For information about Jim and Pat Skalski's son Garrick, click here:

From Garrick Skalski's doctoral dissertation, North Carolina State University, 2001

For information about Pat Skalski, read here:

July 15, 2008
KARE Channel 11
Minneapolis * St. Paul

What would cause you to park your car? How about exchanging four wheels for two? Would what prompt you to consider leaving the streets for the trails? For a growing number of Twin Cities residents, the answer is, gas prices.

"Because of the price of gas," Pat Skalski said while waiting to park her bike at Midtown Bike Center in Minneapolis.

Yes, gas prices are fueling a trend that's creating a two-wheeled rush hour. As pump prices continue to rise, so does the number of people hitting local bike paths. New bike count numbers from Minneapolis show a 30% jump in the number of cyclists in just the past year. Some folks hopping on two-wheels are trying to save money by pedaling to and from work.

"I wasn't sure where you could park and then where is it that you change clothes and bring in all your stuff," Pat Skalski said.

Pat found her answer on the Minneapolis Greenway, off 10th Avenue South at the new Midtown Bike Center.

"The Midtown Bike Center is very similar to a gas station on a highway or freeway," manager Dan Breva said.

Similar in that they'll fix a flat for you, this is also a place for local workers to park and prep.

"You've got a place to store your bike. You don't have to worry about it. You've got a place to put your clothes. You can take a shower," local worker John Wheeler said after parking his bike in the contract parking area of Midtown Bike Center.

"They can change into their work clothes, go to work, have a presentable image and still bike to work," Breva added.