Mark Archibald: Why I Bike

While May is most known for spring weather and blooming flowers, it is also the time to dig out that old bike from the depths of your garage. The League of American Bicylists has been sponsoring National Bike Month since 1956 in order to celebrate the many benefits of bicycling.

Mark Archibald, an undergraduate advisor in the Tippie College of Business, reveals that there are so many good reasons to bike; he is not sure why more people do not indulge in the perks.

"Why consume resources like money and fuel when I could just ride my bike?" Archibald says.

Archibald takes a leisurely two-mile bike ride to and from work most days. While he has a bus pass, he claims that it is more work to leave the house on time, walk the few blocks to the bus stop, and then walk a few more blocks to his office.

"No walking, no waiting," he says. "If I miss my bus, then I'm on my bike."

For Archibald, bicycling is not just a form of a transportation, but a "built-in bookend of a workout for the day" as he says. He is sure to keep a fan and a change of clothes in his office for those warmer days of the year.

Archibald admits that bicycling is not only beneficial physically, but also financially.

"It's a cost saving thing," he says. "I'm a very frugal guy. It's not cost friendly or sustainable to drive. Also add in driving around looking for a parking spot downtown and then having to pay for it."

One of the greatest perks of riding on two wheels rather than four, is the time Archibald is able to spend with his three-year-old son riding in the child seat behind him. According to Archibald, nothing tears his son away from the television set faster than hearing it is time to put his bike helmet on.

Although he agrees that the benefits of bicycling are endless, Archibald confesses that he is not the hardcore biker he wishes to be.

"There are a few people who bike religiously; I represent more of the average person," he says. "My schedule and convenience dictate my biking."

Rain or snow in the forecast? You will not find Archibald combating Mother Nature on his bike, but this was not always the case. When Archibald lived in Chicago for 10 years he learned the art of defensive bicycling. Rain or shine, wind or snow, he would bike the one mile commute to work each and every day.

When it comes to persuading his friends and coworkers to ditch their cars for a bike, Archibald says, "I tend to promote the things I believe in, so I'll push the sustainability and cost savings part. It just makes more sense."

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