| Durango
commuters praise the pedal written by Chance
Poe
Sidebar:
No more excuses
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| Photo by Todd Newcomer |
Many Durangoans are taking a break from the daily rush
and making the trip from home to work by bicycle. A number
of local residents go even further, advocating for bicycle
commuting by riding their bikes not just between home
and office but just about everywhere they go. They do
this not because they have to, but because they choose
to.
John Shaw, of Smiley Building fame, estimates that he
rides a modest 3,000 miles to and from work each year.
On top of this, Shaw says he hammers out five to six 40-plus
mile fitness rides per week. Around town, Shaw can be
seen riding a vintage 1950s cruiser decorated with purple
fenders and a huge carry-all basket, and powered by a
star-spangled chain ring. The bike is one of his favorites
in his vast collection of two-wheeled travelers. Shaw
not only rides to work every day, he has worked to make
cycling a more feasible option for local commuters.
Last year, Shaw hosted the first annual “Bike to
Work Day,” an idea sparked by a meeting with Durango
Public Works Director Jack Rogers, who has worked to make
Durango more bike friendly and develop a long term plan
for bicycle commuting. One idea led to another, and “Bike
to Work Day” was born. To alleviate any confusion,
Shaw and Rogers decide to team up with Colorado’s
“Bike to Work Day,” which is held June 25.
After a mere two months of planning, more than 300 Durangoans
peddled downtown on one of the smokiest days of the Missionary
Ridge Fire. However, Shaw sheepishly admits that because
of the encroaching fire and impending evacuation, he actually
drove to work on “Bike to Work Day.” However,
he quickly added that, for the record, he drives to work
no more than five times per year.
For this year’s event, Shaw said he hopes to see
twice the turn out and offers these suggestions to ease
people into the idea of cycle commuting. “Ride to
work on a nice days,” he says. “Just a few
days a week or even a few days a month can make a huge
difference on a larger scope.”
| Going
the distance
Listed below is a handy breakdown
of some of Durango’s commuting routes and
their distances, times and caloric burn. The data
was collected riding the Giant Prodigy commuter
bike, and the calorie calculator was based on a
5’6” 140-pound woman.
- 32nd Street to Ninth Street
via the Animas River Trail:
Distance: 2.2 miles
Time: 9 minutes, 30 seconds
Calories Burned: 84
-Ninth Street to Fort Lewis College via College
Drive:
Distance: 2.4 miles
Time: 15 minutes, 30 seconds
Calories Burned: 127
-Four Corners River Sports to 9th Street put-in
via Animas River Trail:
Distance: 2.5 miles
Time: 11 minutes, 6 seconds
Calories Burned: 101
*Four Corners River Sports has
an Xtracycle at the shop that is free to the public
to use to shuttle kayaks to and from the put in/take
out
-32nd Street to Bodo Park
Distance: 4.7 miles
Time: 21 minutes, 30 seconds
Calories Burned: 181
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Kevin Hall, Durango’s Parks, Open Space and Trails
development manager, says the city would like to see the
Animas River Trail expand to meet the needs of all nonmotorized
vehicle traffic. The trail spans 4.5 miles, and 5.5 miles
of new development is planned for the next two years.
Russell Zimmerman, owner of Durango Cyclery, moved to
Durango frustrated with the fast-paced life of San Diego,
where he commuted by bike 20 miles each way. Grabbing
a lollipop from his Craftsman toolbox candy drawer, Zimmerman
explains why he is so passionate about commuting by bike.
“When you commute by car, returning home from work
you are still at the office,” he says. “Riding
your bike gives your mind an opportunity to catch up with
your body.”
As for suggestions for the neophyte bicycle commuter,
Zimmerman offers these tips: “If you are going to
be out at night, having a flashing light is a good idea.
Drivers can’t always see you when you are riding
your bike.You need to be alert, wear a helmet and reflective
and bright clothing.”
John Bailey, a wrench at Mountain Bike Specialists, has
chosen a bike as his only source of transportation, and
after whipping out a calculator, he figures that last
year alone, he commuted 5,000 miles and climbed more than
500,000 feet in elevation. Bailey says there are many
reasons one could come up with to not commute by bike,
but in a town as small and centrally located as Durango,
there is no excuse. In a slap of sarcasm, he confesses
that “his hair gets messed up when he rides to work.”
Bailey has retrofitted a Burley Trailer for his carry-all
needs and added that a trailer is a great way for people
with kids to bond with them by towing them. As another
insight, he says that fenders are great for riding in
the rain, which he says “will eventually happen.”
All of Durango’s bicycle commuters agree that they
are fortunate to live in a community where they have the
option to pedal to work. And they advocate cycling not
only for fitness, but as a lifestyle change that will
help improve Durango’s air quality and remedy growing
traffic build-up. For his part, Shaw looks forward to
the day when bicycles outnumber automobiles on Durango’s
roads. “It will be great when an event like ‘Bike
to Work Day’ is totally old school,” he says.
“People will say, ‘Hey Remember when we had
to have Bike to Work Day?’”
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