Round and round they go: Region's bicyclers

The forgiving terrain and climate create the perfect storm for a love affair with the bike in the Sacramento region.

No better backdrop for the Amgen Tour of California, a 600-mile race that passes through Sacramento on Tuesday.

"This is a great cycling region," said John McCasey, executive director of the Sacramento Sports Commission. "They clearly recognize that."

According to one survey, Sacramento ranked sixth nationally in cyclers who commute to work. Accounting for all the people who just get out and ride is not as easy, but the numbers are believed to be equally impressive.

Advocates who push for amenities such as bike lanes and racks make a difference, and so do cities and counties that hire people primarily to be responsible for bike issues, said Walt Seifert, executive director of the Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates.

Charlie Archuleta, 65, rides 50 miles a week and is vice president of the Sacramento Bike Hikers. He carries rain ponchos and bike lights in his car trunk and hands them out when he sees cyclists who need them.

The bike trail through the American River Parkway, the region's premier bicycling asset, invites tentative beginners or pros such as Chris Horner, a Tour de France competitor.

Any day on a bike reveals who is riding. They bike to work. They go for 40-mile workouts on a day off. They ride through midtown and downtown, lashing their Schwinns to racks in front of the library, the post office, the drugstore. They ride thousands of miles a year on any one in a collection of high-end bikes. Or, they ride deep into the night, laden with all their worldly belongings.

It takes Joanne Ross, 36, half an hour to get from her home to her job as a state lawyer. Pearl earrings peek out from under her bike helmet as she breezes along M Street in East Sacramento.

"I recognize all the benefits of doing this," she says, braking for a short stop. Benefits such as saving $150 a month on parking and getting your daily workout done at the same time.

Ross loses no more than 10 minutes by leaving her car at home, she says. She never considered commuting by bike when she lived in San Francisco. "There's crazy drivers and lots of hills," she says before pedaling off.

As the morning haze burns off into weak sunlight, the click-click-click of bicycles slowing down radiates from the Guy West Bridge onto the campus of California State University, Sacramento.

The quirky landmark, a pedestrian replica of the Golden Gate, is a well-traveled entry to the 26-mile bike trail along the American River. Heading along the tree-shaded meandering asphalt with any speed makes the morning chill feel as if it could slice through armor.

The faithful are undeterred.

Where the trail passes under thundering traffic on Watt Avenue, Sarah Neal, 47, eases to a stop midway in a 42-mile ride.

A knee injury turned the runner into a cyclist several years ago, she says. On her day off, she rides for a workout to make up for missing the 30-mile round-trip cycling commute to work for the state Department of Transportation. Without the bike trail, she wouldn't be so inclined to ride for fun or work, she says. "Rain or shine, I do it," she says.

In midtown, not far from the urban stretches of the trail, Steve Rex, 46, finishes up for the day in his shop, Rex Cycles, where he builds custom bikes.

"My business thrives on sport riding," says Rex, who rides 150 miles a week, unless he's training. Then it's more. The nearby foothills provide a worthy challenge and variety, he says.

Inside what was once a garage, the aroma of grease washes over cold concrete as he talks about his 20-year passion that makes a living for him. Overhead, hanging bike frames gleam, waiting for owners who can plunk down $10,000. He's made them for Sacramento Kings and legislators. "I've been really lucky." he says.

A few blocks away, 22-year-old Corey O'Conner has locked his bike to a railing outside a pizza and bar restaurant.

Perched at the bar, he says he took up cycling for a reason. "I did it to get into shape. Now, I'm addicted," he says, grinning.

Weaving through traffic is a bit of an enjoyable adrenaline rush, he says.

He has no car and doesn't want to pay to maintain one.

Plus, parking is a hassle at his favorite haunts, he says. He rides to his night job as doorman at the Flame Club, pedaling home at 3 a.m.

Across town in Oak Park, the Bicycle Kitchen lights up as workers head home. The nonprofit provides low-cost repairs and bikes and teaches riders self- sufficiency.

Outside the crowded garage-like building, Eloise Major bundles against the windy cold in a puffy jacket with a fur-lined hood. She watches as her husband, Stephen, fumbles with brake lines on his bike. He knows what's wrong and he's learned here how to fix it.

"This place is beautiful. I haven't given them enough of what they've given me," he says of the Bicycle Kitchen.

Eloise, 55, and Stephen, 56, need their bikes. They can't afford anything else.

After work is the only time Gary Skaggs can ride.

He and a few others of the Bike Hikers gather in fading light at the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Arden Way. With lights, they head out to the nearby bike trail and head up to the Nimbus Dam, a 25-mile ride. They're back in 1.5 hours.

At 52, the Folsom man, who owns his own business, has undergone gastric bypass surgery, dropping from 355 to 165 pounds that can fit into spandex. Biking keeps him in shape.

The trail is amenity-laden with restrooms and water fountains, he said. Besides the trail, he hails the close, surrounding bedroom suburbs with wide shoulders and traffic that subsides after work.

"There's a Starbucks on every corner," he says. "What more could you ask for?"

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