Austin Commuter Challenge

Since you asked, the Austin Commuter Challenge coincides with Bike Month (May) and encourages people to trade vehicle trips for bike trips. Regardless of distance, anytime you ride your bike rather than turn your car key you get to log a trip. There are team, individual and family "competitions". Those with the most trips at the end of the month win mad bragging rights and cheesy trophies to drink beer out of, or I suppose juice for the families.

The majority of people's trips are within 2 miles of their homes, and 90% of those are made in their vehicles. So I read.

Since I've been commuting to work I've slowed down enough to notice just how many people are on bikes around Austin. Today I passed a little old man cruising Shoal Creek Blvd. (my route for about half of my commute) and said, "Morning". He looked a little surprised to see me next to him, but emphatically responded with a, "Good Morning!" Then a lady pushing a stroller on the other side of the street looked over, smiled and said Hi even though she was on the phone. A second lady who was running, sans cell phone, did the same. It was incredibly refreshing and put me in a really good mood first thing in the morning. It's still an uphill battle to be recognized out there though, as I was cut off twice in a row at the same intersection in Tarrytown, which is a very quiet, pretty slow-paced neighborhood with a lot of runners and walkers out every day.

About half-way through the month I've gotten in 78 miles in 14 trips. Not great, but not shabby either. Hopefully I'll be able to at least double that by the end of the month.

May Is Bike Month...

Which coincides with the Austin Commuter Challenge (some of you may have your own commuter challenges in your oh-so-progressive cities). It's given me extra motivation to make the 8+ mile each-way ride to work as frequently as possibly when I don't have the pup.

How's it going? I get to start my day with a metabolism boost. I spend less on gas and less time being annoyed by the drivers on Slo-pac. I get to cruise through some of Austin's finest neighborhoods. Stop at my favorite coffee shop on the way. I hear birds, I breathe the beautiful Spring-time air. On the way home it's usually dusk and honeysuckle is heavy in the air, which is refreshingly cool. Plenty of fresh laundry smells to sniff along the way as well.

It's so, so liberating and simple. Riding home tonight I took a different route than I normally do. At least on the rides home, I try to vary my route just a little each day. More than simply a means to an end, my bike ride provides me with a pinch of exploration wrapping up an otherwise normal day.