Make over your commute (and squeeze in a workout)

When I was little, I used to ride around the neighborhood on my Huffy 8-speed pretending I was 90210's Kelly Taylor in my red BMW convertible. The wind would whip through my hair, and I practiced my haughty smile at intersections. Even childhood play isn't always as innocent as it looks.

Later, when I was the picture of an awkward preteen, my bike stood for freedom. My parents were freshly and bitterly divorced, but if I could get on my bike and ride to the library to check out Go Ask Alice for the third time or climb the hill nearby with a grassy overlook, I could coast away from all of that.

A lot of us have that attachment to our bicycles when we're young. We're small and beholden to our parents decisions about bedtime, what's for dinner, and pretty much everything else. But if we have a bike, we can steer the way ourselves. It's a pretty powerful taste of freedom, and why, even though I never ride it, I have a red vintage Motobecane leaning against the living room wall.

May is Bike Month, and May 17-21 is bike-to-work week. When the subway rattles over the Manhattan Bridge, I am always deeply impressed with the cyclists on their way to work, heels tucked into their rear baskets. When San Francisco observed their own bike-to-work week yesterday, the streets were crowded with cyclists.

In a perfect world, this is a great alternative to every other way to get to work. Commuting on your bike is cheaper than driving or riding public transportation, and obviously better for the environment and your health. And the idea of tapping into that childhood "Let's go ride bikes!" seems like a pretty awesome way to start the day. But would you do it?