Bicyclists celebrating special week

Mark Makulinski pedals along Matzinger Road on his way to work from his Lambertville home. THE BLADE/DAVE ZAPOTOSKY Enlarge | Photo Reprints

Mark Makulinski was pedaling throughout metro Toledo years before soaring gas prices made bicycles an attractive transportation alternative.

Of the roughly 4,000 miles that he put on his bikes last year, Mr. Makulinski estimates that 3,000 of the miles were for trips that he could have made in his car.

"I consider it free exercise," he said.

The pedaling excursions of the 60-year-old range from the 7-mile commute from his Lambertville home to his business on Matzinger Road in North Toledo and weekly Monday rides to downtown Toledo for Rotary meetings to longer jaunts such as visiting his daughter in Perrysburg or riding to his parents' home in Sylvania.

Commuting by bicycle, he said, can serve many purposes -- improved health, being environmentally friendly, or the simple enjoyment of a recreational ride.

"When I go out the door, I have the automatic mindset to take my bike rather than my car," said Mr. Makulinski, who took up bicycling seriously more than 20 years ago.

May is National Bike Month, and the Toledo Area Metropolitan Council on Governments is unifying efforts to promote Bike Week from Thursday through May 22, including Bike to Work and Bike to School Day on May 20.

Die-hard biking commuter Sharon Hollins said only pouring rain will keep her from taking her bike to work that day. She begins at 6 a.m. each day to make the nearly 10-mile commute from Ottawa Hills to downtown Toledo's HCR ManorCare, where she works as general counsel.

Like Mr. Makulinski, she too substitutes bike commutes for exercise.

"When I get to work I have the feeling that no matter what else happens today. I made it here," she said. "It is a great multipurpose event -- my workout and my commute."

A U.S. Census Bureau found that just 0.55 percent of Americans over 16 years old who work ride bikes to work. That compares to 76.1 percent who drive alone to the workplace, 10 percent who carpool, and 5 percent who use public transportation.

Biking to work for Ms. Hollins began several years ago when her car needed mechanical work. She biked to work during the week her car was in the shop.

"You could say it started as a lark," she said. "By the end of the week, it became a personal challenge to me. I wondered how long I could keep it up and if I could make it through the winter. I did it and now it is part of my life."

In the winter, she dons warm, insulated clothing and boots to shield her from the elements. Her mountain bike is equipped with lights and she wears a reflective vest that make her visible in traffic.

According to TMACOG, cyclists can choose from nearly 100 miles of paved rails-to-trails pathways in Lucas, Wood, and Sandusky counties and there are more than 45 miles of trails in the metropark system and city's parks. Nearly 80 miles of dedicated bike lanes have been added to roads and streets in Lucas and Wood counties, the transportation group said.

Cycling enthusiast Rick Rump credits the rails-to-trails and other bike-lane improvements for developing interest locally in cycling.

"People feel that the trails are much safer to ride than on roads. They offer great scenery. You can see deer and other wildlife."

Mr. Rump of Springfield Township and president of Toledo Area Bicyclists recalled in the early 1990s when only five or six people would show up for his group's Thursday evening rides at Side Cut Metropark in Maumee.

"Last year, we had over 70 people on those rides several times," he said. Toledo Area Bicyclists, which focuses on recreational riding, boasts more than 150 members and sponsors rides every day of the week except Friday.

Organizers say the goal of the events during Bike Week is to transform the greater Toledo area into a more bicycle-friendly community through advocacy, alliances, education, and services.

Among the activities scheduled are bike rodeos for children up to 14 years old in Wildwood and Pearson metroparks, Sylvania, and Oregon to promote safety and the Ride of Silence to remember bicyclists who were killed or injured while riding bicycles.

Among the fallen riders who will be honored are David Larabee, Dr. Stephen Snedden, and Robert Brundage. Keith Webb, who is organizing the ride, said the 8-mile circular route will include tributes to the victims as it will go past Ottawa Hills High School, where Mr. Larabee was a teacher, Toledo Children's Hospital, where Dr. Snedden treated patients, and Ottawa Park, where a memorial exists for Mr. Brundage.

Mr. Larabee was struck and killed Sept. 2, 2005, in Springfield Township while he was riding home from the high school. Dr. Snedden was killed in a hit-skip accident on State Rt. 65 in Perrysburg Township on Jan. 15, 2006, and Mr. Brundage was attacked June 22, 2009 while riding in the Old West End.

Here is a closer look at activities around the area for Bike Week:

• May 15 -- Oregon Fest on Dustin Road will include a Bike Safety Rodeo from noon to 4 p.m.
• May 17 -- Bike Safety Rodeo from 4 to 6 p.m. and Family Fun Ride at 7 p.m. in Wildwood Metropark.
• May 18 -- Toledo Area Bicyclists, Maumee Valley Wheelmen, and Hostelling International will host the Ride of Silence, in memory of bicyclists who have been killed or injured while riding on public roadways in the Toledo area.
• The Ride of Silence will begin and end on the University of Toledo campus in Lot 1 North, the parking lot at Bancroft Street and North Towerview Boulevard. The 8-mile ride will begin at 7 p.m. after bicycle safety instructions and remarks from speakers about bicycling victims. Helmets are required. This event is free and open to the public. No registration will be necessary.
• May 19 -- Double Cannonball ride at 10 a.m. in Oak Openings Metropark. The 28-mile leisurely ride will begin in the Mallard Lake parking lot. The group will stop for lunch at a restaurant during the ride. More information can be obtained by contacting Elvin Buchele at 419-885-0528.
• May 20 -- Ride to Work and Ride to School Day. Two Bowling Green businesses are offering food and drink specials for bicyclists. Grounds for Thought, 174 South Main St., is giving complimentary coffee and doughnuts throughout the day and Chipotle Mexican Grill, 1558 East Wooster St., will have free chips and guacamole from 5 to 10 p.m.
• May 21 -- Bike Extravaganza at Toledo Farmers Market from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be music, free T-shirts, and coffee for bicyclists, TMACOG staff will have bike maps and other information about bicycling in Northwest Ohio available.
• May 22 -- Bike Safety Rodeo at Pacesetter Park in Sylvania from 2 to 4 p.m.

Contact Mark Reiter at: markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.