Over the past few months during the COVID-19 pandemic, I have read numerous articles about the surge in sales of bicycles within the US. With headlines such as What do Bikes and Toilet Paper Have in Common... or Thinking of Buying a Bike, Get Ready for a Very Long Wait, among others. All of it got me to thinking, why has biking become so popular?  It is a strange phenomenon when you consider the situation. Cars are suddenly not illegal to use. In the few times I have driven during this pandemic traffic is easier to navigate.​

My theory is that the virus has precipitated a fundamental rethinking of what it means to get around. Let’s start with destinations that accompany most journeys. For me, commuting to/from work was a regular part of most of my days. Ironically, I did that mostly by bicycle. And as I am now working from home, I am actually riding less miles. There were also visits to the YMCA and meeting up with the running group on the weekends.  Add in worship services and volunteer meetings, etc. and almost every destination that was important to me in the past, has suddenly become off-limits.

• Yesterday, I actually met face to face (safe distancing of course) with a co-worker who I had not seen in months.  After exchanging pleasantries, she mentioned with relief, “it’s nice to have a destination.”  And it hit me: there is a SHIFT in our daily destinations – and a realization that we can get there on a bike, not a car.

This need to get out and get somewhere with purpose. What are the destinations we have right now? Grocery, pharmacy, take-out, maybe the hardware – practical things that are hopefully close to home and all of which are accessible by foot or by bicycle. In fact, the number of times I have driven over the past few months have been a fraction of the pre-COVID era.  Given this change in end points, my sense is that individuals are reevaluating what can they reach under their own power and questioning, “how do I actually get around?”

There is another dimension to the health issue. After being cooped-up for hours on virtual calls and online activities, I personally feel a need to get outside for some sort of exercise or at least motion. Riding a bicycle is an incredible sense of freedom and it appears many people are starting to discover or rediscover that joy. I hope that you are among them!

As some of you know, during the past two years, I have taken a break from writing articles on bicycle commuting and relevant trends. Instead, I have been working with a dedicated team on an innovative product based on my personal frustration with finding an easy and quiet way to carry a u-lock and other items on a bicycle. I'll share more about the back story in a future article. If you really cannot wait, please click the link in the nearby picture for more details.

​Safe riding!

If you like the article, please give it a share on Facebook or Twitter to help spread the word!  ​

Hello bike commuters,
I wanted to inform you that I am now living in Lilongwe, Malawi and continuing my work with the Peace Corps. It is an exciting position and an exciting place to be in the world. I intend to write a series of posts about Lilongwe in regards to bicycle community and bike culture. My first article is meant to give you a sense of Lilongwe's layout and the bicycle community that has developed around it. Through this series, I hope to promote bicycle awareness in Lilongwe as well as relate the bicycle experience here to you, wherever you are located.
-Paul

The picture above is of the largest city in Malawi, Lilongwe. Despite the deceptive corn field foreground, Lilongwe is a city of 1 million people and every year it grows. Lilongwe's design initially began in the 1970s. The new Life President, Hastings Kamuzu Banda decided to move the capital from Zomba, an old colony city, to Lilongwe. Before he did, Lilongwe was a town of around 20,000 people in 1966. It was the perfect clean slate to build Malawi's new great capital.​ Roads and infrastructure could be designed to fit the needs of the soon-to-be booming city. That is to say designed with the automobile in mind and the bicycle in the rear view mirror.

What is the role of the car within urban areas in the United States? It such a basic question that the answer may seem obvious. But the accepted primacy of the car on our streets belies the congestion, pollution, and fatalities which extract an exorbitant cost on society. The National Safety Council estimates 38,300 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2015; the largest increase in 50 years. 

For Chicago entrepreneur Josh London, it's not so obvious that the car should be the dominant form of transportation within an urban environment. From his perspective, cities are not working as well and he asks "why can't we have car-free streets?" It's a unconventional view yet one informed by his own personal health journey.

Just starting out with bike commuting? Here are some of the lessons I've learned over a dozen years of bike commuting in Barcelona, Pittsburgh and Chicago. 

The motto for Working Bikes is giving old bikes new homes, and that's exactly what they do.. Since 1999 they have redistributed more than 50,000 used bikes worldwide to individuals in developing countries as well as disadvantaged individuals in Chicago. 

At the Illinois Bike Summit last week, I met with Manager Paul Fitzgerald and Staff Mechanic Caesar Mesa to learn more about this incredible organization.  

Simply put - I enjoy it! On the best days, such as early fall or late spring, the weather is good, the scenery gorgeous and I can get lost in the ride.  Not everyday of course is like this - I do however have the gift of riding along the Chicago Lakefront Trail which hugs the shore of Lake Michigan. Most days, especially in the morning, it's great. The experience provides a wonderful feeling of freedom - riding like the wind! On these days, I can understand the claim that cycling makes you happier. According to the Canadian statistics, 66 percent of people who bike or walk to work are happy with their commute.