Bike Friendly Richardson

It’s time for another installment of the I Bike Richardson series, where we put a face on Richardson cyclists. We’d like to introduce, Mike Freiberger. He took the time to answer a few questions about biking. Enjoy:

Name:
Mike Freiberger
dorba.org: commie-forum

How long have you been riding?
I moved to Allen in 2003 and wanted to bicycle commute to the Richardson office, but never could find a route I was comfortable riding.  In Spring 2007, I talked to a coworker (thanks Bob M!) here at the Verizon Richardson campus, and we sorted out a route for my bicycle commute.  Since January 2008, I’ve logged over 12,000 miles bicycle commuting, most of them riding Allen/Plano/Richardson and back.  Before that, I was a mountain bicyclist and commuter during my college days, and still enjoy mountain bike riding Erwin Park and Rowlett Creek Preserve.

How often do you ride?
I commute to work 3-5 times a week and telecommute the other days.  On nice Sundays, my family and I commute to Mass.  Cycle errands include all sorts of grocery, donuts, sporting activities, and parks trips.  If I can ride there, I do, however sometimes the wife is not so enthusiastic.  In those cases, I don’t push it because I love her, and I want her to be happy (and don’t want to be a buzz kill for when she truly does like commuting by bicycle).  Sometimes a car is the best tool for a trip, and that includes when it helps to not provoke a family issue.  As mentioned earlier, I like to get out and mountain bike when I can.

What’s your favorite route?
Sherrill Park and Lookout Drive are awesome because of the low motor vehicle traffic, yet bikes can go directly East/West with no problems all the way from US75 to Garland!  And that new Spring Creek Nature Preserve trail is a best-of-class kind of facility.  I expect that kind of thing in Boulder, CO, or Portland, OR.  Richardson hit a home-run with that thing.  And when Plano connects their trail system to it, LOOK OUT.

Why do you cycle?
I cycle for all of the reasons and one more:  I’m a jerk when I don’t ride.  I need the outlet, or those around me suffer.

What is your perspective on riding – in general or in Richardson?

I like the way the world looks from my bicycle, thus being on it makes life better.

My part of Richardson is great to ride because there’s so much bicycle infrastructure around Telecom Corridor. You have Spring Creek Nature Preserve to the North and West, Sherrill Park/Lookout to the East, the DART trail to the South. My coworkers can’t understand why I ride my bicycle to work: I can’t understand with all of the MUPs around here why they don’t! Even if you just ride your bicycle to the Parker Road station and take the Red Line down here, what an amazing improvement to your commute! Just say no to sitting in traffic on US75 (talk about a drug with an awful side-effect!)

Tell us about your bikes.
I own one less bicycle than it would take for me to be divorced.  With a family of seven, you can imagine that there might be a bicycle or two in my garage….

We want to thank Mike, for sharing his perspective on Richardson cyling.

We’d also like to extend an invitation to any cyclist who lives and/or rides in Richardson to share their story as well. You can either answer the questions (above) or send in a story – along with some pics to bikefriendlyrichardson(at)gmail.com.