Greetings VLCC'ers. I hope you've had a great week and are enjoying the weather where you are. It's gotten almost pleasant here in the South, except the humidity's still a bit high.

This week's topic deals with motivation. Obviously, you've made a lot of sacrifices to commute: dealing with vehicular traffic, overcoming seasonal temperature swings, wrangling mechanical issues, perhaps missing out on certain social opportunities, and otherwise dealing with the rigors of self-propulsion. My question to you is the age old, "Why do you do it?" A few fortunate swift souls out there average faster speeds on the velos than in their cars, but most of us take longer to bike than it would to drive. Many save money, even with added food costs, seemingly endless repairs and maintenance, and of course, my pitfall - upgrades , while some spend more than it would cost to drive (don't forget medical bills! )

For me, the traffic I had to deal with in my previous commute was heavy enough that riding to work only cost an extra 15-20 minutes and therefore was much preferrable to taking the time to drive and then go for a recreational ride. However, my new job is much quicker to drive and takes almost 45 minutes less time to drive, not to mention the obligatory shower. I know I'm saving fuel, but I've also spent a small fortune on tubes and tires this year (although, I'm really starting to clear the road of debris one way or another ). All this being said, I know that my mind and body function best with regular exercise and riding to work makes me feel healthy and alert, keeps me fit, and offsets the cost of all my cycling-related activities, including recreational riding and associated expenses. So, I suppose I consider it a self-funding hobby, which is rare these days.

How about you? What's your prime motivation for long-haul commuting?

Note: The VLCC is an open forum for anyone interested in long distance commuting. There is no minimum mileage standard to participate in the discussion and you're welcome to join in the fun, even if you don't have a long commute. Veteran and returning commuters are always welcome, even if you're not currently commuting.

My motivation is my weight, I really want to loose weight and this kills that bird as well as a bunch of other birds. I am motivated not only by weight loss but also seeing my gas bills drop. Another big one for me is that I seem to be a lot more mellow when I commute then when I drive, I seem to get a lot less pissed off at the people around me since I am so focused on not crashing and pushing myself to go faster.

I have a few motivators:

1. Health/weight - my commute is long whether I were to ride my bike, take public tansp., or drive (if I had a car). If I don't ride my bike I find by the time I get home I'm to tired & hungry to exercise. It's just easier to make my commute my exercise.

2. Environmental - The main reason I started riding and eventually got rid of my car is the environment.

3. Stress - I hate driving. I am a very mellow person, but one thing that really get's me pissed is dealing with traffic and other cars. When I ride my bike very little bothers me.

Well my main motivation is my physical and mental well being. I don't HAVE to ride the whole 60 mile round trip commute unless I want to, since my wife and I work in the same office so I can ride in and put the bike on the rack for the drive home, or vise versa.

I've lost about 25 lbs this year and am actually looking slim for the first time in years. I'm in the battle to loose the dreaded last 10 lbs. Commuting by bicycle 3 times a week is my main workout, which I supplement with some light weight training and calisthenics on my off days.

And then there's the quality mental ME time for 1.75 hrs in the morning and 2 hrs in the evening on those days I ride. Did I mention my wife and I work in the same office? Well, sometimes jumping on the bike instead of into the car for the ride home is just the right thing to do!

DanO

Losing weight and getting in shape were my major goals and they have worked out to one degree or another.

I don't save money or fuel since my wife (who drives) and I only work about 5 blocks apart, so we could easily ride together. I do save money over public transit and biking only takes about 10-15 minutes longer than public transit.

After 3-1/2 years its become such a lifestyle it sems weird not to ride. And if I don't ride for several days I can feel the stress and irritation building.

i live in the city and work out in the suburbs of chicago. however, my job is in IT so i sit for 8 hours a day. if it weren't for biking into work, i'd hardly have time to exercise - i come home to a family with 2 kids whom we also homeschool and i am going to start night classes full time in a week. i feel 100% better on days i bike into work (30 miles roundtrip).

that - and i can feel confident, with biking, that i'm not just giving lip service to the notion of alternative energy and less fuel consumption. i'm not casting a vote, not leaving it up to anyone else, but taking iniative myself. that is a huge motivator for me, especially when i imagine the type of world my kids might have to grow up in.

my motiation would be first and most important is that i simply like to pedal, mountain, road, bmx or whatever. The best way ive heard it described is how many times have you driven into work and said, what a great drive...now how many times have you gotten home from a ride and said that it was great

next would be gas is litterally too expensive for me to afford driving 40 miles a day.

other than those would be im working my towards being a stronger endurance racer, i like the fact that the more we reduce the demand for gas, prices have to drop eventually. Helping the environment isnt too bad either (knoxville has TERRIBLE air quality)

*places cue card on forehead* "Tandem! I'm hearing the word tandem."

Right now I am tired and I don't want to ride home. I could just hop on the subway take it to the end of the line and then I would only have about 1.5 miles left to ride home. But I won't. Partly this is because I need the exercise. Mostly its because I am committed to doing the biking. It makes me feel good and I know that I will be happier if I don't shirk. So I don't. Its much easier to make a decision once then to make it many times.

It's amazing how much we all have in common and how most repsondents have cited numerous reasons instead of just one. Even though the vast majority of commuters (at least in "these here parts") drive to work, I wonder how much stress would be alleviated if everyone who was capable of doing it rode a bike to work instead of driving.

It makes me wonder what it would take to get more people to try it. I think here in the ATL, it's safe roads and to some extent facilities. It gets so hot and humid in the summer here that I break out in a sweat just just taking the garbage can to the curb.

Personally, the benefits so far outweigh the cons, that I risk bodily injury to keep doing it. I find this paradoxical but very telling. I know there are studies out there that say that cycling is safer than driving per kilometer, but I can't imagine that to be true for the zip codes I drive through. I estimate I get passed by probably 500 cars per trip and each and every one of them has to avoid hitting me every time. I dunno. I know for a fact that the accidents per kilometer study I saw was completely bogus. Most roadies I know crash at least two or three times a year, including races. Thoughts?

I had my first actual brush with a car yesterday, after 3-1/2 years of commuting. I was pulling away from the light when the car next to me brushed the left end of my bars. It caused his mirror to fold against the car and shifted me into the smallest chainring, but otherwise it was a non-event. Since we were maybe going 3 mph it was just enough to raise my pulse rate.

I have to say we probably share responsibility for it. I zigged a few inches left on start-up and he zagged a few inches right to get past a large truck in the center lane, so together we used up all the extra room between us. I guess I'll just treat it as an object lesson to be more careful.

Brrrr! Glad everything turned out OK. Did the driver know when they contacted you? Did they stop? You running bar end shifters? Is that what caused the downshift?

My Commute is not long (Since I am local to nmanhipot one end of Chastain to the other) and my reason was health not wealth. My savings in fuel has easily been offset by clothing and bike swag.

I am not one to make a point to PAY to go to a health club. I am too cheap and I would have a hard time going. Riding gives me a way to HAVE to exercise every day.

I would like to make it a little longer but the road I am riding is by far the safest way between the two points at the times I ride and the only east west corridor in the area that has a Bike lane on it. Still looking for a doable alternate route to add a few miles to the ride home to burn a few more calories. Thought about looping up near nmanhipot's neck of the woods too double the distance. The southbound section would be against the flow so not so bad and the east west would be reasonable either coming up frey to Shiloh rd to booth to bells ferry or out to shallowford cut through Noon day park south or all the way over to Canton then south. Make a dry run this weekend when traffic is light and check it out.


The health benefit has run in directions I never realized. I have managed to drop 33lb since Feb. My over all energy level is WAY up. Still have to watch the calories but it is not as hard to do as when I started and when I do go a little overboard it doesn't seem to be the impact it once had.

I think where I have been really surprised is my stress levels have gone way down. Stuff that would just light me off hardly bother me these days. Those around me notice this as well. Something about the first 30 minutes out of the house getting a good work out really sets the mood for the rest of the day.

I have the same reason as many others.

I started bike commuting two years ago, a few years before the birth of my first child.
I hadn't done any exercise for at least a decade, and that coupled with a sedentary job meant I was very unfit.

I needed to find a way to keep fit that was reasonably cheap, didn't take too much time and didn't involve going to a gym. Cycling to work was the obvious answer, although the 36 mile RT takes 90 minutes longer than driving it means I get 7.5 hours of exercise a week without affecting my weekend time with the family.

I also find driving to work quite stressful. Cycling to work is always better, even when it's raining and windy. On a clear still sunny day it is fantastic.

Similar motivation here. I used to ride 15 miles every morning for exercise, then I would drive 17 miles to work. Now I bike to work, for a 34 mile round trip. I get to sleep later in the morning since I don't have to ride and shower before I leave home, I shower once I get to work, and get to ride home in the afternoon. So 1/2 hour extra sleep in the morning, and only 1/2 later getting home from work in the afternoon.

All this exercise is wonderful for my fitness and weight, and I'm getting it in without taking precious time from family activities. Plus, my family is often using my car now while I commute by bike, and we get to have a two-car family with four licensed drivers (two teenagers). My son is even talking about commuting to school and back; we'll have to see if he joins in.

Grim, mhifoe and kk4df

For me it is a combination of the fact that I have a sedentary job and want to incorporate more exercise into my days, and the simple joy of being on a bike. Oh and the 70lbs I have lost in the last year are a wonderful bonus in the equation.

Chief

My reasons are mainly the same as everyone else. But possibly highest on the list of motivators for me is that I like to be outside. I was a bit bummed two years ago when I changed jobs and my 36 mile rt commute changed to one that I couldn't forsee doing by bike. The draw of the crisp clean morning air was too strong though and I quickly found way to bike-train-bike it to my new office.

Tuesday I took it to a new level. I biked all the way from my house to my office and back. It was about 65 miles rt and it was fun. Though I can only see myself doing it once a week or so due to needing to be on the bike for over 4 hours. That is a lot of time out of my day. Bike-train-bike is usually 3 hours, but I can work or read on the train.