Cycling my way to good business travel habits

I've recently been packing my bike in the trunk, along with my omnipresent golf clubs, so that I can sneak in a ride during travel to the corporate office in New York. Turns out I am part of a business-traveler cycling trend, according to the New York Times.

Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, said health, being green and, more recently, economics were among the reasons more people are cycling to work. Many riders are continuing the habit on business trips. “They don’t want to miss a day in the saddle if they can help it,” he said.

(Of course, reading that, I now feel guilty. I'm taking the week off from riding until I can get a stitch removed from my leg. No worries. Nothing major. Just applying an abundance of caution.)

Why bother with packing the bike? Well, the fact that the Heritage Trail is minutes from my hotel makes an outdoor ride infinitely more preferable to the statioanry bike in the exercise room. And the quote above is absolutely true. I love keeping up with my every-other-day ride schedule. Hitting the road two weeks each month can challenge that exercise pattern. Bringing the bike eliminates travel as an anti-fitness excuse.

The mere presence of the bike on the business trip also provides motivation. Bring the bike 300 miles, only to leave it in the trunk? No way. I don't dare sleep in when the bike is with me.

I used to excuse my poor diet and infrequent excerise on business travel. "I am always healthier when I am home," I used to say. Now, I just bring my home habits with me. Voila! No more excuses.