Comments on: Contributor Opinion By Mark Pierzchala: Biking Rockville

By: Tony Manners

Tony Manners — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:26:10 +0000

Nice article, Mark. Good luck with the cycling. As someone once told me, the best exercise is little and often, so commuting is perfect. And for those, like me, who find much exercise pretty boring, you’ve actually got a reason to do it. For a starter, the first 2 weeks are the worst. I nearly didn’t get through that but, having done so, managed 28 years commuting to central London (UK) every day. I think I wouldn’t have continued if I hadn’t decided at the start that commuting that way wasn’t going to be optional, depending on the weather. I only stopped for ice. Once you’ve decided you enjoy commuting by bike it’s worth getting some decent wet-weather gear. But even in London you don’t get rained on that much! And there’s the zen of cycling – it’s hard to take office worries home when you have to concentrate on such a different activity.

By: Mark Pierzchala

Mark Pierzchala — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:56:51 +0000

Saul, you or anyone shouldn’t vote for me, or against me because I biked Rockville. It was a fun thing to do, and educational.All, one thing I didn’t mention but which is very important, is that I’ve lost 40 pounds over the past year. If I stay on bike or on foot the weight stays off. If I get back in the car the weight goes on. Biking is so much fun, and for more people than you know, it is a viable option. Mark

By: Carl Henn

Carl Henn — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 01:02:23 +0000

Mark – My hat is off to you. That’s a lot of biking. Your observation that Rockville is hilly is worth more consideration. That is a potential limit to the extent that bikes can work as transportation for all people in Rockville. A couple of thoughts – when I first started biking in Rockville at age 25 I found heading up the hills on Lewis coming back from the Metro quite challenging. Now at age 47 they are no big deal. Biking builds the muscles you need for biking. Another thought – battery assisted bikes can make big hills smaller, long trips shorter and sweaty trips breasy and easy.

By: Trapper Martin

Trapper Martin — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:55:29 +0000

Mark,Great piece. I do bike quite often around the city but not nearly as much as you do. I also do a fair share of walking and share your thoughts that you never really feel a neighborhood or the difference a few blocks will make. I hope one thing that all of us agree on is that we can expand on making Rockville a more pedestiran/bike friendly city. It already has a great head start on many surronding communities. Looking forward to this campaign season…..Trapper

By: Temperance Blalock

Temperance Blalock — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 02:17:04 +0000

I thought you might find my old biking itinerary amusing. Back in 1973, when I was a student at Montgomery College in Rockville, I had phobias about learning to drive a car, and the buses didn’t run very often to the college, so I bought a 10-speed racing bike, and did my home>school>work>home circuit every weekday.I lived near the intersection of Seven Locks and Montrose, so I got to the college every morning by taking Seven Locks Road up to Falls Road, then Great Falls and Hungerford to the College. After school it was south on Hungerford to Veirs Mill Rd., down to Twinbrook Shopping Center where I worked at the Sears shipping outlet. After work, around 9 PM, I took Veirs Mill to Randolph, then Randolph to the Pike, where it turned into Montrose, then Montrose home to Seven Locks.It was sheer insanity, only possible with the physical fitness and the self-delusion of the very young. I also did it because it was simply my best non-car alternative, other than having to sit around waiting for about five or six bus transfers every day that would have eaten up about two or three hours of my commuting time. I rode in the road, without a helmet, and was lucky to have had only a few spills that could have really hurt me, but didn’t. I finally came to my senses and found a job at a bank through which I could get an auto loan. But I’ll never forget that sensation of literally RACING through downtown Rockville every day.

By: John Telesco

John Telesco — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:24:43 +0000

I see Mark pass my house every morning on his bicycle enroute to the metro station, with his sandwich type campaign poster on the back of his bicycle. He more than “walks the walk”, he’s an “influence pedaler”!

By: tommy

tommy — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:38:28 +0000

Saul,if you are still in need of Student Service Learning hours, the Rockville Youth Bike Project is a great place to fulfill that obligation and doesn’t actually require you ride a bike.Tommy

By: Saul Parker

Saul Parker — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:33:07 +0000

Oh my, what’s a 15-yr old kid to do, surrounded by all these adult role models………NOT!!!

By: Theresa Defino

Theresa Defino — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:57:42 +0000

Mark, your trek reminds me of “Walking Lawton,” former governor of Florida.Thank you for your effort to better learn the city in this way. We are bike riders, too, and appreciate it..I am very confused by Saul’s comments.He continually rants about throwing “out” the “rascals,” eg., incumbent mayor and council, yet keeps leaving rude comments on all the posts by or about other candidates (non-incumbents) here and on other threads.I fail to see why you need to randomly insert your position on this blog. And, you’ve already insulted me for no reason more than once.

By: Deb

Deb — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:24:55 +0000

Given that you’re 15, Saul, or so you keep telling us, it’s gonna take 3 more years regardless. to get your vote

By: Cheryl Kagan

Cheryl Kagan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:21:35 +0000

That’s an impressive amount of work… and exercise! Thanks for sharing, Mark. I’m afraid I’m doing it the slow way– on foot!

By: Saul Parker

Saul Parker — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:49:45 +0000

Gonna take more than a bike tour of Rockville to get my vote.