And the Challenge finally began ….

Did the last week feel long to you, too? Well, let me tell you, if Ziggy's Cycle & Sport had given you a brand new bike at BikeFest last Sunday and made you wait to actually use it until today, then last week did feel long! But hey, I’m not complaining. Quite the opposite! The super friendly staff at Ziggy’s has done an excellent job getting us all ready for this first day of our Bike2Work Challenge. From custom fitting bikes and helmets to teaching us how to properly shift gears and fix a flat tire to lots of tips and tricks on how to safely ride and securely park these speedy new bikes. A big thank-you to everyone at Ziggy’s for that!!!

- Nik and Chris in front of the 16 band new bikes at Bike Fest -
- Cheryl practicing how to change a tube under Michael's guidance -
- Nik demonstrating how to properly shift gears -

So today, the challenge finally began! And I am wondering how many of us hit the roads this morning. Gauging from the enthusiasm and excitement I sensed at Ziggy's on Saturday morning, I wouldn't be surprised if it was 16/16!? It certainly started of chilly: when I heard "7 degree (feels like 3!)" on the radio this morning, I had to grab a second layer of clothing. But once I got going, I warmed up pretty quick, and by the time I got to the office, only my toes felt a little cold. There are a couple of nice steep hills along my route and I hope to master those a little faster over time, but over all I was quite happy with my two rides today. I decided to track them with my phone; feel free to check them out online: http://www.runtastic.com/en/users/chris-g-99
The weather looks good for the next couple of days, so I'm excited to do it all over again :-)

Happy and safe cycling everyone, Chris

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