100 kms so far

Everyday I commute it's roughly 50kms. I measured it on the map thingy that the lurker sent me and I was pretty inspired to hop on the saddle and go when I found out far I would actually be going. In May I was tried, beaten and worn down so I had to change something and make it drastic. I had thought about riding my bike but considered it impossible when I thought about all the junk I would have to lug with me along my sweaty commute. I have to wear a suit while at work and, being a manager, should be setting an example while doing it. Gone are the days of vans era spray painted black or over cheap over sized collared shirts that seem to make white fold look like teachers. On June first I sucked up all the excuses and slammed all of things I would need into a old skateboard backpack that I had to dig out of the closet and I was off. I had my suit (shirt, pants, jacket, black shoes, undershirt, underwear, belt and other stuff) as well as bike stuff (spare tube, mini pump, tyre levers and a multi tool) and it weighed a ton. Along the way I cursed myself for even getting into this position as the weight was pretty cumbersome. I passed fixters and roadsters alike as they cruised, sans backpack, through the Tokyo streets and they looked quite at ease. The other advantage that they had was that they knew where they were going while I, on the other hand, was flying blind. I had checked various map sites before I set out but Tokyo is facking tough to navigate and streets turn into buildings or parking lots very quickly. The thing that kept me going was that I knew when I got to work I would have done something that a lot other people wouldn't have. The thought of going another day watching couriers whiz around while I stood there sipping coffee made me sad. I had previously sat down and, based on the average train commute, figured out that if you live in Tokyo for 17 and a half years you will have spent just under a year of that on the train. A year on my bike sounded way better. After finally finding my building I realized that it wasn't so bad and that I could probably keep it up as long as I never drank beer again. It's July 30th and I have only taken the train to work twice in the last two months. I no longer dread getting on mon bicyclette after work and find it quite nice to cruise through the city. I still get a little nervous and always always have to be on guard but it's better than being packed (literally) on a subway thinking about the next time I'll get to ride my bike.