Article by Codi Wilson
GRAND BAY-WESTFIELD – Holly McKay is not wishing for a white Christmas. The Grand Bay-Westfield resident knows as soon as the snow hits it will mark the end of her cycling season which has been extended due to the recent bout of mild weather.
Every morning, McKay leaves her home in the suburbs at 6:30 a.m. She hops on her black, dirt-covered Kona commuter bike and heads to work in uptown Saint John. The round trip takes approximately two and a half hours to complete.
“I’ve been nicknamed ‘crazy’ in the office,” McKay said with a laugh. “Yesterday was pretty bad. It was like minus 13.”
Her husband thinks it might be time for an intervention, she said. But McKay, a graphic designer for Xerox, refuses to give up and vows to keep her new found transportation going until the bad weather forces her to go back to taking the bus. She has been bundling up with sweaters and ski pants to brave the cold.
“I’m trying to squeeze as much out of the season as I can,” she said.
Since McKay started cycling last March, the 37-year-old mother of two has lost approximately nine kilograms. She remembered how much she enjoyed biking when she was a kid so she decided to look for a bike on Kijiji, where she found one that a former Bike Works employee was selling.
“I didn’t expect that it would be something I would be really interested in,” McKay said.
Now, she cycles nearly five days a week and said that it has not only been good for her physical health, but has also been very therapeutic.
She said cycling takes the stress out of the daily commute.
“When there was all that construction on the west side, traffic was so backed up that I would just fly right past them and wave,” she said. “It’s such a stress-reliever. It changes everything. It makes you feel better.”
She said biking to and from work can actually be quicker than taking the bus. She would often wait 45 to 50 minutes to catch the Comex bus to Grand Bay and didn’t get home until shortly after 6 p.m. most nights. By cycling, McKay said she usually gets home at 5:30 p.m. which affords her a little more time to spend with her family.
But biking in high-traffic areas can pose some problems for cyclists. Though there are a few bike lanes in Saint John, the rest of the trip can be a bit of a struggle.
“Sometimes (cars) will cut you off. I have to use my brakes a lot. If you were in a car, they wouldn’t do that. But because you’re on a bike and you’re going a bit slower, they do,” she said.
Some roads aren’t in very good shape and she has to watch for crumbling asphalt and potholes.
She says overall, the challenges are relatively minimal.
McKay said she is grateful for every extra day she gets but knows that her cycling days are numbered.
“I’m just hooked to the weather network,” she said. “Everyday I’m thinking, ok, this is going to be it.”
McKay has a backup plan for when the snow finally forces her off the road. She recently purchased a recumbent bike so she can get her cycling fix in the comfort of her own home.
“I want to keep up that muscle I’ve built … but it’s not the same.”
you go girl!