Bike to Work Week 2010...

If you are a cyclist but have been living under a rock, or if you aren't a cyclist & just live under a rock, you may not be aware that the month of May in Bike Month.
Not only that, but next week, May 17 - 21 is Bike Week.
As with many other citys in the county here in the KCMO we have the Car Free Challenge.
Its a pretty simple deal.
You sign up.
Log your daily car free commuting mileage for the week.
End of the week they tally up the numbers and the winner gets a prize of some sort.

Of the 497 riders that signed up last year I placed.... well I didn't.
I didn't sign up last year because I was frustrated with what I assumed was people sandbagging and/or logging WAY more miles than they actually pedal commute.
I mean, really who rides 337 mile of commuting in one week with out padding their logged miles with training miles?
In the average 5 day work week that would mean they are commuting around 67.5 miles I day.
Wow. Impressive.
I don't know if I believe it but impressive.
However, until yesterday I didn't take into consideration that the counted mileage includes, riding, walking, using the bus, & car pooling.
So I guess it is actually possible.
And really what does it matter?
Its all just for fun.
And who doesn't like to have fun riding their bike?

I also realized last night why I always seem to commute so little during Bike Week.
My job.
When I commute for my 5 day work week I average 150 for the work week.
My daily round trip commute is 30 miles. In the past its seemed like Bike Week was the week that I rode the fewest miles in May.
As of today I have logged 287 miles in the last two weeks. All but 50-ish were commuting miles & alot of them were in the wet.
Not too shabby for little ol' me.
During Bike to Work week I will probably only officially log 60.
Why the change? Work events.
I rode to work today (Friday) but I have the BikeSource Heritage Park Triathlon to work on Sunday so I drove the shop van home.
Monday I'll drive in to work to return the van.
I'll commute on Tuesday.
I have Wednesday & Thursday off. (Yay!!)
I'll commute in on Friday but I'll once again drive the shop van home because over the weekend I have the Lone Star Century and the Kansas City Triathlon to work.
But does it matter? No, not really.
I'm still a fairly dedicated commuter when I can.
I'm nothing compared to the likes of the Car free American and Commuter Dude but I do alright.

Spent too much time bumbling about the net and forgot what I was saying.
What was to point of this post?
Oh yeah! Its Bike Week!
So enough of my rambling. Its Bike Week.
Get on your bike. Ride it to work.
Never ridden to work before? Use the weekend to test ride a couple of route options.
Read some of the helpful tips KC Bike provides and get to it.
Who knows, maybe this can be the thing that changes everything for you in 2010.

Gitty-up KC!