Edmonton Journal: Like riding a bike

With a bit of planning, bicycle commuting is an easy, relaxing alternative to rush-hour madness As a kid, you were never too far away from your bike - you adorned its spokes with beads or hockey cards, and zoomed up and down the street like you were invincible. Now, as an adult, your wheels are motorized, and you drive the city streets with your shoulders glued to your ears, especially in rush-hour traffic. But what if you could abandon the rush-hour hell, get some exercise and feel better, every single day? According to Michael Kalmanovitch of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters, the solution’s simple: hop on your bike.

“By the time you get to work after 20 minutes of cycling, you’re much more awake than a person who drags themselves out of bed and into the car and dopes themselves up on coffee,” he says. It also “improves your emotional outlook” and reduces stress. “It allows you to think about your day as you’re cycling to work, and decompress on your way home,” adds Kalmanovitch, who also runs Earth’s General Store on Whyte Avenue. Of course, making it work requires a bit of planning.

To start with, Kalmanovitch recommends not doling out a bunch of money on a new-fangled bike. Eventually, you may want to upgrade, but a commuter bike need not be fancy. “The majority of us, myself included, just want to get from A to B as efficiently as possible, safely, efficiently, and with as little sweat as possible,” he says. Try out your old “stump-jumper” that’s been sitting in your shed before rushing out to buy a new set of wheels. Take it to the corner store or cafe and remind yourself what it feels like to ride a bike.

Get comfortable and build some endurance before you start riding to work. If you don’t have a bike and don’t want to spend a bunch of cash getting started, Edmonton Bicycle Commuters sells refurbished bikes. When it comes to planning your route, a rider who is comfortable riding in traffic can take the route they’d normally drive. Those who want a bit more peace and tranquility can look up alternative routes - perhaps in the river valley - using the City of Edmonton Bike Map. You can also ask cyclists at work about the routes they use. For those living more than a few kilometres from work, Kalmanovitch suggests an “intermodal” approach.

Combine bike-riding with taking the bus. Most buses have bike racks and you can take your bike on the LRT outside of peak times (more info on the ETS website). In the event it’s not possible to take your bike on the bus for the last leg of your journey, lock it up securely. Having a cheaper, non-fancy bike is an advantage when it comes to theft prevention. Cycling is a great way to help the environment, but it also needn’t be something you commit to doing every single day. Do what suits you, says Kalmanovitch.

“A lot of people think it’s all or nothing,” he says, adding that there’s no need to suffer heavy rain or snowstorms. “Do it whenever you feel comfortable. Every time you walk past the car and take a bicycle or the bus, it’s a win for the environment.” For more information, check out the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters at www.edmontonbikes.ca.