Quiet achiever
Sharon’s Commuter of the Year nomination was listed in the category of Quiet Achiever and included this inspiring claim:
She has ridden her bicycle (The White Flash) every day, rain or shine for the last year. She’s shown that you don’t need special ‘gear’ or ‘outfits’ to ride your bike to work, just a bike and the desire to cause less of an impact on the environment and more of an impact on your own health and well-being.”
From Sharon:
“I love riding my bike. I love the sense of freedom you just don’t get in a car (and I never have to worry about parking). I enjoy my ride to and from work — the beautiful ride in, the social and friendly aspects, and being present and aware of my surroundings. It’s also good for my workday: in the morning it clears away the cobwebs so I can start my day fresh, and, at the end of the day, it clears my head of all the workday mind chatter.
“Last year I started commuting by bike with the Clean Commuter Challenge. I bought a new bike which I named The White Flash (it’s not the same without a name!) and just started riding everyday. My one-year anniversary of riding is in May. At my worksite we have a secure bike cage, lockers and showers on the second floor. However, as the number of cyclists grows, it would be nice to expand these facilities. And, to encourage new cyclists, it would be good to offer road safety courses.
“My bicycle commuting has prompted others to admit to me that they ‘should get back on their bikes.’ And on the ‘worst’ weather days, people still seem surprised to see me showing up in bike gear. They’ll ask: ‘Did you really bike today?’
“My bike commuting tip is that it’s not hard to ride to work. You just need to be a bit more organized and invest in a bit of good weather gear. For me, I load up my pannier the night before with everything except my lunch. Then in the morning everything’s ready for me to get on my bike. Really, then there’s no excuse not to bike!”
Congratulations Sharon!
Who else is going to participate in the Clean Commuter Challenge this year? It takes place between May 25 and June 14, and can lead to increased fitness, more friends at work, and adopting a year-round cycling commute to work … or so we’ve heard!
