Defying all odds, Bakersfield man aims to ride 100 miles every day in July
Jul. 9—Most Bakersfield residents curl up at home at 2 a.m., comfortable in bed. But that's not the case for local man Frank George Torres Jr.
The 36-year-old father of eight can be spotted pedaling dozens of miles during the early morning hours before heading off to his regular job. He's completed numerous races and challenges, which include biking for more than a day straight.
Torres embarked on a new challenge this July: biking 100 miles every day. The total number of miles Torres will tally is often more than an experienced biker completes in an entire year.
"It gives me the chills just even thinking about it," Torres said of biking 100 miles every day this month.
The journey to finish these feats sprung up organically for Torres. With six DUIs and a prior addiction to cocaine, Torres is sober and funnels his energy into accomplishing new challenges.
"When ... you have nothing left, who would have known two wheels (could) save your life?" he added.
'A people's champion'
Torres said he grew up poor with bad influences that led him astray.
By age 16, Torres said, he was drinking alcohol and eventually consumed two to three packs of beer every day. He got hooked on cocaine later in his adult life.
Rock bottom hit him when he was arrested one Christmastime and spent the weekend locked up in a cold cell. He said he prayed to God for answers and help.
The answers came in the form of two wheels, Torres said.
"Who would have known a bicycle ... makes me feel so peaceful in life now," he added.
It started when Torres was banned from driving and had a curfew to get back home. Except a ride to get home on time was arriving late.
So, he needed an alternative that wouldn't cost money and allowed him to lose pounds he put on after drinking heavily.
"I basically punished myself and I bought a bike," Torres joked.
Torres' wife, Stephanie Torres, tracked the time it took for her husband to ride back home. Beating that time motivated Torres to get faster. And, faster.
Proving people wrong is the wind at Torres' back propelling him forward.
He recalls a probation officer strapping an ankle monitor on him and saying Torres would be back in custody because a majority of people fail at maintaining sobriety.
"Don't worry, we will see you again," Torres recalled the probation officer saying to him.
Fernando Gonzales, the owner of Get a Bike who supplied Torres with his first two-wheeler, recalls how some bikers left Torres behind when he first began riding. But Gonzales told Torres to keep riding and eventually the community in Bakersfield would know his name.
He always pushes himself and the suffering makes him a better person, said Stephanie Torres. Torres credits his wife for pushing him to be better.
"I don't think he has limits," Stephanie said Friday.
Over the weekend, Stephanie and her family went to a concert out of town. Her husband still hitched a bike to their car and planned to ride 100 miles, she added.
Raw talent allowed Torres to just hop on a bike and begin pedaling, Gonzales added.
"It takes (bikers) years to develop (the way Torres pedals his bike)," Gonzales said. "But he was right out of the box. He didn't know his talent."
Finishing first in competitions isn't Torres' only goal. Gonzales said he's stopped numerous times to help stragglers finish, thereby losing races.
"I would call him a people's champion," he added. "Because ... not only does he focus on what he needs to accomplish, but he also will sacrifice himself, his time to help other people."
Torres said his ultimate goal is to race across America, which totals to 3,100 miles, and break the record for the fastest time. He hopes his story inspires others struggling with sobriety — anything is possible, he added.
"I want to do the things that people don't want to do," Torres said. "If you tell me I cannot do that ... I am going to go out and do that. Just because you told me I couldn't do it."
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
