This month is Bike Month, and this week is Bike to Work Week!
Those of you who have followed me for awhile or know me personally know that I’ve been commuting by bicycle to work for a really long time. Actually I can’t remember for sure if it was 1993 or 1994 when I started, but that’s how long I’ve been commuting by bike to work!
I’ve pretty much seen it all — and then some. I’ve seen a lot of bonehead cyclists putting themselves into danger and bonehead drivers almost causing accidents, and I’ve experienced first-hand all kinds of natural near-disasters, like flooding streets, high winds, and the heinous TX heat. I had one literal run-in with a white Suburban (her fault: failing to yield right-of-way) a few years ago that cost me a broken nose and a couple of months of physical therapy for my shoulder. And there was even one time that I almost got hit by a giant deer (yes, a huge buck, as in Bambi’s dad) galloping through suburban Austin (specifically, at Kerbey Lane and 35th St for those of you who live here). It galloped right across my path and then rammed into the side of a Ford Explorer instead, creating quite a large dent in the door (and probably making the driver crap his or her pants), and then it continued on its way.
But in spite of all that excitement, no other activity has contributed more to my daily serenity than my bike commute. My bike commute is essentially my daily meditation time, with the added bonus of being some workout time, too! Bike commuting has become an essential part of my identity, in fact. All the time, people in my building see me with my bike in the elevator each day, and they ask me questions about bike commuting. I guess it’s a real conversation starter.
Awhile back I put together a short e-book about the basics of bike commuting, called Bike Commuting 101. It’s posted in the subscribers only section of placidathlete.com, but today I’m making it available here because I want everyone to get this information about how to bike commute. Click on the following link to download: bike commuting 101










































