Rider of the Week
	February 11, 2007

Do you remember how you learned to ride your bike?

Yes. When I lived in Oregon I had 5speed Schwinn with a banana saddle. The teenage neighbor boy from next door told me that if I started pedaling the engine would kick in! I was so enthused by the fact that an engine would come on I lost track of the fact I did something different…

Did you ride to school?

No. Elementary school was so close I could walk and later on my schools were really too far away to ride the bike. When I was in High School I did get a bike and did a bit of road riding. I went up Mt. Diablo with a friend and we also rode through San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge once to get to Novato. When I started college in Davis I lost interest in road riding, but of course I used a bike to get around. I bought a one speed for 40 dollars, and that is still running today! It’s nice to use it when I go for a short ride around the block with my kids.

Did you keep riding when you started to work?

No – the work places in the Bay Area and in Texas were too far from home to ride. In fact they were even far to drive! Roseville is more convenient to ride in that regard. I have about 9 miles one way.

So when and why did you start riding to work?

I started about a year and a half ago. Being part of the hp Sustainability Network, I wanted to take action to have a more sustainable lifestyle. It also helped that I saw it was feasible and others were doing it. Jim’s commute is twice as long as mine! And two years ago Owen Howlett came out to hp and gave a talk and showed that bike commuting is doable and safe. Then once I made this initial leap it wasn’t that hard at all. I am glad I have done it. It is actually a great way of combining transportation and exercise.

Initially it seemed such a big deal of having a bicycle as another way of getting around. But once I did it, it was so simple. Hmm – shouldn’t have been a big surprise, either. It’s a bicycle for crying out loud. It is simple. You get on it, you pedal, you go. That’s it. It’s not that difficult, and the benefits are huge. Less pollution, less traffic congestion, and I get my exercise, too. So if anybody is thinking about trying it – definitely give it a shot!

How did make that quick transition from a relatively new bike commuter to become a certified League Cycling Instructor?

That was pressure from you…I took your Road I class and even though I had already picked up some things from others, it reinforced it. At first I thought it was silly as I just had started and now was already supposed to be an expert? But then I realized it would be a great way to show people that bike commuting is safe and feasible and since there was a lack of LCI’s in this area who was gonna do it? So here we are, trying to give more classes to get more people on the road.

What is the biggest cycling challenge in Roseville?

Probably the way the city was planned with enclaves of population connected by high-speed roadways. The greater the speed differential the greater the risk of some sort of accident. This will always be a challenge for Roseville in both, the perception that it is not safe to ride and in some cases the reality that it is not a good idea for most cyclists to ride their bikes because of the speed differential. We know of course that there are workarounds such as finding a route that uses less of the arterials, to make that work.

Did you adjust your route from when you first started?

Not really. I made minor adjustments. But my route is only about 15% or so on those high speed arterials, mostly around hp. But coming from the Maidu Park area, I can find a lot of slower, quieter roads.

The high speed areas maybe a little less convenient and I feel I have slightly less control over the situation, but most of them also have bike lanes, which really show the car drivers where the cyclists ride and I think especially in communities like Roseville where many motorists are not used to bicyclists it helps to improve the situation for bicyclists.

What was the longest distance you have ridden?

I did some all-day tours when I was younger, but now with the family I don’t have that kinda time anymore. I hope that as my kids grow older, I can take them on longer rides and maybe at some point I can train enough to ride a century. I just got a new bike so no more excuses that my bike is too clunky…

Have you ever gotten a ticket?

On a bicycle? No, never. Not even in my college days in Davis, even though they are fairly strict and have bike police on campus. Maybe I got a little bit lucky, too…

Do you ride in the winter and at night?

Yes. Well, this winter of course has been fantastic – very dry! And the cold shouldn’t be a factor. In fact it’s better than the heat in the summer. It’s tough to stay cool in the summer, but you can just pick the right clothing for the winter.

I usually ride at least part of my route to and from work in the dark in the winter months. With the right techniques and proper equipment I feel very comfortable doing that.

The Tour of California is coming to Sacramento. Do you think there is any potential of recruiting more people to the bike cause?

There could be, though I think a lot of times people either ride recreationally/competitively or they commute and run errands. Also, currently cycling as a sport has huge problems with doping abuse, so I wouldn’t be too comfortable to use them as role models.