Beginner to racer, bikers can find niche

Thursday, July 1, 2004
Start spinning your wheels


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Beginner to racer, bikers can find niche

By Shannon Russell
Enquirer staff writer


Mason resident Corey Green says there's nothing better than a bicycle
ride's cool winds, scenic views and quiet solitude.

Since moving to town eight years ago, he has discovered a network of
Cincinnati-area cyclists, clubs, trails and races. With so many options,
his biggest problem is finding enough time to go.

"This is a really good area to bike in," said Green, 35, a husband and
father of three. "There are enough clubs and teams that you can always
find someone to ride at your pace."

Though events like Saturday's start of the Tour de France are designed for
elite racers, competitive and recreational riders show their cycling love
on area trails and roads galore. As long as the sun's shining and the
roads aren't slick, it's easy to find mountain bikers on off-road paths,
road racers angling for victories, or cyclists just cruising about.

The Cincinnati Cycle Club is the area's biggest leisure-riding group, with
an estimated 1,200 members of all ages who ride in Cincinnati and Northern
Kentucky. The club doesn't race, mountain bike or travel long distances,
focusing instead on fun group excursions.

Club president Paul Patterson said safety is always one of the biggest
concerns with riding. While helmets and cautious riding are key, it's
important to recognize the two schools of thought when it comes to
choosing a route: Avoid roads, or share roads with motorists.

"We're more of the share-the-road type," Patterson said. "For those
starting out, I'd recommend learning the rules of the road or learning the
law. If anything, follow along as if you are a car."

There's no better way to convey the basics than teaching children, which
is why Queen City Wheels president and director of youth programs Doug
Dobrozsi does exactly that. Queen City Wheels is the oldest and largest
grassroots cycle-racing club in the area.

Its July and August summer league, Kids on Bikes, introduces basic riding
skills to children ages 8 to 14 in weekly sessions. After two months, camp
participants know how to start and stop, the difference between endurance
riding and sprints, and how to bump and rub elbows while going fast
without panicking. Dobrozsi said it builds the foundations for an activity
kids can take into adulthood.

"It's the greatest sport in the world. If you get interested, you get into
it," Dobrozsi said. "In places where cycling is big, (kids groups) like
this happen. Some places have cycling programs the way we have 4-year-olds
play soccer."

Queen City Wheels hosts weekly events for its elite and novice adult
racers, from cyclocross in the fall and winter to the Ault Park Series, a
five-week summer racing event in June.

Cycling's popularity is reflected locally in racers such as Bob Rich, a
Loveland man who in June started Race Across America - a 10-day,
3,000-mile bike race - but had to drop out five days into the race because
of health concerns. Todd Williams (Wyoming), Tom Brane (North College
Hill), Fred Heiselman (Loveland) and Joe Martin (Park Hills) biked 783
miles in 90 hours or less in last August's Paris-Brest-Paris in France.

Jim Ray, of Western Hills, cycled from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fla.,
in 24 days in May to raise money for the Hamilton County Special Olympics.

Much of the appeal of competitive cycling, Green said, is the escape it
provides. Green races with the Cycle Dots, a regional racing team
sponsored by Cycle Sport in Loveland. A 15-year biking veteran, he has
competed on three racing teams and spends about 12 to 15 hours a week on
his bike.

Competitive biking is physically taxing, but recreation riding is "one of
the lowest-impact sports around," Green said. Expect physical endurance
during a ride, but design an outing the way you want it to be, whether
it's for fun or for exercise.

There are plenty of places to cycle, besides roads, neighborhoods and
parks. Thousands of bikers and skaters flock to the Little Miami Scenic
River Bikeway, 68 paved miles from Milford to Springfield, Ohio. For
long-distance cyclists, the Ohio Department of Transportation offers
cross-state treks. Cycle clubs have events and special destinations
throughout the year.

"Bike riding in general gives you a freedom of being out there on the
road," Green said. "As long as you're not riding in traffic, it's so
peaceful."

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