I missed it! - One Year of Blogging

Some blogger I've become... not only did I miss the one year anniversary of my first post (and first commuting ride to work), I even posted several days later and didn't realize it.  Ah well, I've been missing a couple other time/date related things lately so I guess I'll give myself a break on this one.

I had it in my head that early March was the start of commuting, but I think that is just because I didn't want to give myself credit for having biked all through Feb since my first day was actually Feb 26, 2013... particularly in discussions about whether or not I was a 'year round bike commuter'.  I think I'll go ahead and give myself that distinction now, though I've definitely found some boundaries both in my own sense of what is tolerable and what I'm equipped for from a gear perspective!  We certainly weren't sitting at 5+ inches of snow this time last year with prospects for more on the way and continued sub-arctic temps...

I'm focusing a bit on the weather here not because it's novel (at least this year) but I've been wondering to myself about how my journey in becoming a bike commuter would have been different if I'd been getting started this year on Feb 26th...  the weather all season has been much colder and with more ice/snow, and then the first full week would have made riding difficult if not impossible right out of the gate.  Would I have just soldiered on once the weather turned?  Or would I have gotten into the groove of driving to work and never broken free?

I'm glad I didn't have the extra challenge of breaking the car-commute inertia of this kind of weather, and I hope anyone out there (is there anyone?) that is just getting started and is impacted by this tougher winter keeps at it.  I've found the last year of biking to work to be incredibly rewarding and truly a lifestyle defining change.

So happy birthday to DR2DC, here's to more miles beneath the wheels in the year to come!

I think this was my first Friday commute in, the Trek still had 700C wheels, this could have been the very first day for my Topeak trunk bag w/ pannier fold-downs.

Wrapping up the 650B wheelbuild for the Trek conversion project... very satisfying!

The Trek in fine form, 650B'd, front basket, dyno headlight, front fender (no rear), and fancy upside down-Hokie colored handlebars

Under the Rt 1/GW Pkwy/Metro/CSX bridges has been an interesting scene to pass by coming and going to work this year.

Another from under the bridges... the light, shadows, water and reflections make for an interesting tapestry

I've loved this shot from the first time I took it, showing (not very clearly) the Trek cockpit switched out to noodle drop bars w/ interrupter levers... the scarring from the bad job I did mounting the handlebar stem... and of course the basket hanging a bit to the left from the crash I had on my first 50 miler.... amazing how many stories can be told in a photograph (or by a bicycle)

Bikes and coffee go together right!?!  Swings, both in my Del Ray neighborhood and at the #FMCC G st location has probably been the most impactful new vendor in my life this year.

Gotta have one of me right...?  And the Atlantis of course, this was a short lived configuration with the rear basket and sad to say the Atlantis has now gone on to it's new (taller) owner.  But there will be more Riv content in the coming weeks!

Of course the single-speed and M-Bar's must be represented... this is a great looking, great riding bike.

Lot's of Trek pictures... lots of memorable rides I guess.  

Quite recent... but I liked the way the sky turned out in post so here it is again!