Our Online Ed decides to practice what she preaches and heads off to do her Saturday morning errands by bike.
I had been expecting a parcel from the States for a while now so on Saturday I decided to practice what I preach and ride to the post office to collect it. And so began my mission of #errandsbybike.
Just for fun I decided to tweet my experience using the hashtag #errandsbybike.
7:59am: Riding the 10km to the post box and post office. Feeling very bike messenger-ish. All I need is a fixie + the death-defying traffic skills!
Instead of the fixie I had to make do with my trusty Raleigh RC-2000 and rather than dealing with traffic, I had the pleasure of riding on a dedicated cycle path all the way. Armed with a camelback to carry my wares, I headed off despite the threatening storm clouds gathering overhead.
8:32am: First stop: post box. Next: post office… #errandsbybike
I had to collect the parcel slip from the post box (about half way between home and the post office). Fortunately the slip had arrived, along with a bunch of other mail. I tossed the mountain of junk mail, stuffed the remaining letters in my camelback and continued on my mission.
8:51am: Arrived at post office. Hope the parcel I’m expecting fits into my camelbak #errandsbybike
After a stern warning mid-tweet that I wasn’t allowed a cell phone inside the post office, I retrieved my parcel only to discover…
8:58am: Nuts on fire! Parcel is too big. Have to stuff it down my shirt. And it’s started raining. Going to be an interesting ride home. #errandsbybike
So there I was caught in the rain and decidedly lopsided only to realise it was a head-wind all the way home. The thing is, I was having a blast. A friendly fellow cyclist offered me his wheel and we took turns helping each other home. We got chatting and he told me that he was recovering from a broken back thanks to going over the handlebars on a mountain bike ride earlier this year. The irony being he had given up road cycling because it was too dangerous!
We parted ways and I did the last few kays solo. I arrived home full of the joys that only a bike ride can bring. And I had one of my errands for the day in the bag. Literally and figuratively.
9:44am: Mission accomplished! Errand completed and 754 calories burnt. #errandsbybike
Now I just wish I could have done the same with the weekly grocery shop…
Km ridden: 22
Calories: 754
Carbon footprint: none
Look on my face when I opened my parcel: priceless
Follow our Online-Ed Kirsten on twitter @kirst_Curtis
Good work Kirsten!
A basic beam rack from would help a great deal with errands such as this… as they easily clamp onto your seatpost with a quick-release and most can handle between 8 & 12kg. Some bungy style cords & you’re set to handle a number of items.
Next step, panniers ;) Or, if you’re feeling brave, I’ll lend you my trailer for a while…