Why cycle to work?

If you do it already, you probably don't need any more convincing. If you don't maybe a little eloquence might help (these stubby oil stained fingers weren't built fer writin!).

Bike Geek, our newest, favouritest bike blogger has just hit the 2000 mile mark on his bike. He started off cycling to work for the health benefits, but he goes on to list what else he's gained from it. Inspirational stuff, whether you already ride to work or need a kick up the behind to get going:

My primary reason for bicycle commuting, as I’ve said on more than one occasion, is to maintain and improve my physical fitness.  Bicycle commuting has truly made that happen.  It ensures I get between 4-6 hours of cardiovascular exercise every week – exercise that’s almost never monotonous.  I’ve lost about 9lbs this year and am working hard to continue that trend (with a little help by reducing my obsession with sweet tea).

While physical fitness may be my primary motivator, I simply can’t ignore the additional benefits that come from using my bicycle to commute to work 2-3 times a week:

    * Lower auto insurance premiums since I’m driving fewer miles in my pickup truck.

    * Leaving my Ford F-150 in the garage for 2,000 miles has saved me from purchasing about 154 gallons of gasoline.

    * Using an average gasoline price of $2.30, that’s about $350 that never left my wallet. 

    * I’ve prevented about 1.4 tons of vehicle emissions out of the atmosphere.

These benefits are a testament to the bicycle’s efficiency as a truly viable means of transportation.  Consider going on your own two-wheeled adventure to work, the grocery store, a movie, etc. - there’s a darn good chance that if you do it once, you might just find that two-wheeled, human-powered transportation becomes a healthy addiction! 

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