To get some cycling time I have been commuting to work on my mountain bike.  I chose the mountain bike because I don’t have to clip into my pedals.  When driving in traffic, I just feel that I need to have my shoes free of the pedals in case of an emergency.  I also have bags that attach to my rack becauseI need to carry my laptop and a change of clothes.

It is still dark when I leave the house, however, I get to see the sun rise just about the time I am traveling on a road that goes along the beach.  It makes for a pleasant ride.  There aren’t many cars on the road when I leave the house.  I also try to select a route that takes me off the main arteries.  I don’t take direct routes not only for safety, but also so I can log training miles.

The afternoon ride is very different from the morning commute.  There are a lot more cars and folks drive with reckless abandon.  I really have to be focused.  I also have to climb up the backside of Diamond Head so I get some hill training done.  Unlike my light road bike, the mountain bike with all my gear is a lot tougher to pedal up hill.

Another benefit to riding my bike is that I can listen to my audio books.  Jeff turned me on to author Lee Child.  I am currently listening to “Bad Luck and Trouble”.

Cleaning up at work after the morning commute is a bit tricky.  I am able to freshen up in the restroom.  I have soap at work so I basically wash my face, head and neck.  I also have wet wipes to clean up.  If, for some reason, I get sloppy sweaty I can head over to the gym a block away and take a shower.  However, cleaning up in the restroom seems to do the trick.  After freshening up I change clothes.

With our tropical weather, it gets quite hot after 10am so I sweat like you read about on the ride home, especially after climbing the road up Diamond Head crater.  Its cool, though, because I can shower up when I get home.

Here are a couple of photos that I took this afternoon on my commute home.