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On my way to work!

So May is Bike to Work month! I have a 15 mile commute, which is pretty much perfect for cycling. I do not exaggerate when I say with the traffic around here (Seattle area), it takes me the same amount of time to bike home as to drive.

I wish I could bike every day, but with errands, picking up kids from school, bringing kids to Cub Scouts, baseball practice, ballet lessons and other activities, it's just not practical. But I do shoot for at least twice a week.

Here are some tips if you're considering commuting by bike!

-- Get a comfortable backpack that won't move around if you don't have bike bags attached to your bike. None of my bikes are real "commuter" bikes - they're more for racing - so I use a women-specific Dakine snowboard backpack to carry my stuff.

-- Carry as little stuff as possible. I keep shampoo and other shower stuff at work, along with a spare pair of shoes (since I wear bike shoes when I ride). I figure out what outfit is the lightest and least likely to wrinkle, and I shove just that in my backpack.

-- Don't necessarily choose the shortest route by distance. I think I could make my commute 12 or 13 miles instead of 15 - but I'd be putting myself in heavier traffic and on roads without bike lanes. No thank you.

-- Smile and/or laugh to yourself as you pass by stopped traffic. Not only are you moving towards your goal of getting home, you're getting great exercise, too. Take that, lady in a minivan eating a McDonald's hamburger who gave me a dirty look as I made her wait before she could turn right!