Published: May 14, 2008 08:47 pm            

From training wheels to triathlons, bicycling is an activity anyone can enjoy

TERRE HAUTE — May is National Bike Month, when spokes people put their pedals to the metal.

And since launching the celebration in 1956, the League of American Bicyclists has peddled biking as an activity that just about anyone can enjoy.

Brent Vanlandingham of Terre Haute started BikeTH.org in 2002 to try to get more people doing just that.

“I’ve been racing actively for the past probably four years,” he said. “… I started racing motorcross is kind of how I got into the whole wheel thing in the first place. I started when I was 11, and then I raced all the way up until I was about 19. I raced six years semipro motorcross, and then from that I kinda got into triathlons … then I married and kinda went lazy for a while,” he laughed.

“Cycling’s a pastime and I threw that site together basically just to try to promote cycling around the area, communicate the rides, and it’s worked pretty well as far as putting our schedules out there,” Vanlandingham said.

“We get guys that show up from out of town sometimes, they do a search on the Web and they come across the site, and we’ve got that ride calendar out there, so guys will show up for rides, so it works pretty well for that. It’s just kind of a tool to kind of promote cycling around the area.”

And as spring appears, casual athletes emerge from their cocoons and flitter toward bright, shiny, colorful things. National Bike Month points them toward bright, shiny, colorful bicycles.

“Generally what you get is kind of like the exercise fever thing,” Vanlandingham said. “You’ll get guys, the weather breaks and you’ll get a group of guys that come out, and if they’re really serious about it, then they’ll continue to come back, but what happens is some of the guys, if they show up and try to ride with the wrong group, they’ll get a little discouraged and not want to come back after being beaten,” he chuckled.

But the point of getting out and bicycling is, well, getting out and bicycling. And it doesn’t have to hurt.

In fact, said Dave Sutphin, owner of Fat Bikes on Wabash Avenue, it can be fun.

“The number-one-selling bike right now is a comfort bike, which is something normal people ride … something like this,” he said, putting his hand on a larger-framed bike with a well-padded seat. “They’re real comfortable. That’s it. They’re real comfortable, real easy to ride. That’s 90 percent of our sales. 90 percent. … It’s basically a mountain bike that has been made real comfortable, so it’s rugged and can take all that people can dish out, and it’s also real comfortable, which makes them tend to want to ride it instead of having to ride it to get in shape. They actually like riding these bikes.”

And while getting in shape might seem secondary to some people, they have nothing to lose by trying. Or maybe they have a lot to lose. According to a 2006 survey conducted for Union Hospital by Professional Research Consultants, nearly 30 percent of Vigo County adults are obese. (Tribune-Star, Sept. 16, 2007)

But where to start? You’ve got mountain bikes for off-road courses, road bikes for long-distance riding, one-day rides across the state from the Illinois border to the Ohio border, long local rides from Hawthorn Park for newbies and veterans … even those kids with their training wheels whizzing past you down the street while you stand there in the garage wondering what to do. Just thinking about exercising can be exhausting.

“Oh, just get out and do something,” Sutphin said. He paused, then laughed, “Put down the mouse and do something. [Bicycles] don’t burn gas. You don’t have to insure them. It’s good for you. You can get to the other side of town if you want to. You can do something practical with it if you want. We’ve got people riding to work, going to the grocery store on them. But it’s basically people just wanting to get out and do something …”

Jeff Miller of Terre Haute Cycling & Fitness echoed the thought. “A nice, sunshiny, warm day will sell bicycles,” he said. “A dreary day does not sell many. People are triggered by that, y’know, they just get that spring fever, whatever you want to call it …

“Buy a bike. If you don’t have one, get anything. It doesn’t matter what bike. You can get out on any bike that we sell or anybody sells, anything that’ll pedal with two wheels.”

From training wheels to triathlons and everything in between, bicyclists can get out and blaze a trail one mile at a time. But getting started is the key.

“It’s gonna vary individually,” Miller said. “People’s fitness level, the style of bike they’re riding, the speed that they’re gonna ride at is determined by the type of the bike they’re on … I go more for time. I tell people to go out and try to get at least a half hour in. An hour is better, but something is better than nothing.”

Chad Steenerson can be reached at chad.steenerson@tribstar.com or (812) 231-4211.

        

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