Even the Flat Earthers who don't believe in greenhouse-gas-induced climate change have started to acknowledge it's time to wean ourselves off oil. That's why the auto industry spends big bucks on fuel-cell research and oil companies have started wondering how they can dispense hydrogen without blowing up the customers at the Quick-E-Mart.

This summer, we all seem to have a little extra incentive to use our legs. And that's why I'm actually paying attention to a challenge issued by Resource Conservation Manitoba, a non-profit organization with a phenomenally unsexy name.

The simple fact is, this is a tough place to avoid vehicle use. It's often brutally cold during the winter, and the lack of dedicated bike trails along busy commuter routes doesn't exactly make it easy for cyclists the rest of the year.