Joe Sepe had to lose weight, quit smoking, and lower his blood pressure. So, six years ago he bought a bicycle.

Today, he’s thinner by 60 pounds, doesn’t smoke and has good blood pressure. He is entrenched in a hobby that takes him on at least four 100-mile bicycle rides each year. Joe, who lives in Hackettstown, N.J., is a metropolitan territory manager for Degussa Stockhausen, a manufacturer of occupational skin care products.

Joe started with mountain biking, and then took up road biking. A mountain bike has big, knobby tires and is designed for trail riding.

Mountain biking in New Jersey? “There are some excellent mountain biking trails under the big power lines here in the middle of nowhere. When the power lines are built, trees have to be cut down, which creates trails. You can ride your mountain bike all day long on those trails and never see another bike,” Joe said.

You might, however, see a wild animal. When you’re on the bike trails, Joe says you roll along quickly and quietly. So quietly, in fact, that it’s not unusual for a mountain biker to startle wild animals. In Joe’s case, bears and deer.

“The first time I came within two yards of a bear, it stood on its back legs and was taller than I am. It was more scared of me, though, than I was of it, so it ran away,” Joe said. The second time Joe saw a bear, the animal didn’t see him coming at all. “If I hadn’t jammed on my breaks I would have hit that bear,” said Joe.
Somewhere in New Jersey there are herds of deer that think Joe is one of them. “I’ve come up on a herd of deer and ended up right in the middle of them. The deer scramble and run around you — it feels just like you’re part of the herd.”

Joe switches back and forth between mountain and road biking. A road bike has curled handlebars, thin tires, and is lightweight. The lighter, the better; in fact, some people will spend $1,000 on one part to retrofit their bike and shave off just a couple ounces. Joe’s road bike is made of carbon fiber, which is lighter and stronger than metal, and was first used by NASA.

The 100-mile rides are road races and are called “century rides” in the biking world. They are not really races, according to Joe. “They’re more endurance rides than anything else,” he said. His goal in every race is to finish in the top 20 percent of the group. A century ride can take four to six hours to complete, depending on a cyclist’s skill level.

Not all tours are 100 miles long. One interesting event is held annually in New York City. The route is about 42 miles long and winds through the city’s five boroughs. As many as 25,000 cyclists participate. The race starts in Manhattan, and the streets, which are closed for the event, are filled solid with bikes. “It never fails,” said Joe, “there is always some executive who absolutely has to cross the street during the event. He hides behind his briefcase and tries to inch his way through the bicycles. By the time the guy gets across the street, he’s been hit by at least 20 bikes.”

As an experienced rider, Joe rarely falls, but when he does, it’s dramatic. “Just like you see on TV when someone wipes out,” he said. He always wears a helmet.

The road is not the biggest hazard for Joe. It’s his enthusiasm that is the problem.

At first, Joe wanted to get everybody he knew into cycling. About five years ago, Joe introduced his biggest client to the sport. The client bought shiny new bikes for himself and his entire family. The third time the client went out on his mountain bike, he took a tumble and went head over heels.

“I thought I’d have to get a helicopter to get him out of the trail area,” Joe said. “He was out cold for at least five minutes, and ended up with permanent rotor cuff damage.”

Before you start thinking, “I wonder who that client is?” don’t worry. The client is — gratefully — not from this industry.

Gretchen Roufs, a 15-year janitorial supply industry veteran, owns Auxiliary Marketing Services of San Antonio. To suggest someone you think should be featured in “freetime,” contact her at (210) 601-4572. Email questions or comments.




POSTED ON: 6/1/2003