Putting mettle to pedal might be easier than paying at pumps

High gasoline prices along with the chance to not pollute the air and get some exercise might encourage more people to kick their car habits and try bicycling to work this year.

Starting Monday, a higher-than-normal number of bicyclists are expected on area roads as part of National Bike to Work Week.

Barbara Howe commutes to and from work on her bicycle. She's a dietitian for the Nevada Health Division and a member of the Carson City School Board. Promoting healthy behavior among Carson City's public school students was one of Howe's goals during her campaign last fall. Signs promoting her school board candidacy were affixed on each side. She's been promoting this event with similar fervor.

Though she used to race, bicycling still is "a huge part of my life," she said.

The event goes on all week, but the biggest day is May 18, proclaimed by Gov. Jim Gibbons as Nevada Bike to Work Day.

Several cabinet-level state officials are encouraging their employees to ride their bicycles to work as much as possible next week, such as: Mike Willden, head of the Health and Human Services Department; Susan Martinovich, director of the Nevada Department of Transportation and Allan Biaggi, head of the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection, according to Howe.

Carson City school district employees who ride will get chances to enter a prize drawing. If they ride one day, they get one ticket. If they ride four times, then they get four tickets, she said.

Muscle Powered: Citizens for a Bikeable and Walkable Carson City is updating the Carson City Bicycle Route Map and Safe Cycling Guide, first published in 2003. The 2007 edition will be available free throughout Carson City for the start of Bike-to-Work Week.

The foldout map will show important Carson City landmarks, preferred and alternate routes, recreation trails, and planned changes to roadways. Turn it over for cycling safety tips.

Get the maps at the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety, Carson City Parks and Recreation Department, the Nevada Bicycle Advisory Board, local bicycle and sports shops, the Convention and Visitors' Bureau, the Nevada State Bank, and other local businesses.

Muscle Powered also offers a Bike-Buddy Program. This mentor system matches experienced bicycle commuters with people just getting started. The mentor helps the newbie find the best travel route, provides tips on how to dress comfortably for cycling in different weather and lighting conditions, and offers ways to figure out how to best store the bike, then clean up and make work-appropriate clothing changes.

Call 684-3205 for details.

• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.

Bike to Work Week events

• For those mechanically challenged there will be a Flat Tire Clinic 10 a.m. Saturday. This is one of the most common problems bicycle commuters face. It's at The Bike Smith, 900 N. Carson St.

• A Ride of Silence to honor bicyclists who have been injured or killed, begins 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Carson City Legislative Building.

• Call 684-3205 or visit musclepowered.org for details and to find out about other local offerings, such as free beverages, available to participants.