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Friday, May 19, 2000
Pedal Power
Thousands
in County Leave Cars Behind to Join Bike Commute Week
By CATHERINE BLAKE, Special to The
Times
When Chris Dumford got
on his bicycle at 5:45 a.m. Thursday, the Thousand Oaks financial
planner was downright grumpy.
It
was early. He was chilly. And he just knew the ride was going to
be long.
But after Dumford
peddled 45 minutes--along virtually empty Thousand Oaks streets
with the sun rising beside him--his mood improved.
He
said it was the shower and the fresh clothes that made him feel
more cheery. But he also admitted it might have something to do
with the exercise.
Dumford, 36,
was one of the estimated 11,000 county residents who commuted the
old-fashioned way to work Thursday, taking part in California Bike
Commute Week.
Like Dumford, there
were about 2,500 others who don't ordinarily pedal to their jobs,
said Aaron Hanson, president of the Ventura County Bicycle
Coalition.
To ease the way,
coalition members set up 10 pit stops for morning commuters
throughout the county. The stops--in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley,
Camarillo, Santa Paula and Ventura--provided doughnuts, sports
drinks, encouragement and information on bicycle
commuting.
This is the first year
that there has been a countywide event to recognize California
Bike Commute Week, Hanson said.
"This
is all about encouraging people to just try bicycle commuting
once," he said. "Then they might stick with
it."
Dumford decided to give
bike commuting a shot after a friend talked him into
it.
Before the ride, he was
skeptical. "Why would I want to be without my car?"
Dumford asked. "Without it I would be trapped in my office,
and I would have to get all sweaty going to get something to eat
for lunch."
Dumford, the
owner of a 1994 BMW 740IL, cited all the common-sense reasons for
staying in his car:
"How am
I going to get to appointments? Would I leave here two hours early
to get home so I could pick up the kids? Do I keep a change of
clothes at the office?"
Despite
such concerns, Dumford pulled his body out of bed and onto his
shiny red bicycle for the 7.5-mile ride because he wanted to see
how long it would take to get to work. He has worked at the same
location for seven years and had never ridden his bike to
work.
Besides, it would be good
exercise, he thought.
* * * Normally,
Dumford drives 15 minutes on the freeway from his home off Wendy
Drive to his private company's office off Hampshire Road, where he
works as a certified financial planner.
He
usually leaves between 6:30 and 8 a.m., but Thursday he left an
extra hour for the ride and to allow for a shower at the end of
his trek. Not that being late would be a problem, considering he
is the boss.
As the sun rose fast
in the sky, Dumford's cheeks were ruddy and he quickly broke into
a sweat. He was wearing a white T-shirt, shorts, bike helmet and a
small backpack with a change of clothes.
Dumford
crossed north over the Ventura Freeway and settled into the bike
lane that runs along most of Hillcrest Drive.
After
running his mountain bike through a puddle fed by a sprinkler,
Dumford sported a splash of mud across his leg and on the back of
his T-shirt. "See, this is one of the problems with riding,"
he said cheerfully.
Keeping a
leisurely pace, he stopped three times to gulp from his water
bottle.
At nearly 7 a.m., after
riding along the mustard-covered hillsides, he detoured to a pit
stop set up outside the 24-Hour Fitness Center on Thousand Oaks
Boulevard near City Hall. The gym was offering bike commuters free
showers to freshen up before work.
Dumford's
spirits picked up considerably after the shower.
"You
know, that ride wasn't so bad," he said. "The shower was
really refreshing. You could legitimately commute like this if you
managed your time."
Dumford
said as he was walking out of the gym, he looked at people riding
on stationary bicycles inside the gym and felt proud of himself.
*
* * "I looked at everyone and
said, 'I've been working out too, but I saw the sights and got
some fresh air,' " he said.
Afterward,
he cycled less than four blocks to his office on Hillcrest Drive,
close enough to keep him from getting sweaty again.
Hanson
said Dumford's trip to work is the length of an average bicycle
commute, which ranges from five to seven miles.
Hanson
said the most difficult part is getting people to try it for the
first time.
"The hope is if
they try it once they will say, 'Hey this isn't so bad, I can do
this once a month or twice a month,' " he said.
"If
all the pieces are in place--having a safe route, living close,
having a shower or clothing lockers close to work, then they just
might do it."
Copyright 2000 Los Angeles
Times
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