Commuting - Why am I alone?

Why am I the only one in my department who cycles to work?
I confess: I am subtly discouraging everyone I can!

"Is that your bike?" my buddy asks, as he points to my machine leaning against the storage room wall.

"Yep," I humbly reply.

"How far did you ride in today?"

"About 14 miles. It's not that far, really, you get used to it."

It's at this point everyone stops taking me seriously. All of us on BikeForums know that a 14 mile ride is not too tough, in fact, many of us would find it hard to ride a distance so short. But "outsiders" never believe it.

This brings me back to my confession. I actually enjoy being considered some sort of superhuman. As soon as my secret gets out, everyone will know I am a mere mortal! So, I do my best to keep acting the part, pretending I'm so humble, encouraging others to ride.

"You can do it! 14 miles is easy! And the traffic? Psh! Never as scary as it is in a car..."

:D

You're not alone, Pete! I'm always with you, in spirit!

:)

(Disclaimer: Pete Clark is LittleBigMan. This is a joke. ;) )

When a person is alone, there is usually two others close by. Who is your third mate, Mate?

Very funny Pete. :lol: :lol: :lol:

You are not alone in one respect.
No one else in my entire company cycles to work (or anywhere else that I know of).
No one in my neighboor cycles to work either. I see a few riders going around the block but that's all. :(

Bike commuters are together in "spirit" even though our paths may never cross. :)

20 miles?!!!!! That's the reaction I normally get.

Followed by:

You drive on what road?!!!!
You've never been hit ... com' on !!!
It takes you only a smidge more than an hour ?!?!!!
You ride in the rain?!?!?! What are you, crazy????
It's 100 degrees today ... you can't be riding home !!!

Yes, it is a lonely experience.

My commute is 25 miles. My boss thinks this is too much. Like you, I do not... But due to long shifts- I only do it every third rotation. That is like 36 times a year... Like you. safer than on the road with those maniacs behind all that horsepower..
If those maniacs cross over into the bike path, they should be arrested..
ps- if my commute were 14 miles, I probably would commute to work by bike half the time, instead of 1/3...

Hi; I have been lobbying hard to get other's to bike to work. A few have tried, but eventually quit after only one or two days. Despite the lack luster results, I keep on the hard sell.

18-19 miles per day, 5 days per week, year round, and loving it!

We're all oddities, I do not aspire to be average, and normal is a very low achievement standard.

Originally posted by tchazzard
Hi; I have been lobbying hard to get other's to bike to work...
18-19 miles per day, 5 days per week, year round, and loving it!
I've given up any hopes of actively involving others. Never really pushed. Don't even bother any more. Sure, I get the occassional feeble attempts. What is it about us that makes us stick to it?

18-19 @ 5days is very good. I usually take a down day, sometimes two, on my 20-miler (each way). Is the 18-19 one way? I couldn't do 20 each way every day -- that's too much.

Hi and the answer is no....it is 18-19 round trip...depending on which route I take. I only take days off when the weather is really bad, such as when there are high winds (30mph+), high temps for the day stay below 20 degrees (which is rare here on the ocean) or more than an inch of snow predicted to fall within two hours of my commute window (which is also rare in recent years).

Got it tchazard. Misread.

20 miles each way, five days a week is too much for me, anyway. I think I could manage 18-19 round trip, but still would probably need a voluntary down day every so often.

My commute is only 6 miles in each direction and people at my job still drop a load over THAT.

Originally posted by Bikes-N-Drums
My commute is only 6 miles in each direction and people at my job still drop a load over THAT.
I've noticed people drop a load over a lot of things others do. But eventually, if we follow that "beat of different drummer," a few will see it can be done.

There was a time that airplanes never crossed any oceans. Now it's done everyday. There was a time (1922) when a Nobel Prize winner in physics declared, "There is no likelihood man will ever tap the power of the atom." Today, we flick the switch, and nuclear power gives us light (though I'm waiting for the next, cleaner energy source! :( )

Whenever someone says, "That's not possible!" they have just
created a new challenge for someone else to prove them totally wrong.

:thumbup:

I am no longer alone. There are several people who bike to work now. Every now and then, it is a challenge to find parking in the conference room.

However, most of my employees think I am either crazy or superhuman.

The most heard statement... "You sure you don't want a ride home?"

There are four coworkers that cycle to and from work almost every day, and another couple that average four or five days per month. I impress exactly no one here. :(

I may be riding a lot more often soon due to a shift in the missus' employment, if her new job (errr, 'future job' I should say -- she was unfortunately 'downsized' last week and is currently cast upon the market) comes with a parking space! :D

-Rob

I can't even convert regular recreational cyclists :(

Originally posted by Andy Dreisch
Got it tchazard. Misread.

20 miles each way, five days a week is too much for me, anyway. I think I could manage 18-19 round trip, but still would probably need a voluntary down day every so often.

I do a round trip of 26 miles everyday (weather permitting) but do find sometimes that by the end of the week I'm feeling it more.

i don't think it's the cycling, it's the working in between which tires me out!

i used to discourage riding bikes as a way of commuting....at least to my own job. after a while 2 then 3 others wanted to ride as well and i had to lock up my bike outside instead bringing it in with me because then 'everyone will want to bring their bikes in' and there's no room...

I'm the only one in our company that cycles to work regularly (every day, 16 miles round trip), but then again we are only 11 strong. There is one other who rides occasionally in the summer.

It could be that I put them off (or is it that they all have cars?) because, lets face it, we cyclists love to talk about bikes.... so they think that I'm always having problems with the bike, but truth is, 80 miles/week in all weather does add up to a lot of routine maintainance to keep a bike in tip top shape.
To questions like "what do you do when it rains?" I usually answer "I get wet". They just don't see the hidden health benefits of exposure to the elements.


However I certainly don't want to nag like some fundamental cycle evangelist at them, this bound to put them off! The best advert has to be that you can give a genuine impression that you really enjoy it.

Happy riding

Ed

Every time the weather looks a little nasty I get "Well you didn't ride today did you?"

Obviously they've never experienced the thrill of riding in the rain.

I never get offers for rides home other than during the winter. That is when they pile in. And only once did I accept. Last winter I we got a healthy dumping of really wet snow during the day. I headed out after work and despite studded snows, I was getting thrown all over the place. Given the poor visibility and conditions, I stopped about two miles from work and called a work mate, told them the route I was on and to look for me. Well, they stopped and picked me up, but not until I was only 3 miles from home.

:)

I guess I never really expect more riders during my commute.. Do not mind being motivated by the different drummer. I proudly display my feelings about car vs. bike......
My favorite t shirt says "Blow up your Car, Ride a bike."
I hear co-workers talk of crazies motorists on the road. Case closed...

and if you are a senior citizen and ride a bike people really think that you are odd

I try to ride daily. a couple of times a week I stop in at the auto parts store on the highway where the senior stoic philosophers gather to drink coffee, offer solutions to the world's problems, and give extended, detailed descriptions of their agonies and surgeries

I suggested to each of them that they would feel better if they ride. To a man they have numerous cogent reasons (not to be confiused with excuses) why they cannot ride a bicycle

only one of these guys is older than I. I am 6-3 275 lbs and will be 70 this September. I feel great.

there are a couple of other older fellows who ride bikes. they carry garbage bags and pick up beer cans. I am the one with a white helmet and no garbage bag.

then there is also Charlie who is 72, about 5-7 and 140. He rides a Hasa (spelling?). You have to be quick or you will miss him as he whizzes by. One day I asked how far he usually rides. He said, "This morning I rode 43 miles in about three hours."


excelsior! ever upward and onward!

Originally posted by vlad
and if you are a senior citizen and ride a bike people really think that you are odd ... I am 6-3 275 lbs and will be 70 this September. I feel great.
Wow. This is great. But according to BikeForums, you're a "junior member". Maybe they know something others don't !!

A long time ago I tried to get others to ride to work, when that effort failed I tried to get others to ride at night or on the weekends. I've learned one thing, they all quit, I ride alone just about always. I spend many hours a week on the bike, I ride to work 37.5 miles round trip, I ride most everywhere else I need to go. I have the silent relationships with those I regularly see along my way. I learned to like to be alone, It allows me time to think about why others may see what I do as useless and a waste of time, I get many comments like, Why do you do that to yourself? Don't you get cold? What do you do when it rains? It's dark out there, you could get killed. Don't you get tired? Are you trying to prove something to someone? Maybe you should think about counseling. Well it all boils down to the fact that these people are lazy, they always take the easy way out, that follows them in other things they do in life, most of the people I know are not fit or in good health, most look older then they are and are quite over weight and do a lot of complaining about everything. I don't usually respond to the above comments and questions but I always respond to the following. How do you stay so thin? I tell them, I ride a bike. How come you're so patient? I tell them, I ride a bike. How come you're always on time? I tell them, I ride a bike. How come you're so cheerful early in the morning? I tell them, I ride a bike.
We are alone, We are fit, and we are together in spirit. We know the value of cycling, it makes us better people and more tollerant of society around us, We have the drive ,ambition and self discipline it takes to succeed on the bike, in life and at our careers. A quote I read somewhere says it all, "Everything you need to know in life, You can learn from the seat of a bike".
Keep crankin.

Very nicely put Mrfix :beer:

One has to appreciate the benefit(s) of riding for ones-self, without being pushed. Then the motivation follows even when it would be faster, warmer, drier to find another way to travel.

Some people like to go to the gym, they take time out to do this and probably need to drive to get there. My gym takes me to work, and gives me two thirty minute workouts every working day. The scenery is always changing in my gym, more so on weekend rides, so I don't need to stare at a TV to stave off boredom.

I tried a "cycling machine" once in a hotel gym, just because it was there. Very very boring, uncomfortable and strangely, very hard work. Much harder than, ahem, cycling....

Those of us who ride know why. I'd like to teach the world to ride (there's a song in there somewhere...) but it won't work for all of them.

Keep on riding,

Ed

This morning I arrived late at the office and - lo and behold - had trouble finding a place to park my bike! The rack was full! The word is spreading!!

Well, I guess the penetration rate could be higher, as the rack has space for 10 bikes or so, and appr. 300 persons work in this building. But we're getting there... they'll soon have to install a new rack.

--J

Just so you know....

I am new to the forum and have been reading the posts.

I rode to work this morning for the first time in years because of the posts.

The ride was great; 8.5 miles and it only added 15 minutes to the commute. Not too bad.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement you didn't know you were giving me.

John

Nice work John :beer:

Bike commuting is a great morning wake-up, plus also a good stress buster before you get home. Keep on riding!

Ed

Originally posted by JohnC
I am new to the forum and have been reading the posts.

I rode to work this morning for the first time in years because of the posts.

Thanks everyone for the encouragement you didn't know you were giving me.

John
John, may I ask: are you already a recreational cyclist, or have you been "off the bike" completely?