Why I Bike in the Winter

Today is Winter Bike to Work Day. Around the world, thousands of people are braving the cold weather, getting on their bikes and making their way to work or school. Since I was a kid, I’ve always liked biking. I even used to bike to work—my first job was a paper route, which I occasionally completed by bike. But last year was the first year I kept riding even after the snow started falling.

When I tell people that I bike through the winter, I get a lot of reactions, but the most common one is “why?” There are many reasons why I bike year-round, but I’ll focus on the top ones here.

First, biking rather than driving is one of the best things I can do for the environment. Cars produce a lot of greenhouse gasses, but bikes don’t produce any. It’s nice to help make the world a little bit greener with every commute.

Second, my commute is faster and more reliable by bike than it is by car. When I do drive, by the time I scrape the windows off and slog through traffic, I would already be at work if I were biking. Plus, the neighbourhood streets and bike paths I use are never congested, so I don’t have to worry that an unexpected traffic jam will make me miss an early meeting.

Third, biking is great for my mental and physical health. As a lawyer, I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk. The last thing I want to do at the end of the day is spend more time sitting in my car. Biking to work lets me get a bit of exercise every day, and research shows that this is a great way to combat stress.
But the reason that really keeps me biking, even on the coldest days, is that biking is fun. In today’s busy world, biking to work lets me hold on to some of the fun I had riding my bike as a kid.