# Bike to Work Week/Day



## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Well, it seems like we ought to have a Bike to Work Week/Day thread since the time is upon us.

The week started out nicely in NC after a cruddy weekend with lots of rain. One advantage of bike commuting that I discovered this week is that you're guaranteed to ride plenty of miles even if your regular weekend ride gets rained out! It was chilly this morning (49) but supposed to warm up to mid-70s by this afternoon. The local newspaper (Raleigh N&O) actually published an article about BTWW:

http://www.newsobserver.com/674/story/573898.html

Our mild-mannered reception at work was fussing this morning about her morning commute, and that made me realize what I great mood I have been in after riding to work in the mornings. No traffic jams to contend with and the exercise gets my endorphins flowing.

The city is having a morning breakfast/event for bike commuters on Friday, so I might just ride an extra 15 miles that day and get to the office a little later than usual.


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## bonkmiester (Sep 23, 2005)

tarwheel2 said:


> Well, it seems like we ought to have a Bike to Work Week/Day thread since the time is upon us.
> 
> The week started out nicely in NC after a cruddy weekend with lots of rain. One advantage of bike commuting that I discovered this week is that you're guaranteed to ride plenty of miles even if your regular weekend ride gets rained out! It was chilly this morning (49) but supposed to warm up to mid-70s by this afternoon. The local newspaper (Raleigh N&O) actually published an article about BTWW:
> 
> ...


...so what's your commute...?...here's mine:


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

Here's my route:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=913501


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## FrontRanger (May 19, 2004)

Here is mine. BTWD is end of June here in Colorado. This commute is long and hilly. Will have a rough time talking my wife into riding it with me.

<IMG SRC="https://www.aphoto.net/misc/commute.jpg">


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## joey1 (Jan 2, 2007)

And here's my daily grind minus a few miles as not to give specifics to start and end points.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=953452
View attachment 87710


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

FrontRanger said:


> Here is mine. BTWD is end of June here in Colorado. This commute is long and hilly. Will have a rough time talking my wife into riding it with me.
> 
> 
> > Here is my bike to work day ride. 68 mile round trip. It's quite fun. I'm here in Colorado also so it's going to be a few more weeks until I get to do it.
> ...


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## Fixed (May 12, 2005)

*route*



bonkmiester said:


> ...so what's your commute...?...here's mine:


13 miles each way, very flat, but lots of stops:


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## vonteity (Feb 13, 2005)

Whoops, I guess I posted my Bike-to-Work thread in the fixed gear forum... Doh!

I've been real lax on commuting to work by bike (like not at all), so I'm starting again this week. This was my second ride on my new fixed gear and the first commute on it. Not bad!


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

*So, bonkmeister ...*



bonkmiester said:


> ...so what's your commute...?...here's mine:


Are you going to any of the Bikeweek festivities in the Triangle this week? I'm gonna try to make the Friday morning breakfast in downtown Raleigh. It's supposed to be at the corner of Fayetteville and Hargett streets from 7-10 am. It will make for an extra long commute, but it's Friday.

http://www.gotriangle.org/Bike_Walk/BTWW07.html


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## bonkmiester (Sep 23, 2005)

tarwheel2 said:


> Are you going to any of the Bikeweek festivities in the Triangle this week? I'm gonna try to make the Friday morning breakfast in downtown Raleigh. It's supposed to be at the corner of Fayetteville and Hargett streets from 7-10 am. It will make for an extra long commute, but it's Friday.
> 
> http://www.gotriangle.org/Bike_Walk/BTWW07.html


...that's all I can do festivities wise....

*Friday, May 18* - Cyclists' breakfast and Bike to Work Week Celebration, 7:00 - 10:00 AM, NW corner of Fayetteville Street and Hargett Street.

...and it's my birthday, so that will be fun,,,

On the 25th I am volunteering for the RaleighCrit ... you should too if you can, they need help...


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## bonkmiester (Sep 23, 2005)

joey1 said:


> And here's my daily grind minus a few miles as not to give specifics to start and end points.
> 
> http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=953452


...wow, I grew up in Malvern [Sugartown actually] went to Great Valley HS...and my Dad built a bunch of houses & apartments in Pottstown,,,,too funnny, your commute covers both ends of that....


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## joey1 (Jan 2, 2007)

bonkmiester said:


> ...wow, I grew up in Malvern [Sugartown actually] went to Great Valley HS...and my Dad built a bunch of houses & apartments in Pottstown,,,,too funnny, your commute covers both ends of that....


That's a really nice HS from what I hear. And Pottstown sucks.


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## Cheers! (Aug 20, 2006)

I want to try cycling to work on my road bike... But I'm hesitant.... why? Because traffic is very heavy. I live in the suburbs where the main roads are 4 lanes wide and each lane is full of cars, with cars cutting each other off. Drivers get into shouting matches for people who don't fun the yellow in front of them so they can run the red. 

It's 32 kms to work in these roads. Should I attempt it? I usually drive 45 mins to 1 hour north to get out of the greater Toronto Area to go road cycling so that I dont' have to deal with drivers who can't even avoid other cars.

Part of me wants to cycle because 32 kms to and from would be a good distance. But I think I may lose my life.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

*I can sympathize ...*



Cheers! said:


> I want to try cycling to work on my road bike... But I'm hesitant.... why? Because traffic is very heavy. I live in the suburbs where the main roads are 4 lanes wide and each lane is full of cars, with cars cutting each other off. Drivers get into shouting matches for people who don't fun the yellow in front of them so they can run the red.
> 
> It's 32 kms to work in these roads. Should I attempt it? I usually drive 45 mins to 1 hour north to get out of the greater Toronto Area to go road cycling so that I dont' have to deal with drivers who can't even avoid other cars.
> 
> Part of me wants to cycle because 32 kms to and from would be a good distance. But I think I may lose my life.


I felt the same way as you, so I rode the route from home to my office one Sunday when the traffic was light. It didn't seem so bad, so I tried it on a workday. Traffic was heavier than I liked, so I didn't do it again for a while. Then I started studying maps for a better route and found some roads that avoided some of the worst spots on my commute. I still have about 1 mile on a busy, 4-lane road, but traffic is light at 6:45 in the morning and I just gut it out in the afternoon. I wear very bright clothes and use a flashing blinker in the mornings as well as a mirror. 

Go to the Google maps site (www.gmap-pedometer.com) and start studying the roads in your area, and I bet you can find some alternative routes that avoid some if not most of the traffic. Neighborhood streets might not be the most direct route, but they are much safer and more scenic. So what if you end up riding a few extra miles?

When I started bike commuting last month, I originally planned to do it one day a week, on Fridays. I liked it so much that I'm now doing it 2-3 days per week. On the days I don't ride, I carpool, so I'm actually driving only one day. I bring clean clothes to work and take home the dirty ones on the days I carpool.

I'm also fortunate in that we have a shower at work, and I can keep my bike in my office. We also have flex time, so I can come into work early (7 am) and leave before the traffic gets extremely heavy.


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## joey1 (Jan 2, 2007)

Cheers! said:


> Should I attempt it? ........Part of me wants to cycle because 32 kms to and from would be a good distance. But I think I may lose my life.


I still get nervous every day when I leave to go to work/home. Traffic is nuts and people will kill you just to get to that stop light 3 secs faster. There's no way around it. You either need to accept it or stay in a car. I can tell you for sure that the nervousness goes away as soon as you're out on the road mixing it up with cars. It's never as bad as you imagine it. Just make sure you don't blend in. Good advice is to leave early or late. If I leave at 5:15 as compared to 4:45 it's two different worlds. I still usually leave at 4:45 but then I like shouting at people and kicking doors...

I say go for it.


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## Andy M-S (Feb 3, 2004)

*My regular...*



bonkmiester said:


> ...so what's your commute...?...here's mine:


I take this route most days...some days I go a little longer. Where I'm not on a road, I'm on one of the marsh trails around here.


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## Sledgehammer03 (Mar 7, 2006)

This is my ride, to work. 15.5 miles, takes a little under 1 hour, most days. Bike to wrok day (June 27, 2007) in Colorado had about 50 people onthe trail last year. That was great weather, should be interesting (more people) this year if, the weather holds and the price of gas stays high.

Edit: I don't like the picture that I was able to post. here is the link to the g-ped https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=956861


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## Doggity (Mar 10, 2006)

Cheers! said:


> I want to try cycling to work on my road bike... But I'm hesitant.... why? Because traffic is very heavy. I live in the suburbs where the main roads are 4 lanes wide and each lane is full of cars, with cars cutting each other off. Drivers get into shouting matches for people who don't fun the yellow in front of them so they can run the red.
> 
> It's 32 kms to work in these roads. Should I attempt it? I usually drive 45 mins to 1 hour north to get out of the greater Toronto Area to go road cycling so that I dont' have to deal with drivers who can't even avoid other cars.
> 
> Part of me wants to cycle because 32 kms to and from would be a good distance. But I think I may lose my life.


 Listen to your gut. If the route you're describing doesn't have wide shoulders, and the drivers are like that, it's not a question of if, but when you get hit. Just not worth it.


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## Tour De Frans (Apr 3, 2005)

*Here's mine*

Nothern California: Sacramento to Vacaville

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=959731


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## mleptuck (Jul 29, 2002)

*Here's mine*

About 15mi each way, but hilly (about 90' of climbing per mile) and some of the roads are utter garbage, but what can you do, right?

Just started commuting 3 weeks ago; and am only averaging 2-3 times per week. As I work out the logistics, I'm hoping to go 3-4 times a week...


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## mleptuck (Jul 29, 2002)

*Hey Bonk & Joey*



bonkmiester said:


> ...wow, I grew up in Malvern [Sugartown actually] went to Great Valley HS...


I grew up in Malvern as well, and spent 2 years @ Sugartown Elementary. Then I got to spend six HORRID years @ Malvern Prep while all my friends and neighbors got to go to Great Valley. I've still got friends in Malvern, and ride a LOT of the area in Joey's commute (LOVE the climb up Yellow Springs from Phoenixville Pike up and over the turnpike)...


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## joey1 (Jan 2, 2007)

mleptuck said:


> I've still got friends in Malvern, and ride a LOT of the area in Joey's commute (LOVE the climb up Yellow Springs from Phoenixville Pike up and over the turnpike)...


Yea that's a fun one. I'm trying to incorporate more climbs in my commute but I don't know where any other ones are that won't take me too far away or kill me during rush hour.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

The weather forecasters have been wrong all week here in Raleigh, NC, so when they predicted light rain today I figured it would either be sunny or pouring. Fortunately, it was sunny and perfect weather for Bike to Work Day. I rode all the way downtown because they were having a free breakfast and other events for BTWD, which added an extra 10 miles to my morning commute. It was well worth it. In addition to meeting and talking to other bike commuters, they provided chicken biscuits from Chic-Filet, hot coffee, granola bars, apples and other food and drinks. Also all sorts of maps and information about biking. The best swag was free headlights, taillights and a T-shirt. I meant to take some photos and had my camera with me, but I was so busy eating and talking that I forgot about the pictures.

How was your BTWD?


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*No PIX? NOPIXXX???!? That will never do!*



tarwheel2 said:


> .......... but I was so busy eating and talking that I forgot about the pictures.
> 
> How was your BTWD?


We hit a couple of BTWD stops, Roslyn and Freedom Plaza in DC. Both were pretty busy even though the sky was spitting a tiny bit.

Unlike some I got lots of pix so I'll start a thread tonight.

BTW Several riders came up to us and mentioned this forum (they must have recognized the bikes or Miss M's fanny pack), it is always nice to meet folks who share the passion.


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## tarwheel2 (Jul 7, 2005)

I'll try to remember to take some photos on my way home. We don't have any bike lanes or paths on my commute, so I am usually pretty focused on avoiding obstacles and traffic. I wish I had remembered to take some photos downtown, however, because there are some very scenic neighborhoods and buildings in our capital city. I'll make a special trip some other day with my camera, maybe on a Sunday morning when I don't have to worry about the traffic.


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## cptab (Sep 12, 2002)

MB1 said:


> We hit a couple of BTWD stops, Roslyn and Freedom Plaza in DC. Both were pretty busy even though the sky was spitting a tiny bit.
> 
> Unlike some I got lots of pix so I'll start a thread tonight.
> 
> BTW Several riders came up to us and mentioned this forum (they must have recognized the bikes or Miss M's fanny pack), it is always nice to meet folks who share the passion.


All the riders must have been in Rosslyn or DC. Crystal City was quiet today, but I was a bit late (8:40 a.m.). Looking forward to the pictures (ps--are you still setting up shop at Eastern Market?)


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

cptab said:


> .... (ps--are you still setting up shop at Eastern Market?)


 Yes, I am there every Saturday.


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## Gregory Taylor (Mar 29, 2002)

*Alexandria VA Had A Good Crowd....*



MB1 said:


> We hit a couple of BTWD stops, Roslyn and Freedom Plaza in DC. Both were pretty busy even though the sky was spitting a tiny bit.
> 
> Unlike some I got lots of pix so I'll start a thread tonight.
> 
> BTW Several riders came up to us and mentioned this forum (they must have recognized the bikes or Miss M's fanny pack), it is always nice to meet folks who share the passion.


The food and coffee were abundant and tasty. My fave were the samosas from the Curry Company. I had excellent burps for the rest of the ride. Curry - it's not just for breakfast any more.


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## svend (Jul 18, 2003)

tarwheel2 said:


> Well, it seems like we ought to have a Bike to Work Week/Day thread since the time is upon us.


Nice morning, typical gray May marine layer which kept the temps in the low 60's....nice to see so many folks out, 10x what I normally see on my route in. Hit the BTWD stop at Fiesta Island after a quick lap which was nice. It is too bad I don't see these number more often. 

Here is the route, red = extended loop I typically take when I'm not in a hurry, 20-26 miles each way depending.....


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