FitLifeSF

Contributed by: Darci Terlizzi

Biking to and from work (in conjunction with using CalTrain) has been a really great experience for me. I started early last spring and I’m still going strong, making the trip two or three days a week. One of the best things is having travel options that don’t consist of sitting in my car in traffic wanting to kill people. Hooray!

When I first decided to start, I prepared by doing a little research online. I wanted to know what kind of gear I would need, plan my routes, etc. The most important thing is making sure you have a helmet. I don’t bike without it! Especially here in the Bay Area, it can be dangerous. Always have your guard up. To that end, bike lights are also crucial. It’s highly probable that you’ll end up needing to bike in twilight/after nightfall. I have a front white light with a steady setting and a flash setting. I have a rear red light with both settings as well. And in my experience I also decided to get another light I could attach to myself for extra visibility for drivers – I choose to attach it to the back of my helmet. I also have reflective strips that you can stick on a backpack or whatever. You can never be too visible, especially when road biking! One thing I don’t have but recommend is reflective clothing. I do have reflective ankle straps, to hold down flapping pant legs ~ a safety measure in more than one way!

The next step is to plan your route. What works for me, since I live 24 miles away from my office, is biking to the nearest CalTrain station and taking it up the peninsula in the morning. I bring my work clothes with me in a backpack and change at the office. In the evening, since I have more time and don’t need to worry about getting sweaty, I bike the whole way home. It’s a far more fun to me than working out in a gym or with a video. Ideally what I’d love to do is bike the whole way in the morning, shower at work and take the train home, as it would allow me to have more of my evening free. As a contractor, that would require a monthly gym fee to use the shower, so I opt against it.

The actual route I bike took a little while to develop. Surprisingly, Redwood City did not seem to be very bike friendly and there was little information available online. I did manage to find a great bike map of the Peninsula and also a route plan for bike commuting through San Mateo county. After figuring out the more northern part of my route, I could use the knowledge I already had for the southern part nearer to my apartment. Though planning on paper and actually biking the route are two totally different things. One thing I recommend is driving the route before biking it, so you can see what parts may not work out well. Even after doing that I ended up switching up several streets until I found what worked best. I even have an option towards the end depending on if I want to push myself or need to take it a bit easier ~ the Central Expressway (starting at Castro St. in downtown Mountain View) or Evelyn.

The last thing to consider is where to park your bike while you’re at work. Many offices have bike parking or bike lockers. You’ll need to determine whether you need a bike lock or a padlock as well. If your office is not bike friendly, you may be able to bring your bike into your office (if you’re lucky enough to have one) and there’s extra room, or even park it in an empty cubicle (that’s what I do). So many options…

So that’s it. With a little planning, anyone in reasonable shape should be able to bike to work on some level, even if the whole ride is not an option. We’re lucky in the Bay Area that it can even be done year-round. It’s enjoyable and environmentally friendly. Plus, with the way gas prices have been rising, I’ve calculated that at this point it’s actually less expensive for me to use the train and/or bike to get to work versus driving. (Ugh, that’s sad!)

Happy trails!