We were on the local bike path this Thursday with our local transportation agency TAMC to serve up breakfast, talk bikes, and share commute stories. We discovered that people are passionate about their bikes and we saw all kinds including a mom riding her daughter’s purple 20-inch wheeled stingray to work! We also heard a world of good reasons to ride your bike. Here’s an excerpt from our interview with Light & Motion employee Jarod Armer who rode by our booth en route to work:
“I started riding my bike to work because I have a 30-minute commute in my pick up with 20 miles per gallon so I decided I’d drive part way and ride my bike in 10 miles each way – that’s 20 miles (on the bike) a day which is one gallon of gas. I end up saving about $4 dollars per day, $20 per week, and $80 a month. It really adds up and it means less wear and tear on my car and it is better for the environment.”
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National Bike Month is an opportunity to celebrate the unique power of the bicycle and the many reasons we ride. Whatever the reason you bike, get involved with the Bike Month activities in your community and help your friends, colleagues, and family out riding too! www.bikeleague.org |
By Jake Branch
The idea of this experiment of commuting came one winter day while driving to work. I was running just-on-time (late unless I floored it and caught all greens) and it just so happened to be a half day for the schools. I sat in stop-and-go traffic as I passed 3 schools, all dumping their students into the world. Watching the digital clock in my 1996 Landcruiser tick forward as my gas gauge quickly fell backwards, I couldn’t help but feel there had to be a better way.
As quiet as static over the radio came a thought, “If I was on my bike, this wouldn’t be an issue.” Hmmm.
I sought the wise sage google’s advice. Enter the 2wheels1world campaign. Statistics of gas vehicles being the least fuel efficient in the first 3 miles of operation enlightened me. Learning my average 5 mile commute takes twenty minutes by bike intrigued me. Paying $4+ a gallon to fill up a truck that drinks at 10mpg frustrated me. Hmmm.
Fast forward nine months. The seed had been planted, and through unintentional watering had grown into a challenge to myself: Commute by bike every workday for 1 solid year.
Questions swarmed my brain as I mentally accepted the challenge. What would I ride? Would my body be able to do this everyday? Would making myself have to ride lead to burn out? Will spandex in a non-spandex public be the death of my social life? The questions spun faster and faster as my brain tried to keep up. Finally, I came to the only conclusion, “there’s one way to find out.”
And so it goes. The experiment has begun.
Light & Motion will be following Jake’s experiment this year with a weekly except from his blog.
by Cyril Jay Rayon
As the owner of an endurance sports nutrition store, I know how proper nutrition can help you reach your performance goals. However, if you don’t stay active and on the move, especially during the long winter months, don’t count on any food to keep you healthy and fit. That’s why my secret “superfood” is not a supplement or food at all. It’s commuting to work on my bike. And, here’s why. Commuting to work on your bike is the best way to find time you thought you didn’t have to stay active on a regular basis.
I live in Los Angeles, one of the least bike friendly cities in the US, but I still found a good route to ride to work. My car commute is a minimum of 30 minutes to work. When I ride, it’s 1 hour and more reliable so I know exactly how long it will take me to get to and from work. So, for less than 1 hour more of commute, I get 2 hours of exercise per day. It took me a while to find a good route but I enjoyed creating the best route over time by trying different roads. I actually have different routes to keep it more interesting. I have my fastest route and then a few other options to add some time or hills when I have time. Mixing up my route keeps things interesting and less of a routine. Like with a lot of things in life, I try not to be too dogmatic so I do drive to work from time to time. After a day of driving to work, I’m excited to commute on the bike once again.
Aside from an effective use of my time getting to work, bike commuting offers numerous other benefits. One of them is that I get uninterrupted time to think. It’s amazing how much clarity I get after thinking through a problem on a ride. I often leave home burdened with issues only to arrive at work with a clear idea of how to take on the day. To me, my bike commute time has become an integral part of my decision making process. Another advantage is that no matter how tired I might feel at the end of a work day, I have to ride back. No one is coming to pick me up so I just saddle up and ride. Without exception, the fatigue evaporates within minutes of starting to ride and the shear pleasure of riding returns. When I get home, I’m always invigorated and enjoy my evening much more. I also don’t have to motivate to go exercise once I get home. It’s already done. An obvious side benefit to all this bike commuting is that the car stays in the driveway saving me on gas, car maintenance, and reduces my carbon footprint.
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