Going green

I cycled to work today. It's an 11 mile route, mostly down small country roads, with one set of traffic lights and one roundabout. The scenery is great, and the weather was perfect. Despite this, it still took a fair bit of willpower to get my gear together, leave a bit earlier than usual, and make the effort to pedal. I arrived a sweaty mess, because for some reason I had chosen to wear my lovely Assos long-legged windproof jobbies and arm warmers, which are designed for the winter. The girls in the office could hardly contain their excitement when I showed up in my sexy cycling kit, and Miss Churms, possibly the only female Baggy fan on the Island, had to dowse herself with cold water to cool her ardour. Not.
I don't know how many people actually can be bothered to get on a bike instead of the easy option of jumping in the car. I doubt there are that many. We all know it will help keep you fit, but it also saves the planet, doesn't it? But it's not easy. Most councils promote 'Green Transport' policies to encourage commuters to leave the car at home. The hospital is supposed to be into this, but as far as I can see the 'policy' consists of a small open air bike shed, and that's it. No showers, no locker room, no subsidised buses, nothing. In any case, it's really difficult to cycle to work every day, unless it's only a mile or so. There are all sorts of reasons why I can't always take the bike. Children need picking up from school or sports events, late or early starts, illness, fatigue, late nights, bad weather, laziness and so on. And by the way...No, I don't leave the bike outside in the shed!
The other thing is the risk of dying . Seriously. 99 out of 100 drivers treat cyclists with due respect and courtesy, but then you meet the one who treats you like an annoying piece of rubbish. Their tactics vary. The most annoying is when you are traversing a junction or roundabout in a normal manner, legally with appropriate priority. The car driver sees you and then just deliberately ignores you, almost as if you don't matter or are invisible. It's not that they haven't seen you..they have made clear eye contact and just decided to go anyway. Then you have the drivers who pass so close that their wing mirrors virtually brush against your arm. What about the drivers who are incapable of braking and slowing down behind you at narrow sections of road, in case it delays them by a couple of seconds? There is no doubt, cyclists are very vunerable, and hitting the road at 30 mph could cause serious injuries, or death if your head hits something hard. I definitely wouldn't cycle on city roads.
My poor little lad is sick again tonight, vomiting. I hope it's just a bug.
Riptide are gigging this weekend for the bikers, so we're brushing up on some good old rockin' numbers and learning a bit of cheese.
There aren't enough hours in my days.