I had an article all prepared to post this morning about Lance Armstrong, Brett Favre, and how I have trouble connecting with superstar heroes. But then something happened to trump that article.

I got back on my bike.

I’ve long prided myself as a year round bike commuter, but this “worst winter in history” conspired with the free UW bus pass in my pocket to put my butt on the bus far more days over the last three months than in the saddle. On Sunday, I got back on the bike for the first time in as long as I can remember in order to run errands. And this morning, I took my first commute to work.

And now I’m kicking myself for ever having gotten off the bike in the first place. The ride in to work was great. The pavement was bone dry. The temperature was in the teens, but after only a few minutes riding I was venting my jacket and taking off my gloves because I was too warm. My bum knee and my carpal tunnel groused at me a bit, but it was bearable. Those small discomforts were bearable because the rest of it was so glorious.

I’m a strong proponent of transit and I’m very grateful that there are buses that run nearly door to door from my home to my work. Better yet, my employer picks up the tab. But I like a great deal of personal space, and the bus is just too many people sitting far too close to me. And riding the bus means abiding by its schedule rather than your own. Given the choice, I’ll take my bike any day.

On the way to work this morning I stopped and took pictures of a ton of things that I’ve been meaning to take note of for work. I saw an important sign on State Street that I never would have noticed from a bus or car window. I heard birds. I even noticed progress on a building going up that I’d ignored for months on the bus.

In short, I reconnected with the world around me. I once again became an interactive part of my community.

Riding a bike is great exercise and it helps protect the environment. Setting your own schedule makes it more convenient than transit at times. It’s also great fun. But for me, it has always been most about the connection to my surroundings that riding a bike allows. Feeling that connection fifteen years ago for the first time as a commuter ended up changing my entire life, how I would choose to get around, where I would choose to live, and what I would choose to do for a living.

This winter has been tough on everyone’s spirits. I’d forgotten how important my daily bike commute was to my own spirits, even (or perhaps especially) in the winter. I’ll do my best not to forget again.

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