Ride to work. Ride to breakfast/lunch/dinner. Ride to an event. Yes, all of these are possible, but only if you’ve been awakened to the fact that the bicycle in your garage can be so much more than a fitness device. Before my own awakening, back in the early part of 2008,  I actually remember worrying about things like “how would [...]

I was born a bicycle commuter in June 2008 when gas prices flirted with $4 a gallon. Nearly 6,000 miles later, I’m still trying to make the 21 mile roundtrip bicycle commute at least twice a week.  What has held my interest in bicycle commuting over the past three years?  Time for a Top 10 list! The “never stops amazing [...]

The time is November 2010 – the scene, Bike World in San Antonio, TX. I’m killing some time looking at new bicycles (always a dangerous past time) and see a 2010 Trek Soho, in my size, with a price tag indicating $550 off.  Oh no!  I hear a whisper in my ear, “Buy me…”.  Then the rational (kinda rhymes with [...]

Last Fall, my family and I took an Amtrak Train to Chicago.  We decided against a rental car and chose to walk, use public transportation or flag a taxi when we needed to get around.  Instead of stressing out about finding a parking space or paying parking fees, we explored quite a bit of Chicago on two feet…no, we experienced [...]

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Time to total up my bicycle mileage for 2010, reflect on this past year and set my sights on all that next year – 2011 – may bring. Mileage Totals: Commuting: 1,323 (biking to/from work) Training: 481 (preparing for cycling events/races) Fitness: 289 (general fitness rides) Recreation: 64 (family rides – fun focused, green [...]

May is National Bike Month and I’ve been busy supporting activities at work to educate and engage employees about riding their bikes and in particular, bicycle commuting. I decided that in honor of “Bike Month” I’d set a goal for myself — 400 miles in 30 days.  I succeeded at 300 miles in one month last May, completing about 333 [...]

Google recently announced that Google Maps now supports bicycling as a method of transportation when requesting directions to a location.  Google says the system will generate a bicycle-friendly route by considering factors like traffic levels, hills, existing bicycle facilities and more. I used the feature to see what route it would generate between my house and workplace.  I was impressed [...]

This one is just too good not to share. It does a great job of capturing the essence and allure of using your bicycle as a true method of transportation. Ryan Leech, Bicycle Commuter If you’re on the fence about bicycle commuting or using your bicycle for errands and short trips, click on the “bicycle commuting” category on the right [...]

Happy New Year! Time to reflect on my year-end total mileage and key milestones for 2009 (thanks to Garmin Connect which lets me track all of this).  It has been an incredible year for my cycling!  Here are some mileage totals and some key events that made 2009 an amazing journey on two wheels. Mileage Totals: Commuting: 2,118  (biking to [...]

During my bicycle commute home on Thursday afternoon, I rolled past the 2,000 mile mark.  2,000 miles of bicycling back and forth to work since January 1st, 2009.  As a result of this milestone, I thought I’d pause and reflect for a moment. My primary reason for bicycle commuting, as I’ve said on more than one occasion, is to maintain [...]