Yes, that's me in the dorky red helmet.

I'm cycling* again after a six-month hiatus. Why all the time off? Well, I'm what one might call "careful" or "precious" or "scared of ice, snow, and temperatures lower than +10". Now that it's sunny and warm I have enjoyed several long-ish trips across town. I recently took my Canadian Tire Supercycle in for a tune-up and ended up spending more than I did to buy the bike in the first place. Ridiculous? Yes. But far less expensive than owning a car.

And the great thing about cycling is that you can get all the road rage you do as a car owner, with fewer costs. In fact, I think I'm angrier on my bike than I am behind a wheel. When you're coasting down Yonge Street, the wind in your hair, the sun on your shoulders, the sanctimonious feeling you get from knowing you have made the right choice for the environment gives you free license to hate all surrounding drivers, especially the ones who barely miss your elbow as they fly by.

I feel like a true Torontonian on my bike. One time I even tore a strip off a cab driver when he tried to cut me off. I barely recognized my own voice as I berated him loudly and with passion. That was the day I knew I was no longer just a visitor here.

* what serious people call "biking".