This morning, bike commuter and Bronx librarian Rachael Myers won Transportation Alternatives' 8th Annual Great NYC Commuter Race in 20 minutes, 15 seconds, coming in ahead of transit rider Dan Hendrick (35:16) and taxi rider Willie Thompson (47:11) in the race to be declared New York's fastest commuter. The competitors began at Aubergine Café in Sunnyside, Queens and commuted 4.2 miles to Columbus Circle in Manhattan.

"As soon as I saw all the traffic backed up on the Queensboro Bridge, I knew this wasn't going to be a fair fight," boasted Myers, who rode her Iro bicycle to victory. "I actually was able to finish a cup of coffee before anyone else made it to the finish line."

"I ride the subway to work from Sunnyside every day, and I'm a die-hard transit rider," said Dan Hendrick of the New York League of Conservation Voters, who took the 7 and 1 trains. "Still, I'm trying to wrap my brain around what I would do with an extra 15 minutes every morning."

"Anytime I'm in a hurry, I take a cab thinking it'll get me there the fastest. I can't believe I lost by 27 minutes today," said Willie Thompson, a marketing specialist who took a yellow cab.

According to 2000 Census figures, New Yorkers have the longest commutes in the country, about 45 minutes. The average bicycle commute in New York City only takes 30 minutes. Transportation Alternatives calculated the carbon footprint of each commute today. The bike produced zero emissions; the transit commute generated about one pound of greenhouse-causing Co2.; the driving commuter produced a hefty 6 lbs of CO2 (and paid a taxi fare of $20).

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