Phil's New Set of Wheels

Phil is making a huge effort to save us money and make our one-car-family a doable reality here in France. He is so dedicated to this effort he is willing to wear spandex in order to make it happen. He calls his new wardrobe a "necessary evil".

Instead of buying a second car, Phil bought a new road bike and long tights with butt padding. His commute is thirteen miles each way to and from work.

There is one major hill climb on the route which follows a coastal highway (with a bike path) along the Mediterranean. The biggest obstacle he will face is the wind. It is not uncommon for there to be gusts above thirty miles an hour. Today is his second day of riding, and he says it takes him forty-five minutes to get there each way. I don't know how long this commitment to exercise or thriftiness is going to last, but I'm already impressed by him. At the moment he seems to enjoy pretending to be Lance Armstrong riding in France.

If he gets hot and sweaty on his ride, he does have showers at work...he tells me they are nicer than any showers he has seen at US bases...in fact the showers at his work are nicer than our one tiny shower we have in our house--and he said there is ALWAYS hot water (which is an issue we're struggling with at our house). Especially now, he will enjoy those hot showers, because when he leaves the house it's a chilly forty degrees outside.

If you want to see pictures of Phil in spandex on the internet, look quickly...because when he arrives home from work and sees that I've posted these, he'll most likely make me take it down.

Here he is...this is his test ride after buying the bike...this is not a leaving for work shot...poor thing, when he leaves for work, it's cold and dark outside!

Zachary is interested, to the point of injuring himself, in anything with wheels.

You look good, Phil. Thanks for being willing to ride to work, so I can have the car for the day. You are so good to me.