Alan has been commuting via bicycle to work for 2 years. Recently, the corporate headquarters of his workplace moved across the bay into Pinellas county. He has not found a safe route there yet, but he is working on it. He is the 
Alan started commuting for a few reasons:
#1 Mileage. I am on a racing team and to be able to compete in bicycle races you need to put in 300-400 miles per week to really be able to have a chance at placing in the Top 10. Riding to work and back is about 22 miles, which doesn't sound like much but if you add that every day you've got 100 miles alone in the commute. I usually train on the way home from work on the bike, and there lies the benefit for me. I don't have to travel in the car to train. It's built into the commute! That worked out very well.
#2 Lack of stress. Sure cycling on the streets through Tampa is stressful, but not as stressful as being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Talk about a waste of time! With my busy schedule I don't have time to waste sitting in traffic. I can make it home faster on my bike than in the car! Of course, you've got to be super-alert when cycling on Tampa's streets. But I've noticed it really hones your alertness. I have averted many automobile crashes due to lighting fast reactions I've been able to make with drivers that either don't see me, misjudge the distance, or are on the phone not paying attention. Oh, don't get me started on cell phones and drivers. I almost got run over by a driver on a cell phone recently. Just make sure you are very visible using everything you can to stand out and be seen. I wear a rear helmet light, rear bike light, very bright front light, DOT flame orange vest, ankle reflectors, flame orange shorts and jersey, flame green backpack (with reflective material) and a rear light attached to that. You cannot be too safe.#3 Fitness. If you ride to work, you WILL get in shape. All those extra calories you're burning to and from work really add up. It's a great way to lose some weight, maintain weight and improve your fitness. After all, you have to get to work anyway. Why not ride there and benefit at the same time?
#4 Relaxation. I typically use Bayshore Blvd. as one of the routes to and from work. If you've never seen the Bayshore at sunrise you are missing out. It is beautiful. It's also calm and tranquil at that time of day -- much different than the rest of the day when it's busy with cars and pedestrians every where. Sometimes I just stop there and watch the sun come up, taking in the reflection of it off the mirrored buildings of our downtown skyline. It truly is a great way to start my day!
#5 Money I save on gasoline. It's such a good feeling to get in the car on the weekend and the gas gauge has hardly moved. With today's gas prices, you save some serious coin by bike commuting to work."My training/everyday bike is a carbon GIANT TCR Advanced Team Healthnet that was used by the Professional Racing Team in 2005 season. It's a treat to train on this bike. It weighs 14.5 lbs., which is very light for a training bike. My road racing bike has the same exact geometry. It is a carbon GIANT TCR Advanced T-Mobile Team bike. The same bike the T-Mobile squad used last year in the Tour de France. I have this bike setup with compact carbon cranks and superlight wheels, along with lots of weight-saving components and parts. It weighs 12.3 lbs. Racing on this bike is like driving a Ferrari. I use it in the mountains and have maxed out at 59 mph. And it's stable at that speed too. I also have a custom painted hot yellow P2K time trial bike. I have raced this bike in triathlons and time trials for 6 years. The bike to this day still looks brand new. I just had my fastest 15K time trial this month on this bike averaging 26.78 mph for 9 miles. It is a super-fast bike and one of a kind color. Unfortunately my work does not promote workplace cycling, but I am working on that. I try ride at least 300 miles per week. The more the better.
Most people think I'm insane when I tell them I bike to work in Tampa. And I can understand there feeling there. Tampa can be a very challenging bike commute. But I'm living proof that it can be done. Like they say, where there's a will there's a way. Most people have curious questions like how many miles do you ride a week or ever been hit by a car? Some people say they'd like to try it.
If you are a beginner, Alan suggests joining a bicycle club for beginners. It's a great way to learn to ride, while enjoying the company of other riders. Then, as you work your way up, join on on the local group rides. We have some of the best local group rides around. Many of them have local pros that you can benefit from as they drive the pace very high. You can benefit greatly from high-paced group rides. Or if you want to just ride, get your bike there and just experience life on a bike. It's great to just get out there and tool around on a bike.
