve heard about bad accidents where people are not paying attention and run people over..
I don’t really do bikes. I’ve actually had to relearn how to ride several times, and I’m not sure I could actually ride a bike now if I tried. So that whole, “it’s like riding a bike” really doesn’t apply to me
I can’t bike to work here, streets are too busy.
oh you can do it! the cars always move over
I love biking to work! (although I don’t have a road-bike)
Firstly -backpack = YES.
Two -take clothes and change at work. There are people in Melbs who bike in their skirts and heels and it SCARES me.
Third -research. Are there alternate bike routes you can take to avoid major roads with huge hills? It’s often way faster to go slightly out of your way but not have to stop at lights etc as much. Are there streets with bike lanes, or bike paths nearby? Google is your friend, as is City of Kamloops websites etc.
I rarely, rarely ride on major roads with cars and have very few left-turns (well right for me!) to make in traffic. Melbourne has a great bike system with paths, bike lanes, priority lights for bikes and roads closed off to car traffic (public transit + bikers only).
Unfortunately the only alternate route would be the freeway so I think going through town is my best option. Although, for half of the hill I can go through a residential area that is not busy at all, so that’s a plus!
I wish Kamloops had more bike paths!
I have never biked to work … I don’t get up early enough
Ohhhh, go you! You are awesome for even considering this. I’ve never biked to work because there is no one easy way to get there. And there are a lot of hills. I dont do hills on bikes. I can’t wait to hear how this works out for you!
Unfortunately I do not bike to work due to my own vanity but I know biking in the city does freak me out. I just have to be hyper aware of the surroundings or stay on the paths to avoid cars.
That’s nice you actually live that close to ride your bike to work. I live 40-50 minutes away from work so riding my bike is NOT an option at all especially when it’s 110 degrees!
I totally know the hill you’re talking about and you’re a brave girl!!!
I on the other hand have no problem admitting I’m so not road-worthy!!! lol
If I biked to work someone would probably kill me for my bike and leave me on the side of the road. I work in the ghetto. Still not a bad idea. Maybe if I get a really FAST bike I can avoid the assassins.
I hate riding in any sort of traffic, too! We live in a small town (close to the park), but people drive like maniacs on the highway, so I often ask Husband to put my bike in the back of the truck and drive it to the park. Haha! I just hate crossing the highway.
Is there any way you could walk your bike down the hill? At least until you’re more comfortable with riding it. Maybe you can practice on the road at a time when traffic is minimal?
There’s no way I could bike to work. It’s only about a 15-minute drive to work from where I live, but I’d have to ride on the highway without a sidewalk… and I leave my house at 5:30 a.m., so it’s unfortunately too dark at that time to really ride on the road. Once we move back to Chattanooga, TN (next year, I’m hoping!), I may be able to actually bike to work if we live downtown.
If I were in your situation, I’d likely unclip from the pedals for the ride down the hill … just in case I needed to act swiftly, it’s one less thing to think about. Good luck with your ride tomorrow!
Yup, I bike in everyday.
I am lucky that Manchester is really that hilly (good job because I am so unfit!). However, the stretch of road that runs through the university is one of the busiest bus routes in Europe, but not by particularly competent or observant bus drivers! A lot of people find someone cycling in that zone too scary but it’s not so bad. You just have to be really arrogant as a cyclist so that they give you room, etc.