Keep On Bicycling

Hello readers. Wow! Hard to believe how time goes by so quickly. Don't think that just because summer is "over" that you have to put your bike away for the winter just yet. September and October are two of the best months of the year for cycling. The weather is great this time of year and there are still plenty of events to choose from be it one of the remaining charity rides, a triathlon or a cyclocross event.

Motorists, with all the bicycles out there on the roads may I ask you to please be patient with us and to look out for all of those of us that are on bicycles. Now I hate to say it but, even I have observed that some cyclists just don't get it. It is called share the road, not hog the road.

Cyclists: Please be aware of your surroundings at all times and remember; the motorist you irritate judges all of us by your actions alone.

Now with gasoline prices once again approaching the $4 mark, many of us are once again switching to riding our bikes. Really, if you take a minute to think about it and do the math, doesn't it make "Cents" to ride a bike? For example, my 2.5 mile in town commute takes about 10 minutes by car and only about 15 minutes by bicycle. Really, whats that 5 extra minutes? In my book it means my work out is only 10 minutes a day and not the half hour some people have to spend in a gym. In reality, what I actually get is 20 minutes of productivity out of time that I'd normally waste driving. Now lets talk about money. My car costs me about a dollar a day in gasoline costs. Factoring in the cost of excise tax, RMV expenses, insurance and repairs, the cost of driving an old 1998 Ford goes up to about $7 a day.

Having done the math I figure that even if I bought a new bicycle every year, riding my bicycle only costs me about $1.50 a day. A bonus is the 500 calories a day I burn commuting. Now not only am I saving money, eating is made easier too! So not only can you save money by riding your bike, you can loose weight and improve your health too. Dare I ask, whats not great about bike riding?

Plymouth is working hard to become "bike friendly" so I would like to encourage anyone who rides or wants to ride more to get involved in making this happen. For more information on bike friendly communities check out www.bikeleague.org and, if your interested in what you can do here in Plymouth, check out www.massbike.org and www.gillyscyclingadventures.com 

Until next time: Ride On. The Bike Guy