Are you suffering from a little cabin fever? Wakeup and smell the chain lube: May marks the 51st annual National Bike Month.

It would be incredible if communities across Montana embraced the power of pedaling. Imagine glancing out your kitchen window on a sunny morning, possibly a mild hangover, and witnessing a stampede of pedal-crazed folks heading down the street.

I can't help riding year round. It's in my frugal - Norwegian blood. The highlight of my day is riding my trusty "Rockhopper" bike, with oil oozing from the battered front shock, the five miles to work. Like an obese Lance Armstrong I start by screaming down cemetery hill and finish hutched over, gasping for breath, in the UM-Western parking lot.

I'm amazed by folks willing to hop in a car only to travel a few blocks. Like the Neanderthal who spun his gigantic Dodge 2500 truck out of his driveway spewing a cloud of toxic diesel exhaust. Suffocating me in its' wake. Three blocks later the guy saddles the Dodge up to the curb and scurries off to work.

It's also stunning to watch my colleagues drive their cars the entire grueling two or three blocks to the campus. They're a lot like those able-bodied youngsters I see pulling into the high school parking lot after a "stock car" quarter mile drive.

Riding my bike instantly revives those feelings of freedom, speed, and being an obnoxious kid. Besides reliving one's childhood, riding also means:

• A healthier you. I'm sucking air trying to get up Cemetery Hill, but the feeling of accomplishment is exhilarating. Once my head stops spinning and I'm able to walk again.
• Decreased fuel costs. I don't care if gas is over $3.00/gallon. Not as long as my primary fuel, a domestic pilsner, isn't too expensive.
• Lower maintenance costs. I just dumped over $1,500 in my Passat Wagon for parts I couldn't locate, even with the hood open. For that kind of money I could buy a new bike, with money left over for a colonoscopy.
• Reduced impact on the environment. Except for my front shock's oil slick, my bike excursions are pollution free. Plus, my fuel comes from a renewable grain source.

Of course, bicycling has drawbacks. Almost comical, there are those days a head wind belts me going to and heading home from work. A puzzling phenomenon causing excess sweat and surreal, out-of-body sensations like sitting at my desk in soggy underwear.

Crazy drivers also give me a keen sense of preservation. Like the lady with a cell phone plastered to her head as she swung her humongous SUV in front of me only seconds before I reached the intersection. Or the guy who ignored a 4-way stop - leaving me sprawled on the asphalt as he "demolition derbied" my bike.

Yet, I have presidential "stay the course" determination to keep on pedaling. It's my way of making a statement about taking care of the environment. I also love the feel of my spandex shorts as they caress across my bike's "soft tissue pressure relief groove" seat. Nah, I was only kidding. I wear blue jeans.