Archive
	Mike Dour

Why did you become Roseville's bike way planner (knowing it's a huge challenge)?

I love biking. I first got into biking at UC Davis. I road to school pretty much everyday, but I didn’t do much recreation riding. After graduating I bought a road bike and started some recreational riding, but not too much. Then I got into mountain biking when I lived in Susanville, California. That’s when my interest in biking started to grow. After that I started using the road bike more often. Now I am mostly on a road bike, with just a few mountain bike rides each year. Whether on a road or mountain bike, it’s hard to beat the exhilaration of being in the outdoors riding your bike.

The Bikeway Planner position lets me put my talents to use on something I really enjoy. This is a really challenging job because of the amount of growth occurring in Roseville and because we have big goals for expanding our bike trail system. This definitely keeps my job interesting. Prior to the bikeway position, I was a planner in the Roseville Planning Department for 8 years, and a planner in Susanville 6 years prior to that.

Have you had days when you regretted it?

No, not really. I feel very fortunate to have a job that I am really interested in and motivated about.

What is the most fun part of the job?

My wife always says that it must be fun to walk around on bike trails all day long and get paid for it. I wish! Actually, most of my day is spent in the office coordinating the activities it takes to get bikeways built and maintained. But I do get to walk proposed trail routes occasionally, and that is a good thing. I also work with a great bunch of people who are really interesting and have a great sense of humor, so I’d say that is the most fun part of my job.

Do you follow professional cycling and will you go
to see the Tour of California?

I wouldn’t say I follow professional cycling, but I do enjoy reading about it and watching it when I get the chance. Last year I went to the Tour of California in person. I went on a road ride in the morning with my Uncle and a really good friend, on some of Sonoma County’s rural roads. We then had lunch in Downtown Santa Rosa before watching the finish. It was definitely a great way to spend the day! I plan on going to the race for the finish in Sacramento this year.

What is the longest you have ridden in a day (and/or
total if you have done a multi-day tour)?

My longest ride was last year’s Chico Wildflower Century… my bike computer calculated 97 miles. I was worried about the climbing, but riding into the wind the last 30 miles turned out to be the hard part. I have a total of zero miles bike riding this year. I’m still recovering from shoulder surgery in December. Hopefully I’ll be back on the bike in April or May.

Do you commute by bike? How often?

I commute by bike on average 2 days per week, usually a little more in the summer and a little less in the winter. My commute is a little more than 5 miles one way. I usually take Pleasant Grove to Washington, and then Washington and Derek Place into Downtown Roseville.

Do you ride recreationally? How far?

I try to get out at least once per weekend in the summer. A typical ride for me is about 25 miles, not too fast. If I’ve got the time (not often with a 3-year old boy keeping me busy), I’ll go a little farther (and a little slower.) Or if I don’t have the time, I’ll just go out for a spin in the Whitney area of Rocklin, about 15 miles.

What is your favorite route?

I live in the newer part of Rocklin off Park Drive. My favorite route is Wildcat Drive into Lincoln, then up Twelve Bridges to Sierra College. If I’m short on time I’ll tool around Loomis for a bit. If I have more time I’ll head out to Hwy 193 and then onto the rural roads east of Lincoln. I usually head up Baxter Grade and then make my way through Auburn and Newcastle onto Taylor Road, then home to Rocklin. It’s a really nice ride, not too much traffic except on the short stretch of 193 and the narrow stretch of Taylor. Plus, there are a couple of decent hills that keep me honest. I used this route as part of a solo trip to my Uncle’s house near Grass Valley last year. It was a really great ride.

How do you like riding in Roseville?

Roseville has done a good job of putting bike lanes on most through roads. Roseville has also adopted new standards to widen the bike lanes and install signal detectors for bike. We are always looking for ways to improve cycling. In fact, the City of Roseville is updating its Bicycle Master Plan right now, so if any of your members have ideas for improving cycling in Roseville, they should contact me.

Roseville has some busy roads with fast cars. But I’m a pretty confident rider on the street, so I don’t have a problem riding on Roseville’s roads. For those riders who aren’t that confident, I recommend taking the Road 1 cycling class that several Biking Roseville members (including myself) teach.

If you could fix two things immediately, what would they be?

I really want to get some of our planned bike paths built. Two critical trails are the extension of the Miners Ravine trail from Harding Boulevard to Royer Park in Downtown Roseville, and the Dry Creek Greenway. The Harding to Royer trail should be under construction in 2008. The Dry Creek Greenway is a portion of a regional bike route that will include connections to the American River Parkway in Folsom and the Sacramento Northern bike trail. Eventually it will result in a 70-mile loop around the Sacramento-Placer region. About 5 miles of this path will be in Roseville. We will start planning for this route in the coming year. When complete, these paths will be a great amenity for local cyclists.

Bike paths are like small roads, but are more difficult to build than roads because they are usually located in open space areas, with limited right-of-way and environmental issues. These keep the costs up. With limited funds for bike facilities, we are always applying for grants. Working on these trails should keep me busy for some time.

Have you found BikingRoseville to be useful?

Biking Roseville has been a really great sounding board for bicyclists in the South Placer area. Another great aspect of this group is its involvement in bicycle education. The members have been a great help the past couple of years at Roseville Bikefest, our annual children’s bicycle safety event. Also, several members, including myself, are Licensed Cycling Instructors through the League of American Bicyclists. This has been helpful educating adult cyclists as well.

Do you ride in the winter? If so what clothing do you use?

I do. My bike is not set up for wet weather, so I mostly stick to the dry days. I usually wear long biking tights, a long sleeve biking shirt and a windbreaker over that, with full finger gloves. On really cold days I wear booties over my biking shoes. In the morning on the way to work, I’ll put some sweats over the tights.

Do you ride in the dark? If so, what equipment do you use?

I’ve got an older Niterider Classic on front, with a water bottle style battery. It’s bright, but it doesn’t give much warning when the battery is getting low, so I keep a flashlight available as back-up. On the back I’ve got a red flashing light… only AA batteries, but it works really well. I also wear a reflective yellow vest or jacket, and a reflective yellow band around my ankle.

Do you remember how you learned to ride?

Yes, it was on my birthday! My grandpa had built a bicycle for me. I got it after the party, and then learned to ride it right away. Of course I was really nervous, with the whole family watching.