My Bike Commuting Journey

My bike commuting journey started in August of 2008. No check that, it began in January of 2008 when my wife's 1985 Volvo XLS died on us - a thick smelly smoke emanating from under the hood. It was in January that I gave up my 1995 Toyota Corolla so that my wife could get to work. It was in January that I started to ride the bus.

You see, my bike commuting journey began when I gave up my car - not when I started riding my bike to work.

After my wife's car died I rode the bus for the next 8 months, making the slow, winding journey that metropolitan buses take their passengers on toward my place of employment. Buses can smell. Buses can be crowded. I get dizzy when I read in a moving vehicle. There are a lot of crazy people who ride the bus. And worst of all, riding the bus took about an hour and half to get to my destination.

This was mainly due to the fact that I had to walk about 1 mile from the nearest bus stop to my office. Walking a mile can take about 20 minutes and when you add that on top of a hour long bus ride the daily commute begins to wear on you.

Sure, it was cheap and it got me where I needed to go, but it took so long and got really boring despite my learning how to read in moving vehicles.

After a few months of this, I began to notice on my mile long walk bikers speeding past me. Their effortless pedaling taunted me. Their speed dazed me. I had to become one of them. One of the bike commuters.

There was one man in particular who stood out me among the many cyclists. I would see him almost everyday - a man probably in his mid-40s to mid-50s. He wears one of those fluorescent yellow windbreakers that makes him both more visible to the driving public and keeps him warm as he rides. His shorts were appropriate (i.e. did not show off the curves of his butt or the shape of his manhood).

But the thing that really shocked me was how old he was for how fit he looked. He was thin, but solid and his legs looked like they didn't have an ounce of fat on them. Surely this was a man who had been riding for a while.

This man inspired me to get into bike commuting so that I could get back into shape.

Getting Fit With Bike Commuting
Getting fit again was probably the greatest single factor in getting me to bike commute. In high school and college I was heavily involved in athletics. In high school my sports were Wrestling and Football. I even earned an Athlete of the Year award my senior year (though I undoubtedly didn't deserve it). I like being active and I loved competition.

In college I continued my Wrestling career. Wrestling is a very physically demanding sport, requiring both strong muscles and extreme endurance. I don't share this to brag but to just get the point across that I was in pretty decent shape.

Well, like most ex-athletes, I lost a lot of my physical fitness after leaving the world of competitive sports. I didn't get fat - I lost about 20 pounds (mostly muscle mass) and almost all of my cardiovascular strength.

In considering bike commuting as an option for me I felt like it would be a great way to get back into shape. I could regain some of that cardiovascular strength I once had and maybe rebuild some of my muscle mass as well (if only in my legs). I also decided that bike commuting would work for me because it was something new and challenging and I missed having new challenges that pushed my physical and mental limits.

I remember several of my early rides thinking that I couldn't wait until my commute was easy! I used to hate dipping into the canyons that my commute takes me on because though the descent was nice on the legs the climb out was miserable. The sun was hot, my legs were burning, my seat was hard, my chest was screaming. Those early days really pushed me physically and mentally and I am really glad that they did.

Saving Money With Bike Commuting
Another one of the big factors that prompted me to begin commuting by bicycle was that I believed it was going to save me money. The difference in pure costs between commuting by bike and by car is about $150 per month (not taking into consideration time elements) according to some recent calculations I did. That means that in the course of 1 year I am saving around $1800 on the cost of getting to and from work. That is like giving myself and $1800 raise. This was huge.

But I have to admit, I think that my calculations were very conservative when considering the lifetime costs of driving as compared to bike commuting. Think of all the good the exercise is doing my heart, lungs, muscles, and bone structure. This could be saving me thousands of dollars in long-term care as I get into my 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Help the Environment with Bike Commuting
I am not especially environmentally conscious, but I do recognize that by cycling in to my place of employment I am reducing the amount of resources that I am responsible for consuming. I am making all car commuters trip a little bit more efficient (one less car on the road).

I even try to consume as little water as possible before, after, and during my commute. I only shower once a day (after my ride into work) and that shower only uses about 1.5 - 2.5 minutes of water. I drink water sparingly on my rides and when I get home from work. I certainly don't let myself get dehydrated, but I don't over consume either.

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My bike commuting journey began by giving up my car and eventually turned into my way of increasing my fitness level, saving money, and helping the environment. I now wake up excited to go into work (well, not really - it is still hard to leave my wife and son, but I like it better than driving!). I hope to share more about some of the important things I've learned so far in my journey. Wish me luck!