Cycling, like all other aspects of life, is subject to …. life. A number of things kept me from completing my 31 Days of January Biking. First, and foremost, was the realization that, on a few days, I did a 15 – 20 minute ride just to say I rode that day. This hit me as completely stupid.

What is the goal of a challenge like riding your bike every day throughout a month? Is it to proclaim your absolute dedication to cycling? Is it to impress the blogosphere hipsters?

To me, the only useful purpose of these challenges is to encourage people to get on their bike more often. For those of us trying to replace as many car trips with bike trips, the goal has already been met. Completely ridding oneself of a car isn’t a reality for all. I’ve decreased my fuel consumption by 6-7 tanks each month.

As I continue to adapt my old touring bike to a daily commuter, I’ll drive even less. I actually like to ride in the cold, the snow and especially the dark. Good thing, too, since I’m living in Spokane and work swing shift!

Over the course of the last two weeks of the month, I rode to work most afternoons, drove a couple of times and completed a 100k+ ride around the Tri-Cities.

I will continue to ride nearly every day I can, because I’d rather ride in crappy weather than drive, any chance I can.

Enjoy the ride,

JS