NOAA’s Bike to Work Day 2009: One Cyclist’s Story
Derek Parks, OAR HQ
June 1, 2009 — It was Bike to Work Day (May 15), and I was not at all optimistic upon leaving my house that morning.
The clouds hung low across the sky, heavy with the potential for rain. The air was thick with humidity, which was all the better for trapping car exhaust fumes at street level. Worst of all, I didn’t see a single other person on a bike. Little did I know, I was in for a surprise.
NOAA contractor Philippe Hensel, from NOS/NGS, sporting his full NOAA cycling regalia on Bike to Work Day, May 15. Photo credit: Derek Parks, NOAA OAR.
I had kicked off my own bicycle commuting season a week prior, and I was ready for my trek. This muggy morning, I loaded up my saddlebags packed with my work suit and shower supplies, checked one last time to make sure I had everything, and set off down the trail toward NOAA’s Silver Spring office.
I realize bicycle commuting is not for everyone. It takes a certain level of commitment to invest in the equipment, prepare to pack clothes for each day, and deviate from your normal routine. Some people just live too far away from work or live in high-traffic areas that make for difficult bicycling. But for me, it is near ideal, especially when the weather cooperates.
I live just a few blocks from a wooded trail just inside the Beltway in Washington’s Maryland suburbs. Bicycle commuting means no worries about gas, parking, or crowded trains. Instead, I enjoy the sights and sounds of the trail, say “Good morning!” to people I pass, and generally enjoy a simpler way of life — if only for an hour a day.
That relaxed and happy vibe was exactly what I found when I arrived at the Silver Spring office’s Bike to Work Day event. NOAA employees Will Freeman and Regina Spallone had done an excellent job coordinating and promoting the event; despite the gloomy weather, about 30 people showed up. My mood lifted when I heard the inspiring stories of first-time bike commuters Allison Castellan, Lydia Kenlaw and Christa Rabenold, who each had ridden between 2 and 8 miles to work that morning.
A first-time bike commuter learns the ropes from NOAA Bike Team volunteer, Ken Osterweil (NWS). Photo credit: Derek Parks, NOAA OAR.
Sandra Manning, NOAA's deputy chief administrative officer and sponsor of both the NOAA Green Team and the NOAA Bike Team, kicked off the event with words of encouragement and support for the cyclists. She reminded us why what we were doing was so important.
“Every gallon of gasoline not burned [by riding bicycles] saves 20 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere,” Manning said.
NOAA Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Sandra Manning addresses the Bike to Work Day crowd in Silver Spring, Md., as NOAA Bike Team members and event organizers Will Freeman (NOAA CAO) and Regina Spallone (NMFS) look on from the left. Phillipe Hensel (NOS contractor), Rina Aviram (NOS) and Christa Rabenold (NOS) also listen in from the right. Photo credit: Derek Parks, NOAA OAR.
NOAA’s Bike Team supplied bagels, juice, coffee and cycling-related goodies such as energy gels and drinks to the intrepid cyclists. Informative displays in the event meeting room outlined the health benefits of cycling and mapped local cycling routes.
Cyclists were encouraged to sign up for “Bike Bucks,” an incentive program where bike commuters earn monetary rewards that can be redeemed at local merchants. The NOAA Fitness Center offered bicyclists a place to shower and change clothes.
In her final remarks to the cyclists, Manning extended a challenge to NOAA employees to match the participation levels of the National Institutes of Health, where approximately 5 percent of employees regularly commute by bike.
Sure, commuting to work by bike is not for everyone. But, if I had to guess, it’s only a matter of time before NOAA facilities in Md., D.C., and elsewhere meet — and perhaps exceed — that 5 percent goal.