Any of you who know me, well know that I am a strong advocate of commuting by bike. I am also strongly in favor of other forms of “utility cycling.” In this case, utility cycling means, using the bicycle for things one would ordinarily do in a car, i.e. post office, filling perscriptions, dropping off videos, making that supplemental trip to the grocery, etc. In other words, just running errands.
The typical adult in our area drives about 100 miles per week to and from work, and an additional 100 miles per week on other trips. Consider; If one were to replace half of those other trips with bike trips, that would mean a “found” 50 miles per week of training riding. Additionally, one would save 2600 miles per year of wear and tear on the car!
Cars are not faster! The typical trip in America is 5 miles, with a single passenger, and 5 pounds of cargo. This can be done on a bike. A 5 mile trip, at a moderate pace, takes a cyclist about 25 minutes. In an urban or suburban area the car takes almost as long, if not longer. Remember, you have to park the wretched thing, walk into the store, walk back, get it out of the parking lot, and then drive it!
If you keep a “commuter” bike handy, it’s possible to make the same trip, park at the door, and get back in the same time or less.
Would another four hours per week change your fitness picture?
Why should a tourist care? Touring is, among other things, about spending time on the bike, hauling yourself and stuff, and sometimes it’s in traffic. Commuting and utility cycling pretty are pretty much about the same things. The vehicular utility cyclist gains traffic handling experience, gains fitness, and increases the ability to tolerate time in the saddle.
It’s food for thought.
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