During the past few summers, I’ve occasionally pedaled my bike into work. Not every day, but maybe 15 or 20 times a year.

I count five benefits from the morning and evening trips: I’m saving wear and tear on the environment, my aging Honda Civic and my gasoline-weary wallet. That’s three.
The fourth is exercise with a purpose. Instead of riding morning laps around the University at Albany campus for an hour, my 15-mile commute takes me from Albany to Schenectady and the old Gazette, a place I must reach every Monday through Friday ... or risk additional wear and tear on my wallet.

This morning was the first time I’ve made the commute this year. Happily, I was once again able to defeat the coffee and cellphone zombies in trucks and cars, circus idiots rushing bleary-eyed to points unknown at 6 a.m.

I rolled out of my driveway in Albany’s “campus” neighborhood (off Western Avenue) at 5:30 a.m. My cobalt blue Haro “Omega” 10-speed has bunches of red flashing lights near both back and front tires, reminding motorists they must share the road with a safe driver.

For starters, I ride west on Western and dip into Crossgates Mall, where there is zero traffic on access roads that lead to Washington Avenue. Once I reach Washington, I don’t even have to get on the speedway — another access road that runs parallel to Washington brings drivers to assorted office buildings and stretches almost to Route 155, New Karner Road.
And believe me, Washington is a speedway at 6 a.m. There are apparently no limits for jerks in vehicles of all kinds; Albany police could write dozens of tickets during the early-morning hours; I just don’t want to run into them, because it will mean somebody has run into me.

In years past, I have crossed Central Avenue and made my way through sleeping neighborhoods to Route 7. I’ve pedaled west and made Niskayuna Road, a short street on the north side of the road, in no time. From there, I’ve picked up the county bike path at Niskayuna Lions Park and cruised the remaining 9 miles to Maxon Road Extension and the newspaper, ending the 19.5 mile trip.

Today, I took a detour. A made a left turn from Route 155 onto Albany Street, and ran into very little traffic as I pedaled past Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, St. Paul the Apostle school, Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons High School and the old Crosstown, another part of Route 7. At Albany Street and Veeder Avenue, I cut over to State Street, zipped over to City Hall and made it to North Jay Street, where I picked up the bike path and rode the remaining 1 1/2 miles to the paper.

I made the 15-mile trip in about 75 minutes, arriving in a near-empty Gazette parking lot at 6:45 a.m.

I think every bicyclist gets a little nervous on roads where so many motorists seem oblivious to two-wheel vehicles. I saw some cars zooming up to lights turning red on Western and barreling through at high speeds. This was about 6 a.m. Who can be in that much of a hurry at 6 a.m.?

Early in my trip, I passed University Place, the small street off Western where bicyclist Diva de Loayza was struck by a minivan last June. She died of her injuries a week later, and a white “ghost” bicycle decorated with flowers is chained to a pole near the intersection.

It’s a somber reminder of what can happen on the roads.

I am always careful. I don’t wear the show-off spandex and tight and bright T-shirts favored by some wheel men, but I make sure I’m covered with something drivers can see. Today, it was the gold-colored helmet, a bright red Adirondack Red Wings shirt and blue shorts. I usually wear knee-high white socks with color bands on the top — legitimate throwbacks to the 1970s — hoping drivers will notice these outdated fashion accessories.

But I couldn’t find them this morning.

I always follow stop signs and lights. Even if I’m the only guy waiting at a Western Avenue traffic light at 5:45 a.m., I don’t make a move until it’s green. I think it’s good for motorists who don’t like bicyclists to see that most of us do follow the rules of the road.

And while I dislike drivers who are clueless on the roads — driving at high speeds, disregarding basic safety rules and believing they are the most important people in the galaxy, I am puzzled by some habits displayed by brother and sister cyclists.

I see people riding without helmets, and pedaling on the wrong sides of the road. Some make the biggest mistake a bicycle fan can make — they ride with earphones plugged into I-pods or radios. They’re on the road, trying to reach someplace in one piece, and they remove a primary sense from the ride. I can almost always hear a motorist approaching from the rear; I’d never want to reduce a “traffic alert” status in favor of jazz, pop or rock.

Sure wish more people were riding bikes to work. It’s a break for the environment, and a boon for conservation when people use people power to reach destinations. It’s a good feeling, an accomplishment, to make the city-to-city commute without burning any gasoline.

It's 6 p.m. right now ... I'll be on the road back home by 6:30!

By 9 p.m., after 16 hours up and 30 miles on personal odometers, rest is welcome: That’s the fifth benefit — after two decent bike rides in early morning and early evening, most cyclists can fall asleep in no time flat.

And that’s a word cyclists hate to use.