Everyone is trying to get some exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it be working out at home or getting outside for a quick walk.
Some people in the D.C. area are biking to get exercise, as well as to save some money by not driving.
Biking to the store for food or medicine is a chance for a change of scenery from makeshift home office, as well as burning calories – and that’s important because many of our eating habits have changed, drastically.
You can see more and more bikes around the area and that’s music to the ears of Bennett Moore, who manages Big Wheel Bikes store in Old Town Alexandria.
Moore says his business is booming. “Our phones have been ringing off the hook,” he said, adding that he’s gotten “more phones calls than I ever had — any season, I would say for sure.”
Many of the calls are from biking novices, as well as those looking for hybrid bikes which can be used for trail, pavement and off road — a very popular option which will run between $400 and $600.
Nearby Jones Point Park has the Mount Vernon Bike Trail, which runs right under the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Alexandria, Virginia, where you can bike north to Rosslyn and into the District, or 17 miles south to George Washington’s house at Mount Vernon. Under the bridge is an area to rest, with plenty of room for social distancing.
The Wilson Bridge Trail has bike lanes for access over the Potomac River to the National Harbor in Maryland.
Families are also going out more, and using biking as a distraction from the new normal we are all experiencing.
Igor Trubin, of Alexandria, was out biking with his wife at the Washington Sailing Marina, which the Mount Vernon Bike Trail goes right through, to get some exercise.
Trubin said biking is saving him some money when he goes to the grocery store: He puts less wear and tear on his vehicle while saving gas.
“We prefer to, if possible, bike [rather] than drive,” Trubin said. “Biking to [the marina] is like a workout.”
And if you don’t want to go outside, but still want to ride a bike for your exercise? Try an indoor exercise bike for your cardio workout. Or a mini stationary bike will also do the trick.
We are all trying to stay at home as much as possible right now, and biking, inside or outside, is just another way to stay active, and you might just save some money while you’re at it.
