Man rides 45 miles to work at UCSB

By JUNE RICH
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

	UCSB Webmaster Dominic Clark makes the trip from Ventura to the campus by bicycle most days. He's working up to every day.

Dominic Clark almost doesn't have to ride on Highway 101 at all on his 45-mile commute from Ventura to UCSB.

That's because he's on a bicycle.

Leaving his Dean Drive home around 4:30 in the morning, the affable university Webmaster cycles in the cool darkness through the heart of downtown Ventura, then along a bike path that hugs the state beaches until Mussel Shoals.

That's where he gets on the highway.

"People still think I'm crazy. The freeway section in the dark can be a little hairy," said Mr. Clark, 35. "But if a convoy of big rigs flies by, it sucks you along, you can try to catch its wake. And people drive slower near La Conchita — well, if you consider 60 mph slow. But if I can maintain 25-30 mph, the difference doesn't seem that bad."

Mr. Clark ducks off the highway after about two miles, then cruises along a series of frontage roads and city streets through Carpinteria (dawn lightens the sky a bit there), Montecito, Summerland and the Santa Barbara oceanfront. He rolls past million-dollar homes in Hope Ranch and finally reaches the winding bike path that spits him out at Goleta Beach and the university.

He gets to work around 7 a.m., and is usually able to leave by 3:30 p.m. He gets home for dinner with his wife and two daughters, ages 3 and 5, around 6 p.m.

There are showers at work, but Mr. Clark usually just mists himself down with a spray bottle and towels off in his office, where he keeps about two weeks' worth of clothes. He does laundry in Isla Vista or brings it home when he needs to take the bus or catches a ride with a UCSB vanpool.

After he arrives at the university, it's time for breakfast No. 2.

He eats No. 1 in transit, usually a combination of energy bars and Fig Newtons.

A table in Mr. Clark's office is set up for a full day of eating. There sit the makings for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bacon and eggs, as well as boxes of cereal, crackers, pretzels, and 12-packs of energy bars. He's got a rice-cooker and, perhaps most essential, a combination espresso-coffee maker.

Does all of this seem like too much work just to avoid the 101? Mr. Clark says no.

"I'm actually more energized. I see the sunrise on my bike. I see the sunset on my bike," he said. "That's a beautiful thing, especially in the winter."

Before he started biking last spring, Mr. Clark put about 80,000 miles on his Mazda Protege in the two years he did the drive.

He was spending about $140 per month in gas. Using an on-line commuter calculator, he figured in another $700 per month for additional repairs, maintenance and the faster devaluation of his vehicle.

Now he spends about $25 per month on bike tires, and perhaps $40 on bus and van-pool fares to supplement his ride. He didn't even have to buy his 17-year-old Ciocc road bike, usually a several-thousand-dollar affair, because it was a hand-me-down from a friend.

Though Mr. Clark was riding all the time when he started last spring, he tapered off to just a day or two per week as the winter days grew shorter.

That was until he stumbled across an Internet Web site devoted to Chicago bicyclists who ride year-round, through blizzards and snowbanks. Now he's working on building his bicycling back up to a full-time commute, more than 400 miles per week, by January.

All he'd like now is companionship on the ride.

He's convinced one friend to bike with him from Carpinteria occasionally, but would like to find more. To that end, he has built a Web site, www.400miles.com, that offers tips on long commutes, stories from other riders and a forum for fellow bicyclists — including those who are interested in joining the trek.

"When you're out there for five or six hours a day, it can get pretty lonely," he said. "It's so much more fun when you've got someone to talk to."

BIKE FAST FACTS

Best Candidate: Someone fit, who can take the time to commute by bicycle. It helps if your employer provides a shower, lockers and possibly a company car at work.

Best Advantage: Great exercise, fun, time to think and really see the world pass by.

Drawbacks: If you're tired, you're stuck riding home, unless you can catch the bus.

Cost: Initial investment in a bike and helmet. About $25 per month on tires and untold amounts on Cliff bars and Fig Newtons.

Information: To learn what bike routes are available and how well they overlap with other alternative modes of transportation, call Traffic Solutions at 963-SAVE.