[From the index of photos to the chapter On foot or cycling]

The passage draws on The Nutrition Source, the public health resource maintained by the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. Its page on bicycling reviews the evidence on cycling as exercise and as transport: a low-impact activity that engages the major muscle groups, builds cardiovascular fitness, reduces stress, and burns fat — while, used for commuting, it folds exercise into ordinary life and cuts the costs, congestion, and air and noise pollution that come with driving.

Read the article (PDF). Version consulted, archived on 17 August 2026.
© President and Fellows of Harvard College. Quoted with attribution.