South Carolina governor bikes across state

Exercise is a way of life for Gov. Mark Sanford, but he laughs with a touch of apprehension as he talks about the gears on the new, high-tech bicycle he borrowed for his three-day ride across the state.

The governor, who is just a few weeks shy of his 44th birthday, will hit the dusty and hilly back roads upstate on the Trek bike this Saturday with throngs of cycling enthusiasts taking up Sanford's challenge to be more active. . . .

"Cycling addresses a lot of today's biggest issues as far as the obesity epidemic, air pollution, suburban sprawl," he said. "If more people rode bikes, the world would be a better place."