As multiple studies have shown, bike commuting has many benefits: People who bike to work are richer, fitter, more successful, and, arguably, happier.

As a year-round bike commuter myself, author David Byrne’s comparison of riding in the city to “navigating the collective neural pathways of some vast global mind” resonates well with me (Bicycle Diaries). Cycling connects you to your self, your environment, and your city in quite a special way. And, while there is still a large gender gap between men and women biking to work, bike commuting is gaining popularity overall: From coast to coast, the number of people who traveled to work by bike increased roughly 60 percent over the last decade, with the median commuting time of roughly 20 minutes (US Census Bureau).