In May, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition gave six novice cyclists Globe bikes, mentors, and accessories as part of the Bike Locally challenge, to see if they could change their habits and use the bikes to commute locally. If they ride their bikes 50 miles a month and inspire others to do so, then they get to keep the bikes. 

Delanie Kern lives in San Anselmo and commutes to Novato. She'll be updating us regularly about her trials and triumphs as she tries to make changes in her life. She's halfway done and well on the way towards meeting her goal.

After perusing through my Plus 3 Network account and looking at my rides over the last few months, I was surprised to see my most common destination was downtown Fairfax and more specifically, Iron Springs Brewery and the Gestalt Haus.

After getting over my initial embarrassment of the whole world knowing that one of my most common activities is drinking beer, it got me thinking about why these establishments are my number one biking destinations. First of all, I won't deny it: we go there a lot. Before starting the Bike Locally Challenge, I'm sure it was one of my most frequent car trips; I would jump in my car and drive the two relatively flat miles without giving it a second thought. Now, I jump on my bike and work up an appetite on the 15 minutes it takes me to ride there. My beer drinking carbon footprint has been significantly reduced over the few months.

Secondly, Iron Springs and Gestalt Haus make it easy. Clearly, they cater to the bike community by providing bike racks for patrons, and they have been rewarded by becoming the standard end-of-ride refueling destinations for roadies and mountain bikers alike. There are not too many other dining establishments in the area where spandex, bike shoes, and mud don't even get you a second look.

Other local businesses and restaurants should take note. The already large, and ever-growing, demographic of cyclists frequent businesses that cater to them, providing visible bike racks seems like a win-win-win (save the planet, drink beer, and support local businesses) situation to me.