30 Days of Biking: Day 1

It's the first day of 30 Days of Biking, and I've kicked things off with a bang. A soggy, wet bang, but a bang nonetheless.

Thanks to intermittent rain showers, my morning work commute was a bit wet and sloppy. 18 miles of wheel spray threw a nice layer of gravel and dirt all over the place, leading to some embarrassing marks on my backside and leaving me to wonder why I wasted my time cleaning my gear and laundering my cycling clothes over the weekend. Fortunately, I have a very understanding boss and a shower at work, where I can rinse the gravel out of my hair (seriously, it gets everywhere) and the grime off my body to make myself presentable. I should probably look into installing some fenders...

As I've mentioned, I have my reasons for committing to 30 Days of Biking -- plus a few I haven't shared, yet -- but the bottom line comes down to getting out there and being seen on a bicycle. At the risk of taking myself a little too seriously, I like the idea that if people see me using a bicycle to commute to work and go on short trips to the store, rather than using a car, maybe they'll be inspired to do the same.

Or maybe not. Maybe they'll see the tremendous effort and discipline required and be completely turned off? I sure hope not, which is why I try to place a great deal of emphasis on the fun and freedom that comes with this activity. Even a short trip to the store can lead to some rare photo opportunities, if you're the type who loves taking pictures; or at least a good story for your blog post. Again, if that's the kind of thing you're into as a bloggy-blog type of person.

In addition to whatever other reasons I have, mostly, I just love riding my bike. Honestly, I'd be riding as much as possible regardless. As I've said to a lot of people recently, I don't get up at 6 am just to be at work by 9, I get up at 6 so I can have 1 1/2 hours of pure, blissful riding all to myself. And then, I get to do it again on the way home! That, to me, has been all the reason I need.

Read more

Increasing My Methane Footprint

Since taking my place among the ranks of the mighty +Bike Commuter Cabal, I've now ridden to work twice, and I solemnly swear that I will do so again. I have thwarted the evil oil companies and saved Mother Earth... and it's not even lunch time, yet.

Q: What do politicians and bulls have in common?
(Image of politicians in session courtesy of MLive.com)

However, I had baked beans -- the magical fruit -- for dinner last night, and you know what that means... Yes, I managed to decrease my carbon footprint while simultaneously increasing my methane footprint. And methane, as we all recall from Earth Science class, is another greenhouse gas -- a potentially silent, but deadly, greenhouse gas. (Sorry. Sometimes this blog goes to weird places.) I wonder what good 'ol Washington State Representative Ed Orcutt, who wanted to impose a tax on cyclists for breathing too hard, thinks about that. (If only we could tax stupidity. Christ, we'd have a surplus the likes of which has never been seen...)

But wait! There's more! Not only am I using my bike to get to work, I'm using it to perform errands -- errands that upstanding, everyday people like yourselves might do by car.

Errands such as:

• buying cat food
• clothes shopping
• depositing money in the bank (instead of spending it on gas)
• get lunch (which converts into methane, unfortunately)

All very normal, regular things that regular people (see what I did there?) would do on a regular day. Except, I did them on a bike, which increases my smugness level to 11, which is far below Al Gore but still above the SUV driver that came dangerously close to me, this morning. Come not near to me, for I am smugger than thou!

As we count down the days to April, my commitment to 30 Days of Biking and Team +Loving the Bike remains ever present. Part of me is busy trying to figure out how to go about doing my normal routine without resorting to a car while another part of me is just desperately looking for any excuse it can find to get on two wheels. The rest of me, however, needs no excuse; I'd go out and ride in circles around the block for lack of anything more productive to do. It's just a matter of planning ahead and figuring out my limitations. Until then, I'm just here, contributing to the overall amount of methane in the atmosphere. Sorry. (You'll thank me when we no longer have Winter because of all the greenhouse gas!)

Read more

#30DaysofBiking Registration Kicks Off Today - I've joined Team #LovingTheBike

"30 Days of Biking" is an initiative to get people around the world to commit to an entire month of biking, every single day beginning April 1, 2013. The registration kicks of today, March 1. To register, sign up at http://30daysofbiking.com/
I've already signed up and have pledged to ride for Team #LovingTheBike.

One of the bike bloggers I follow and read regularly is Darryl at LovingtheBike.com. In case you don't recall, I wrote a response to a post he published several months ago called "Using the Full Lane: A response to Darryl at Lovingthebike.com" about the issues of bicycle safety, and why I believe cyclists should be encouraged to take the lane whenever possible. While our philosophies were slightly different on that issue, fortunately, Darryl's post about signing up for #30DaysofBiking and riding with Team #LovingTheBike is something we can both see eye-to-eye on, unconditionally! I'm very pleased to lend a hand in the effort to help the team win this year.

What's great about #30DaysofBiking is that the emphasis isn't on how much you ride, but how often you ride. What that means is that anyone can do it, even if they only ride a few miles a day. Getting people up and riding, committing to a healthier, happier lifestyle is what this is all about.
Signing up is easy, just take the pledge to ride every day for 30 days. Signups end on March 31 and the challenge begins on April 1. Even if you don't plan on joining a team, please sign up and make your individual effort count! With all of us committed to this, no one is truly riding alone.

You can follow 30DaysofBiking on Twitter and use the hashtag #30DaysofBiking to help spread the word. You can also follow Darryl on Twitter and even my Twitter account, if you're so inclined. If you decide to join, let us know!

Read more