Road warrior Road warrior (May 28, 2004)

Old habits die hard on maiden voyage First person

By Candice Shih

All the reasons for biking to work have been obvious to me for quite some time -- save gas and money, get exercise, end our dependency on Middle East oil. But given my sedentary habits, I just couldn't get properly motivated until Bike to Work Day last Thursday.

With the encouragement of a bike-riding colleague who hooked me up with an experienced bike commuter, I decided it was time to dust off the old bike, pump up the tires and see for myself if it would entice me to give up the hassles of driving. It's too bad I didn't try it before -- my pitifully short commute begins near Rengstorff Avenue and Old Middlefield Way and ends 1.6 miles later at the Voice's office at Hope and Evelyn.

The journey started with an important question: What would I wear? Rooting through my closet produced little that would be appropriate both for the ride and for the office (spandex didn't make the cut).

After finally picking a pair of pants and a blouse that I prayed wouldn't become too smelly, sweaty or greasy, I met my escort for the day -- Frank Flynn, a Palo Alto resident who commutes by bike to his tech job in Mountain View.

We filled the air in the tires of my 12-year-old mountain bike and went on our way. But I was soon feeling a bit winded just trying to keep up with Frank.

A middle-aged father of three, Frank said he bikes mainly for fitness but isn't "militant" about it. "It's more utilitarian for me -- it's about getting places," he added.

The trip ended about 10 minutes after it started at a Bike to Work Day energizer station downtown where I received biking brochures, a bottle of water and a donut hole. I was later told 118 people had signed in at that station and about 60,000 cyclists had participated Bay Area-wide.

Coming back on my own was a little more difficult. Unlike the morning route down Middlefield Road and Moffett Boulevard, the return route on Central Expressway and Rengstorff featured rather unsightly views of flattened roadkill and beastly buses breathing down my neck.

And without Frank to guide me, I was at a loss on what to do when a bus stopped in the bike lane right in front of me to let passengers on and off. Should I wait until it moves? Or do I go around the left and hope it doesn't decide to pull out at the same time? I guess this is why some beginning bikers take bike education classes.

Overall, the trip was successful, and I found a side benefit in convincing some people that I can be athletic. But I can't say that I'm ready for a complete conversion -- after I got home, I drove my car to a fast food restaurant.

E-mail Candice Shih at cshih@mv-voice.com

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