Road Cyclist/Racer -> Bike Commuter

Last year was my first year racing bikes. I got into cycling a few years ago as a form of cross training to complement my running. I've always been very competitive, have loved working hard, and seeing results, and chasing down goals. Naturally, after riding bikes for a couple years, racing was the next step. I joined a local cycling team here in Denver for the 2019 season and although I was only able to race a handful of times, I'd call the season a success. I ended up getting some good results: 11th, 2nd, 6th, and 4th.

Toward the end of the year, I was riding with Megan and she asked me if I was planning to race again in 2020. At that point, I wasn't sure what my plans for 2020 were for bike racing, but I knew that my free time would be extremely limited due to two little ones at home.

Megan asked me to join the Bike Ambassador team of bike commuters who are passionate about getting people on bikes and out riding, specifically to/from work. In doing so, I've been forced to bike commute more (can't talk-the-talk if you don't walk-the-walk) and in doing so I've learned a couple of things:

1. Bike Commuting Can Be Just as Fun as Bike Racing - The competitive drive can still be satisfied when you aren't focused on racing. Seeing others who commute can fuel your fire. I know people who commute all-year round, in all conditions. That motivates me to get out. I know people who commute further, or have harder commutes, but they still do it, so it motivates me to get out and do it. Etc., etc.
2. You Can Still Set and Achieve Goals -  Maybe instead of doing Tuesday intervals, you bike commute both ways to and from the office. Maybe instead of increasing your threshold by 10 watts, you want to bike commute at least three days, each week for this month. And, of course, you can still chase KOMs for segments that are on your commute - although it's harder when you're carrying work cloths, shoes, etc.
3. It Is a Great Use of Time - Especially now with our second kiddo, bike commuting is an excellent use of my time. Instead of the 30-minute commute each way + trying to fit in at least an hour workout a day, I can bike commute and accomplish the commute and workout simultaneously. It is a great way to prepare for work in the morning and decompress on the way home. The mental benefits of bike commuting and not driving the car/sitting in traffic are amazing.
4. It's Okay to Not Bike Commute Every Day/Everywhere - Sure, I'd love to ride my bike everywhere, work, the grocery store, post office, bank, doctors, or dentist, etc., but it isn't always going to happen. Sometimes, it isn't practical, sometimes I have a limited amount of time and driving is faster, sometimes I need to stay at home later in the morning or be home sooner in the evening to help with the kiddos, sometimes it isn't safe due to the weather, and sometimes I just don't want to. That's okay!!! You don't have to ride every single day. You don't have to ride everywhere. You can still take the car and drive. Fact of the matter is you're still getting exercise, reducing your carbon footprint, and making the world a better place! Don't feel bad about using the car sometimes!

If you haven't tried bike commuting, you need to. It'll change your life.

-Ben

In Search of Adversity

            Earlier this year, I gave an interview to the marketing team for an undisclosed major outdoor retail brand.  While I was never made aware of the exact reason the in-person interview was taking place, I had a blast spending about 90 minutes with the crew, talking all-things-outdoors.  In case you don’t know me really well, at heart, I am your typical running nerd.  As you might expect, it wasn’t long until we started to take a pretty deep dive into my love of running and the lure that the nearby Rocky Mountains have over my soul.

            As our conversation continued, we shifted to the subject of fear when out in the wilderness.  I ended up telling a story about a solo weekend outing in which I found myself in some pretty nasty weather.  Though I had all the right gear with me: satellite beacon, food, extra clothing, etc and I was never truly in any danger, the mere thought that I was on some sort of edge kept me 100% dialed-in to the task of getting to my destination.  As I told my story, the interviewer sat, listening attentively. Much to my surprise, afterwards, she was chuckling a bit.  “This entire interview, and it took you up until a story where you felt scared to show me a smile that big?!?” she said.  Apparently, my face had just LIT up when speaking, and, in reflection, I could see it too.  Why had I reacted like that?

            I thought about this occurrence for quite a few weeks. What was so different about that story that sparked joy and life into me?  Then, one day, while talking to some friends about the rise in popularity of trail running events, it hit me.  People crave adversity in their lives.  Actually, scratch that, they NEED adversity in their lives!

            The guy who sits alone in a cubicle for 50 hours each week signs up for an ultramarathon to feel like he’s part of something bigger than himself. The brotherhood and camaraderie that comes along with completing a trail ultra is powerful!  In our daily, civilized cultures, though, people go from air-conditioned houses into air-conditioned cars and make their way into air-conditioned work spaces.  Unless you specifically choose to be under a little duress, you can live comfortably forever.  This sounds great until you realize that the human species did not evolve because we chose comfort.

            While I’m not saying that everybody needs to take cold showers all the time, putting yourself in a place of discomfort enables a primal side of your brain to engage.  This reptilian part of your brain thrives on binary decisions – am I safe or not?  Pick one. When you subject yourself to a little bit of duress, you can help fine tune the workings of your fight-or-flight system.  The daily stresses of life in 2020 try to keep this system turned on 24-7; you can help it discriminate between true threat and perception of threat by allowing it to function in its own right. For example, a 35-minute bike ride into work in the winter doesn’t typically appeal to the average cyclist, yet, it can be the crack in the door needed to reset your brain.  When you choose to, in this case, ride into work despite there not being “perfect conditions,” you offer the autonomic nervous system a chance at doing its job.  So, how will you add some adversity to your life?

            There are a number of action steps you could take right now.  Whether for completion or competition, that endurance event that you’ve been procrastinating in registering for – sign up!  Have you always wanted to try acro yoga?  Take an introductory class!  Grown tired of rock climbing indoors and have wanted to get outside?  Find a camp!  OR, for those of you that just want to shake your life up a bit, creating a touch of adversity twice a day, start riding your bike to work.  Simply pick one day a week as a target and, before you know it, you’ll be trying to find ways to ride everywhere!  Bike commuting will change your life in ways you will not imagine, and you’ll find yourself smiling just a bit more each day because of it.

My Journey Into Bike Commuting

Six months ago, I started commuting to work by bicycle. Here are six things I’ve learned in that time:

1)    Bike Commuting Saves you Time, and it Saves you Dollars! As an endurance junkie, I am always looking for new ways to grab a quick workout.  What sounds more appealing to you: sitting in traffic and slugging to work in 25 minutes OR hopping on a bike and cruising there in 35? Obviously, the option that comes with aerobic gain!  Then, there’s the savings on gas & vehicle maintenance.  What if you only had to drive your vehicle on the weekends? How cool would that be?!?

2)    I’m Better at Combatting the “What Ifs” As a chronic over-analyzer, one of my biggest problems lies in obsessing over all the details of a decision.  If I pick this, will this other thing happen?  What if I don’t have the time to do this as a result?  Whether it’s your classic decision fatigue or “analysis paralysis,” choosing two wheels over four has helped me narrow my focus.  While I thought I might still do this with my bike commute, making the choice to ride into work has given me some pretty good resiliency in staying committed to getting out of my own head.

3)    Daily Injections of Momentum For me, the ongoing path toward health and wellness has always been blazed by movement.  Whether running, cycling, lifting weights, or yoga, ensuring that I get a daily dose of exercise takes me off a mental edge.  It makes me a better human, dad, husband, and teacher. However, like every busy human in the 21^stcentury, I have days where I get bogged down by life.  I lack motivation after a poor night of sleep, or I come up with 57 things I “need” to do before I make time for exercise. When I started bike commuting, though, the barriers to movement were removed.  Whether I felt “ready” to ride into work, I was going!  After just a few days of transitioning into this change, I was completely sold.  Bike commuting provides me the impetus to keep my activity level up and buzzing.

4)    A Time for Reflection We all have those difficult and draining days at work – maybe these are frequent for some of you.  On your drive back home, what do you do to help unwind? After all, once you walk in the house, you have to quickly put on your new hat – as a parent, as a spouse/significant other, etc.  Do you listen to music or put on a podcast?  While either of those used to be my go-to, I have yet to find a better way to reset my brain than simply moving.  My 35-minute bike commute affords me some time to prepare for my day in the morning and shake off any stressors in the evening.  Have you ever heard anybody say, “Man, I really wish I didn’t go on that bike ride.  I’m so stressed now.”  No, I didn’t think so.

5)    Upping My Problem-Solving Game How often have you found yourself wrestling a problem in your head for days, only to completely unravel it & find a solution during exercise?  If you’re like me, then the answer is a resounding “All the Time!”  While I used to “double” quite a bit in college (running in the morning and afternoon), I have scaled back on that practice in adulthood. This meant I lost out on some key problem-solving time.  Well, the to-and-from work time on my bike has reopened that portal.  Upon entering my house, after commuting home, the number of times my conversations have started, “Hi, family!  I missed you today.  Okay, I think I figured out what to do” is too many to pin down.

6)    I’m Better at Channeling the “What Wills” In removing the “what ifs” from my daily thought, I have replaced them with “what wills.”  By getting out of my own head, I can clearly see the benefits of my six months of bike commuting.  What will happen if you choose to follow a similar path is some or all of the following.  You will inspire those around you, both at home and at work, to engage in conversation about the benefits of riding to work. You will contribute to the health of our planet by removing one more vehicle from the roads.  You will be part of the solution to many of humankind’s problems – connecting with your environment on a deeper level and finding yourself experiencing the world on your way to work, instead of just passing it by.

            Six months ago, I made the decision to commute to work on my bike. I didn’t know how much of a positive impact this simple choice would have on my life.  I thought I was just giving this biking-to-work thing a try.  I didn’t know I was about to fall (back) in love with my bike.  As you sit there and contemplate riding your bicycle to work, try to avoid lingering on all the “what ifs.”  What if it rains?  What if I have to go somewhere after work?  What if I usually drive to get my lunch every day?  Let all those thoughts fly out the window.  Instead, focus on the “what wills.”  Commit to riding your bike to work one day each week and try it out for a month.  Take some time to do a little planning.  On your next drive into the office, stash some spare clothes and a box of granola bars at your desk.  There is a way to make it work; you just have to find it.  I’m always here to help so please feel free to reach out with any questions.  I promise you won’t regret this decision. 

Dear Santa ...

Do you remember your first bike? I think I remember mine. It was a hand-me-down from my brother. It was powder blue and it had an alligator on the chain guard. It was awesome. Until, the day my dad ran it over with his car. 

That Christmas, to replace my otherwise flattened bike, Santa brought me a brand new bike. It had a giant banana seat and it was rainbow colored. It even had rainbow streamers in the handle bars. In my opinion there is nothing better than getting a new bike.

Fast forward 30 years- Every year my husband and I sponsor children through the Precious Child program and the Boulder County Bar Association. https://apreciouschild.org/what-we-do/precious-gift/

The Precious Child program collects donated new toys, gift cards and gifts for children (babies through teenagers) in the most need in the community.  They make incredible efforts to assure that children do not wake up Christmas morning without a present. This year, one of the children we sponsored was an 8 year old boy. His Christmas list to Santa included new clothes, dinosaur toys and a BIKE.  My husband and I were thrilled to help Santa deliver a new bike to this little boy.

During our search for a new kid’s bike, we met a retired Auto Worker who now lives in Lafayette, Colorado. This incredible man spends his retirement fixing-up and donating gently used bikes to the community. He works out of his house and has bikes available for sale or donation- depending on your need.  You can drive past his house in Lafayette and see his display of available bikes. It’s amazing. He also donates bikes to Community Cycles, and is happy to donate bikes to charities in need. Check out Community Cycles- https://communitycycles.org/ Their focus is not just children’s bikes, but adult bikes as well.  Many individuals are dependent upon their bike as their primary mode of transportation.

We are lucky to live in Colorado where numerous organizations exist that donate bikes to both children and adults. Check out some of the bike donation programs in Colorado. A Bike can change a life and make things that were previously inaccessible, accessible. If you have any bikes collecting dust in your garage, consider donating them and giving the bike and its eventual recipient a new life.

https://projectrecycle.org/

http://bikestogether.org/donate-a-bike/

https://www.goodwilldenver.org/programs/peoplewithdisabilities/goodbikes.html

Happy Holidays!

Making Group Rides Great!

Long live group rides!  They are an opportunity to spend time with old and new friends, offer safety in numbers, and allow us to ride better, longer, and on new routes than we might on our own.

They can be even more fun if you follow these simple rules.


1. Keep the group to a reasonable size.  The size will vary based upon the type of ride, but for informal, social rides, 3-5 people is the perfect size. This size isn't that difficult for others (cars, other trail users) to navigate, and you won't develop a herd mentality that ignores the needs of others.  Finally, as a good friend says, for any group ride over three people, add 15 minutes to your total ride.  If time is of the essence, keep the group size small.

2. Know your skills and fitness.  As the ride is planned, have a realistic expectation of what you can do right now.  Most likely you will be fine, especially if you know and trust your riding partners. But it is good to know how long, how far, how much elevation gain, and how technical the ride is so you can map that back to what you've been doing.

3. Keep together.  Don't split up, unless you've planned ahead or have a communication plan to make sure everyone has made it home safely.  Regroup at natural places (trail heads, intersections), recognize that everyone has their own pace, and make sure you are never that far apart from one another.  This is for fun of course because why ride in a group if you don't spend time together, but also for safety.

4. Be situationally aware. Pay attention to the situations around you -- vehicles, trail users, etc -- and be respectful of them.  Groups can be intimidating to other folks and showing that you are paying attention to them goes along way.  Try not to impede traffic, repeatedly stop in front of other trail users, etc.  As for the group itself, use some judgement about how often and when you stop for snacking, changing wardrobe, etc. and try to coordinate that when others are doing it.  Being considerate can make the ride flow much more easily.


5. Car pool.  If you have to drive to ride, make it more fun by carpooling.  Drive together, ride together.  You are doing the environment a favor, saving money, and getting more out of your ride. 

Finally, many of us have ridden in the back of the pack and have had the faster riders wait for us.  It's really no big deal, and they most likely haven't been waiting long.  Don't apologize for 'being slow.'  Just say, 'Thanks for waiting.'  It's the nice thing to do.

I Love My E-Bike!

I admit, I felt a bit like a failure when I first got my e-bike. I have learned better though, because it has allowed me to #ridemoredriveless!

My day starts with my “commute” to work.  That involves me getting out of bed, walking outside of the house with several dogs, and then to the kitchen.  This is where I start the feeding process for my most demanding job which is boarding dogs. Then, I turn my computer on to start one of my other jobs. My day is a balancing act of getting everything done and never being away from the house for long.  My other jobs require me to travel to a couple of banks in Boulder and Louisville and to take care of random errands. This is where the e-bike comes in.

E-biking to the pet store

Panniers help me transport groceries

I thought that I would be cheating the system by riding a bike with a motor. However,  I have learned that I can get a ride/workout in rather than sitting behind the wheel of a car.  I used to think that the bike did all the work, but it is just like any other bike. You can work really hard or take it easy.  I just get to places much faster than before.

I have had my e-bike for about a year and a half now and I love it. I went to one of my favorite bike shops, tried it out and ended up getting a Specialized e-bike. I get a lot of questions about my e-bike. People ask me if it’s really easy. If I have to pedal?  How fast I can go?

Cheryl, a Bike Ambassador teammate, and I will sometimes commute together.  She, however, does not have an e-bike, so it is sort of fun to watch her really sweat as I climb the small hills much faster than before.  The tides do turn when it’s downhill. My motor stops at 28 mph, and now I am pushing the 45-pound bike (before the panniers are loaded) as hard as possible to keep up.  

Banking by e-bike

The e-bike has made me stronger, faster and allows me more ride time.

The only problem that I have had with the e-bike is that it sometimes goes missing.  I will want to run errands, but my e-bike is gone. Turns out Cheryl likes riding my e-bike, too. She must have been running late or just wanted more of an intense leg workout and decided to take the e-bike.  So, if you decide to go the e-bike route, just let everyone else believe you are being a wimp. Otherwise, you may find yourself in the same boat as me some days without a bike. - Rhonda W.

Grocery Gettin’ - By Bike!

I’ve had to park my car on the street lately, and living in downtown Denver, driving less than a mile to get groceries and having to find another parking spot (when I get home 20 minutes later) just does NOT make any sense. Luckily, I have an awesome commuter bike, complete with a rack on the back and a decent selection of bags and panniers that attach to it that allow me to get whatever I need home without too much issue. 

Sometimes, the little bag is all I need:

A small trunk bag, like this one from BiKASE, holds a few small items.

It holds a couple things, like a pound of coffee and a bunch of bananas...

I have a super convenient bag that has a zipper to extend the storage capacity:

This bag is from Banjo Brothers. LOVE the expandable compartment.

This is probably the bag I use the most, as I usually totally overestimate what will fit. 

If I know I need a bunch of stuff, I throw the panniers (or at least one of them) on the rack - just gotta be careful to load them somewhat evenly weight-wise - I’ve about fallen over trying to get on the bike times that I haven’t paid attention!

Pannier from Koki.

Now, try as I might, I do occasionally completely blow what will fit in my bag(s) and have to ride home with a bag in my hand!

All in all, riding to the grocery store is far more pleasant than driving!