Friday, May 16th is bike-to-work day. This event, put on by the League of American Bicyclists, tries to get more people out of their cars and on bikes. This week is also bike to work week. For those with the fortitude to extend their bike commuting even further, the League of American Bicyclists challenges you to bike to work the entire week.
Perhaps one of the most difficult things about bike commuting is selecting your route. For most bike commuters, especially in car-centric cities such as Dallas, safety is the primary concern. A few great resources for mapping out your route are www.bikely.com, www.mapmyride.com, and www.gmap-pedometer.com. The first two are great for finding routes in your area that have already been ridden by pioneering cyclists. The third is a great tool for simply playing with your route and finding elevation change and distance information. For example, I will be riding this route on Friday. All of these sites are based on Google maps, so they have great user interfaces.
If you are located in Dallas, another great resource for bike commuters is the DORBA (Dallas Off-Road Bicycle Association) Commuter Channel. There you can ask questions about your route, how to pack for commuting to work, or anything else. Registration is required to post, but it is quick and painless. Many other cities have groups or clubs that cater to bicycle commuters. Usually, a quick Google search is all you need to find them.
So, are any of you up to the challenge?
