Schwarzenegger pumps iron again -- a bicycle
tbizjak@sacbee.com
Published Wednesday, Feb. 04, 2009


Yes, that was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cruising along the American River bike and recreation trail Tuesday morning with a coterie of security guys in his wake. But aides say there is no truth to the rumor the governor is gearing up for this month's Tour of California bike race.

"He was just out exercising," spokesman Aaron McLear said, adding, tongue in cheek: "As far as I know, he does not plan to compete in the Tour of California."

The governor, who often returns to his Los Angeles home in the evening, had stayed overnight in Sacramento on Monday after budget negotiations went late.

The governor's spin, about an hour long, was noteworthy in one sense, said one cycling commuter who saw the group near the Capital City Freeway overpass.

"No spandex, and he wasn't wearing a helmet," commuter Chip Powell reported.

The Governor's Office couldn't confirm whether he was wearing a helmet, which cycling safety experts advocate.

Unlike motorcycles, the law doesn't require adults to wearing a bicycle helmet.

Schwarzenegger has had his share of sporting accidents, including breaking his leg in a ski accident in December 2006, and getting a fat lip and stitches earlier that year in a motorcycle crash, when he was wearing a helmet. In 2001, he broke six ribs in a motorcycle crash.

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Call The Bee's Tony Bizjak, (916) 321-1059. The Bee's Kevin Yamamura contributed to this report.