Local News
Friday, June 26, 2009
No butts about it, biking is the way to goSTAFF WRITER
A Fostoria native is traveling 300 miles to visit her hometown, even though she only lives less than 20 miles away.
Janel (Gorrill) Behm, 45, lives south of Bascom, but will join more than 2,600 other bicyclists for the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure as they roll into Fostoria today.
"I guess I'm just looking forward to seeing my old hometown through the eyes of people who have never been there before," Behm said.
Behm said she has always had an interest in biking, but last year she decided to become more involved with the sport.
Behm explained one of her dreams is to bicycle across the United States.
"This is a great opportunity to dip the toe in the ocean and see if we even like the water," Behm said.
Behm is making the trip with her friend, Karen Zucker, New Washington, who is new to bicycling.
Behm's journey to the world of bicycling was as long and winding as the GOBA trail to Fostoria.
She explained she used to smoke and was overweight when one day in 2005 she made the decision to give up smoking and overeating. In order to compensate, she began walking.
After eight months of walking, Behm said she was getting fit, but not getting her heart rate up the way she had before and that walking was less of a challenge for her.
So she began jogging and, after being asked a few times within three days which marathon she was training for, she decided to run some 5K races, something she never saw herself doing when she lived in Fostoria.
"I was the fat kid in high school. I got a D in Phys(ical) Ed(ucation)," Behm joked.
Behm explained once she began to exercise, she enjoyed being active and said she wanted to find a way to continue activity until she is 100. Behm decided running might not be the best way to do that.
Finally, she said she went with her strengths.
"People with big thighs and big butts belong on a bike, not long-distance running. So I got on the bike and it's been a hoot," Behm said.
It wasn't long before Behm said she knew she had made the right choice and said seeing the area from a bicycle seat is nice because the scenery goes by so much slower than when she drives. Also, she said she learned the bicycling community knows where every Dairy Queen in a 100-mile radius is located.
"That seemed counterproductive, but people who stay fit by bicycling to the ice cream shop, that's my kind of sport," Behm said.
Behm said she enjoys the bicycling community and is looking forward to meeting as many people as she possibly can during GOBA.
To prepare for the trip, she and Zucker began riding their bicycles on Rails to Trails, old abandoned railroad mines converted to bike and foot paths throughout Ohio. Behm said they have traveled from North Baltimore to Bowling Green, Clyde to Elmore, the Mansfield and the Toledo areas.
Behm and Zucker have also watched for other sponsored bicycle rides such as the Hot Tamale Ride in Waldo. The 62-mile trek was fun for the duo, Behm said, and explained many bicycle rides are run in conjunction with area festivals. For example, the Bucyrus Best Wurst ride is planned for August at the time of the Bratwurst Festival.
The actual ride is not the only part of the trip Zucker and Behm practiced for during their preparations. Behm said the two practiced setting up their tent and sleeping in it. The only situation that could test them is if it rains.
While Behm said she could handle riding in the rain, sleeping in it is another story. There are other parts of the trip she is not looking forward to with enthusiasm.
"A week without a flush toilet. That presents its own kind of sacrifice," Behm explained.
The shower situation was also something that presented a problem for Behm. She was set to bring a small absorbent towel with her but then found out disrobing and waiting for a stall in the shower truck took place in a common area.
"I'm not one for sitting around (undressed). I'm taking a big towel. That was my answer to that... I'm going with the beach towel," Behm said.
Behm admitted the question she gets asked the most about withstanding the journey is how she can stand the seat on the bicycle for so long, but said she got used to it after awhile. Each time things become difficult on the trip, Behm said she is going to remember the lesson she learned from running the marathons.
"It's only as tough as you tell yourself it is," Behm explained.
Behm said she will need to focus on where she is at the moment and not dwell on how far she has come or how far she has to go.
As for any other issues that may crop up on the journey, Behm said she will take it in stride.
"If you make it a problem, it's a problem. If you see it as an opportunity for growth, it's a seed for growth," Behm explained.
Contact staff writer Chandra Niklewski at:
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Ph: (419) 435-6641 • Fax: (419) 435-9073
113 E. Center St. • P.O. Box 947
Fostoria, OH 44830
The Findlay Publishing Company
P.O. Box 609
Findlay, OH 45839-0609
Phone: (419) 422-5151
www.findlaypublishing.com
Please read our privacy guidelines
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