BobbyG

I have been biking to work most days since 1992...31 years...half my life! Actually a little more, I'll be 62 in January. My anniversary for arriving here in Colorado is September, and I began bike commuting a month later in October...but after 31 years, whats a few weeks or months?

There was the year I was off the bike in 2010 due to a non-cycling injury, and the 18 months I worked from home due in part to the Covid pandemic, although I did keep up my daily rides for the most part.

In two weeks I will be celebrating my one-year anniversary at my new office job where many of my co-workers are under 30; younger than my years commuting and younger than two bikes in my commute rotation.

It's all just numbers, and I've never been a real stat guy, but the mile stone has been reached, or was reached, or will be reached...I dunno...I'm having too much fun biking to work!

https://www.youtube.com/@bgvideo62/playlists

datlas 

Kudos!

Daniel4

Congratulations.

How many times have your coworkers said it couldn't be done or it's too dangerous?

BobbyG

At the old job there were just a handfull of us who had worked together for many years so they all knew I could.

At the new job there are 50-60 people and this last winter many would poke their heads in my office to see if I had ridden on a particularly cold or snowy day. Since I park the bike behind my desk they can see it for themselves.

Yesterday, before I left a few folks offered me rides, which i politely declined.

And yes, even in nice weather people assume it's a dangerous endeavor because they drive in traffic, and as you can see, this route like my others is quiet.

Smaug1

Interesting stat, that you've been bike commuting longer than a lot of your colleagues have been alive!

I'll share my story of what got me started bike commuting:

I was in a phase where I was dabbling in folding bikes. Our local commuter train will not allow bikes on rush hour trains, but folding bikes in a bag are considered to be luggage and can be brought along any time. That first one I bought was not very good. It was a Kent with rear suspension that just soaked up half my (already low) power. I sold it on Craigslist to a local bike nut. She was super-fit and happy. I asked her what she was going to do with the bike. She said she planned to take it downtown on the train for Critical Mass rides and maybe winter multi-modal commuting.

"Winter?!" said I. "Yeah. I found that when I kept riding my bike year 'round, I didn't get that gloomy, depressed feeling any more.

Ever since then, I bike commute now any time I reasonably can, as I found she was 100% right. We haven't been getting as much snow these past couple years, and I can deal with the cold for my 2 mile commute. Even though it is only 2 miles, I save a lot of gas. My car fast idles almost the whole way to work in the winter and gets something like 15 mpg on premium gas that costs $4.40/gal. It also saves the time in the morning of scraping my car.

amos77

Cheers! What is your mileage over 31 years?
Wish you at least more 31 years of cycling!

BobbyG

My old commute was 9 miles each way. Now it is 6.

I've never kept records but 15 years ago I think I figured I commuted about 3200 miles based on distance and likely number of days commuting...and subtracting weekend rides the odometer seemed to bear this out. I didn't have strava or gps.

The last few years of that commute I rode more often as I began riding in the snow, with studded tires, and in the rain with fenders and a rain cape and pushed my cold temp threshhold down to 5F.

I started out the new job riding every day, but for the last 6 weeks I have had to drive on Wednesdays, plus I missed three weeks due to hernia surgery last winter and three more weeks due to covid a month after starting.

I can also tell you that my 2001 Subaru had only 83,000 after 14 years and my 2015 Nissan hasn't hit 40K yet.

spyderjohnson

BobbyG, That's quite an accomplishment, 31 yrs commuting. You Colorado guys are badasses!

Danila

health to you man, well done

RB1-luvr

not being a morning person, I'm a tad envious. Cheers to you. That's admirable.

RidingMatthew

Congrats that is quite an accomplishment.

alcjphil

I used to keep meticulous written records of my rides, including a short comment on what I experienced on a given day. Every year, my company issued all employees an agenda which I used as a diary. So, I have written records of rides I did for 20 years which include information like wind direction, temperature, and how I felt that day. These records also include information about my racing, all kinds of statistics from one year to the next, whether I managed to improve or not. My commuting life ended at age 55, not because I stopped riding to work but because my company labeled me as surplus to its needs and offered me a generous retirement offer, so generous that continuing to work made no sense. I have worked at other things since then, but I very much miss my 30 km ride to work each morning and would do it still if my employer were still wanting my help

Eyes Roll

10 miles one way is doable, which I am doing right now, and it would take me about 45 minutes one way on a leisurely ride. It is neither too long nor too short. Actually, it is a perfect distance that doesn't make you feel tired once you reach the destination. It is a good exercise every morning and it will keep oneself pumped up and active throughout the day. 6 miles one way is very much doable at your age; and also at 72 or 82, I think.

I wear safety green jacket too while I am bike-riding. Keep wearing it and keep yourself visible.

Bikewolf

Wow. Thanks for sharing and congratulations! Biking does make people happy, all those small adventures each working day. 'njoy!