Easy Ridin’ Ed Hegel Takes It Slow As He Pedals His Three-Wheel Bike Along Car-Clogged Streets

The driver of the red Nissan 280 ZX honked her horn, pressed her foot even harder on the accelerator and sent a vile look at Ed Hegel.

It didn’t seem to be the kindest way to treat Hegel, a 63-year-old retiree who rides his three-wheel bicycle to meet friends for coffee and donuts.

Hegel has become a familiar sight to some morning commuters on Spokane’s North Side in the last couple of months.

“A kid on one of those, what do you call ‘em … mountain bikes, rides past me, and asks: ‘Can you speed that thing up?”’ Hegel said.

“I said, ‘Yeah, you bet. Just give me your 17-year-old-legs.”’

Hegel is virtually unflappable as he weaves his way in and out of rush-hour traffic, although he did get a little startled one day last week.

“Some guy was driving right at me,” he said. “I looked down to see if I was in the wrong, and I realized, ‘No, I’m where I’m supposed to be.’ He finally got straightened out after he finished wrestling with his cup of coffee or something.”

Said one motorist of Hegel: “He’s crazy riding that bike out there.”

Hegel isn’t a typical bicyclist. Most motorists stare, but he seldom returns their glances because he can barely see.

A stroke in both eyes a year ago left him with limited vision. Hegel can’t see beyond three city blocks, although he still has good peripheral vision.

“I had to give up my driver’s license eight months ago,” Hegel said. “I haven’t been able to see as well as I used to for a year.”

He bought his three-wheeler four years ago because it allowed him to carry tools around town to various construction jobs he worked. But since the stroke, his bike has become a main source of transportation when his wife can’t drive him around.

“Speed impairs me. I could drive, but I don’t like what it could cause. On the bike, I can slow down my pace to whatever I want.”

That may be true, but his wife, Martha, was quick to note: “It’s easier for him to control. He never really did ride a lot of bicycles,” she said with a chuckle.

Ironically, Hegel used to spend a lot of time on his Honda Gold Wing motorcycle a number of years ago.

Hegel said the little three-wheeler is no comparison to his old motorcycle.

“I’m getting good exercise on that little bike. You try riding that thing around. It’s got one speed… slow,” he said.

Hegel is an eye-catcher on the streets of the North Side as he slowly rolls his way to The Donut Parade at 2158 N. Hamilton in the Gonzaga district.

The former pulp mill mechanic from Frenchtown, Mont., actually looks like he would be more physically suited to a Gold Wing than a three-wheel bike.

Hegel is as thick as an oak tree, wears big, plaid shirts, jeans, boots and a straw hat.

His morning route starts at his home near the intersection of Lacrosse and Ash. He travels east on Lacrosse to Post before heading south. Hegel estimates it’s about a four-mile trip.

Post Street presents problems, he said.

The street became a favorite route for motorists after construction on Monroe just north of downtown started a few months ago.

Congestion on Post isn’t conducive to a morning ride for his favorite chocolate donuts, especially when having to make a left turn from the street onto Buckeye, Hegel said.

There, traffic can get a little bottled up behind him.

“The hard part is making that left-hand turn,” Hegel said. “They (motorists) just hate it.”

So far Hegel hasn’t been in any accidents. He believes he is less of a nuisance than most cars on the road.

“I’m not causing any problems. And I don’t think most people have a problem with me. Those that do, like the driver in the red car, they’re just in a hurry to get into an accident.”

The last major hurdle on the ride is crossing Division.

“It’s hell over there,” he said. “That street is a raceway.”

Hegel rides to The Donut Parade where Martha and a small group of friends gather before starting the rest of the day.

Unlike Ed, Martha chooses to drive for her donuts and coffee.

“I’m not getting out there with him,” Martha said, while Ed wiped the perspiration off his head.

“And neither are any of us,” shouts one of the couple’s friends from a nearby booth.

Martha said she doesn’t worry about her husband’s safety on the bike.

“He seems to be pretty cautious when he’s on it, so I don’t have any fears,” she said.

Hegel’s bike ride is a one-way journey. He and Martha put the bike in the van and drive back home.

“It’s a lot easier going down Post Street than it is going up,” he said.

The bike ride is the start of Hegel’s busy day. After the ride he mows the lawn and does other household chores.

“I’ve got to do these things,” Hegel said. “I’ve got to stay busy. It’s funny, we all think when we get older we’re supposed to slow down and stop doing things. That’s not true at all.

“I’m probably doing more now than when I was working,” Hegel said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos