Since it’s Bike to Work day, we asked Meagan, our Trip Design Manager, to tell us her thoughts on biking to work in the bike friendly town of Madison, WI.
How does 20 minutes each day improve my happiness level by 50%? I will tell you how: biking to work. Seriously, it takes me 10 extra minutes each direction to bike rather than drive to my office and I start and finish my days AT LEAST 50% happier than when I drive. There’s just something about it: it could be as simple as breathing in the fresh morning air, or the smiles I get along the way from other commuters. Or maybe it is that tiny bit of sweat that I get when I climb the little hill on my wayback to my house that makes me feel like I accomplished something and inspires me for my workout. I love the way biking to work makes me feel and now that I have my routine, it isn’t a huge commitment.
Trust me, I know what it is like to come up with excuses not to ride to work. Things like, “I have a meeting out of the office and I might need to drive there” or “what if something happens at home and I need to rush there in my car?” or “I hate helmet hair”. Well, the fact is that it just isn’t that big of a deal. Nine times out of ten, I can borrow a car in an emergency and I can almost always bike instead of ride to places in town (and it is much more enjoyable). My hair doesn’t get too messed up, I don’t need to wear dorky cycling clothes or worry about being super sweaty (we also have a shower at work when I really need it). I can also carry whatever I need in my backpack or panniers.There are just no good excuses in the summertime not to bike to work.
