Pedaling, Poky-style, to build community, fun

• Like slow, pleasant rides? Try Poky Pedaling.
• Goal is to get people out of cars and onto bicycles.

STEVENS POINT - Here's the thing about the Poky Pedaling bicycle rides in Stevens Point: They really aren't about the pedaling at all.

The rides, which for the past five years have featured leisurely, slow and pleasant jaunts to Stevens Point parks, businesses and other interesting destinations, are more about shifting people's perceptions than about shifting gears. The brainchild of Bob Fisch, 58, Poky Pedaling trips are designed to get people together to get to know each other and have some fun. But underlying it all is an unspoken message that the simple act of riding a bike can bring about some profound improvements in a person's life and a community.

Fisch also uses the rides to softly pitch the notion that maybe American society is too dependent on cars. "Our thinking has been that cars make everything better. So let's make everything about our cars," Fisch said. "I liken it to the Sorcerer's Apprentice. One magic broom can be helpful. But if you have too many, there's going to be trouble. ... It's really a matter of too much linear thinking."

In doing so, we've configured the landscape of our communities to incorporate parking and making driving easier. That also forces cities to spread out, and the less-dense development, in turn, makes it even harder for anyone to walk or cycle. The car-centric design of our cities, Fisch and other biking advocates say, saps a city's character, discourages interaction between people and increases the dangers for those who aren't in vehicles.

Fisch hopes that people, when they want to go to work, visit a library or do an errand, will first consider riding a bike. The car and the bike are both machines designed to get a person from place to place, Fisch argues, but "cars are not human scale. They are at machine scale. A bike allows you to engage with your environment on a human scale."

A lot of good things happen when you ride your bike more, Fisch will argue. You get healthier. You save money. You meet people and talk and laugh. You have fun.

Fisch doesn't typically talk about these ideas when he's leading the Poky Pedals. He figures that those concepts will become self-evident for the people who are attracted to the rides.

"Getting people on bikes is the biggest advocacy push," Fisch said.

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Fisch, 58, is a trim, fit guy who has the look of TV's Larry David about him, but without the sour mood. His cycling advocacy is part of an overall philosophy that ultimately steered him away from mainstream thinking when it comes to moving from place to place.

He grew up in Los Angeles, California, and went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, eventually earning a doctorate in math. While at Madison, Fisch grew to love Wisconsin and the outdoors lifestyle the state enables. He started cycling, kayaking, camping and canoeing. He tried teaching at the college level for a while, but did not find a tenure-track career to his liking. He eventually would move to Portland to work for the tech giant Intel as an electrical engineer. He toiled at that job for about nine years, until the stress of the job pushed him away.

He had saved up a nest egg, and decided he would go into a form of early retirement that requires him to closely watch his spending. He knew he wanted to move to Wisconsin, in a place that allowed him quick access to the outdoors and would be a good place to use a bike as transportation and a tool for fun.

Portland is known across the country for its vibrant cycling culture. Fisch watched as cycling advocates in the northwest turned their backs on the racing and fitness aspect of cycling and embraced the pragmatic, social and fun sides of the activity. When he moved to Stevens Point, he brought the concept of offering rolling bicycle parties, and Poky Pedaling was born.

Fisch regularly attracts 15 to 20 people on his rides. His most popular ride was the "Chocolate Ride" in which 39 people participated.

He's not sure whether his form of Poky Pedaling soft-sell advocacy is having a deep impact, but he knows the rides are helping people get to know each other and having fun together.

John Pawlak, 35, the owner of the Point Area Bicycle Service cycle shop, or PABS, in downtown Stevens Point, said Fisch is having an impact on Point's cycling community.

"Well, he's certainly an inspiration to me," Pawlak said.

Pawlak shares Fisch's notion that more people using bikes to get around makes a community more open, friendlier and better. Pawlak offers free PABS rides that are similar to Poky Pedals, with a reasonable length, slow pace and social atmosphere.

"I think cycling culture is pretty important," Pawlak said. "That's what I try to nurture and grow. ... It's fun to be part of something. And most people can ride a bike. ... This offers people a chance to become part of something, a community. And it's certainly a nice thing to be part of it."

The more people get on bikes, the more people will understand what biking can do, Fisch said. He doesn't believe that most people will completely abandon their cars. But they might just realize that "there's this mindset (to biking) that people generally don't understand. You start riding around and noticing things about your community. You meet people, talk with people. And life becomes fun."

Keith Uhlig: 715-845-0651 or keith.uhlig@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @UhligK.

Go for a slow ride

The next Poky Pedaling event will be held at 12:45 p.m. on June 25. The group will meet at Goerke Park in Stevens Point (near the entrance to the pool) and then go on a tour of the town's Tiny Musuems. For more information, log on to pokypedalingstevenspoint.org/. Point Area Bicycle Service also offers low-key, free, fun rides. Log on to the store's online calendar, for dates and more information: pointareabicycleservice.com.