Barrettscv 

My industry is cyclical, so bad economic news is a challenge. Last night I was at my LBS and one of the associates told me that today was his last day of employment. It's unfortunate that the people who offer solutions to our problems must suffer while bank & energy executives own multiple vacation homes.

During the last two weeks I've been budgeting for 2009. We are a smaller business and we will need to increase our market share to survive. Lower margins and stable sales volumes will be required.

Riding my bike helps me at times like this. I now have an hour or more daily that reduces stress, provides exercise and a degree of self sufficiency.

I'm even more committed to keep the routine strong. It beats the usual displays I see everyday including overeating, smoking & road rage.

Michael

uke

The fun part about riding is that I (almost never) have to search for a parking spot. And when I do, it's still never more than a minute on foot from the desired building. With a car, I never know if I'll find a spot on campus, and sometimes have to search multiple lots to find somewhere to drop off the car.

AdamD

Quality of life is important. Cycling is probably the single biggest thing that improves my quality of life, and hopefully helps with quantity as well. Fitness, stress reduction/prevention, transportation, environmentally friendly, self sufficiency, saves money, and a whole slew of other benefits.

jpdesjar

commuting is the best part of my day

TRaffic Jammer

+ One billion, riding keeps me level headed. All the other benefits are gravy. I've gotten rid of two cars, insurance, fuel costs, and now rent out one of my parking spots to local handyman in barter for his services.

Win win .

Caleab

I have to agree.
I totally look forward to it on both sides (coming in and going home).

Today I didn't ride and I feel like crap. All I want to do now is go home and ride... especially since I got my computer hooked up on the bike yesterday and it's evil.

modernjess

+1 - Ask my family. Let's just say they encourage me to ride.

I'd say the mental benefits of my daily commute are far more than the physical.

BroadSTPhilly

Look you seem like nice people and you bike commute so that's good but if riding your bike to work is the best paart of your day you need a new life. Just sayin'

jpdesjar

you may be right, i got other things going on too but it seems the fun ends for eight hours while i am here at work so yes it's still the best part of my day

Nerdanel 

I was stressed out and depressed the other evening so I climbed on my bike and rode 5 miles (past liquor stores, auto body shops and bars) to Costco, loaded 2 panniers with groceries and rode home. No autumn leaves or riverside paths, but still I felt much better.

genec

Actually while I find long bike rides stress relieving, I find commuting stressful. I find I often feel very frustrated by the commute home after dealing with motorists in dense traffic.

jpdesjar

i find that to be the case sometimes too...sucks to get home and feel annoyed by drivers, i just shake it off

Barrettscv 

I agree with the dealing with motorists observation. However, the air & exercise I get makes it much better than simply being stuck in my car.

Michael

jpdesjar

stressful biking is better than stressful driving

TRaffic Jammer

Word!!! Coming home from a sketchy bike ride home I'll merely need to chill for a bit or go rip a few heart attack effort round-the-block laps, whereas a stressful drive can ruin an evening.

AdamD

I can't disagree with you. Cycling isn't the best part of my day. Cycling helps make the best parts of my day even better, and the bad parts of my day less bad. I have more energy when I ride, I eat healthier when I ride, I don't feel guilty indulging in unhealthy foods, I sleep better when I ride, stress rolls off my back, I don't get sick as much, if I start to get sick my body gets over it quicker, and on and on and on.

jpdesjar

ok maybe i was being dramatic...biking to work in the morning is a great way to start a day and i agree with what a lot of people are saying here, benefits aplenty and like when i run it's easier to think through a problem or come up with new ideas

rumrunn6

I'm not biking now - I'm doing other things but I look forward to those other things just like I looked forward to biking. I like crashing when I get home.

AdamD

Better than crashing while you're riding.

xinco

You nailed it. I'm not quite in shape yet to do my 13.5 mile each way (kinda hilly) commute everyday, but I want to get there. And the time commitment is hard, until I can get my speed up a bit more.

joninkrakow

While commuting by bike can be stressful to me, I find driving the car more so. Here's a shot I took this week--after picking up my daughters from activity classes. Now, _that's_ stressful driving!

I'll take my bike over that any day of the week! (especially Mondays and Fridays)

recumelectric

It's better than Prozac.

recumelectric

Says who? Sometimes, cycling is the purpose of life (which, for me, has an overriding goal of enjoyment). Just to get out there and ride, feel the sweat and the endorphins, feel the balance shifting as I turn and go over and around obstacles. Aaah.

Plus it just makes all the little crap easier to deal with. It actually helps me focus on the big picture overall--important stuff like "Am I helping people?", "Do I feel good?" and "What else do I want from life?"

Bat22

Yesterday I just got over a draw bridge when it started to "draw".
All the outbound traffic stopped and I got 4 grace free miles on
a major artery that I would never think of using.
Sometimes it's the widdle things that make a good ride.

Jim from Boston

My most profound moment of the bike / stress-relief equation came when I was eating lunch with two other doctors. We started talking about the vicissitudes of life, e.g. sudden death, trivial symptoms that are harbingers of deadly diseases, etc. We came around to that mundane conclusion that you have to live life to the fullest, day by day.

As we were leaving, one colleague, a marathon runner, said "Well, any day that has a run in it is a good day for me." It sudenly clicked for me as a bicyclist that any day that had a ride in it is, for me, a good day. Though there are no guaranties in life, investment in cycling to relieve stress, even just to ward off the vagaries of health is a good deal.

Sometime later I confided my conclusion to a secretary that bicycling is a key to a happy life, to which she replied "That's so stupid." To each his or her own. I really like that secretary, but I do refer to her as the Joan Rivers of our Department ;-)