A reader writes:
I would bet that the emailers who are militant cyclists and use loaded phrases such as "lazy arses" and "fools who drive" are not the primary caregiver to a child or children, and most likely don't even have any. They live close to work – yippee for them! Pick up your sick kid on your bike, at your inner-city private school. The smug condescension makes me want to drive even more.
Another writes:
I wonder how many readers defending biking to work are men.
I like biking and there are certainly environmental and health benefits to commuting with a bike. But as a woman in a field that doesn't allow me to look a disheveled mess at work, it's not at all feasible. Sweat's not a huge issue for me, but make-up, hair and work clothes all get messed up, and while the men in my office can get away with red, shiny faces and close cut hair that still gets flattened by a helmet, the other women and I can't.
Another shares:
Apparently none of your readers ever considered baby wipes. My logic was this: If it can clean up and get rid of the smell of baby poop, then it can certainly get rid of the smell of schvitz from me. So, I did a test run one weekend and asked my husband to tell me if I was smelly (I had him check everywhere). The answer? No.
So when I didn't have to worry about going to a meeting that day and wearing dressier clothes, I would bike in, shut the door to my office, cool down, then take a baby wipe "bath" before changing into work clothes that I packed that morning. If I wasn't in my own private office and was working from a cube, I would use the bathroom. No shower or gym required.
The Dish 