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p20 weekender july 18 1987 markham residents jeff murphy and jim emery are set to go on their 12speed racing bikes collectively worth an estimated 6000 cycl ing has made a comeback in a big way in markham the pair are decked out in typical cycling gear used for cool spring weather cycling old sport new love affair in markham by nancy hoskin you get on your bike and start riding as you pedal you feel the immediate exhilaration of free dom youre beginning an adven ture gliding down a winding country road you breathe the spring air the wind is in your hair there is a smoothing silence more and more canadians are discovering that one of the best adventures of their lives is wait ing on their own doorstep but cycling was never looked upon as a traditional sport in north america until recently now its widely publicized and while cycling has always been europes number one sport re creational and expert riders here are only now experiencing the thrills cycling offers while area residents enjoy more leisure time and cycling equipment is further improved and easily available people of all ages are beginning to participate cycling is also popular be cause it isnt as hard on the body as other sports explained sean quartermain an avid biker running for example can be very hard on the knees according to paul jamison manager of unionvilles cycle- works there are four types of cyc lists recreational commuter sports and racer recreational cyclist this group includes parents children young adults and couples they bike mainly on weekends pedal ing a few miles around residential neighborhoods their bikes retail between 200 and 300 commuter cyclist there are over 30000 commuter cyclists in toronto today going to and from work daily most of these riders have purchased versatile yearround mountain bikes and can usually beat vehicular traffic sports cyclists usually be tween the ages of 16 and 19 these riders are serious about their sport training regularly with friends or alone for exercise and pleasure the bicycles they ride cost between 500 and 700 racers riding on a bicycle retailing over 1000 these cyc lists are organized and stick to a yearround schedule competing in races around the country they are a member of a club and ride yearround regardless of many weather conditions because they cant afford not to mountain bikes the majority of bikes sold to day are mountain bikes says sletlcue rd w rf idem all tints guaranteed for 5 years sundaabg complete window tbnys 149 9900 autogolteedforlife upholstery fifis seat covers greatdeau 149 shadow louvres from 149 markham 187 steelcase rd west unit 15 4164799004 spoilers from s9900 auto masks protects from bugs stones liquid glass shine s3995 tint and sunroof 249 from installed business hours monfn 900am 1o700pm satloooim lo300pm guaranteed canadas best tinters custom window and body graphics buy canadian jeff murphy manager of mar- khams cycleworks were pre sently heading toward the death of the 10speed soon only the elite cyclists will be riding them mountain bikes whose styling is similar to bikes ridden in the late 1950s have become the hot test sellers in bike stores today they are durable more com fortable than 10speeds more functional and offer further road stability with wider tires a rid ers hands are on the brakes at all times making this type of bike safer for novices childrens safety mr jamison expressed con cern over parents cycling with children on the back of bikes he says riders can easily fall its simple for a tire to get caught in a sewer grate and bikes are twice as hard to control with the extra weight feet and hands can get caught in spokes and a fall from six feet can be quite damaging if parents are going to ride with children on the back of their bikes they should first purchase a helmet tested and approved by the american national standards institute he said good quality spoke guards are also a must and make sure that the carrier used is securely mounted childrens helmets tested by ansi must withstand a weight drop test from six feet making sure the helmet will prevent a child from receiving a concus sion while many parents feel that a hockey helmet will do the same job they are extremely heavy and are usually only tested to withstand a fall from onefoot he said there have been several inci dents in canada where a hockey helmet has been used as headgear for a child he added they fall and have snapped their necks many cyclists feel that drivers are not educated when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of the sports enthusiasts they share the road with though people driving in the city are more aware of reacting to cyclists many living and driving in residential areas are not aware of a cyclists rights on the road according to the ministry of transportation and communica tions a cyclist is entitled to one- half of the lane they are travelling on locally for example a cyclist biking on hwy 7 is entitled to eight feet of the 16foot roadway jeff murphy offered a list of rules that should be followed by all cyclists dealer inquiries welcome- liimmili toyotas athlete of the week steve hobsley steve had 2 hits and scored twice in a 73 markham peewee baseball win over tottenham nuwhuiuje mmtmmmbm ww- east j a cyclist should never ride on sidewalks this is unsafe for both pedestrians and the cyclist with the worse fall likely being taken by the person on a bike kids are usually seen weav ing in and out while riding their bikes as parents make sure they realize that it may be fun to weave in and out but it is dangerous kids should be taught to ride in a straight line always ride with traffic it may be safe to walk against traf fic but for a cyclist who is hit in most cases it will save their life to ride with traffic he will fall to the side while a person biking against traffic will be hit straight on and usually end up facefirst in a cars windshield watch for motorists who may open their car doors as you are cycling by cyclists shouldnt be riding at dusk the rider tends to blend into the scenery be alert motorists tend to per ceive cyclists as stationary ob jects helmets are recommended anytime a cyclist is involved with traffic the town of markham has not designated bicycle paths for rid ers in this area though there are plenty of dirt trails for mountain bikes to challenge other cyclists get a substantial workout on residential roads and with proper care most skilled rid ers can be seen on major thor oughfares if mountain bikers take the time to explore they will discover paths covering many miles for example from just below steeles ave to the lake mr quarter- main said cycling club markhams cycleworks formed the towns only cycling club last november with more than 35 members ranging in age from 12 to 55 the team trains daily in morning and evening our older members help the novices in learning how to ride properly with skill which is more important than developing speed which comes with time mr murphy said we have both men and women in the club and really encourage more females to join cycling isnt just a male sport club members participate in four organized rides each weekend ranging in length from an average hour covering 40 km to the long 100 km ride which can take up to four hours to complete mr murphy says cycling is an aggressive sport that is grow ing at a very fast rate which has caused problems for the ontario cycling association currently it has trouble regulating partici pants when too many unskilled rid ers are let loose on the roads that becomes dangerous said mr murphy hopefully more education will take place in school gym programs to alert all types of bikers how to ride correctly though cycleworks has the only organized training club in markham unionville high school began a program in con junction with its fitness curricu lum last year it deals with everything about cycling covering everything from maintenance to safety woman seized in sex attack a woman was sexually 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