Strike giving cyclist workout
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By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Transportation Writer
Mike Zagorski likes a good bicycle ride, but this is getting serious — or maybe ridiculous.
Zagorski, who just returned to Hawai'i from his native Scotland, has been commuting 70 miles each day between La'ie and Honolulu on his bicycle because of the bus strike.
Normally, he might make the bike trip once or twice a week as part of his regular training for the local Cambiamento d'Andaturo cycling team. But since his return to Hawai'i on Sept. 1, he has been making the roundtrip journey five days a week just to get to his job at Mason Architects in downtown Honolulu.
"It hasn't been too bad," he said yesterday with a hint of understatement. "At least the traffic is light without the buses. And it's only rained twice."
Zagorski said he heard about the bus strike just days before he was scheduled to return to the Islands after completing his architecture studies in Scotland. He checked a Web site and knew what he would have to do:
On the road by 6 a.m. in La'ie. Down the long stretch of Windward O'ahu coast as the sun rises. Up the Pali Highway and through the tunnels. Down the hill. A quick shower at a nearby fitness center and, with luck, in his office by 8 a.m. Then, reversing the whole process in the evening, getting home after dark.
Usually, Zagorski rides about 200 to 250 miles a week. Now, it's up to more than 350.
"There's days where I would ride that anyway, or maybe ride my bike in and take the bus home," he said.
All that commuting got Zagorski in pretty good shape for last Sunday's 112-mile Dick Evans Memorial Bike Race; he finished ninth and improved his time from last year.
Still, he thinks he might have done better without the extra commuting. "I prefer to get a little rest on the days before a big race," he said.
Instead of his usual training this weekend, Zagorski plans to get caught up on something else.
"I'll probably just stay at home and rest," he said.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.
