WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | Charlestown man uses his bike to make the long commute to work

Charlestown man uses his bike to make the long commute to work

By Janelle MacDonald - bio | email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - How long did your commute to work take today? 30, maybe 45 minutes. For one southern Indiana man it was three hours, round trip, to and from his home 16 miles from Louisville. WAVE 3's Janelle MacDonald introduces us to the man who's traded in horsepower for pedal power.

Rain or shine, and he says this coming winter, even snow, David Crowell gets up at 5:30 in the morning three to five times a week, to take his bicycle to work. He says gas savings are a bonus, but that's not why he's riding instead of driving. Starting in November 2007, Crowell decided he had to change his life to keep it.

 "It came about because I stepped on a scale. I was pushing 300," said Crowell.

Now he sets off in the mornings for the 16 1/2 mile ride from Charlestown, Indiana to Louisville.

"I try to get on the road by seven o'clock. Shortest is probably around an hour 10 minutes. Longest, it's probably an hour and 45," Crowell said.

He says the ride to work isn't too bad, except for one stretch down Indiana 62 that he says is tiresome. That is the part he doesn't enjoy. Crowell says that on the way home he is less motivated, but the alternative is to stay at work.

By now, Crowell says he is used to the questions. Many people, including his co-workers, have asked him if he is crazy. He has also been asked if he is afraid of getting hit. But that's something he was afraid of in a car too.

Crowell says there are bad days like this past Monday when a horrible downpour after he started his ride.

"My other bike has fenders. This one does not and I got to find out what road grime tastes like," said Crowell.

But that's nothing compared to his best day which he says was the first day he made it all the way, door to door, on his own power.

"Where I started from back in November and the weight I was at and the condition I was in, I didn't think I could ever do it," Crowell said.

Crowell takes a full change of clothes with him and says he has a shower available at work, although he's never actually used it. He says there have been no complaints - so far.

Down 45 pounds since he started his weight loss plan in November, Crowell says got around 70 more to go to get to his goal weight of 175. Crowell even has his own website where he tracks his progress. You can find it by going to www.fatguy.org.