Get A Car!!!

The words that are periodically yelled at us cyclists while we’re simply riding our bikes – doing our thing. Although this is happening less and less, it does make us wonder why folks would not only think this but become so outraged by us as to vocalize it.

To clarify, we are certainly not anti-car here at GovVelo… heck, cars serve wonderful purposes that are often too challenging to be handled by a bike. Like transporting a mattress on the rooftop, quickly getting to the hospital to deliver a baby (although we know of someone who did this too by bike), travel ultra-long distances with the family, getting to a bike race, and so on. But for most other situations, we’d rather RIDE A BIKE.

Just imagine…

Getting up at 5:30am, taking a quick shower, hopping into clothes, eating a banana or a Skratch Sport Crispy Rice Cake to get some sugar, strapping on the backpack and heading out the door for work at 7am – by bike (equipped with lights, of course, like the awesome Specialized Stix Switch that can swap between front and rear mode).

Now imagine…

Hopping instead into a car.

And the winner?

These two scenarios come up often in conversation at our office. We talk about cycling into work – especially on crap weather days, looking around at all the car drivers who we pass in stopped traffic. All of them dry and cozy in their toasty warm cars. “I KNOW that guy in the black sedan is making full use of his heated seats,” one of us quips. Adding with a slight grin, “But here I am – drenched, covered in grit and grime, teeth blackened out from road grease streaming off the front tire. At least the streak mark up my backside perfectly complements my grit-speckled face. And not looking forward to the quizzical stares I’ll inevitably get at my coffee shop as I stop off for one to go.”

Even on days like these, the bike continues to win over the car – skid marks and all!

But why?

When we’re sitting there in the early morning, we give thought to how we’ll feel after arriving at our destination by bike vs car. This is usually enough to motivate us (most of the time) to hop on the bike. But for days where we need that extra push – when the bike may appear the more challenging option, we often think back to thoughts we’ve shared with each other after arriving to work. We’d love to share some of these in hopes that maybe they can inspire you as well on some cold, wet morning.

Top 10 Thoughts

1. The commute always turns out to be the best part of my day. I’m always happier after I ride.
2. My commute time is always reliable – no traffic jams. It’s also door-to-door transportation and no fussing with parking.
3. As undesirable as the weather may be, the bike ride always relaxes me. I find I’m more productive at work.
4. It saves me time and money by doubling as exercise. No gym membership fee. And my workout is complete by the time I get home.
5. I save gas (parking fees and tolls too in some places). No wasted time and agony looking for a parking space on the street.
6. I feel better about myself – mentally, spiritually, and physically. It improves my self-esteem.
7. The commute gives me time to plan out my day and work out any kinks in my life.
8. Since cycling is low impact, it’s easy on my body so I can do it every day.
9. I help reduce energy consumption and lower air, water, and noise pollution.
10. It’s better for my figure – and my sweet tooth!

Ok, I know we called it top 10, but this one does come up a lot:

#11 I ride my bike to work – no matter the weather conditions – because I’m truly insane.

If we turned our list around to apply it for commuting by car, we can now easily see how those particularly unkind car drivers can become so outraged. Maybe they ought to GET A BIKE!

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