Ride to Work Week & Day, National Bike Month, the National Bike Challenge, and...Encouragement

Tomorrow, May 17, is National Bike to Work Day.

There hasn't been a lot of time for blogging or riding lately, but I'm doing both as I can. I love it when the National Bike _________ rolls around. It's just one more motivation to suck it up and ride (almost) every day. I'm thankful for the National Bike Challenge - it's the dare I needed five years back to get started commuting by bike. I can't believe I was actually scared to attempt it. Nowadays I'm scared of the impacts of not riding.

I've been commuting to work on the e-bike and bombing about on the klunker. And the winter funk is melting away nicely.

E-bike throwin' shade on this morning's commute

So I wanted to offer you a bit of encouragement - get out and ride, snagit! Get off the couch and ride! Put down the phone and ride! Quit fretting over the news and ride! Quit snacking on Dorito's and ride! Stop biting your fingernails and ride! Stop pouting and pedal! Stop whining and wheelie!

Modern life is not easy. It's nerve-wracking, anxiety-inducing, and downright stressful, but study after study tells us that moderate activity and time spent outside are powerful tools in relieving stress, improving health, and pushing depression back.

HuffKlunk in the 'Hood - peace!

So, if you're like I was, get over your objections and ride. Ride around the block once a day, or ride to someplace nearby that you really like - a park, a friend's house, or Holly Hop (ice cream is a powerful motivator for me). Or do something practical - ride to the grocery store, to work, or to run an errand. 

It ain't much, but May ain't over yet!

Stick with it for a week.

See, I've got stats and badges, britches!

If you absolutely hate it, stop. Go try something else.

But if you find yourself enjoying it or seeing some positive benefits, keep at it. The more I ride, the better I feel. And it's amazing what that has done for my outlook when facing tumultuous times.

Consider yourself encouraged! Wishing all of y'all the best!

PS. Here's some previous Mesquite Hugger encouragement:

Bike to Work Day 2014: Bring it on, Lubbock!

Lubbock (Not) on a Bike: Happy Ride to Work Day 2015, Snagit!

It's almost here - National Bike Challenge 2016

Lubbock on a Bike: National Bike Challenge is Back! (2017)

Woohoolio! The National Bike Challenge Begins! (2018)

Is it really bike to work day in Lubbock?

I rode the bike to work today, but I didn't know. Yep, the Mesquite Hugger calendar update system is needing some help. It was when I arrived at the java distributor and paused the Strava app that I saw a pop-up informing me that it is ride to work day. Man, am I glad that I rode!

 

 

Of course, I am always glad on days that I ride. But how did this sneak up on me? (Actually, it's pretty easy to sneak up on me these days.)

 

So, I Oogled it:

 

 

I learned that today is  Global Bike to Work Day and it's Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area. And it's Bike to Work day a week from tomorrow here in the States. Yep, I am still confused, so I have a new goal - I want to try to ride on every Bike to Work Day and on lots of days that are just plain old Snagit, I Still Have to Go Work Day days.

 

Why? I am going to defer to the NBL on this one:

 

Check it out at the National Bike League site

 

So, how about you? Do any of those reasons appeal to you? Then try it, snagit!

• Pick a day (like maybe May 19th -  US Bike to Work Day.)
• Air up your tires (or borrow a bike - call me!)
• Plan your route
• Do it! (You might actually enjoy it, or save money, or get healthy, or become a Mesquite Hugger hero by fighting pollution!)

May you get out and pedal yourself to a better life for you and all of us!

Lubbock on a Bike: National Bike Challenge is Back!

Yep, the entire Mesquite Hugger staff is excited! It's that time of year again! The National Bike Challenge is back, and our heavy duty thorn-resistant tubes are fully inflated and ready for Monday.

So far, it looks like our staff is the only Lubbockite to have joined the challenge; so, please, spend the next two days mulling it over. (You know you want to join!)

The National Bike Challenge

So, you're not convinced? Read this!

Learn More

I am about halfway through this excellent book and would love for everyone to read it. It's much more than just a bicycle book -  it gives the reader a much broader view of our modern world and what humans can do to thrive in our daily lives. (And it lays out a lot of reasons, for you, dear reader, to get your butt on a bike.)

May you know peace and may we all work toward a better world together.

Lubbock on a Bike: Last Commute 2016

Back in high school, we had a Horatio Alger Day where we learned that we could be anything that we set our heart to be. (I may need another one of those.) I don't remember much from that day, but I very clearly remember one thing that a guest speaker told us. On the chalkboard he had drawn a bunch of stars up high and a steaming pile of something down low. Then he drew a bow and an arrow. "It is better to aim for the stars and miss [he paused for dramatic emphasis] than to aim for the poop and hit it." (Yes, he really said "poop".)

 

It was 39 degrees and breezy when I left the house this morning. I was a little disorganized and was disappointed to realize that I had grabbed two right-handed mechanics gloves for the ride. I ended up riding with one hand on the handlebar and one in my jacket pocket. I also forgot my reflective vest. Oy vey! But not really - every ride is a good ride. Every day I ride is a better day than it would have been.

 

Bike shadow on the mall taken on this morning's commute

 

My goal for this year was to commute at least 1000 miles on a bicycle - to reduce my car driving by at least 1000 miles. My goal was to tangibly reduce my carbon output. And I considered 1000 miles to be fairly modest.

 

I have so far hit 84% of my goal - I have five miles to ride home. My daily commute to work (round trip) is about 10 miles or 1% of my goal.

My stats from today (National Bike Challenge website)

 

But today is the last day this year that I'll commute to work. My commute takes me very near the mall (a place akin to Hell this time of year) and there is no biking (or walking) infrastructure in place near the mall. And if you ever want to see man's inhumanity to man, just watch the non-gleeful Lubbock drivers trying to get to the mall between Thanksgiving and Christmas.(This is my overly wordy way of saying I am extremely scared to ride to work during the holidays.)

 

The red arrow is my commute path. The green arrow is the place where no one stops at the red light. An easy place to commit suicide by traffic.

 

But I am happy to say that I aimed for the stars. The 14-year-old Dodge pickup with 178,000 miles on it spent 84 days sitting in the driveway at home not burning oil or gas. That's 84 days I did not step in poop.

Okay people, I am shooting for 1200 miles next year. How about you? What is your clean goal for the coming year? (Feel free to answer)

May you aim for the stars and help us all to drag ourselves out of the poop!

A special thanks to the Norris family for donating a very nice bike to the Mesquite Hugger Office of Commuting, to my office mate and good friend who leaves the office so I can change into more work appropriate clothing, to my lovely and wonderful wife for putting up with bikes everywhere (sometimes including the dining room), and to all of the Lubbock drivers who have not run me over.

Non-sequitur: Milky Chance Covers the Pixies (to offer you a groovy day)

Lubbock on a Bike: Ending a 5 Month Era

I was afforded the luxury of riding my bike to work today. (Yes, I know that most people don't equate riding a bike to work with luxury, but it is for me.)

It felt so very good.

[Life has changed lately. Most of those changes involve taking care of someone in the hospital and taking care of a very talkative third grader. My hat is off to those of you who are raising children. I honestly don't know how you do it.]

Today is the final Day of the National Bike Challenge 2016. And it has been a good run!

Recently I wrote about a guy named David in town who has kept me pedaling. He pulled ahead this week and my hat is off to him - Congrats, David E! (Unless I can turn my five-mile commute home into something over 50 miles, he has it in the bag.)

We've bumped up the MH art budget!

The funny thing about riding a bike is that the more I ride, the more I want to ride. And the more I drive a car, the more I want to ride a bike. And the more I eat donuts, the more I need to ride. And the more I get stressed out, the more I need to ride. It's like life is a big funnel trying to pour me onto a bike.

Here are my cycling stats for this year (so far)

 

So, where do we go from here?

 

Locally speaking:

 

Lubbock is looking at updating its bike and pedestrian paths. I want to see what the plan is and see if it serves the entire town or just the areas near the University. My biggest concern for the Lubbock update is that the focus is on recreational cyclists and that little thought is given to those of us who ride for transportation. This year I have crossed paths with a lot more cycle commuters than in the past, and I seldom ride north of 34th Street. With our town beginning to experience actual traffic jams, cycling could do a lot to lessen the burden on our streets.

 

My quick Lubbock-on-a-Bike wishlist:

• Protected Bike lanes
• Existing Bike lanes expanded to include intersections that cross major streets (i.e. 50th at Memphis)
• East-West bike lanes (not routes)
• Provisions for crossing Loop 289 (and other major roads)

Personally speaking:

 

I plan to keep riding through the winter as much as possible and I plan to keep scheming up ways to get my hands on an electric cargo bike. (RadWagon, Yuba, Extracycle, Juiced - I'm not picky!)

 

May you get your own luxury and may no one else have to pay for it. Keep pedaling!

 

PS. Special thanks to People for Bikes for putting on the National Bike Challenge for another year - keep up a great work that motivates so many of us! #bikesCANsolvethat

An E-Bike Success Story - Me

A University of Colorado at Boulder electric bike study has been making the rounds lately:

The New York Times - The Surprising Health Benefits of an Electric Bike

Treehugger/Lloyd Alter - Let's stop bashing the e-bikes; they are still better than driving.

It's had me reminiscing. My first legitimate e-bike was a Currie EZip Trailz.

I loved that thing!

Let's rewind a bit. Back around the time I was forty things were not going so well. I weighed about 275. I had high blood pressure in a big way. I traveled a lot and I ate out a lot and I did not exercise. One day the dog got out and I thought I would die after chasing her for less than half of a block.

About that time, Best Buy figured out they should not be in the electric bike business and they had some great close-outs. The EZip dropped down to $150, and I bought it. And I loved it!

My commute to and from work became my favorite time of the day. Instead commuting straight down Indiana with all of the other lemmings in our shiny metal boxes I became a Roger De Coster hooligan wannabe flying down back streets and back alleys and past parks at a blazing 14 miles per hour!

[To be fair, it was a really crappy e-bike. It had two really heavy batteries (with very little power) mounted on the back. It had a geared and brushed motor (that howled like a banshee) also mounted on the back. And it had really weak spokes. If you combine that combo with a heavy guy sitting toward the back, you might have a problem. I kept tightening spokes on the rear wheel until one day I tried going up a curb and demolished the rear wheel. I ordered a new rear wheel, but someone broke in and stole the bike before the wheel arrived, snagit!]

FrankenHuffy 2.1

 

Along the way, I found myself enjoying life a little more and losing a little weight. So I built myself a scary electric Frankenbike and kept riding. And I started using a regular (non-electric) bike for shorter trips. A few years ago, I joined the National Bike Challenge. The NBC did not count miles ridden on an e-bike back then (they do now for pedelecs) so I started commuting on a non-electric bicycle.

Fast forward to now. The past few days have been record-breakingly hot and extremely windy. And I have ridden my bike to work. I am now at a point where I am not winded when I get there. Where I don't feel the need* for an e-bike. I weigh about 240 these days. (That number would be even lower, but I have not become a give-up-the-donuts-success-story yet.) The blood pressure is under control.

I bike about 45 miles per week, climb lots of stairs, and walk about 8 miles per week.

And the revolution started with a highly enjoyable (but very poor quality) e-bike I picked up off the discount rack.

May you find that thing that kicks off your revolution for a healthier self and a healthier planet.

As always, thank you for reading!

* I do feel the need for an electric cargo bike to help me say no to the truck and to the gas pump, but that's another blog entry or ten.

Lubbock on a Bike: Bike Challenge Update and a Cheap Cargo Bike in Town

Okay, let's get straight to the sexiness - there's a retro cargo bike on the Lubbock Craigslist Bike Parts section. It's simple, strong, and quite a buy at only $100. Act now - it can't stick around long.

Cooler than a shopping cart cargo bike! And already built!

 

As for me and my pedal-powered quest for personal carbon reduction, it's going pretty well:

Blue are the days I've ridden in June. I was out of town on all but one of the white days. It's progress.

 

The new (to me) mountain bike commuter is holding up well. The homemade panniers are holding up with a little tweaking here and there. The legs and lungs are doing better than ever. Most important, the Dodge truck is gathering dust most days.

 

And I am still happier on the days I ride. I may not be saving the world, but it's a pedal in the right direction.

 

May we all pedal something in the right direction!

Lubbock on a Bike AND Arugula Gone Wild!

Super busy at the day job and life in general, so I'll keep this one short.

Yesterday marked one month down in the 2016 National Bike Challenge. I logged 130 miles in May, which isn't that impressive, but considering that I never ride over 5 miles per trip, not too shabby. That's about 9 gallons of gas not bought or burned. Striving for better! (Thanks, Spencer. for pushing me to ride more!)

The days I rode are in blue. Please join me in the NBC!

 

On to the garden:

 

 

 

See, arugula is taking over! Does anyone want some fresh arugula?

The stray red-leaf lettuce is trying to be arugula-rific!

Sweet peppers are almost ready - 4 so far.

 

For me, each attempt at consuming and releasing less carbon leads to a better life. I find that I love bicycling and I love gardening. Life is indeed better outside, and outside is better when you are not polluting it. Who knew?

 

May you find joy in things that make the world better for all.

 



 

Forty Percent - Can You Do it?

I admit it - I am a fair-weather biker. I have a simple set of don't ride criteria

• water falling from the sky
• ice
• temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit
• temperature above 105 degrees Fahrenheit
• wind above 25 miles per hour

The local climate is semi-arid/plains/desert type stuff, so this criteria keeps me riding a lot. Strangely, National Bike to Work Week always seems to bring a monsoon with it. I rode to work on Monday. I will ride again on Friday (tomorrow). There has been rain, lightning, and cold in between.

I am thankful to be able to ride tomorrow - it's National Ride to Work Day!

Sure, I would love to be able to ride every day, but this week I will have accomplished a 40% reduction in gas-powered rides to work. If we could accomplish that on a larger scale - say a town, a county, a state...we could make a massive dent in our ecological well-being. We could slow climate change. Yes, I love bicycles, but bike riding is not the desired outcome. We need to reduce carbon production and release. That's the real goal.

So, how about you? What could you do to reduce the damage caused by your commute by 40%? Would you need a bike? A more efficient car? A bus pass? A carpool plan? Thicker socks? A schedule change at work?

If you can't get there, look at other parts of your life. Could you use 40% less electricity? 40% less water? Could you create 40% less waste? Could you help make it possible for others to make a 40% improvement? Could you inspire others to make a 40% improvement?

Just think, if an overweight, middle-aged dork-on-a-bike can do it, you can too!

May forty percent be the beginning of something amazing in your life!

Lubbock on a Bike: Bike to Work Week, Day, and Commuter Nirvana Returns

The next two weeks are big ones for Lubbock cyclists. Already, I have been noticing more and more cyclists on the street. Yesterday I even ran across a smiling woman riding a folding bike on Memphis Avenue. (There's a certain bike-dork-cool in spotting a folding bike actually being ridden.)

The National Bike Challenge is rocking right along...

...but Spencer has stepped it up this year and is kicking my butt all over the street with his 7 miles per day. My 3-day per week commutes just don't aren't cutting it! The  NBC website is working now. (Please join us!)

Week 2 - I have logged 50 miles so far - a few gallons of gas not burnt!

 

Support a local business and get your bike on this Saturday:

Velocity Bike Shop is having a 10th Anniversary event this weekend.

Next week has two big bike events.

The whole week is National Bike to Work Week. Next Friday is Bike to Work Day. Mark your calendars!

Bike to Work Week - May 16-20

Bike to Work Day - May 20

Check out all these places that ENCOURAGE people to ride. 

Next Friday!

 

My favorite poster - Santa Cruz

Cedar Rapids invites you to Bike to Lunch with the Mayor

 

(Can you imagine that with Lubbock Mayor Glen Robertson?)

 

My favorite part:

The following week begins my favorite bike commuter season because summer is here and we will finally see the Last Day for Lubbock Independent School District - May 27 Wooooohooo!!! Yes, Bike Commuter Nirvana begins. It's a time when the town's population drops by 20,000 (college students head home) and a time when stressed-out parents and hormone-filled teens are not distractedly driving to the neighborhood schools. Yep, I can start using better routes that pass dangerously close to schools. Birds will sing! Flowers will bloom! The commute will go from Mad-Max intense to Cinderella-with-the-birds blissful. Yep, I am excited!

May your commute be healthy and peaceful for us all!

Lubbock on a Bike: 2016 National Bike Challenge Begins

For me. it started with a whimper, which is perfectly okay. Today is a strangely cold day, one of those that occasionally sneak up on you here in the Hub City.

The National Bike Challenge!!!

But the National Bike Challenge is not a sprint. It's a long-haul pursuit.

Today I will ride a mile or a little more. From here to the end of September, I hope to do the same every day, and to replace as many car trips as possible, and to encourage as many people as possible to do the same.

This year's awesome hand-me-down steed! Thanks, MN!

Here is to your health. your wealth, your prosperity, and the well-being of everyone you know. Pedal on, friends!

It's almost here - National Bike Challenge 2016

 

I am excited! It's time for the National Bike Challenge. It starts this Sunday.

 

This is my third year. Before I joined the NBC, I questioned whether I could do it, whether I would follow through. I was overweight, overstressed, and very short of breath. And a five-mile ride to work was very intimidating.

Now I am still overweight, but 20 pounds lighter. I am still stressed, but manageably so. It takes a lot more for me to be winded. Five miles these days is no big deal (unless I am running late.) In short, life is getting better.

There are a hundred good reasons for you to join. You probably know most of them better than I do. What have you got to lose other than weight and debt?

May you pedal your way to a much better life.

For you electric bicycle fans, I found this little tidbit in the FAQ section of the NBC website.

Now, if I just had a pedal-assisted bike...

 

Thank you, NBC for working to get more people out there on a bike and out of a car!

 

[One small disclaimer - the NBC has a brand-new website and they are still having a few teething pains. Be patient - it'll be worth it!]

 

Real Reasons to Ride a Bike; The Challenge Begins

When I started this blog, I had no idea how big a bike would be for Mesquite Hugger. The more I write, learn, and ride, the more I see the life-saving, earth-saving beauty of a simple bicycle.

This post has three places to look and learn:

• a great video talk
• a great blog post (someone else's blog)
• the beginning of the National Bike Challenge (just five days away)

The great video talk

Last week I ran across a TedX Talk by Zach Krapfl on Electric Bike Insider. For a seemingly low-key guy, Zach is a very engaging speaker, and I have no plans of taking a road trip with him. (Watch the video if you want to know why.)

In the video, he talks about one image that has become a screensaver in my head:

Scott at Small Potatoes Farm

 

Please watch the Change in your Transportation Future to see why. (It's 16 minutes, but it flies by on slender tires.)

 

The great blog post

 

[Feel free to skip this part, it is a blogger self-motivation sidebar: I am a semi-reformed gasoholic. While there may have been other seeds germinating, there were two events that defined my conversion: the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Both of those tragic events were direct results of our people lustfully pursuing oil in places we should not have been. That realization led me to a lot of questions that keep leading me to the need to stop seeking fossil fuels.]

 

 

One of my favorite bloggers these days is Bob Sharpe over at Bike 5. Bob is not a problem guy. Bob is a solution guy. His blog title comes from his belief that trips under 5 miles are better served by a bicycle. His most recent post asks a fuel question - What Do You Run On? It's obvious that Bob and Zach have come to a lot of the same conclusions from different directions.

 

If you pay much attention to either or both of them, you might be looking for motivation within yourself to hop on a bike more. Well, here is one that got me rolling a few years back.

 

The Challenge

 

More about the bike challenge in tomorrow's post

 

May we pedal our butts off and make the world safer, healthier, and better for all!

Lubbock on a Bike: July NBC Update and Alamogordo

Red means rode!

 

Better than June, not as impressive as May. I did not ride the bike that much in July. By the time I get home today, I should be just a little shy of 40 miles for the month. Excuses, I have a few. First, it was really hot. (I rode the electric bike on several of the hot days - but those miles don't count in the National Bike Challenge.) I also spent the better part of the week working in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

 

MH wandering brain sidebar:

Man, I was jonesing for a bike to explore Alamogordo; all those hills, curves, bike lanes, and solar panels... Alámo gordo means "fat cottonwood" in Spanish. If I were a town in New Mexico, I would call myself Abrazador Gordo de Mezqite. I think it would work because they have places with names like Truth or Consequences and they have a lot of cactus huggers out there. I'd fit right in.

A rocket and a rainbow!

See the reclining woman?

See the solar panels!

 

 

Back to my flat town:

After my mid-month bicycle hiatus I logged back into the NBC expecting to see that I had tumbled down in the Lubbock rankings, but there I was still in the top three with Ms. Wilde and Ms. Wilcox. (I have never met either of them, but I do appreciate the competitive camaraderie!) Apparently everybody else found the sun to be a bit much.

 

I did get an email telling me that I am in an NBC drawing for a New Belgium cruiser - I'd love to win one...



 

...but I'd probably be better off winning one of the other glamorous prizes:

They are Tube-Free!

 

May you know the earth-saving, health-improving, budget-bettering joy of the wind in your spokes!

 

[Allen, I am calling you out - get off your scooter and pedal!]