Highlights of my Bicycling Life
1967
At age 5, get my first bike, a hand-me-down "girls" frame, blue.
On first attempt, ride into a tree and crash, falling over.
1973-77
Live in and ride all over Lahore, Pakistan, amid some of the craziest traffic
on the planet.
1975
Inherit hand-me-down Schwinn "10 speed" from my brother.
1976-80
Ride in Lahore and Rawalpindi, Pakistan, where I live. Also ride several times
from Murree, Pakistan, 7,000 feet up in the foothills of the Himilayas, down
to Rawalpindi or thereabouts at near sea level. Wheeeee! On one occasion,
catch a ride back up the hill in the back of a truck hauling goats. Odiferous
maximus!
1980-86
Ride to most destinations during college in Orange County, California, including
to and from work on weekends. Buy first car in 1985 (a 1973 VW Bug).
1989
Spend a summer with my lovely wife, Betsy, bicycle touring in British Columbia,
Washington and Oregon. We cover more than 600 miles and fall in love with
the San Juan Islands.
1995
With two toddlers just 15 months apart, we invest in a child bicycle trailer
and, shortly later, buy a tandem bicycle. Tandem and trailer are 15 feet long.
We don't go fast, but we do have fun!
1995 - present
I commute to work about 70 percent of the time by bike, or by bike and bus
combination.
1997
I take the League of American Bicyclists' Effective Cycling Road I course,
and go on to take their Effective Cycling Instructor Training course. After
about 50 hours of training, I become certified and begin teaching Effective
Cycling (Now called Bike Ed) courses locally.
2001-2002
Fellow cyclist and RAAM winner Ron Jones and I found the South Valley Bicycle
Coalition in Bakersfield, California. I help Ron as a volunteer as he runs
the grant-funded Share The Road program for two years. I also become editor
of the Kern Wheelmen Bicycle Club newsletter for these two years.
My family and I take a bike tour of Seattle and the San Juan Islands over the summer. Two adults, two kids, two tandems and many islands. Lots of fun.
2003
My two kids begin riding to school and back some days. Healthy and fun. I
ride with them in the mornings, when traffic is heavier. Most afternoons they
ride home by themselves.
2003 and Beyond
I continue to commute to work, about 3,000 miles per year. Future plans and
dreams: Bicycle across the USA. Bicycle in France and perhaps some other parts
of Europe. Keep bicycling as long as possible, staying healthy and having
fun.
Bicycling Photos
Coming soon - photos of tours, tandems, safety training
and more!
Why Bicycle?
It's healthy
Reduce your risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and stroke.
It's clean
Zero pollution. Nearly zero overall environmental impact.
It reduces traffic congestion
Every bicycle commuter or errand runner means one less car on the road during
rush hour.
It saves money
You could send a kid to college with the money you save bicycling to work
and on errands compared to using a car.
It lets you meet people
You can stop and say hello, chat with others walking and bicycling, stop to
help stranded motorists and much more. This builds and strengthens our relationships
and our communities
It slows you down
Most Americans live at a frenetic pace that is unhealthy. Bicycling lets you
de-stress and slow down. Commuting to work can do this and save you time because
you're doing two things at once -- commuting and exercising.
It's far safer than most people think
Only about 800 bicyclists a year are killed nationwide (compared to more than
40,000 motorists), and most of these deaths are due to avoidable behaviors
like riding at night without lights, riding against traffic, etc. As long
as you act like other traffic, obey the rules of the road, make an effort
to be visible and have a few basic skills, bicycling is generally very safe.
Bicycling Articles and Tip Sheets
Lane Positioning Skills
Night Riding
Traffic Tips sheet
For more, visit southvalleybike.org
More Bicycling Info
Check out these sites for more bicycling info from informed bicyclists.
League of American Bicyclists
South Valley Bicycle
Coalition
Bicycling Life
Adventure Cycling
Association
Calilfornia Bicycle Coalition
This site is still under construction
Please excuse the mess. Not all portions of the site
are functional. I am working on the site each week, so please bookmark it
and return later!
Questions?
Please E-mail me!
