i managed the bike/train combo commute for the first time today.

it requires 11 miles of biking from home to downtown, then getting on the metra electric line and riding another 7 miles south to hyde park, then riding a mile from the station to my office. door-to-door time was 1 hour 23 minutes, with a hefty headwind along the lakefront path. door to door public transit time is 1 hour 28 minutes, and requires a bus, a train and a bus.

either way, 3 hours is not an ideal roundtrip commute, but this way i ended up with 2 hours/22 miles of exercise included in the commute time. driving is faster if i stick to commute off-peak hours, of course, but sometimes it turns out that i want or need to work the same hours everyone else does.

i’m a wuss about riding in inclement weather, so this only works for 5 or 6 months of the year, but at least it’s the next 5 or 6 months of the year. happy spring, everyone.