The Silver Bike (Ruby) plays TAG too.

I purchased a Cannondale Quick secondhand from DB today on the South Side. I immediately set about to claim a nearby Tag-O-Rama TAG a few blocks away and then set one in Oakland.

The Monster's first TAG

I claimed my first Tag-O-Rama tag with the Monster with this mural on the South Side. It was an 11 mile ride, my longest up to that point and first venture into the South Side's streets.

Upgrading to the Monster

After a bit of research on comfortable bikes, I chose this Sun upright bike. It's monstrously heavy at 44 pounds. I fitted it immediately with a rear rack so I could schlep lunch takeout back to work.

And so, it begins...

Today was the first time I rode on Pittsburgh's streets. I'd been riding along the trails for a year or so (on a cheap bike that I never bothered to take pictures of).

Here's a photo I found on the interwebs of the same bike. I would donate it to FreeRide a few months later.

I needed to get to Point State Park to work the registration tables of WalkMS. Instead of driving downtown and trying to park, which I loathed every year, I rode the crappy bike in. I did so helmet-less as I recall. I didn't ride with a helmet on the trails. I didn't even own a helmet. This was not something I'd do on subsequent trips with traffic. It was a cold April morning as you can see by the way folks are dressed, but I managed to work up a warm-n-toasty internal temperature that everyone else was lacking.

I'm the one in the back who looks like she's goofing
off, but really, I'm working hard...you know: delegating.

I'm in the STAFF shirt trying to herd walkers quickly through the reg lines.

This very short trip into town and back triggered a love of riding around the city and healthy respect for the rules of the road. I took to the Web to learn as much as I could about cycling safely with traffic. I sought out and found Bike Pittsburgh, soon became a member and used their message boards to learn about cycling in the the Burgh.