When I was a child, my bicycle was my only means of transport. I hated the fact that it took effort to get somewhere and I envied those with cars when they would easily pass me as I pumped along into a wind. It never occurred to me that a bike could have any advantage over a car. All I knew is that it was slow by comparison.

When I received my license to drive, I immediately quit biking and for years after did not own a bicycle. Everyone had a car and I followed suit.

Only when a coworker spoke of his habit of bicycling to work, did I realize that it could be an option. But, his enthusiasm made him appear to be a kook. How could anyone not be tired after riding miles to work in the morning? How could one not be sweaty and in need of shower? Dave, the coworker, was persistent. He suggested I try riding along with him once just to give it a try. Finally, I agreed. The day arrived cloudy, windy and chilly. In the eleven miles from home to work, it took some effort for me to keep up with him but I made it. Having succeeded, the idea no longer seemed so far fetched. Most of the ride was along a beautiful route that paralleled a road where traffic was so backed up that we were able to all but keep abreast of drivers.

Since that time, I have moved closed to where I work and I have taken up biking for my commute every working day of the year. The bicycle is now my means of transportation for any destination up to ten miles distant.

I've discovered the following.

Inertia is a terrible thing preventing people from even considering alternatives that might be good for them. So many people express approval of my biking habit but will never give biking a try for themselves, it is, as it once was for me, impossible to picture doing what I do every day.

The bicycle is a high tech, efficient machine. It ranks near the top of nearly every natural or man-made machine for the amount of work done in comparison to the effort made to do it. Few animals, as lithe and strong and well built for running as they may be, are able to match the bike for efficiency.

A large problem of modern life is that our love of convenience and ease causes us to do what is bad for our health. Riding a bike on a daily basis to make trips that we need to make is a perfect solution. What becomes clear with riding is that there is no drawback other than a minor increase in the time it takes to get somewhere.

Environmentally, there is no contest between a bike and a car. When you stop to consider that most of the time a car is moving one person a short distance, you realize that millions of human beings, who may weigh around 150 pounds each, are each using 3000 pounds of metal and plastic to get around, when a 25 pound bike would do just as well. There IS an energy crisis, and it is our inability to conceive of using our own energy, not a lack of oil or the price of gasoline which is the real crisis.

Try going anywhere in your car and parking at the front door when you arrive. You can't do it. You can do it almost all the time on a bike.

Bikes are never stopped by traffic jams; there is always the sidewalk.

My typical repair bill for the bike is $35. What did you pay for your last car repair job?

A good new bike can be purchased for $300. A car is at least $15,000 and that's only the start of ongoing expenses like insurance, gas, repairs, parking etc.

The speed of a bike in the city is about half that of a car and cars are traveling slower all the time as the number of vehicles on the road increases.

Yet, people will still say to me, "yes, I ought to give it a try" but they never do.

If ever there were a case of our fate being in our own hands, the decision on riding a bike is it. What's holding you back?