Today, students all over the world choose bikes as their first form of transportation for getting to class, work, home, to the grocery, just for fun and all over again the next day.

There are many ways that choosing a bicycle benefits the user. It is obvious and mysterious. In the 220 years of its existence it has seen a great golden-age to being abandoned in canals. At Fresno City College, 7 percent of students choose the bicycle according to a 2011 survey by the Center for Community College Survey of Engagement (CCCSE). While debating the advantages and disadvantages can seem endless, there are a few important reasons why students should bike to class.

• You don’t need to drive to class. It’s not required of you to do so. That means you can get a 4.0 GPA without a car.

•  You are sexier. People who ride their bikes are people who have stronger common sense and no one wants to date a crazy person. Also, you get exercise which makes it obvious that you burn those extra calories.

• You have more money. Pell grants and Cal grants deserve all of our budgeting skills. Fortunately, when you ride a bike, you save thousands a year. Which means more dates and more parties. There aren’t many ways these days to save money; bikes are a surprising source of savings seldom utilized here in Fresno.

• It’s relaxing. Taking it slow is always better than rushing to the end. Unless you have to, of course. Make sure to get a nice saddle and your correct seat post height.

• Less pollutants. Yes, most of our air quality is affected by the massive agriculture in the central valley, but new regulations are improving the score. For the last 50 years, cars have contributed 50 to 90 percent of urban air pollution, creating some of the worst air in the nation.

Fresno has the potential to become one of the best bicycle-friendly cities in California. Fresno is flat. Unlike the bicycle-savvy cities like San Francisco and Portland, despite their hills and unpleasant weather, people in those cities value bicycles more and make it work. Our weather and never having to commute over a hill makes the physical obstacles a small task.

The great cycling future of Fresno is about a decade away. New bike lanes scheduled to be laid out as roads are repaired, new facilities at destinations, as gas prices and car costs push out motorists. With the hopes of a better future all together, the sooner one masters the art of cycling and benefits from it, the sooner our communities benefit dramatically.