My Mountain Bike... which happens to be my Commuter Bike this week.

I had an explosive flat on the rear tire of my old ten-speed, so I took my mountain bike off the rack for this week. It has been a reminder that even really nice mountain bikes are not very good commuter bikes. It is slow and loud on the road (even with the tires inflated to max), and there is no such thing as "coasting". I'm definitely getting a workout! This weekend, I'll fix the flat on my Panasonic Sport 500, and save this bike for the trails.

Today is the last day of Earl's (LBS) Bike Commuter Challenge. I finished with 616 miles this summer... on track for another 2000+ mile year. I'm at about 5000 miles so far in the past two and half years of commuting by bike to work.

Bike Commuter Racing

During the warmer months, my cycling co-workers and I see many other bike commuters during our morning and late afternoon rides. To keep things interesting, we have invented a simple game of "Bike Commuter Racing". A while ago, I read a great comment from another bike commuter - I wish I could find it so I could appropriately give credit. It went something like this...

"If two bike commuters are riding on the same piece of road, at the same time, and going in the same direction - they are racing".

This is strangely true. How many times have you seen someone riding ahead of you, then noticed that you were pedaling faster? How many times have you realized that someone was gaining on you from behind, and you instinctively turned it up a notch to stay ahead?

So, since we are all racing anyway, we decided to make it official by creating a point system. Here's how it works:

+1 point - You pass a cyclist going in the same direction.
+1 bonus point - If that cyclist "turns it up a notch" and makes you earn it!
+1 bonus point - If that cyclist is decked out in multi-colored spandex.
-1 point - A cyclist passes you.
-2 points - You pass a cyclist, and he/she passes you back!

This is all in good fun, and standard passing etiquette applies.

$100 for biking to work!

A quick thank-you to Earl's Cyclery (http://earlsbikes.com/) for hosting "Earl's Commuter Challenge". 50 of us are logging our commuting miles each week this summer, and Earl's is giving gift cards at various mileage levels. I just passed 500 commuting miles last week, which means I get a $100 gift card! Thanks Earl's!

Free Airport Parking

I finally had an opportunity to bike 'n fly the other day. Thursday afternoon, I flew out of Burlington (BTV) on a 2-day trip. My only luggage was my backpack, so it was the perfect opportunity to bike to and from the airport rather than drive, bum a ride, or take a cab. I biked from work to the airport (about 2 miles... an easy sub-10-minute ride) and locked up my bike and helmet at the bike rack in the airport's parking garage. Easy. When I returned Saturday around noon, I unlocked my bike and headed home. 4 miles and 15 minutes later, my trip was over.

For Burlington-area residents, this is such a great option. We are lucky to have an airport so close to downtown (about 3 miles from Church Street). The airport is within easy biking distance of Burlington, Winooski, South Burlington, Essex Junction and Williston... with a combined population of about 75,000 people. However, mine was the only bike on the rack when I left on Thursday and when I returned on Sunday - while the car parking lot was full to capacity.

I think it is just a lack of awareness of this option. I didn't think about biking to the airport until just recently, and my bike is my primary transportation. I hope that options like this will become more and more popular as access gets better (bike paths/lanes), and gas/parking/taxis become more expensive.