For about half the year, I’m a reasonably committed bicycle commuter. (And that sentence should tell you a lot about my level of dedication.) During the darker and wetter months I tend to get my daily exercise in other ways, such as by eating.

True, Alan Durning (aka “the Bossman”), who rides virtually every day, did manage to get me back on the bike one frosty morning recently. And though I’ve been feeling good about completing at least one December bike commute, it’s really nothing compared to what some of Sightline’s friends have been up to.

For example, when the going gets tough as it did last winter, a real man, like our former research consultant Dan Bertolet (who now runs the ever-more-important Hugeasscity blog), whips out mountain bike tires with metal studs.

Or consider Deric Gruen, a former research intern and consultant for Sightline, who is making his way around a good swath of the world with his bicycle and a basketball. (In addition to being a smart guy, he’s remarkably talented at hoops.) So far, his accomplishments include things like joining two Critical Mass rides… in Beirut.

As if that’s not hardcore enough, Deric’s just boarded a plane for the next leg of his journey: biking from Mozambique to Cape Town. You can follow along here.

In another corner of the world, we’ve got Andrew Engelson, the former editor of Washington Trails Magazine, who moved with his family to Hanoi. Andrew has long been a dedicated bike commuter, even pulling his two daughters to preschool. And now, he’s back on the bike :

The difficulty is when something unexpected happens. If you need to swerve, you’re kind of at the mercy of those behind you. The whole system is based on no sudden moves. So I just biked conservatively and stayed as far right as possible. The “Three Feet of Room” sticker on the child seat on my bike is now a wry joke here in Hanoi. I’ll take three inches, thanks!

Andrew is also a terrific writer and he’s keeping up a first-rate blog. Check out these posts on traffic in Hanoi and on climate change in Vietnam.

And then we’ve got John Mauro, a longtime friend of Sightline, who probably wins the prize for sheer feats of strength. Last summer, he biked from Seattle to Mount Rainier, successfully soloed his way to the summit, and then biked back home. Yikes

But I have a feeling that these folks are not the only uber-dedicated cyclists among Sightline’s readers. In fact, I’m almost positive there are more good stories to tell. So leave them in comments!