RECREATION BIKING : Wheeling Through Life Can Be a Breeze : Orange County bicycling aficionados find time for their favorite sport no matter how busy their schedules are.
When Doug and Melanie Peterson want to get away from it all, they don’t look much farther than their garage--where their bikes are stored. For these working Irvine parents with two children and high-stress jobs, a romantic getaway is a 500-mile bicycle tour through Oregon.
Wayne Rosenkrantz, a 37-year-old veterinary dermatologist, talks dreamily about riding down the coast from San Francisco to Laguna Niguel--just for the fun of it. But short of that, he settles for getting up before dawn every day to ride the roads of South County before returning home to help his wife bathe, feed and clothe their three small children.
Joe Chasteler is on his bike by 6 a.m. and back within the hour--to help his wife, Pat, get their two sons and a daughter ready for the day. Later in the week, it’s his turn to watch the children as his wife takes off on her bike.
Busy people with jobs and children and pressures and so little free time. People who don’t have a moment to spare, but who somehow find the time to train and to enjoy their bikes. Here’s how some of them do it, and why.
Name: Wayne Rosenkrantz.
Age: 37; married (Vicki), three children.
Occupation: Veterinary dermatologist.
Bike club: Laguna Hills Bike Club (Bicisport).
Miles per week: 150.
Bikes owned: Calborn, Columbus SLX tubing, Shimano 8-speed Dura Ace hyperglide; KHS Triathlon Pro Bike; Calborn mountain bike.
Favorite ride: A 36-mile loop from Laguna Hills to Laguna Beach, north on Coast Highway through the Newport Back Bay and back, at a very fast pace.
Residence: Laguna Niguel.
Birthplace: Bronx, N.Y.
When he’s not tending to his veterinary dermatology clinics in Garden Grove, Santa Monica and San Diego, or changing his 1-year-old’s diapers, or taking his son to soccer practice, Wayne Rosen-krantz can be found on his black custom Calborn racing bike attacking the hills of Santiago Canyon or flying down Coast Highway.
For Rosenkrantz, juggling his passion for riding with family and a demanding business schedule is not an option: it’s a must. And if that means rising at 5:30 a.m. to be on the road every day by 6:30 a.m., then so be it.
“Cycling helps dissipate mental stress and puts me in a much better frame of mind each day that I ride,” he said. “I’m lucky that my wife and family understand my need to have time to cycle.
“Most of my cycling is done early in the morning before my family even wakes up. During the workweek I try to ride early, prior to work, or occasionally I’ll cycle to and from work. On weekends I often ride longer in the mornings and try to ride with one or more of the family members in the late afternoon.”
Rosenkrantz, forever fiercely competitive, said he got into cycling by competing in triathlons and learning, quickly, of his innate strength on a bike. He joined the Laguna Hills Bike Club, sponsored by Bicisport Bicycles, and within months had ordered a custom Calborn racing machine with top-of-the-line components.
“When I first started cycling with the current bike club, I thought I was in good shape. But after getting dropped (left behind by the pack), I realized there was a lot more technique involved, in addition to strength and conditioning. I am a very competitive individual. Cycling provides an excellent outlet for competition. The club I ride with attracts many good competitive riders. Some even race competitively. In addition, the camaraderie associated with my fellow riders is very special.”
Known among fellow bike club riders as the “Dog” because of his profession and tendency to attack hills with the aggressiveness of a pit bull, Rosenkrantz has seen himself become the stereotypical bike fanatic.
“Prior to my fanatic cycling interest, I used to think the bright bizarre jerseys, shorts and helmet covers were worn only by bike nerds. I also swore I would never shave my legs. But now I am the epitome of what I thought I would never be: the ultimate bike nerd. But somehow it all seems quite natural.”
Name: Steve and Theresa Nelson.
Ages: Steve, 32; Theresa, 30; two children.
Occupations: Steve, software analyst for McDonnell Douglas; Theresa, Sir Speedy, Santa Ana.
Bike club: OC Wheelman.
Miles per week: 150 (Steve); 50 to 90 (Theresa).
Bikes owned: Gitane, Campagnolo Super Record; Tandem, Kuwahara; Faggin racing bike; Diamond Back mountain bike.
Favorite ride: Over Santiago Canyon Road.
Residence: Huntington Beach.
Birthplace: Long Beach (Steve); Oceanside (Theresa).
If you doubt Steve Nelson’s commitment to cycling, consider this: Both he and his wife hold down full-time jobs, they have two small children and day care to think of, and still he finds time to serve as president of one of the largest bicycle clubs in America--the Orange County Wheelmen.
“I find it rewarding. You meet so many nice people through the club (the Orange County Wheelmen) and it gives you a chance to do what you love,” he said.
Steven Nelson has been riding off and on since 1972 and has been putting in strong, consistent miles since 1982 when he and Theresa started looking for a sport they could enjoy together.
“We’ve tried jogging, a health club, swimming and things like that. We finally hit it on cycling. Riding is something you can work hard at, you create a breeze by yourself, you change scenery and it can be a social event with good exercise. Plus, if you ride enough miles you can eat anything you want.
“I’m in a very high-stress job. Since I’ve started riding, my blood pressure has dropped from 150 to 110, and my pulse went from mid-70s to low 60s. I stay riding consistently to maintain good health.”
Steve tries to ride three to four times a week, sometimes riding his tandem with his wife or pulling his children along in a bike trailer. Most of his riding is done with the Wheelmen and with other couples in the club.
Sometimes, he said, he will ride with a friend while their wives baby-sit the children. When the men are through, the women go off for an hour’s ride while the men baby-sit.
“It works out well,” he said. “You have to make adjustments, find the time, if you want to keep riding.”
Another advantage, he said, is the promise cycling holds for maintaining his fitness through the years.
“I have a good friend in the club who is in his late 70s, and I plan to continue until his age. As long as you are careful, there is nothing damaging about riding. My wife rode during both pregnancies. She was seven months pregnant and she did a century (100-mile ride).”
“So as far as I’m concerned, I’ll be riding forever.”
Name: Joe Chasteler.
Age: 32; married (Pat), three children.
Occupation: Building trades journeyman.
Bike club: Orange County Wheelman.
Miles per week: 100 to 120.
Bikes owned: Orbit, Reynolds 531 tubing, Campy components; Peugeot racing bike; Dawes Tandem.
Favorite ride: The Laguna Loop, 30 miles, from Irvine down Laguna Canyon Road and north to the Back Bay and back to Irvine.
Residence: Westminster.
Birthplace: Santa Monica.
When Joe Chasteler noticed the middle-age spread appearing around his waistline, he knew it was time to get back on the bike.
“When I was 17, we were putting in 200 miles per week. But then I stopped. I got married, got a car and the whole shot. Then I put on some weight, and I knew I needed to exercise. When I got back into riding, I realized how much I missed it.”
That was almost four years ago and, for Chasteler, there has been no looking back.
“The bike offers freedom, being out in the fresh air, and going the slower pace than a car, you can see the scenery. You are alone with yourself and the environment. You slow down and smell the daisies. Plus the physical exercise you get out of it. You can get out there and really hammer and it hurts, but the next day you feel good about it.”
Chasteler is a morning person, up at 5:30 a.m. and out the door to ride within 30 minutes. He’s home within an hour and off to work. On the weekends, the Chastelers team up with Steve and Theresa Nelson, also members of the Orange County Wheelmen, to hire a baby-sitter to watch their children as they ride.
“You have to budget your time carefully if you want to keep riding,” Chasteler said. “You have to be committed.
“The family really enjoys the cycling too. If they didn’t like it, there could be a problem. But in our club, we try to emphasize the family outings. We are a real social club. We are not a racing club. We can go on a ride but then have a meal after it.”
Name: Doug Peterson.
Age: 40; married (Melanie), two children.
Occupation: Palco Linings, Stanton.
Bike club: Irvine Bicycle Club.
Miles per week: 120.
Bikes owned: Trek 1500 with Shimano 600 components; a Kuwahara Tandem; Fisher mountain bike.
Favorite ride: Ventura to Santa Barbara and back via Casitas Pass, a 70-mile loop.
Residence: Irvine.
Birthplace: Glendale.
Doug Peterson talks about cycling as if it were some kind of spiritual experience.
“There’s just so much about it I enjoy,” Peterson said, “that I hardly know where to begin. But the single most enjoyable part of it is that when you are out riding you are mentally occupied just with that. It gets you away from daily stress and pressures. It is a little time off where you don’t have other things intruding in your mind. You’re not worried about work or the boss.”
Peterson tries to ride three or four times a week, mostly in the afternoon just before dinner. His wife, Melanie, also is an avid cyclist, and on weekends they hitch up the bike trailer and make it a family outing. The special times, however, are when the couple can ride alone.
“Some people go out to dinner and have some wine, but we get out in the fresh air and get in a good workout. It’s just like a date. The only problem is we have to get a sitter at 8 in the morning.”
Like others, Peterson enjoys the physical benefits that come from staying on the bike.
“Once you get in shape and have the basic aerobic capacity, it is not that hard to do,” he said. “I will never quit riding. It is part of my lifestyle. We have people in our club in their 60s and 70s who are very active. That’s what I really like about this sport: a person with average genetic athletic talents can perform effectively probably longer than you can stand up.”
Items about bicycling events, races, charity rides and relative announcements and queries can be sent to Richard Beene, The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, 92626, or faxed to (714) 966-7711.