The 2015
Bay Area Bike Challenge
officially starts today, and DriversEd.com is excited to throw our helmets in the ring!
Why We’re Participating
Even though our specialty is driving, we’re not just drivers–we’re bicyclists too! We’re participating in the Bay Area Bike Challenge this year to recognize and celebrate another wonderful way to travel.
As a drivers education company, we’re committed to making the road a safer place for everyone, including bicyclists and pedestrians. A lot of us here at DriversEd.com commute to work by bicycle, motorcycle, public transit, or foot.
Why We Like to Ride
Bicycles are awesome, and the benefits to riding are endless. Here are just a few reasons we sometimes choose two wheels over four, and why we’re excited about the Bay Area Bike Challenge.
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Exercise
Biking is a fun and easy way to exercise. An average American weighing 195.5 pounds will burn 177 calories for every 30 minutes of easy bicycling. Other health benefits include decreased stress, improved fitness and coordination, and much more.
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Fun
Even babies on tricycles know that pedaling around is fun. There’s nothing quite like rolling down the road on a bike, powered only by your own two legs, and feeling the wind in your face.
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Reducing greenhouse gases
An average car produces 7 to 10 tons of greenhouse gases every year. In comparison, a bicycle only requires fossil fuels for the manufacturing of parts and the bicycle itself.
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Jumpstarting the day
Biking helps us start the day with more energy–both physically and mentally. We’re always awake, energetic, and ready to work after a brisk bicycle commute
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Being better drivers
Every good driver knows how to share the road. Our experiences as pedestrians and bicyclists teach us to be more aware and careful of other road users when we get behind the wheel.
Our Bay Area Bike Challenge Goals
DriversEd.com’s unofficial stats from our practice run
How many miles can we ride in 31 days? So far, three of us have signed up. During our practice run, we biked over 30 miles and burned 1,400 calories! Whew! But practice is only practice. Now that the Bike Challenge has officially started, the competition is getting serious.
Not counting Memorial Day, there are 20 workdays in May. If we all ride our bikes to work every day, we’ll cover 232 miles during just our daily commutes!
Here’s the math:
- Raúl’s daily round-trip commute is 2.6 miles.
- Flink’s daily round-trip commute is 4 miles.
- Angela’s daily round-trip commute is 5 miles.
- Our combined daily commute is 11.6 miles.
- Estimated total commute in May: 11.6 miles x 20 days = 232 miles
Now, let’s say we each bike an extra 10 miles during the week for running errands, meeting up with friends, or just plain fun. There are 4 full weeks in May, so that adds up to another 120 miles on weekdays. And with the excellent weather and Memorial Day holiday, I bet we’ll each cover about 10 miles over 5 weekends for an extra 150 miles.
Add everything up, and that’s a grand total of about 500 miles for DriversEd.com in the Bay Area Bike Challenge!
But if we literally go the extra mile, and if we can convince more colleagues join the challenge, maybe we can make our stretch goal of 600 miles. That means my personal goal is to bike at least 200 miles this month!
Think we can do it? Place your bets in the comments, and check back in June to find out!