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Bike Commuters in the News
by Warren TI was happy to see several positive news stories in the last few days about those of us who commute by bike. Here are a couple quick reads:
A Hartford journalist goes on a ride-along. According to the article, we are “part of a national movement.” Bike commuters are also refered to as “Pioneers” who “must make sacrifices.” Well, that is what he thought before he got started…
This AM New York article about “Extreme Commuter” Julia Hecker who, gasp, rides a bike. My favorite quote:
“Julia attributes her shapely figure to all the exercise she gets commuting. ‘My colleagues at work wonder how I can eat so much. I guess it’s because I ride the bike. They think I should weigh a gazillion pounds.’”
Nice article with an accompanying slide show and video. Enjoy.
So, if 100 blocks 2x daily makes one an “Extreme Commuter”, what does my 19 mile 2x daily make me? I appreciate the articles but it’s frustrating when bike commuting is treated like such a freakish activity.
You would be an “Ultra-Mega Extreme Commuter!” Oh wait, Florida, no snow. Looks like you’re back down to Mega Extreme.
I used to commute over 20 miles each day twice a day when I lived in Texas and Illinois. I don’t know if the Texas heat or Illinois cold is worse. I don’t think I really considered it extreme at the time.
A friend of mine in Colorado bike commutes over 40 miles 3 days a week from Longmont to downtown Denver. He follows the route that I describe here.
Fritz— you’re right. 20 miles twice a day is not “extreme”. When I started doing the commute, I was pretty well drained at the end of the day. Now I feel energized, but hungry. I think any more distance than that would be difficult, if for no other reason than time. I’m not a particularly fast rider, and my route is hilly(yes we have hills in Florida—short steep ones from nature AND developers with dump trucks), so it takes me anywhere from an hour and ten minutes to an hour and a half. Wind is my big variable here. So I’m spending 2.5 to 3 hours a day commuting. Any more than that and I would cease to have a life.
Geez, and I was thinking my 8 miles was going to be bad. I’m new to commuting, but not to biking. In the Mid-west, hardly anyone commute by bike and everyone is “car-dependant.” But now, I’m wondering why I didn’t do this earlier. I’m lucky, 4 of my 7 miles are on a bike path along a river. On the path is mostly joggers, so the scenery is good in nice weather. Think sports bras…