And all it took was a global financial meltdown.

There it is, a little driblet of encouragement to ride a bike to work -- way, way down in House Resolution 1424, also known as the bailout bill:

SEC. 211. TRANSPORTATION FRINGE BENEFIT TO BICYCLE COMMUTERS. (a) In General- Paragraph (1) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:(a) In General- Paragraph (1) of section 132(f) is amended by adding at the end the following:'(D) Any qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement'. ...

The bicycle commuter benefit, which is provided in its entirety here by the League of American Bicyclists, continues on for several paragraphs, establishing "limitations on exclusions," "applicable annual limitations," and other assorted legalese, but the essentials are these: Starting next year, employers who provide bike parking, bathing facilities, tune-ups, or other support for bicycle commuting, can deduct up to $20 a month per participating employee from their own taxable income.

Exactly how that will work is under negotiation with the Internal Revenue Service, and it remains to be seen whether businesses will in fact begin showering their sweaty, two-wheeled workers with rewards and incentives.

But celebration is still in order.

I first heard about the benefit a couple of hours after President Bush signed the bailout bill, in an e-mail alert from the League, a bike advocacy group based in Washington.

I was blindsided.

I had never heard of the Bicycle Commuter Act before, and had no idea Congressman Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, had been trying for years to get the thing passed.

And even though, in an ironic twist, Mr. Blumenauer, was forced to vote against the long sought-after bike benefit because he opposed the larger bailout bill, the news that the tax credit had passed was heady. Capitol Hill and the White House had spent a moment -- perhaps just a notional moment -- on one of the realities of my life.

I could imagine they felt my pain! They gave a nod to the ache in my wrists, broken nearly 15 years ago when a car hit my bike. They acknowledged how my heart jumps when a taxi/truck/S.U.V. passes an 18th of an inch away. Perhaps they understood the claustrophobia of the 8:30 a.m. subway car, and the draw of dawn light on the Hudson. My government, I thought, must chafe with the same frustration I feel when parking garages refuse my bike.

That Friday afternoon, it seemed to many enthusiasts that bikes finally mattered. Andy Clarke, the League's president, confessed that he went out and bought a (small and cheap) bottle of champagne to crack open in the office.

But the euphoria passed quickly. The $20 bike benefit, should employers actually make the effort to create a program for their cycle commuters, compares rather poorly to the $115 mass-transit benefit already available, or the subsidies nearly double that aimed at helping those who drive to work.

For his part, Paul White, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives, New York City's bike advocacy stalwart, says there are bigger fish to fry -- including the creation of dedicated bike lanes that are separated from car traffic, like those along Broadway south of 42d Street.

How many more of those Ghost Bikes do any of us want to see?

On the other hand, there are a lot of inexpensive ways to make a cyclist's life easier, and maybe this benefit will encourage efforts in that direction. More people might give bike commuting a try, and there's safety -- and power -- in numbers.

And if nothing else, now lots and lots of cyclists know that they have a few like-minded types in government.

Andrea Kannapell is an editor on The Times' Foreign Desk.