Pedal Power

When Chris Dumford got on his bicycle at 5:45 a.m. Thursday, the Thousand Oaks financial planner was downright grumpy.

It was early. He was chilly. And he just knew the ride was going to be long.

But after Dumford peddled 45 minutes--along virtually empty Thousand Oaks streets with the sun rising beside him--his mood improved.

He said it was the shower and the fresh clothes that made him feel more cheery. But he also admitted it might have something to do with the exercise.

Dumford, 36, was one of the estimated 11,000 county residents who commuted the old-fashioned way to work Thursday, taking part in California Bike Commute Week.

Like Dumford, there were about 2,500 others who don’t ordinarily pedal to their jobs, said Aaron Hanson, president of the Ventura County Bicycle Coalition.

To ease the way, coalition members set up 10 pit stops for morning commuters throughout the county. The stops--in Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Camarillo, Santa Paula and Ventura--provided doughnuts, sports drinks, encouragement and information on bicycle commuting.

This is the first year that there has been a countywide event to recognize California Bike Commute Week, Hanson said.

“This is all about encouraging people to just try bicycle commuting once,” he said. “Then they might stick with it.”

Dumford decided to give bike commuting a shot after a friend talked him into it.

Before the ride, he was skeptical. “Why would I want to be without my car?” Dumford asked. “Without it I would be trapped in my office, and I would have to get all sweaty going to get something to eat for lunch.”

Dumford, the owner of a 1994 BMW 740IL, cited all the common-sense reasons for staying in his car:

“How am I going to get to appointments? Would I leave here two hours early to get home so I could pick up the kids? Do I keep a change of clothes at the office?”

Despite such concerns, Dumford pulled his body out of bed and onto his shiny red bicycle for the 7.5-mile ride because he wanted to see how long it would take to get to work. He has worked at the same location for seven years and had never ridden his bike to work.

Besides, it would be good exercise, he thought.

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Normally, Dumford drives 15 minutes on the freeway from his home off Wendy Drive to his private company’s office off Hampshire Road, where he works as a certified financial planner.

He usually leaves between 6:30 and 8 a.m., but Thursday he left an extra hour for the ride and to allow for a shower at the end of his trek. Not that being late would be a problem, considering he is the boss.

As the sun rose fast in the sky, Dumford’s cheeks were ruddy and he quickly broke into a sweat. He was wearing a white T-shirt, shorts, bike helmet and a small backpack with a change of clothes.

Dumford crossed north over the Ventura Freeway and settled into the bike lane that runs along most of Hillcrest Drive.

After running his mountain bike through a puddle fed by a sprinkler, Dumford sported a splash of mud across his leg and on the back of his T-shirt. “See, this is one of the problems with riding,” he said cheerfully.

Keeping a leisurely pace, he stopped three times to gulp from his water bottle.

At nearly 7 a.m., after riding along the mustard-covered hillsides, he detoured to a pit stop set up outside the 24-Hour Fitness Center on Thousand Oaks Boulevard near City Hall. The gym was offering bike commuters free showers to freshen up before work.

Dumford’s spirits picked up considerably after the shower.

“You know, that ride wasn’t so bad,” he said. “The shower was really refreshing. You could legitimately commute like this if you managed your time.”

Dumford said as he was walking out of the gym, he looked at people riding on stationary bicycles inside the gym and felt proud of himself.

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“I looked at everyone and said, ‘I’ve been working out too, but I saw the sights and got some fresh air,’ ” he said.

Afterward, he cycled less than four blocks to his office on Hillcrest Drive, close enough to keep him from getting sweaty again.

Hanson said Dumford’s trip to work is the length of an average bicycle commute, which ranges from five to seven miles.

Hanson said the most difficult part is getting people to try it for the first time.

“The hope is if they try it once they will say, ‘Hey this isn’t so bad, I can do this once a month or twice a month,’ ” he said.

“If all the pieces are in place--having a safe route, living close, having a shower or clothing lockers close to work, then they just might do it.”