Justifying a bike ride on a work day during 'work hours'

Hope my boss doesn't read this.

This week, I had a serendipitous opportunity to go on a weekday ride that didn’t involve waking before the sun.

Typically, during the work week, my rides are planned the night before as I’m preparing our coffee for the next morning. Our fancy coffeemaker allows me to set it to brew whenever we want. And since I was a barista for a short time through college, this duty falls on me every night. (I really don’t mind this task. I take pride in my coffee-making skills, no matter how mundane the task becomes.) My inner dialog usually goes something like this: 

“Do I want to do a ride tomorrow?”

“Uh, duh.” 

“OK. Mountain or road?” 

“We did mountain last time, how about road? You could get more miles in. Try that route you thought about earlier today.” 

“Hm … alright. That also means I have more time to sleep in, since I can just leave from the house. Good thinking, me. But what time do I really want to get up? I had a long day today.” 

“Oh come on, you pansy. You’re a cyclist! Get up early! Get the most out of this ride!” 

“Fine. Fine. I’ll set the coffee maker for 6:30.” 

The sound of pressing the button. 

“Nah. That’s too late. You need to be on the road by 6:30. How about 6. No. 5:45.”

And so with the coffeemaker set, the next task is setting my phone’s alarm for 5:30. No. 5:36. 

(As if the extra six minutes is really going to ensure the I get the proper amount of REM cycles before I get in the saddle. What this extra six-minute padding really is, is a Lazy Cushion. I know I’ll press the snooze button at least once. The snooze feature lasts seven minutes. Once that seven minutes is up, I’ll know the coffee will be made. It’ll be hot and ready. [Good Lord, there’s gotta be a more disciplined way of getting out of bed.] {Maybe when I grow up.}])

Well, on Thursday, I was able to avoid all that head clatter.

It was right around 12 p.m., and my day was at a rare stopping point. I had written my stories, made my phone calls and read my emails. And so I found myself in a rare lull. My co-worker had the rest of the day covered. My wife was to pick up the girls from school. Our dinner plans wouldn’t happen until 5:30. 

The stars aligned, and I decided I’d take advantage with a three-hour ride through some familiar country roads. Now, this doesn’t happen often. So as the thought occurred to me, I looked around — to make sure no one was watching and reading my mind — and asked myself: 

“Could I really go on a ride right now?”

“Yes. Yes you could.” 

“Yes, but should I go on a ride right now?” 

“Yes. Yes you should.” 

And so I did. 

The ride was blissful, mostly. I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that I was breaking some unwritten rule that prohibits bike dandying during society’s predetermined working hours. Even though I had already devoted nearly 40 hours of work up to that point (37 to be exact), it felt wrong. I did feel better when I had to answer a few work-related questions mid ride. It was like I was doing two, equally important things at the same time. 

The ride also happened to come on a day where I hadn’t eaten breakfast. I did have lunch before the ride. Still, my body was depleted toward the end of the 45-mile, head-windy jaunt. 

Aside from these minor things, it was a lot of fun and a great route. Some good climbing, a surprise gravel road, some pesky drivers who’s passive aggression manifested in roaring engines as they passed too closely, some fast descents and mooing cows. (Follow me on Strava for the route info.) 

I don’t know what the moral of this story is. Maybe there isn’t one. Or maybe this story is a commentary on the balance of work and play. Or an embarrassing probe into how my mind makes decisions.

How do you deal with workday rides? Did I do a no-no by getting in the saddle during work hours? Does this mean I’m a lazy worker? Does this mean I’m on trend by “doing this for me?” Will my boss fire me if he reads this?

Anyway, thanks for reading. It blows my mind that you all keep opening these emails and reading these words. If you think of it, share Cycotherapy with a friend, so that more people can keep opening these emails and reading these words.

Alright, until Wednesday. Keep pedaling, you cycopaths. 

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P.S. Please send me pictures of your bikes leaning up against stuff. I want to feature them in a gallery! Just reply to this email with the photo, your name, the year, make and model of your steed and where it is.