When Rich Heitman joined the Westerville Bicycle Club in 2011, he didn’t know much about cycling. In fact, he’d been a runner until 2009, when he fractured his ankle.
“I had a bike, I watched the Tour de France, but I really didn’t know a lot,” Heitman says. “I discovered how much I liked (cycling). That’s the case with a lot of our members.”
Heitman has now served as president of the club for two years. It was founded in 1981 and now has just north of 300 members.
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All ages and experience levels are welcome. In any given week, regardless of the season, members have the option to choose between multiple morning, evening and weekend rides. These rides can average anywhere between 25 to 40 miles, and some are longer.
“We get a fair amount of new riders – people who want to get back in shape, or have just discovered cycling,” Heitman says. “We get experienced riders who moved from other areas. We have families with teenagers (who ride with us).”
Once a month in the summer, the club offers a new rider training ride as well as a new rider skills session.
“Members can join before they even have a bike,” Heitman says.
Heitman points out that cycling can be a great fitness activity for the otherwise
inexperienced. Many other forms of exercise take a greater toll on the body, especially as one ages. As a runner, Heitman’s knees and ankles were especially impacted, he says.
“The bike is much easier (on the body),” he says. “It’s also a very social sport, when you’re riding in groups and when you’re on destination rides. You get to know more people.”
Each year, the club arranges the Dry Run Bicycle Tour. This September, the tour will hit its 35th year. On the Dry Run, cyclists can choose rides catered to their skills. Some are as short as 15 miles, others are as long as 100 miles.
The club hosts other social events throughout the year, including a holiday gathering, banquets and potluck dinners.
“In the past, we’ve gone on bike rides to the theater or stopped for coffee during the winter rides,” Heitman says, adding that while the social activities are a benefit to joining the group, there are plenty of members who only participate in cycling. “A lot of people are intimidated (when joining a new group), so we make it comfortable for them.”
The organization is also involved in bike advocacy around Westerville. Heitman is involved with the city’s alternative transportation committee, which meets once a month.
“We talk about everything – it’s not even just cycling,” he says. “(The city) asks for input, and we have a really good relationship with them. Westerville really is a bike-friendly city.”
At every Westerville Mount Carmel St. Ann’s 4th Friday event, the club provides bike corrals
so attendees can ride their bikes rather than take their cars. This also helps with street congestion, Heitman says.
Anyone interested in joining the Westerville Bike Club can visit www.westervillebicycleclub.org for more information.
“It’s a great activity,” Heitman says. “You can do it year round, and it’s a social activity as much as it is a physical activity.”
The Westerville Bike and Walkways
Westerville has more than 29 miles of multi-use paths, drawing in thousands of visitors each week. These trails run through neighborhoods, parks and woods, along streets and over rivers. An interactive map can be found at www.westerville.org, under the “Services” tab.
The Benefits of Biking
-Improves sleep. After cycling at least 20 minutes a day, the time it took a group of insomniacs to fall asleep was decreased by half, according to research from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
-Low impact. Bicycling is easier on the joints than activities such as running.
-Bike commuters reported lower stress levels than those who drive cars, according to a New Economics Foundation study.
-Helps with posture and coordination.
Hannah Bealer is an editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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