In case you missed it - The First of At Least A Few Ride To Work E-mails

Yes, it’s coming, and no, I’m not going to shut up about it. Practice your stretches. Dust off your Stackhat. In two short months National Ride To Work Day will be here (October 15^th), and I’m not taking any lip.

Here (in a shameless rip-off of Letterman’s classic Top Ten format) are the

Top Ten Reasons You Should Do It.

10. For registering to ride your bicycle you could win… a bicycle! Last year it was this or this.

09. It’s easier than it looks.

08. All the cool people are doing it.

07. So is this guy.

06. There will be a free breakfast (Kate Guest has promised muffins).

05. There will be prizes (as yet unspecified) for various award categories (also unspecified).

04. I’ll be your friend.

03. Unleaded was about 144.9 per litre last I checked. Think about it.

02. The environment, and all that.

01. You couldn’t look dorkier than Peter Garrett did.

But It’s Too Far

This is one of the most difficult hurdles, and oftentimes it’s fair enough. Look into cycling to the nearest train, or cycle in and then train back, or some kind of cycle/car pool combination. It’s Ride To Work day, after all. Bear in mind that you may have to get up a bit earlier than usual – for capacity reasons Connex have banned bikes on peak hour trains (rather than, you know, running more trains).

I’m Worried That It’s Dangerous

If you need to mix it with motorized traffic, then risk is a factor, certainly. If you’re interested in riding but think you might freak out, let me know. We can always pair you up with an experienced bicycle commuter in your area. Also, weekend practice rides are great confidence boosters. Remember that not only is cycling safer than it seems, but Ride To Work Day is the safest day of the year to do it.

I’m Really Unfit

The great thing about cycling is that you can go as slow as you like. Give yourself plenty of time and enjoy it. Besides which, Cadel Evans just rode the Olympic times trials with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament and placed 5^th. In the world. Comparatively, commuting is a doddle.

I Also Have No Bike / An Un-roadworthy Bike

Well, you’ve got two months, get cracking! Just speak to a cycling co-worker and if they can’t point you in the direction of a decent bike store and a few product suggestions, they will know someone who can. If you are attached to your current bike, but so are cobwebs, get a cycling pal to look it over and recommend a repair store/course of action. Flat tires and a rusty chain are an easy fix! If it’s a matter of moolah, you’d be surprised how many of us have spare bikes…

Okay, okay, where’s the link already?

Click here to go to the Ride To Work Day homepage, and then click ‘Participant Registration’ on the right of screen.

The Omnilab Melbourne Team number is 866733 – you need to enter that number to be registered as a member of Team Us.

I’m hopeless with these entry form things, can’t you just do it for me?

Certainly. Just forward me your name, contact number, and date of birth.

Thanks,

Simon

P.S. I’ll be bugging you all again in a month’s time…

P.P.S. If you’d like to contribute foodstuffs etc, I’d love to hear from you.