Conquering His 32-Mile Commute

Last month, new data revealed that bicycling ranks #6 among the most popular fitness activities in the United States. Through the National Bike Challenge, we’ve seen those fitness results right before our eyes.

According to our participant survey, nearly one-third of Challengers have lost weight and more than half have improved their well-being since the start of the friendly, online competition on May 1.

Those numbers are encouraging. Today, we hear from Doug Schmitt in Nebraska, about his health story.

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I made a decision to get back to a more healthy state last December.  

I bought a bike, and casually started riding on the trainer in my basement. I wasn’t getting the results I was looking for, so I decided to kick it up a notch and ride longer and more frequently. On the occasional nice weather winter day, I took the bike out and rode five to 10 miles to get used to “outside.”

I set a goal to start commuting the 32 miles round-trip to and from work. On April 1, I made my first ride to work in 29 degree weather. I’m now over 1,800 miles for the season, and have ridden six “charity” rides this summer, the last a 50-mile mountain bike ride in Montana. 

This change has given me more confidence to try new things and increased my awareness about keeping healthy. It also provides time for me to better engage in personal reflection, enhancing my emotional and spiritual well being.