Morning temps in the 40s. Evening temps in the 50s and 60s. I started Divvying this week.
Over the last two years, my bike life has been challenging. First, my bike of fifteen years was totaled when a van hit me in an intersection. I sustained mild to major hysteria and lingering rotator cuff issues. That bike was replaced with a pretty, shiny new one. It was stolen within 9 months. The replacement bike of the replacement was a 30+ year old Schwinn named Pilsen. She was a loyal companion for a year. When she just stopped pedaling, the guys at On The Route said there wasn’t anything anyone could do. So, I had to put her down.
Last October, I joined the Chicago commuting craze of Divvy-ers. Membership to Divvy is $75 annually. As long as I dock my borrowed bike within thirty minutes, I don’t pay anything else. There are ports all over town. I can pick up a bike a block from my house, bike two miles to my office and dock it two blocks away. There is an app on my phone that shows a map of all the Divvy ports in the area. It also indicates how many bikes and how many empty slots. Last night, I biked from the office to a train station and rode the train to the theatre. After the show, I rode the train to a different station near my house and Divvy-ed 5 blocks home. I love the freedom of accessibility and no responsibility.
And I love biking. I enjoy the exercise, the fresh air and saving money. With Chicago’s transportation system, usually I get there even quicker. Right now, I’m trying to get my bike legs… bike lungs and bike ass. I’m a three season biker. And since winter lasted two seasons this year, I haven’t biked any great distance since late October. I’m taking it slow and easy. I’m wearing my helmet. As I get my endurance and awareness back, I’m hitting all the lights. I cautiously stay behind the busses instead of creeping ahead of them at the intersection. And despite my leisurely pace, I arrive at the office a little winded.
Still, Spring has sprung, petals and pedals. Even though Divvy went bankrupt earlier this year, I’m hoping they get it together and keep on blooming across Chicago.