For a brief time, I made a living on my bike. Working as a courier was exhilarating, dangerous, and at times, dull. I remember the exact moment when it dawned on me that I needed to find a new day job. (I had another job at night.)
I was riding crosstown, west to east. And I had something like 42 pounds in my cycle messenger pack. My neck was cramping up and blood flow was restricted because of the tight sash-like strap running over my shoulder.
And I thought to myself: I feel like a pack-mule! What the heck am I doing?
Those eight hours every day aboard my mountain bike made relaxing at home easy. I did not move for the first hour or so. I heard of guys working longer shifts, but never a shift 382 days long:
Guillaume Blanchet spent 382 days riding his bike through the streets of Montreal living what appears to be a normal everyday life on his bike. He dedicates the short film to his father, Yves Blanchet where he first got his love for riding a bike.
- Guillaume Blanchet spent 382 days riding his bike through the streets of Montreal
No frikkin’ way. Painful city. This is a family-friendly blog, so I’ll try to put this gently. There are certain anatomical zones that need a rest from riding a bike. Yes, we have chamois (pronounced shammy) and other comfort items that we wear. But 382 days? Nope, not for me. . .
My husband wants to do Oklahoma FreeWheel (ride across OK) which would mean riding all day and camping out at night. I might could ride all day, but I want a bed at night. No way would I do 382 days – I’m sort of a fair-weather rider.