— For most people, a car is as much a part of grocery shopping as a shopping cart.

It’s just more convenient. The commute is quicker, the task is easier and instead of buying groceries by the arm full, one can buy them by the car full. As a result, it means less trips to the grocery store and more time for better things in life … like not having to go to the grocery store.

However, as I came to learn the other day when my cupboards were bare and my fridge nearly empty, you can fit an awful lot on a bike.

That’s right, folks. In the spirit of my monthlong quest to bike/run more than I drive — and with gas prices soaring — I put my car keys away and did my grocery shopping with a bike and a backpack. I went to the Cub Foods near West High School and Kwik Trip one night, and then Aldi the next day.

To be clear, I didn’t necessarily NEED to do my grocery shopping at those stores. After all, the downtown Hy-Vee is within walking distance from my apartment.

However, part of my goal was to not let my monthly commuting/fitness ambitions change my regular routine, and aside from fresh produce and the occasional jaw-dropping coupon, I do the majority of my shopping at Aldi. I’ve just found it to be the cheapest option for groceries.

Beyond that, the alternate form of commuting also served as entertainment. Simply put, I’ve found life to be more exciting on a bicycle. Even the simplest errands can turn into an adventure when I’m using my $85 road bike, whether it’s going to a dental appointment or picking up a pizza from Pizza Hut — both of which I attempted with varying success.

Surprisingly, the grocery-getting experience went a lot better than expected. I essentially bought the same groceries I would have gotten had I used a car, but I did so in two trips.

Flying Penguin Outdoor Sports owner Jon Andersen cautioned me ahead of time that grocery shopping on a bike will force me to think more “European,” meaning I would have to be more sensible with my purchases with an eye to what I could physically carry. Cycling is a considerably more popular form of commuting in Europe, with bikes constituting more than 30 percent of the total traffic in cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam.

Andersen’s analogy makes sense, but given my background in hiking — and the fact that I’ve never been to Europe — the experience actually made me utilize more of a backpacker’s mindset.

While picking out items, I was constantly visualizing how I would maneuver them to fit in my backpack. For example, a gallon of milk seemed to shift the weight awkwardly in my backpack, so I bought a half-gallon of orange juice and two pounds of bananas to balance it out.

I also had to be sensible with the general size of my purchases, which meant no watermelons, no 24-packs of bottled water and no kegs of beer from the liquor store (not a regular purchase for me, anyway).

The most difficult part of the experience was biking home from the store, as I had a considerable amount of weight on my back and a pair of grocery bags to balance on my handlebars. But since I wasn’t trying to get home in record time, it was pretty easy to be deliberate with my pedaling and cautious at intersections.

It’s really the same strategy one would use on a hiking trip. I mean, you wouldn’t attempt to run a 6-minute mile with 30 pounds of gear on your back, would you?

I won’t lie and say that grocery shopping on a bike was as easy as it is with a car. It’s time-consuming and requires considerably more strategy and effort.

But I will say this: I have a lot more appreciation for the food in my apartment knowing the trouble I went through to get it.

It also means I can put off filling the gas tank in my car for a little longer.



Alex Voigt is a Free Press copy editor. To contact him, call 344-6389 or e-mail him at avoigt@mankatofreepress.com. He also has a health & fitness blog at alexvoigtfitness.blogspot.com.