Beginner to racer, bikers can find niche

Garrison Hillia

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."

E-mail srussell@enquirer.com

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