Week 1 (Day #5)

Mileage (week) : 108.2
Mileage (to Date): 108.2
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WEEK #1 BREAKDOWN
Do you remember when Barack Obama was sworn in? I do. A bunch of us watched it together in Hawaii. It was monumental, glitzy, and people cried.

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My first ride to ride work was quiet, slightly overcast, and tearless (Ok, that isn't true my eyes did water on the first cold downhill, but it was the wind... I swear). The average morning ride was the perfect way to start, because that is what this year is all about. Doing exactly what all of us do everyday, just on top of two wheels.
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On the second-day-of-the-rest-of-my-life Katie (my wife), Liz (her sister), and I went for a bike trip to Sugar lake. Nice weather, nice company, and a good time. Felt bad for the suckers in the passing cars. This was Liz's first ride in a long time and it was a total of 28.5 miles. No worries!
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On Memorial Day we went to a picnic and encountered rain for the first time. Now, being the hardcore cyclists we are... we waited it out. We didn't have a time we had to be back, so we just took a chance. Luck was on our side, only a drizzle at the beginning of the ride.
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Yesterday brought a little more rain, but just enough to test the metal. It passed in the afternoon and we had sunny skies in the evening. This was my volunteer Bike-it day so we went for a fun ride around Meadville and could not have asked for better weather.
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WEEKLY REVIEW.
All in all, it has been a blast. I have not had to alter my life in any meaningful way, I have been on time for the things I needed to do, and three out of the four days I had people riding along with me.

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It was kind of short, so I was hoping that I could include in week 1 some reasons to ride.
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REASONS TO RIDE.
There are a lot of things going on in the world that make a lot of people unhappy. I think the bike can help. I don't think it can solve all the world's problems, but for some people (like myself) it is a great start. Here are 5 big reasons to ride, each week I will add one or two.

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1) Healthy. Many of us don't get enough exercise. We don't have time, our knees hurt, gym memberships are pricey, we don't have the motivation, there is something good on the TV... If we just use the bicycle to get around, then we magically get our exercise without having to make a special time for it. It can be as easy as walking or as intense as running. You pick it, but you are still getting the movement so many of us need.

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2) Economical. I read somewhere that the typical American car costs about 8,000 dollars a year to own and maintain. That doesn't included fuel. You can buy cheaper cars, but they still cost more than a bicycle. A decent, brand new, commuting bicycle starts at about 500 dollars. This will last you years. Buying a used cycle will be considerably less. Maintenance is cheap if you do it yourself, and if you pay somebody it will be way less than changing your car brake pads. If you already own a car, riding your bike once or twice a week will save you lots in gas money at the year's end.
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3) Social. Pass up your neighbor in a car and a wave will be more than most. Pass up a neighbor while on a bicycle and just try to not say "hi". Riding a bicycle slows down the pace of life, gives you a chance to be social (and we are social animals). Daily commutes have become ridiculously long, which means you don't live and work in the same place. Cycling promotes a community in which you live, work, and recreate in the same place. You may actually get to know your neighbors.
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4) Tree-hugger approved. Cycling doesn't give off many bad pollutants. Sure, manufacturing a bicycle takes some resources, but not as much as a car or house. If you really want to make an individual difference in cutting back the amount of stuff you put in the air, then ride your bicycle for transportation on a consistent basis.
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5) Fun. Every little kid knows it. Riding a bicycle is tons of fun. My 4-year-old friend Mac just learned to ride his bike last weekend. He was loving it. While still learning he ran into his parents' car. We asked why he didn't just use the brakes. He said, "I didn't want to use the brakes, I just wanted to ride." I feel the same way. My morning ride to work and evening ride back are high points of the day. I guess we all have a little bit of kid in us.

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RIDE ALONG

Last thing. My friend Marcus (who may be a genius) came up with a great idea. In the spirit of this experiment, maybe people can sign up for upcoming days or weeks. It will get more people out on bikes, and I will get a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing that you are riding along with me for a couple days. I think Marcus took week 3, and you can post your week in the comment section below. Email me how it went and I will try to post your views here. Lots of different people means lots of different views.

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Why not?

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ONE REVOLUTION AT A TIME.

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Ben