KEY POINTS:
We bikers sometimes cop a flak from non-cycling friends - and not just because of our reputation for Lycra shorts and leg-shaving (two things most of us actually avoid).
Last weekend a friend questioned me about the attraction of sweating my way up hills against a headwind. She'd take a car any day, she said, for the comfort and time-saving alone.
I asked her whether she'd ever noticed how many cyclists go whizzing by her when she's sitting in a traffic jam, and pointed out that most days I actually arrive at work before my colleagues. What's more, I use up calories getting to work rather than several more litres of our dwindling fossil fuel reserves.
After a few rides you'll realise that for every headwind there's a tailwind, and for every uphill climb there's a coast down the other side. Once your body has gotten the message you're serious about cycling, it stops resisting. You get fitter, and your brain starts to release endorphins, chemicals that provide a natural high.
You don't need to get fit before you start, and unlike some exercise, biking can be a social activity. You can do it with your mates, your significant other, or with your family. Whether you're out exploring far-off trails or just doing a casual ride through the park, you'll all get some exercise and your teenagers will be forced to bond with you. After all, it's hard to text while riding.
Cycling is excellent therapy, too. There's nothing quite as relaxing as enjoying the sun and scenery during a Sunday afternoon pedal.
Using a smog-belching, fossil fuel-consuming car doesn't automatically make you a bad person, but using it less could help make you a better one. Taking the bike for short trips might be a perfect way to make a start.
* Rob Zorn, a spokesman for Bike Wise Week, commutes from Petone to Wellington.
