Keeping a steady pace
By Kelly A. Golff
Photography by Robert French
Like a rare gem, cycling provides San Antonio jeweler Aaron Peñaloza with a deep sense of satisfaction. “I love the fact that you can cover so much ground and go fast,” the 59-year-old says enthusiastically. “You can actually get somewhere on a bicycle!”
Peñaloza started biking when he was in college at UT-Austin some 40 years ago. He borrowed his brother’s Schwinn 10-speed and made regular trips out to Lake Travis to visit his grandmother. “That’s when I was young and stupid,” he laughs. “I’d go on these 30-mile rides with no water bottle, no helmet, have lunch with grandma, drink a couple of beers and head home.”
Boy meets Buffalo
That was during the first bike craze in the ’70s. Peñaloza had been bitten by the two-wheeled bug and was eager to get a bike of his own. “My uncle was importing bikes from Mexico called Buffalos. They must have been made from steel plumbing pipe because they were heavy! However, they did come with fancy alloy cranks and gears made in Italy, so when I got mine I rode it everywhere,” he remembers.
After getting married, Peñaloza moved back to San Antonio in 1973 and continued his love affair with biking. “Then I joined my dad in his jewelry business that he had started in 1958. I continued to ride for a bit, but there was more traffic to contend with, and my new job had a lot of responsibility. From there it just faded out of my life,” Peñaloza sighs. “And I spent the next 20 years as a couch potato. The most exercise I got was mowing the lawn and trimming the trees.”
Buffalo rides again
In 1990, Peñaloza decided to leave his father’s business to start his own. He had to get a physical exam to qualify for health insurance. His cholesterol level was high, and his doctor urged him to start exercising to help lower it. Fortunately, Peñaloza still had his beloved 35-pound Buffalo bike. “I dusted it off and took a spin around the block. I came back wheezing, but I kept at it,” he says. “I laid out a 10-mile course through Olmos Park and Alamo Heights. The first time I could average more than 12 miles per hour I was elated. I kept improving and soon broke an 18 mile per hour pace.”
Soon after, a good friend gave him a membership to the San Antonio Wheelmen, a cycling organization for men, women and families, as a Christmas gift. “And I got a new bike — a Schwinn,” he purrs. “Let’s just say it was a lot lighter than the old Buffalo, and I couldn’t wait to get out there and go as fast as possible!”
That’s just what he did. As he was out putting his Schwinn through its paces, he took a curve too fast and went down “really hard.” Although there was no permanent damage to his bike, he did end up with a concussion. “I called my doctor when my headache wouldn’t go away after a couple of days,” Peñaloza chuckles. “He said I should have called him right after the accident, but since I was still alive that I would probably be fine.”
Before Peñaloza got back on his bike, he finally got a helmet. In addition to his always wearing a helmet when riding, Peñaloza recommends taking advantage of the Rider Education Series sponsored by the San Antonio Wheelmen (www.sawheelmen.com). The course is designed for new riders, people returning to recreational cycling or anyone preparing for a charity ride. A team of volunteers teaches all aspects of cycling including clothing, gear, nutrition, hydration, safety and bike handling. “Getting the knowledge when you start really increases your confidence on the road,” says Peñaloza.
Pace line power
Soon Peñaloza discovered the joys of riding with a group. “I started going on rides with the Wheelmen. It was a revelation to me how cool it was to get in a pace line and be able to go faster and further because someone else was breaking the head wind,” shares Peñaloza.
He says bicyclists have this undeserved reputation of being standoffish to new people. “Most of us go out of our way to help people new to the sport because we want to share the fun,” he notes.
“Undeniably there is a bit of hesitation among cyclists when a new person wants to join their pace line. It doesn’t stem from rudeness but more from a concern for safety. The group doesn’t know what the ability or style is of a newcomer. I can see how some would be a bit leery. A pace line requires a lot of faith in the cyclist six inches in front of or behind you.
Ironically it wasn’t a pace line crash that derailed Peñaloza but a dog. “I was going about 20 miles per hour and a big dog ran in front of me. The bike stopped but I didn’t! I went right over the handle bars and slammed into the pavement with my shoulders and head,” he says. His helmet protected his head, but his collarbone wasn’t as lucky. He ended up with two surgeries and a four-inch metal plate screwed into his collarbone. Either his injury didn’t really hurt, or he loves biking too much to stop, because he says he road with it broken for months and was back on the bike within a couple of weeks after his surgeries.
Full circle
Unlike so many hardcore cyclists, Peñaloza is less than scientific about his body when it comes to long rides. “I’m pretty sloppy about protein replacement. What I really like after a long ride is a cold beer and watermelon,” he confesses. Perhaps it reminds him of those long rides out to Grandma’s.
“Biking has been really good to me,” says Peñaloza who’s resting heart rate is in the low 40s. “It’s friendly to old joints and keeps my weight in check. I see guys out on rides in their 80s going strong up hills. That’s where I want to be when I’m that age.”
Texas Bicycle Laws
When it comes to traffic laws, bikes are the same as cars. Follow these rules of the road for your safety so motorists around you know what to expect:
1. Never ride against the flow of traffic.
2. Always obey all traffic signs, signals and rules of the road.
3. When riding at night, you must have a lamp on the front of the bike that emits a white light visible at a distance of at least 500 feet.
4. In San Antonio, it is illegal to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk.
5. You may only ride side by side if you are not impeding the normal and reasonable flow of traffic. If you’re riding side by side on a laned roadway, you must use only one lane.
6. Bicycles may be ridden on roadway shoulders except where expressly prohibited by law.
7. You must have at least one hand on the handlebar at all times.
8. When riding at less than the speed of traffic, you must ride as near to the right curb or edge of the roadway as possible, except when: a) you’re passing another vehicle going in the same direction, b) you’re preparing for a left turn at an intersection onto a private drive or road, c) roadway conditions make it unsafe to ride next to the curb or roadway.
VIA Bike and Ride
VIA Metropolitan Transit buses have bike racks that can hold two bikes at a time. Load your bike closest to the bus, and be sure to close the rack after unloading. Using both modes of transportation can contribute to better air quality, help relieve traffic congestion and move people faster.
Get the map!
Created by the San Antonio and Bexar County Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Bike Ride Suitability Map is a must for anyone riding bikes. The comprehensive map marks dangerous streets, suitable bike routes and paths, VIA Park and Ride sites, public restrooms and more. You can get a copy at most bike shops or call (210) 230-6911 to request one.
