Annette Spreeuw

I like to travel. A lot. I'm also single, with a mortgage on a downtown loft, so my coworkers are often amazed at my ability to pay for these trips. And a big reason for why I can afford to travel is because I commute to work by bike. I've never done the math, but not owning a car for nearly 20 year has enabled me to visit such far-flung places as Australia, Turkey, Honduras, and the Galapagos Islands (and the physical shape cycling has put me in enables me to do a lot of walking once I reach my destination, saving me more money yet on taxis and public transport!). After two decades of downtown living, I can honestly say that I don't miss having a car at all. My bike is my car.

I was born and raised in Holland, so cycling is in my DNA. And living downtown, getting around on a bike makes a lot more sense than driving. I will admit, though, that I always viewed cycling to work as more of a necessary evil than anything else. I'm not what you'd call a People Person, so the bus got tired pretty quickly. After my ex moved to Alberta, and took his car with him, I unearthed my ten-year old beater from the mothballs and started logging the miles. My butt got firmer, and I was saving money on gym memberships to boot (are you sensing a theme here?). Some mornings, especially the wet ones, I still don't relish the idea of getting into my rain gear and braving the elements, but even with the sweat I work up it's still less smelly than public transit! I'm a little envious of those riders who say that cycling to work relaxes them. Riding a bike through downtown traffic is anything but stress-relieving. Though it is gratifying to be able to zip past a traffic snarl -- most mornings I beat the bus by a good ten to fifteen minutes on my 4K commute. My employer provides shower facilities and secure bike parking, so unlike some of my colleagues I don't have to add another ten minutes onto my journey, circling the block for a parking space. Ultimately, my love/hate relationship with bike commuting provides a lot of benefits, to myself and the planet. But to me the biggest benefit will always be the one that enables me to keep exploring the world -- whether it's on two wheels, wings, or feet.
 

Annette Spreeuw
Vancouver, BC