CityView Magazine

Docs that rock Climb, run, bike and play ball By Nathan Walls The last I saw of Dr. Sammy Choi was the rear wheel of his Cannondale Synapse. Choi had invited me on an open ride with the Cross Creek Cycling Club, so on a beautiful Saturday I met him at 7 a.m. near Eastover. The Fort Bragg physician and father of eight began biking years ago but, “I never called myself a serious cyclist,” he said. That was before he started taking his bike on vacation and only booking hotels that came equipped with wheels. He rides most Saturdays with the cycling club, nicknamed 4C for short. Riders are grouped according to ability: A, B, C and D. As riders improve speed and distance, they work their way up. Let’s just say that Dr. Choi and I fell at opposite ends of the spectrum. He introduced me to Lonny Meeks and Pat Blackman, and we set off. I started out slowly but got it together as we made our way down Dunn Road, Middle Road, River Road and Beard Road. The air smelled great as we rode, and we passed a couple picking butterbeans in the cool morning. It was a good day, especially for the S ure, they tell us to exercise and eat right, but what happens when the white coats come off? We found Fayetteville physicians water skiing at 34 miles an hour, biking 100 miles in one day, running marathons and turning an old school bus into a rock-climbing wall. 42 | Oct • Nov 2008 A and B groups furiously spinning their way through 65 miles of country roads at the frenetic pace of 22.4 miles per hour. I rode more than 15 miles at 13.1 miles per hour and was pleased to hear the other riders praising my first 4C ride. “Many of us are nearly 50,” said Choi, who is 48. “We all feel regular cycling keeps us fit both physically and mentally.” And he tells his patients as much. Not for slackers Dr. Rolf Wallin likes to tell patients about the benefits of his exercise regimen, too. There’s just one problem.

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