Learn the ins and outs of bike commuting

Avoid the traffic by not being part of traffic.

April 30, 2014; 11:31 AM • by Richard Hayes

Instead of being stuck in traffic drive listening to insipid sound bites on the radio on your way to your soul-crushing job in a drab cube, you could be riding your bike to work at your soul-crushing job in a drab cube. The ride to and from work will quickly become the best part of the day.

The idea of giving up the car commute is an intimidating one (not even going to touch the soul-crush job bit) and the experience of others can go a long way. There is no reason for you to go it alone.

As part of National Bike Month, Active RVA is partnering with Bike Walk RVA to host 3 seminars on bike commuting. You could even use National Bike to Work Day, May 16, as a test run since you’re likely to find both old and new cyclists sharing the road.

May 7th at the Boulders on Southside. 5:30pm.
May 8th at Innsbrook for West End riders. 6pm.
& May 21st at MeadWestVaco downtown. 5pm.

Commuting by bike is something we can all aspire to and it’s chock-full of benefits. It kickstarts your heartbeat, makes your first hours at work much more alert and energetic, and can sometimes even be quicker when you trade traffic jams for neighborhood short cuts.

But it can take a little help to get started. That’s where Active RVA comes in. To support more Richmonders to use their bikes for commuting and running errands, we’ll help you to pick safe routes, learn how to navigate traffic, and get advice on what gear (if any) you could use to feel more comfortable.

These gatherings are informal with time to socialize, drink and chat. And we’ll make sure that you leave feeling more prepared to experiment with a bike commute you’d like to try. Plus, they’re FREE!

See you in the streets this bike month!

Photo: John Murden