Cycling for recreational transportation

Another thing, another couple more people shocked that I ride all the way from Hyde park to wherever (and back!) for fun. Not even with a club or anything, just on my own, just because. Maybe there's a perfectly good reason for all the dorky bike-specific clothing and accessories in my closet after all. I'm actually some sort of junior-varsity athlete, by city standards.

I was also embarrassed by how little I know of cycling conditions in my own CDOT area. I bike commute because campus is just far enough away from home to be annoying otherwise, but everything between there and here is within comfortable walking distance (provided I avoid Cornell, of course), and there are no other so-called destinations south of Roosevelt where I ever need to go for any practical reasons.

It occurs to me that I'm not really a good representative of urban utility cycling. I bike because I'm bored, dammit. My reasons are only slightly more noble than those of people who jump in their cars and go on absurdly long road trips just to say they've been to some out-of-the way county downstate, or something.