Stories of people who have seen the light

Boise is fortunate to be one of the host cities for the annual "Tour de Fat."

(If you're not aware, the Tour is a bicycle oriented weekend event sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company, the "Fat Tire" brew people.)

One of the events is having one participant surrender his or her motor vehicle, in exchange for a sweet new bike and a pledge to adopt a cycling lifestyle for at least a year.

HERE is a good follow-up story about two people who made that commitment - Lisa Brady just a couple months ago, and Brook Slee in 2009.

How are they doing?

In a nutshell... GREAT! They have definitely dealt with some major adjustments, but both are absolutely satisfied with the change.

Lisa: "I accept that my hair doesn’t look perfect or I won’t get to work exactly on time every time ... [Biking] is just fun."

Brook: "It’s been a good thing for me and our family. We really have to plan better on how to use our time."

Both are in a situation similar to my own... they have a spouse with a car, who can provide the occasional lift of people and/or cargo. "Car lite" is more practical for most people than "car free," at least in the wide-open wild west.