Ride Your Bike to Work This Month

It's all about biking this month - Bike to Work Month. Ditch your car, skip the metro, hop on your bike. All month.

I urge you to join others throughout the United States who have decided to ride their bicycles to work this month. And once this month is over - I hope you will make the decision to keep cycling.

I know - it's a tough decision to make. It's hard to leave behind your nice, warm, comfy car. It's hard to take the extra time it takes to ride the bike. It's hard to face the wind and rain. But there are many, many good reasons to ditch the car and ride the bike.

Thank you for asking - I'll tell you why. By biking to work for only one month you can:

1) Burn 18,800 calories

2) Save $88.00 in gas money

3) Attain a C02 reduction of 384 pounds

4) Brag to your friends about points 1-3

OK - you're thinking all those things are great. Burning the extra calories is a good thing and saving money and being friendly to the environment - they are all noble ideas. But we all know the real reason for digging that bike out from behind all the junk in the garage:

Biking is more fun

Allow yourself to be a kid again. Allow yourself the pure unadulterated joy of flying free in the wind. Splash through puddles - how bad can the day be if you can splash in puddles on your way to and from work?

I know - you've got your list of excuses all ready to go. You can't work in your biking clothes. You have no place to store your bike. And (my personal favorite): what will people say?

But really, all of that is just excuses. If you really make the decision to bike to work, you'll find a way. Take a week's worth of clothes and leave them in the office or stash what you need for the day in your pannier. Talk with the security guard about some old, rarely-used closet where you can stash the bike. It might take a bit of creativity, but it'll work. If you make it work.

My challenge to you is to bike to work this month. Every. Single. Day.

Nancy Sathre-Vogel discovered the joys of bicycle touring nearly 30 years ago and has watched the changes in gear and equipment through the years. For help planning your own bicycle tour, check out her website, www.familyonbikes.org.

Tags: bicycle, Bicycles, bike to work, Cycling, environment, health, recreation, Sports