One Tulsa resident says riding his bicycle to work is healthy and saves him money

Most people hate paying high gas prices and would like to be in better shape. Those are two of the big problems facing all of us and the solution is actually pretty simple. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter

Thursday, March 10th 2005, 10:16 am

By: News On 6

Most people hate paying high gas prices and would like to be in better shape. Those are two of the big problems facing all of us and the solution is actually pretty simple.

News on 6 reporter Steve Berg has more on a man who figured it out.

Will Gault was in a vicious cycle. Spending long hours at office and no time to exercise, but he had to go to work.

"I started getting kind of heavy when I was working and I wanted to lose some weight and get some exercise." Steve Berg: "And did it work?" Will Gault: "It really did, I probably lost 30 pounds."

About 4 years ago, Will starting commuting to work on his bike. Year-round, rain or shine. The only time he doesn't ride is when there's snow on the ground. "When it rains, that's the worst, some mornings, it's really cold." But there's an upside, especially on days like Thursday. "I mean, it gets you outside. If you work indoors all day, it's nice to be outdoors for awhile."

Will rides about 4 miles each way. It's pretty much a straight shot down Delaware to 3rd Street to his job in the BoK Tower. Sometimes he even goes home for lunch. The cycling symbol on the road there means this is a designated bikeway; the city of Tulsa has many miles of them. There are no real criteria for them but they try to pick streets that are fairly wide and not the heaviest traveled. "I don't think a lot of people know about the cycling routes."

On any street though, a cyclist has a right to his or her lane. Will's only had one mishap in four years. A collision with a car that kept him from riding for a few days, but the bike was okay. "It fared better than I did."

Will figures he saves about $700 year on gas, that doesn't include wear and tear on his car. â€œI don't drive a lot at all." Will has a place to shower at work and also a safe place to store his bike.

He hopes more businesses will make it easier for employees to commute on bikes.