Explorer

Maybe you've seen them on Saturday mornings-if you get up early enough. They're hard to miss as they diligently pedal single-file down the long stretch of bike path paralleling Sanibel-Captiva Road. They are the colorful helmet-clad members of the Sanibel Bike Club on their weekly 7 a.m. ride from the Holiday Inn to breakfast at the Sunset Café.

You may have also seen them on one of their monthly off-island rides to the Calusa Nature Center or on a "Tour de Cape" in Cape Coral. The members load up their bikes and gear and gather at a starting point. Then they're off...on what is often a 20-plus mile trek. Since it was founded in 1995, the 175-member Sanibel Bike Club has become the leading advocate of Sanibel bicycling. "Our objectives are really to improve the bike paths and bike safety [and] provide opportunities for recreational rides," says Doug Dietrich, who joined the club in 1995 with his wife, Kate, and served as its president last year.

The club has been quite effective at lobbying for bike path improvements in front of City Council. If you spend any time on the bike paths, you're sure to have seen the bike club's influence: the yellow lines at blind curves like the one near the old cemetery, the crosswalk in front of the chamber of commerce, and the neatly trimmed shrubbery along the paths.

The club's successes follow a long line of past bike-path victories in a battle that began in the early '70s, before Sanibel was even incorporated. At that time, a number of young families had moved to the islands, bringing with them their concerns for the safety of their children. Biking on the island's narrow roads was dangerous for adults and children alike. Thus, the Sanibel Bike Paths Committee formed and started lobbying for bike paths on Sanibel. The committee first went to Lee County for help, and after Sanibel incorporated in 1974, it brought the campaign to the city. There were educational efforts, fund-raising flea markets, and public awareness pursuits.

In May 1975, members of the Sanibel Bike Paths Committee celebrated a hard-earned victory. After months of campaigning, they broke ground on the first stretch of bike path along Periwinkle Way. That first short span, in front of Periwinkle Place, eventually led to the 23 miles of bike paths Sanibel residents and visitors enjoy today.

Following in the tire tracks of the Bike Path Committee, the Sanibel Bike Club continues to act as a liaison between bikers and city government in an effort to improve Sanibel's bike paths. Among the club's current priorities is a campaign to widen the bike paths to eight feet. "We recognize that this may not always be possible, but as usage increases, the narrow paths become more dangerous," Dietrich wrote in a letter to Sanibel Mayor Wally Kain. "Certainly, we use the bicycle paths, but they also are used by walkers, runners, bladers, shoppers, and sightseers. Furthermore, safe and friendly bicycle paths are crucial to the well-being of every islander and visitor by reducing the stress between drivers of automobiles and users of the bicycle paths."

Education is also important to the club. With the large number of visitors and day-trippers that enjoy the island's bike paths, keeping everyone informed of the rules of the path is difficult. One of the club's recommended maintenance projects is to paint the path pavement with the rules, "Keep Right" and "Warn When Passing." Dietrich says the club feels this is the best way to educate visitors and casual bike path users, but it's not an inexpensive solution-approximately $600 per sign plus installation.

The enterprising bike club won't let a lack of funds stand in its way, however. "We've proposed to the city that bike club members will paint the signs on the bike paths," says Dietrich. The city would just need to supply paint, stencils, and, of course, permission. City Council members did just that in May when it passed a resolution accepting the club's proposal. Whether or not council will be as supportive of the other proposals remains to be seen, but the requests are not falling on deaf ears. Mayor Kain and Councilman Andrew Reding are both avid bikers.

Reding, though a member of the club, doesn't ride with the group. "I enjoy socializing with other riders, but I don't like riding with them," says Reding, who has never owned a car. He bikes everywhere he goes, including downtown Ft. Myers, the airport, and Naples, and he likens bike riding to meditation. Even if Reding did like to ride with other bikers he wouldn't be allowed to ride with the Sanibel Bike Club as he doesn't abide by one of the club's most stringent rules: wearing a helmet.

Reding says he doesn't wear a helmet "because I like the freedom of not wearing it." He says that his decision not to wear a helmet is a personal choice. "I certainly accept responsibility for my own actions.... I want to make sure people understand I'm not trying to set an example-by no means." The bike club, on the other hand, is trying to set an example. "You can't ride with the bike club without a helmet," emphasizes Dietrich.

The club builds relationships among riders that they wouldn't necessarily get from just riding together. "Even though you're a group, you're biking as an individual," explains Kate Dietrich, who says she loves the social part of the club. In addition to its weekly rides, the club meets every Tuesday morning at 8:30, except the first Tuesday of every month when members get together for a potluck dinner. The club collects annual dues of $15 for individual members and $20 for family memberships.

Members do not have to be accomplished riders to join the group. Kate recalls that she didn't just jump on her bike and breeze through the 20-mile breakfast ride to Captiva and back; she had to build to that point. "When I started riding with the club, everyone was ahead of me, but I decided not to make that an obstacle; I just started closer to the finish line," laughs Dietrich, explaining that she used to drive up to the elementary school on Sanibel-Captiva Road and join the rest of the bikers there. "You just have to be creative," she tells reluctant riders. The club has even gone on the road, so to speak. Last year, members traveled to Portugal on a trip that provided a challenge for the group, which usually bikes on the flat surfaces of Sanibel. "In Portugal, I was in every gear going up and down the hills," says Kate.

If you've ever wished you could join the single-file ranks of the bikers on San-Cap or think you'd like to go on the road with the club, don't be shy; the bike club is always looking for new members to share their passion for pedaling. If you don't think you can make the whole trip your first time out, go to a meeting and talk to Kate Dietrich-maybe she'll meet you at the elementary school and you can start from there. -Jennifer Workman

For more information on the Sanibel Bike Club, call Doug Dietrich at 395-0488.