Friday, May 09, 2008

Timeout: Have bike, will travel

I know I must have looked like something the Air Force Falcon dropped to earth from its talons.

It was the end of my ride in Sunday’s U.S. Air Force Crystal City Classic open ride in which participants could choose to ride two to eight laps around a 12.5 kilometer course that started at the Air Force Memorial and traversed parts of Interstate 395 and the streets of Crystal City.

When I initially signed up for the ride, I intended to go for eight laps and complete 100 kilometers, or about 62 miles, what’s known in the cycling world as a metric century - as opposed to a true century of 100 miles. It would have been the third metric century I’d accomplished since I hopped back on a bike two years ago. On ride day, after gauging my level of training
thus far in the riding season, I geared that back to four laps, 50 kilometers, or about 31 miles.

As it turned out, on that day, half a century of any kind was enough. I happily dismounted my bike after the fourth climb up what I considered a challenging hill to the finish. I turned in the radio chip they gave me to wear on my shoe to count my laps, collected my medal for being a participant, took my trusty red-and-white steed in hand and slowly ambled toward the refreshments, and my truck.

I’d just passed a news crew interviewing another rider when I saw her. She was wearing silver oversized headphones and had a microphone in her hands, clearly marking her as a member of the electronic media.

And then, I saw she’d seen me heading her way. The look in her eyes told me she was a desperate reporter who needed an interview for a story. With no alternate route to my waiting vehicle and lacking a mirror, I made a quick mental assessment of my post-race appearance: Is there much salt clinging to my once sweat-soaked face? Is dried snot visible in my nose? As I got nearer, no cameraman suddenly appeared to capture my shoddy appearance and I saw her microphone was attached to a mini-disc recorder. She was a radio reporter. I was emboldened.

As it turns out she was working on two stories for WTOP radio. One was about the events of the day. The other was about riding to work. She asked if I biked to work. I told her I’d considered it, but the main road to work in my area - Route 1 - was not conducive to that being a reality.

Driving home, I was still thinking about that question and realized, although I like to bike, and even consider myself a cyclist, I am a recreational cyclist, not a commuter. And bike commuters are the real vanguard of the green transportation revolution. They are part of the populace helping to keep medical care costs and pollution in check (imagine both without these healthy, eco-conscious types).

So, my hat is off to the brave souls, some riding as much as 40 miles per day, who navigate rush-hour traffic on arteries such as Richmond Highway, George Washington Parkway, Leesburg Pike, Arlington Road, and any street in downtown D.C., with their only goal being good health and a green Earth.

May 16 is National Bike to Work Day, and I’m thinking a little harder about making the change from simply being a recreational rider to being a commuter. While I may not muster the courage to fight the traffic on Route 1 on that day, her question has made me think more about how I might make it possible to take that ride on the days and months afterward. And it has made me think about other trips I can make on my bike instead of in my truck.

So, to the young reporter who stopped me, thanks for asking. I hope you got your story.