Austin TX recreation: Running, cycling, swimming, parks, Fit City

Hi, I’m a bike commuter

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By Pam LeBlanc | Friday, May 28, 2010, 11:57 AM

I’ve become a bike commuting maniac.

I’ve ridden my bike to work once a week for the last six or seven years. But when we formed an Austin American Statesman team for the Austin Commuter Challenge this month, I ramped it up.

I ride 16 miles round trip to work and back almost every day. I pedal to swim practice, the bank, the post office, the hair salon, the grocery store, the pharmacy, my friends’ houses — just about everywhere.

In the last two weeks alone, I’ve logged more than 250 miles on my commuter bike! (And haven’t had to put gas in my car for three weeks.)

It’s changed my perspective. Instead of automatically grabbing for the car keys, I think of my bike first.

I can go almost everywhere I need to go on my bike.

I’ve had only a few exceptions: A story interview in San Marcos, another in Lago Vista. A resupply trip to the grocery store after I was out of town for 11 days.

It’s fun. I try to go faster every day.

The best part is feeling my body get stronger with every trip. The hills that once pooped me out aren’t quite so daunting. I’m getting “cyclist’s legs!”

For the most part, reaction from motorists has been polite. I get lots of smiles from other cyclists.

I’ve seen cool stuff — a guy hoisting a massive fish out of the lake, a cat catching a squirrel, a snake in the creek, a family of swans, friends out for a run, new construction, my neighbors. Bike commuting is a great way to see what’s going on in your city.

I’ll be sorry when the Austin Commuter Challenge ends on May 31. But I won’t quit commuting.

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