Ok, so the past 7 days, I did not put the key in my ignition once, and instead, ended up doing 93 miles on my bike. I am lucky enough to only have a 16 mile roundtrip to work right now, and there's a locker room and shower for me when I get there. Not only did I ride to work, but also to the post office, doctors office, and the grocery store. I'd wear a backpack to carry some of the groceries and put the rest on my bike rack. I am single, so if I had a family it'd be kind of hard to carry all the groceries this way . I was motivated by the guy who rode his bike to work that whole month, even though it was a ridiculous length (I think it took him 3 hours each way?).

On one hand, I figure I only saved at most 2 gallons, so was all the time I put in worth it? (I had to buy some bike lights since its dark in the morning, so I didn't save any money yet!). It seems so little, when I know most people are out there using even more than that much per day (even hypermilers with a middle length commute will use this amount). I've decided that the exercise is worth it though, and saving a little bit of gas is just a small side benefit. I plan on keeping this up for now, though in busier weeks I may have to drive in order to save time. Just thought I'd share and possibly motivate some others out there!

 

Congratulations. My husband has been bike commuting (26-mile roundtrip) twice a week for over a month. Two more days each week, he drives our Ford Escape Hybrid (he'd take it every day but I don't drive his F150 Supercrew 4x4; way too large a vehicle for my comfort level on the crazy roadways.) My hubby isn't some Ironman, he's an average working Joe who years ago had some health issues that spurred him to start exercising more. Now, bicycling is a part of his life and he actually feels weird/wrong if he doesn't get in a certain amount of miles each week. Last week he put in over 70 miles, most of which was bike commuting but also a couple rides on the weekend. He's been riding for several years, including participating in a 2-day 150-mile bike ride from San Antonio to Corpus Christi (Valero MS-150) to benefit the Multiple Schlerosis Society.

We live in San Antonio, TX, which isn't exactly "Bike Friendly USA" so if it's possible here, it's possible a lot more places.