By Hal Richardson, MD Golden View Family Medicine
I live near Sloans Lake on the west edge of Denver, and I work in Golden, about 10 miles away. It’s not a bad drive against the traffic, but since starting to work at New West in 1998, I have made commuting by bicycle a priority. Depending on the temperature, the condition of the roads, and the vagaries of my schedule, I will be up before my sleeping family and on the bike to Golden from one to three times a week, throughout the year.
I’ve gone through a series of bikes over the years. I made that first ride into Golden in 1998 on a classic red Trek 660. I bought it from a fellow medical student who happened to be a junior road racer at the same time as Lance Armstrong, future dubious 7-time Tour De France winner, and he had raced against Lance on this bike. That whiff of glory could not make up for the frame being a little small for me, so I moved on. My next road bike, an 18 pound Bianchi, didn’t seem substantial enough for the rough nature of commuting, so I started using my retired mountain bikes; first a black Specialized Stumpjumper (another classic), and then a blue and orange (Broncos!) carbon Trek soft-tail. I now ride a sturdy, heavy, dependable Breezer, built for commuting, with fenders, an induction light system, a rack, and a nice leather saddle. The twenty miles out and back keeps me in shape for skiing and for mountain-biking season.
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