I biked to work today, did you?

I used to live in Virginia where automobiles aim for you if you are biking down a country road (of which there are many)... then I moved to bike heaven - Sweden, where bike lanes have their own lights and are plowed after every snowstorm, before even the roads. Today is the official Bike To Work Day in the Bay area as I was reminded by the guys from Hank and Frank Bicycles who are handing out bikery swag in front of the Safeway on College Avenue.

There are so many reasons for biking, but one of the better ones dawned on me the other day. I was trying on a dress at Viva Diva, a neighboring boutique, and one of the gals said to me, "boy, you've got great legs...how to you do it?" Not only do I bike to work, but I bike to get groceries, I bike to do errands, I bike to parties, I bike when I go out to dinner, and I bike for the sheer pleasure of it. Biking is a way to tour a new city or a new country; biking makes you see things you wouldn't see if you were driving.

I have a friend who lives in the hills near Skyline Drive in Oakland/Montclair and just recently I biked up from my house near College Avenue to her house. I took her on a short bike ride up Grizzly Peak Road to Fish Ranch Road, something she had not done since moving there seven years ago. What was her response? "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee" she railed behind me as we cruised along the road. That is another particularly good reason for biking.

With the high cost of fuel there's not really a better time or way to save money than by biking everywhere. And I'm no scientist, but I'm betting biking also is also more gentle on our environment.

So before you get in your car yet again, think about all the benefits of biking and stop by Hank and Franks after stopping by iniam (they are about a block from us) to see what they have in stock. If nothing else, your legs will look better in that Trina Turk dress...