Steve Frink puts 6,000 miles a year on his bike, but he says he isn't hardcore. "There are people who bike in the winter. I think they're nuts, too," he said. "I'm not one of those."

For Frink, last week marked the end of a nearly nine-month-long, bike-to-work streak. The 55-year-old, who works for the Public Utilities Commission, rode his bike from Manchester to Concord every day between March 13 and Dec. 7. He rode again Tuesday, but when Wednesday's snow hit, he knew he'd be off the roads a while.

Bike commuters, Frink included, are keeping close watch on plans to make Concord more bicycle-friendly. Last week, a city committee kicked off a push for public input as it works to craft a bicycle master plan with recommendations for designated routes and suggestions to improve safety.

But change, if it happens, will take time. And Frink, who's been biking to work for 12 years, has already charted his own route, independent of city guidance.

Ask him why he chooses to bike 33 miles a day, braving wind and rain and reckless drivers, and he'll talk about a healthy lifestyle, the pleasure in getting outdoors.

But it's more than that. Frink takes comp time on dark days in November so he can start his ride home while it's still light. He won't touch ice cream until March, when he's biking again. One day, when the winds gusted out of the

northeast and the thermometer dipped into the teens, co-workers and Frink's wife offered to drive him home. He said no.

He's determined.

"I thought, 'If you do it, you do it,' " he said. "There's a great sense of accomplishment that goes with getting out there and getting on the bike, in all conditions."

He wakes up between 4:30 and 5 each morning, does some sit-ups and cooks up a pot of oatmeal. He has his biking clothes laid out, and in the summer, it doesn't take him much time to dress.

But the colder it gets, the more preparation is required. Frink will wear boots over his biking shoes, wind pants and as many as three pairs of gloves.

Winter months also mean less daylight, and Frink has to make sure he's visible. He has blinking lights attached to his ankle and helmet with Velcro and more powerful ones that help light the road in front of him. He was thrilled to find a reflective vest with 16 LEDs at Walmart - a well-spent $20, he said.

Then he gets on his Fuji road bike and sets out on his 17-mile ride to work. He takes the Daniel Webster Highway, cruising through Hooksett, Allenstown and Pembroke before heading into Concord on Manchester Street.

That's fine in the morning, but with heavier traffic after work, he hates crossing the Exit 13 area. So he rides home through Bow, climbing the hills before entering Hooksett and picking up the Daniel Webster for the final 5 miles.

The trip home is a mile shorter, but harder, and though the roads are wooded and scenic, "I can't face the hills twice a day," Frink said.

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