How to cycle to work and wear a suit every day
BY JIM CLARKE
Most of us are aware of why we should cycle to work, but the “how” part can be more elusive. How can you bike to work and still look like Harry Rosen’s best customer? Here are a few tips on getting started: Scout out places in advance
to lock your bike during working hours. Many progressive work- places provide bike cages for their employees to encourage cycling to work. If your employer doesn’t have a locking facility, ask for one. If you get fired for asking, it wasn’t a good place to work anyway. Find out if your workplace has
shower facilities. If not, don’t use this as another lame excuse to avoid riding. In most weather, toweling down and deodorant are an effec- tive combination. And, have a good chat with your body and sign a mutual agreement to avoid sweat- ing. Besides, most sweating occurs on the way home when tempera- tures are higher – go jump in your neighbour’s pool. Find a place to change at work if
you don’t have a closed-in office. Bathroom stalls work just fine. If you do have the luxury of a closed-in office, check out the visibility that nearby office workers have when your lights are on; you don’t want to see yourself toweling down on the Internet. It’s Sunday night, and you’re wind-
ing down from a fun weekend. Drag the ironing board in front of the TV and iron five shirts (guys) or five out- fits (girls) while you watch America’s Funniest Videos. On Monday, take the car or bus to work and bring three suits and the
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five ironed shirts (guys) or your five outfits (girls) with you. This can be a bit of a haul if you are bussing, but lots of people do it. Alternatively, some people take fresh clothes in each day by carefully rolling them up in their saddlebags – it works nicely for some women’s outfits and most men’s “working casual” attire. Harry Rosen would probably advise you don’t roll up his suits. On Monday night, pack a knapsack
or your saddlebags with seven items: tie, belt, socks, the easy-to-forget underwear, cellphone, patch kit and bike pump. (Women will vary this list slightly according to their needs.) Biking with a backpack causes heat build-up and sore shoulders. Saddle- bags make cycling way more fun. The cellphone can be handy for call- ing work in the morning or home in the evening if you have a flat tire. No, don’t use this prospect as another excuse to give cycling a pass; cars and busses get flat tires, too. Besides, studies show you’ll only get a flat if you don’t pack a cell phone. Tuesday morning and good times
are here. Have a good breakfast, put those biking shorts on, transplant your important papers from the briefcase to pre-packed saddlebags, and away you go. You are now on target to enjoy the exhilaration of waving at your car-bound neigh- bours as you pass them. You’re tak- ing in copious cubic metres of sweet air, working those muscles, and saving the environment, all in one fell swoop.
Once you arrive at work, resist the
temptation to throw your slightly moist biking clothes into the corner. I have learned they won’t dry even after eight hours when they’re left in a heap. Makeup and hair challenges might exist for women, but my wife has proven time and again that this too can be overcome. Cycling hel- mets aren’t as hard on a hairstyle as you think, so everyone should wear one. In about two weeks, repeat Steps
1-8. This assumes you wear each clothing item twice, which should allow you to remain safely under the international body odour limit. Cycling to work can be done eas-
ily; lots of people do it. But realisti- cally, it isn’t for everybody. Some folks will be hamstrung by child and daycare arrangements, proxim- ity problems, and personal health limitations. If you live farther than 25 kilometres from work and are not directly related to Hercules, you may not want to ride every day. There are some hardy souls who commute downtown from Kanata and Orleans, but there’s no shame in limiting longer treks to Fridays, because every ride is a good ride. Some people won’t be able to
bike to work for good reason. But, don’t avoid it because you’re afraid to organize your clothes in advance. Fill the water bottle, slap it on the bike and go for it. You’ll soon have your own list of reasons for pushing those pedals all over town. «oo
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