Bike to Work Week: How to get started

With Bike to Work Week in progress (May 16-20) and Bike to Work Day (Friday, May 20th) at hand, the Springfield News-Leader has some good advice for getting started with bicycle commuting:

[Lori Tack of Ozark Greenway's] suggestion for making the experience one worth repeating: "Plan ahead."

"Spend a nice Saturday or Sunday afternoon riding your route ahead of time," Tack suggested. "Know how long it will take at your pace. If you test-ride it, you'll feel more comfortable."

And map out a bike route, which is not necessarily the route you would take in your car.

"Some people think riding to work means riding down Glenstone," Tack said. "There are roads that are better to bike on." . . .

Riding with a buddy is a good idea, too, said Bruce Adib-Yazdi, Springbike's president. "Someone that has done this before can coach you through what to expect, how to maneuver safely on city streets."

Don't let distance keep you in your car seat, either. Tack notes that most people in Springfield have a commute to work of less than five miles. "Considering how many people live close to where they work, it's so do-able," Tack said.

"Fresh air and light exercise before work makes the day nicer," Adib-Yazdi said. He said biking to work might take a little longer than driving, "but if you're only going five or six miles across town, it is only incrementally longer." He said it takes him 10 minutes to drive to work, only 17 to bike. "And now I don't have to go to the gym."

Remember that the League of American Bicyclists maintains a comprehensive list of National Bike Month activities (including activities for Bike to Work Week).