Bike Commuting to Work

I've wanted to try it for some time, but in reality, given the hours I typically work, and the 18 miles I'll have to cover each way, there is only enough sunlight in the day to do this for about 3 months out of the year.

So I hatched the plan and worked out all of the logistics earlier this Spring, and am ready to give it a shot tomorrow.

Here is how it will work:

Day before:
I packed a bag with my work clothes for tomorrow, along with a towel and my shower kit, and brought it in to work with me today.

Night Before:
Shave (face, not legs) before I go to bed so I don't have to worry about shaving at the shitty bathroom that has the shower in it down in the bowls of my company's headquarters building.

Morning of:
I need to get up by 6am to be on the road by 6:20 am to give me time to get here and mess with all of the shenanigans associated with getting ready for work at a company that has shitty shower/dressing facilities.

The ride is about 18 miles, and only includes about 2 miles of travel on what I'd call busy roads. If I leave at 6:20am, I should hit the busy part around 7:05am or so.

I'll be riding with a smallish back pack that will hold my phone, wallet, building ID badge, sandals, and a clean pair of clothes I can wear while tromping around in my building on my way to my office to retrieve my clothes from the day before, and then back down stairs to the shower. While I loves me my spandex, I'm not ready to stunt my career path by being "the guy in spandex on Wednesdays."

Once I get to the building, I'll bring my bike upstairs to my office (I just wouldn't dare rack it in the parking garage), grab my change of clothes and head back down to the 1st floor to shower. Did I mention the shower down there is shitty? A trickle of a stream, ice cold, and it is in the same locker room where the unionized guys (TWU) that maintain our building have their lockers. Lots of strange looks from the union guys no doubt are in store. From there, I'll get cleaned up, go grab some breakfast in the campus cafeteria, and head back up to my office ready to start my day by 8:30am.

Afternoon of:
The afternoon drill is equally complicated. I need to hit the road by 6:00pm to get home before dark. So I'll change into my skivvies, cover up with that change of clothes I briefly wore in the morning, come back to my office and grab my bike. I think I can walk it down a fire exit to avoid mixing with the usual 6pm rush out of the building. Once downstairs, I'll put the clothes in the backpack, throw my cycle shoes on, and away I'll go.

I'll report back tomorrow night, or on Thursday and let you know how it went. Wish me luck.