Florida Agenda

By Mike Rosenfield

Wake up, get dressed and head out for work. Outside is the view of thousands of drivers, sitting in lines of automotive stagnation, on an over-congested, outdated roadway.  Exhaust and heat pollution ripple views along lines of cars sitting in front of red lights. When the light changes, three cars go through, and then it’s red again. Millions of people accept this reality every day of their lives. Wow, what fun!

There’s another way; ride your bike.  This way, very little time is wasted on red lights. Focus is redirected from frustration -to breathing, balance, and relaxation. Fitness and health are gained, stress from antiquated road systems and the antics of crazy drivers decrease. Cardio-workouts in a gym are no longer needed.  The extra time can be spent in the pursuit of other endeavors. In Japan, it’s typical to see men, dressed in suits, on bikes-on their way to work; there’s no negative stigma. Maybe this is one of the supporting reasons for the fact that the Japanese have the greatest longevity.

A bicycle lifestyle is one that incorporates biking into exercise programs, transportation and appreciation for the outdoors, nature and the sport.

How to start

On a nice day, when it’s beautiful outside, but responsibility is about to ruin appreciation for it, take a ride.  Perhaps, it’s a day that you need to go to Publix, but dread 20 minutes of toxic exhaust, stagnant traffic lights and a parking lot with available spaces half the distance back to your house again. Don’t do it: why would you choose to? Get the backpack (an amazing amount of groceries can fit in one) hop on the bike and go. Now you can appreciate a nice day, while passing up frustration and lines of stationary motorists. Upon arrival, a convenient parking space not more than 20 feet from the entrance welcomes bicyclists.

Little by little, choose biking over driving.  Increased fitness, endurance and a sense of accomplishment, will result. Soon, 20-mile bike rides become second nature; 50-mile rides come onto the horizon, and with that, the realization a car is not so desperately needed in Ft. Lauderdale.

Create a plan that fits your needs

Think of all the places you go to regularly.  Decide if those places are a realistic, obtainable, destination by bike. Some bicyclists cross whole states or nations; for them, there are literally very few places they couldn’t get to by bike. Gradually, the importance of the car becomes diminished; it’s a relief. Self-reliance prevails. To know that it’s possible to cross a nation under your own power is amazing; but also, going to Publix on a bicycle, can be a small miracle.

Just remember…

Safety is key; remember motorists often don’t see bicyclists. They are not looking. The motorist’s mind is focused on other cars; they can dent, scratch or destroy each other, but a collision with bicycle might not be felt.

Some well-known bicyclists and their websites

Ken Kifer

Ken created a website that offers tons and tons of advice and help for those interested in biking for pleasure, fitness or travel; many times a combinations of each.  He experimented and carefully measured the distances he biked from year to year (http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/commute/index.htm). Alas, he was killed by a drunk driver in 2003; let this be a reminder that safety is the number one priority. Stay alert and feel free to use the sidewalks.

Darren Alff

Darren, created “The Bicycle Touring Pro” website that also offers tons and tons of useful information. Daren traveled through the USA and Europe on his bike and shares his experiences, tips and pictures of his adventures (www.bicycletouringpro.com).

Alex Ramon

Alex created an informative site that provides, just about every topic of instruction, for bicycle repair and adjustment (www.bicycletutor.com).

The Bicycle Lifestyle Change Test

1. Do you want a healthier lifestyle?
2. Would you like to be a part of the pollution-solution?
3. Are you sick of the traffic and a defunct road system?
4. Do parking meters or parking tickets make you sick?
5. Do you hate to interrupt your activities to feed a meter (where money evaporates into a black hole)?
6. Do you hate wasting time, circling parking lots, in search of a space?
7. Do you get road rage?
8. Do you like the convenience of close parking?
9. Do you feel that our road system is strewn with serious problems?
10. Do you dislike the pretenses in which the police (who should protect and serve) at times operate, often following motorists about to satisfy numbers, thus not serving?
11. Would you like to have newfound money, otherwise spent on gas, to do with as you choose?
12. Are you tired of car repairs?
13. Have you ever had your car window smashed in?
14. Are you scared to park your expensive car in a lot filled with drivers of questionable skills?

If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, it may be time to get on your bicycle.

By MIKE ROSENFIELD

Look in any gym window and you’ll see men hard at work, pumping Iron, climbing the Stairmaster, or riding stationary bicycles. They’re sweating away -building those muscles and burning fat. Above them, the TV drones on; news of the latest local crimes, the weather report and the latest happenings in the stock market chatter on. The workout room has the same dreary look, day after day. The mind fights to find something of interest; it rebels against boredom. Strange things come of notice; a small crack in the wall, a lone piece of tape that once held a poster, or a drop of paint from where it was applied too thick.

Leave that room and the mind numbing boredom behind. Get a bike, and take your cardio workouts outside. There is a world to see; mind and body need to be stimulated. A universe of sights and sounds come alive that never seemed to be there out of car windows.

Types of Bikes
Mountain Bikes are built tough and have gripping wide tires. They’re great for riding Ft. Lauderdale and can easily handle patches of broken glass, curbs and lots punishment without harm. They can be taken off road onto trails, centered in nature and much better than the sight gym walls.

Road Bikes have lightweight frames and thin, fast tires. They are built for riding long distances with less friction. Long distance marathon bikers often choose these bikes to travel from city to city or across whole countries. But they are more fragile and should not be taken off road or bounced off curbs.

Hybrids are great choice for having the best of both worlds. They are a mixture off road and mountain bikes in one, and can handle more punishment yet create less friction with the ground, making for smoother, easier rides.

Folding bikes are excellent for travel; they are small and fold up to “tiny”. If you want to ride in another country, most airlines will accept them as a check on bag. If you want a lift across town, or ride in another location, they’re easily carried onto a bus or placed in the trunk of a car.

Accessories and things to carry
Head and Taillights will keep you alive at night; they required by law for night riding. They’ll also keep you alive; it’s hard to see bikers at night without them
Bells won’t make you feel like a man when you rig them, but are great in getting those in your path to give up a little space for passing.

Bike Pouch- These attach under the seat and are for carrying those things that would otherwise be annoying to carry in your pockets (if you even have them).

Bike tool- Excellent to have on hand.  It’s small and has all the tools needed to assemble or dissemble a bike. It makes adjusting your seat or changing a tire a snap (fits in the bike pouch).

Water- Needless to say, it’s hot!

Patch kit and pump-A flat tire will leave you stranded without these. Ten-dollar lightweight pumps are available at Wal-Mart; they’re also so great for pumping motorcycle tires too. Patch-kits are inexpensive and easily fit in an under seat pouch.

Biking in Ft. Lauderdale

The Beach
Fort Lauderdale has many bike miles along the beach. A sunset ride with an ocean view can’t be beat. The road has a bike lane and riding sidewalk is acceptable as well.  Take a swimming break. What other way, could you park your vehicle so close to your destination, and jump in for a swim?

Residential Areas
Residential areas offer safe riding conditions with low traffic and an assortment of beautiful scenery. A ride through a quiet neighborhood is an excellent way to shop for a new home, if you’re in the market. The Poinsettias are in bloom now; their brilliant red colors accent the surrounding verdant trees.

Bicycle Trails
The State of Florida has prepared a PDF booklet containing the locations and descriptions throughout Florida including Ft. Lauderdale of great places to bike.
The web address is: www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/PDF/biketrails_b_v6.pdf

Group Riding
Join a group and share the experience with others. The ride is much more pleasurable in the company of friends. There are many bicycle groups, some groups ride for pleasure, others for serious workouts and still more ride for causes. Two well-known groups that ride for cause are -Tuesdays Angels (www.tuesdaysangels.org/bike.htm) and Aids Life Cycle (www.aidslifecycle.org); follow the links for more information.

Bicycle Safety and Regulations
There’s nothing more exciting than a great ride, but to maintain the enjoyment of it is to follow a few guidelines. When traveling, ride with traffic on the correct side of the road and avoid heading into traffic, its dangerous. Traveling on the sidewalk is legal and perfectly acceptable. Be careful crossing the exit ways of parking lots with entrances to main roads. These people don’t look for bikers or runners. For a comprehensive guide to biking laws in the state of Florida go to:
www.floridabicycle.org/rules/bikelaw.html

Enjoy the ride!

The diving off of the Commercial Blvd beach is astounding.

by Mike Rosenfield

Beginners

Park the car on the north side of the pier, don your equipment and walk into the water. Just 50 yards off the beach, the ocean brims with life. Coral mounds jut up from the sandy bottom; angelfish glide around the corals and Jacks pass by overhead.

From just off the beach to the eastern edge of the pier, is beginner’s territory. Remember to use the pier as a measuring tool, but stay at least 50 yards (north or south) away from it.

Starting from 60 yards offshore, the sandy ocean base gives way to a solid mass of pockmarked limestone. Round holes in the limestone provide homes to brilliantly colored fishes and hiding places for lobsters (delicious –during Lobster Season with license).  The depth of this area is 15-20 feet.

Advanced: further east

Continue swimming east, past the eastern most point of the pier and then twice that length.  Through that distance, at first, the sea floor becomes sandy again and depth increases to just over 20 feet. It’s a quiet eerie zone (especially at night) not many reef fish occupy this area but rather schooling pelagic fish, manta rays and sting rays do. The sandy sea floor eventually gives way to a rocky bottom followed by limestone. Over the corals, life returns in abundance, Pork fish, Yellow Tails. Triggers and Tangs are easy to spot. Eventually the horizon grows darker; an infinite dark blue haze appears which then resolves into a 6-foot ledge. The ledge is the highlight of the dive; it faces east and runs for many miles north and south. 7000-year-old, limestone boulders the size of cars, tabular in shape, lay broken along the reef ledge. The ledge is the most densely populated region of the reef. The corals hide millions of fish and occasionally a shark’s tail can be seen protruding out of the boulders. Needless to say keep your distance, keep calm and swim away. Sharks are usually timid around divers.

Expert: even further east

East of the ledge a sandy floor resumes, the light dims and the ocean depth increases (25-30 feet). For 10-15 minutes, nothing but sand ripples are visible. Continue east. In the water, at a distance, things are not visually resolvable; they form eerie shapes.  From a distance, the west facing limestone wall appears as a white fortress in the distance. As it becomes focused, caverns and limestone arches appear. Many natural tunnels come into view; some look large enough to swim through (Do Not!) Peering into them reveal communities of sea life. Large caves house cities of lobsters and millions of tiny fish swim in and out of the white rock. Massive Snook and Groupers seem to rest in the current flowing around the reef, Barracudas show off their sharp teeth, and Triggers follow divers very closely. Green Morey eels poke their heads out of holes, open and close their mouths to the beat of their gills and inspect the world around them. Everything happening at once, as it does in nature, submerged in it, is awe-inspiring.

Remember:

• Always dive with a buddy
• Begin the dive into the current, and end the dive with the current.
• Take a dive flag, compass, and gloves
• Make sure your equipment is properly serviced
• Dive to your abilities
• Dive in seas two feet or less.
• Use air wisely, end the dive with 500psi
• Be aware of boaters

Tips

• Larger tanks are good for beach dives

Gehri and team SoFl Beach Bikers work hard for ultimate goal

Jayson Gehri (Photo courtesy of Mr. Gehri)

By MIKE ROSENFIELD

Jayson Gehri rides with a team of cyclists that raise money for HIV/AIDS. The team is comprised of six men (four riders and two volunteers). The team is known as the SoFL Beach Bikers. Currently, Gehri is training for his third event, AIDS/LifeCycle -a fully supported, 545-mile/seven day (June 6-12) ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

“I started bike riding in 2008; my first event was the SMART Ride (Miami to Key West). I wanted a challenge and to give back to the community. The current goal is to raise $3,000 per person or $12,000.00 for the team. Although things can get stressful, having a full time job, raising money and training, the experiences of the rides are very enriching,” said Gehri.

As of press time, the team had raised more than $10,000.

The team members raise money individually by canvassing neighborhoods, family and friends or as a team through public events such as selling Jello-shots at the Alibi. The monies raised for the AIDS/LifeCycle benefit the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center and The San Francisco AIDS Foundation, while the monies raised for the SMART ride benefit Broward House, Metropolitan Charities, Center for Positive Connections, AIDS Help, Miracle of Love, and the Comprehensive AIDS Program of Palm Beach County.

Gehri wants the community to understand that it does not matter whether money is being raised for people in San Francisco or in Fort Lauderdale.

“We are all in this together,” Gehri said. “It’s for the benefit of those in need.”

Gehri said many more people are capable of doing this ride than they may know. “With just a little determination people can accomplish a lot of things,” Gehri said.

The ride is fully supported by a group of volunteers called “Roadies.” They are the ones that carry all of the equipment, organize rest stops and provide fresh cold drinks along the route.

The Roadies also set up and break down campsites and rest stops, serve meals, pour water, make electrolyte drinks, pick up trash, park bicycles, fix bicycles, pick up exhausted riders, wrap sore knees, give massages, lead cheers, give directions, hang signs, mark the route, and just about anything else you can think of !

“The volunteers treat us like kings,” said Gehri.

Each segment of the ride is carefully planned. The bicyclists receive a hot breakfast and then get underway. The route is beautiful, laden with artichoke and strawberry fields, topped off with spectacular views of the ocean.

At the conclusion of each day of the event, cyclists roll in to their tent city already up and running. The night is reserved for spending time together, sharing stories or just enjoying the camaraderie of other cyclists. A massage tent is open for cyclists with muscle aches. Early next morning the routine starts all over.

“It’s an experience of a lifetime,” said Gehri. In 2009, 2,150 cyclists participated in the ride and raised more than $10.5 million.

To donate money to Gehri’s team visit: www.tofighthiv.org and click on AIDS/Lifecycle. Then click donate and type in the team name as ‘SoFL Beach Bikers’.