We love hearing stories about our Smart Travel community. This month, we want to highlight the story of Jeffrey Sparks, who has been traveling by bike to his job at Hilmar Cheese Company for just over a year.
At twenty four years old, Jeffrey has already shown a strong commitment to his health (and bike miles!). Since discovering a safer route to travel on his bike, he has been commuting the 7.5 miles from Turlock to Hilmar Cheese Company five days a week since March 2016.
Jeffrey has also pursued certification as a League Cycling Instructor, qualifying him to administer the Traffic Skills 101 course as well as several others under the banner of the League of American Bicyclists. This matches well with his interest in educating kids about bicycling, as in his words, “they will become the experts in active transportation and road safety, and they will embarrass their parents into riding their bikes more.”
Fun fact: Do you know what an “Everest” is in bike lingo? Well, Jeffrey recently completed one, having biked over 29,029 vertical feet in one day, which is greater than the equivalent distance from sea level to the peak of Mt. Everest (and it took over sixteen hours on his bike!).
High fives and kudos to Jeffrey for showing that with a little research and dedication, it is possible to leave the car behind and make a bicycle your main Smart Travel option.