Biking to work
Trading four wheels and a gas pedal for two wheels and two pedals
Bicycling will always be a popular activity for those seeking a joy ride but it's also becoming a more common vehicle for commuters in the Brainerd area.
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Chuck Shaw, owner of Trailblazer Bikes in Baxter, commutes by bicycle to work as often as he can. Shaw started commuting to work by bicycle years ago in an effort to save the money that would go toward paying for gasoline.
Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
There can be any number of reasons more people are choosing two wheels and two pedals over four wheels and a gas pedal as a means to getting to work.
It's inexpensive, it's healthy, it saves wear and tear on vehicles, it's good for the environment and, perhaps most important, it's fun.
"It's a great way to start the work day and a great way to end the work day," said Patty Klauck, who bicycles almost every day to and from Nisswa and Baxter for her job at Black Bear Lodge and Saloon. "It gets me set and ready in the morning, and coming home I de-stress and get ready to tackle home life."
Member of Paul Bunyan Bicyclists recently enjoyed a ride on the Paul Bunyan Trail in Baxter. Many of the members not only bicycle for fun but as a means to get back and forth to work.Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
Klauck started riding bicycle seriously after she injured her back five years ago while training to run Grandma's Marathon in Duluth. She started bicycling for a three-day fundraiser, then moved to 100-mile events and commuting by bicycle to work. Her goal for her 50th birthday is to complete a 200-mile bicycle event.
Klauck's bicycle commute is a 36-mile round trip in the summer time and an 18-mile round trip in the winter.
Peter Gustafson bicycles to work almost every day - rain or shine, summer or winter - from his home in Pequot Lakes to his job at Trailblazer Bikes in Baxter. His commute takes about an hour and 15 minutes each way.Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
You heard that right, Klauck also rides to work in the winter.
"It's kind of a whole different breed," of a bicyclist who rides in the winter, Klauck said. Winter riding requires a different bicycle - heavier frame, knobby tires and internal gearing.
Peter Gustafson has worked for the past 12 years at Trailblazer Bikes. His commute to work is from Pequot Lakes to Baxter, about an hour and 15 minutes each way. While saving money is a benefit, it's not his main reason for commuting by bicycle.
"It's just the riding," Gustafson said.
In fact, Gustafson commutes by bicycle more often in the winter than in the summer. In the summer, he said, he likes to drive into work on occasion so at the end of the day he can take a trip to another biking destination.
He said except for dressing for the cold, riding in the winter isn't hard except for the occasional double-takes from passing motorists.
"In the summer they're more like, 'Hey, how are you doing?' In the winter it's, 'Are you crazy?'" Gustafson said.
For Taylor Pontius, an employee at Easy Riders Bicycle and Sportshop in Brainerd, riding bicycle to work is an obvious choice.
Pontius started riding his bicycle to work because he had to. At 14, he was too young for a driver's license. Now he does it because he enjoys it.
"The money saved is a good bonus, too," Pontius said. "You definitely notice how much you save on gas."
Pontius is not much of a winter commuter - only if the weather is nice - but he is seeing a lot more people riding year-round for more than just fun.
"I don't know how many people were forced to do it or just want to do it, but you're seeing them everywhere," Pontius said.
Don Saxum of Brainerd rides bicycle to and from work, and everywhere else for that matter, for one reason - he's never had a driver's license. He's commuted to work on a bike in all seasons since the 1970s, when he got out of the service.
"I never could fix a car, I didn't want one, so I went to a bicycle," Saxum said. "I've been doing that for most of my life."
Peter Gustafson (left) and Chuck Shaw ride together from work at Trailblazer Bikes in Baxter to the Paul Bunyan Trail head for a recent ride of the Paul Bunyan Bicyclists.Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
If Saxum has one pet peeve it's motorists who don't realize bicyclists have as much right to the road at vehicles.
"I'd just like to tell them to be more courteous," Saxum said.
What Saxum and scores of other bicyclists do enjoy is the large expanse of trails throughout the area on which to ride.
Recently the League of American Bicyclists announced Minnesota was the fourth-most bicycle-friendly state in the nation. Improving and expanding bicycling route options for commuter and recreational bicyclists provides a safe, efficient and enjoyable experience for everyone, said Tom Sorel, Minnesota Department of Transportation commissioner, in a news release.
Brainerd resident George Fruth has been an avid bicyclist for decades, and often made the 12-mile trek to work using his bike. Though he retired on Labor Day of 2009, Fruth often still uses his bicycle to get around.
Fruth said he primarily bikes for physical fitness. In his decades driving, the trail systems have gotten better while traffic has gotten worse.
"From my point of view, the best thing that's happened in a long time in this area was the creation of the Paul Bunyan Trail. It's nothing short of wonderful," Fruth said. "The second best thing that has happened is the tunnel under Highway 210/Washington Street because the biggest impediment, in my view, for someone not in an automobile is Washington Street. That tunnel took care of that."
Chuck Shaw, owner of Trailblazer Bikes in Baxter, said motorists are becoming more friendly, getting around the Brainerd area on a bicycle is relatively easy and improved trails are making the commute all the easier.
Shaw started riding to work to save on fueling up his four-wheel drive pickup. Though he now owns a fuel-efficient vehicle, he still bikes as often as he can.
"I do have a good feeling knowing my car is in the garage and I'm saving on gas by commuting to work," Shaw said. "Not only for the money, but there's the added health benefit and there's the green side of it to. It gives me a good feeling to know I'm not pumping more exhaust into the atmosphere."
MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.