15 Minutes of Fame Interview with Dale Yessak

By: Tommy Sneider <[email protected]>

Why did you start riding your bike to school?
My wife bought me a bike as a birthday present, January two years ago, and I started riding to work every day shortly after that, because it seemed like a good way to combine a workout with my commute.

How does weather affect you when riding to school?
I don’t ride the bike in the morning if there’s water falling from the sky, but I don’t mind riding in snow. I have a bike that’s set up just for sloppy weather. Other than that, I ride every day I can up until the temperature gets into single digits.

Describe the route that you take to get to school. About how long does it take you?
I take various routes from Broad Ripple, usually about 12 and one-half miles one way; I like to do 25 miles a day if I can.

What’s the strangest thing that you’ve seen happen coming to or from school?
Once I had a big deer jump right out in front of me on the stretch of the Monon Trail between 96th and 106th Street. It was about 6:30 a.m. and dark, so all she looked like until my lights hit her was a big black blob in the middle of the path. I think it scared me more than the deer.

How long have you been riding?
As I said, just over two years now. I never had time for a hobby like this when I was in my earlier career, the Army; I used to run or swim for fitness instead. But my ankles are so busted up from my former career that running is no longer an option. Cycling gives me a good alternative workout and I’ll keep doing it as long as I can manage.

What do you think about students driving their own cars to school instead of riding the bus?
A lot of them see driving a car to school as a right instead of the privilege that it is. When I was in high school we had to earn the privilege by keeping our grades at a certain level, and we had stickers on our windshield identifying us as students. Any car with a student sticker or no sticker was towed if it was parked in the main school lot. Many of our students abuse the driving privilege and park in areas that cause problems for teachers and staff, and that’s the only concern I have about it. There’s nothing wrong with taking a car to school, so long as the students follow the guidelines and don’t take up spaces near the building that are reserved for staff. Of course I’d love to see more people riding bikes to work or to school because it’s more environmentally sound and it’s great exercise, too. For it to work, though, you really have to have a bike-friendly and bike-aware community. Carmel has come a long way and has some great bike paths and designated bike lanes, but a lot more could be done to encourage folks to ride rather than drive.

What’s the most fun part about it?
The most fun part of riding for me is the feeling you get, that it’s you that’s propelling you forward, not the machine. When you’re in the groove and hitting a good fast cadence, it’s almost like you’re not touching the road anymore, just skimming along the surface. There are other times that you can slow it way down to slower than a walk and have time to take in what’s around you, check out the wildlife or the scenery around you. In the spring, when everything is just turning that wonderful, fresh green, you have time to look at the foliage and the wildlife in the morning. In the fall there’s the wonderful autumn colors, and ducks and geese flying south, and a whole different world to look at.

How has riding helped you?
Well, I sure don’t spend a lot on gas anymore. And the fitness aspect of it is undeniable, of course. It used to take me 20 minutes to drive to work each way, and I’d do a half hour workout in the morning and evening. Now I do a forty-five to fifty-five minute workout twice a day and get to work at the same time.

What comments do you get from other people?
The funniest comments come from my students. They see my bike parked in my classroom day after day and some of them assume my license has been revoked or that my car is in the garage being repaired. It never occurs to some of them that anyone would want to ride a bike voluntarily if they have a car and a valid license.

Do you ride to condition yourself for other sports?
No. I just ride because I like to ride.