DJ gets a rush from his morning bike commute

• Who: Kevin Avery of Powder Springs, radio disc jockey

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ADRIENNE HUGHES-HARRIS/Special

Kevin Avery says his wife loves it when he comes home from a bike ride because ‘I’m in such a great mood from the endorphins.’

ADRIENNE HUGHES-HARRIS/Special

Kevin Avery loves to ride his bike on the Silver Comet Trail, which runs for 61 miles, starting in Smyrna.

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• His time-saving approach: As co-host of Kevin and Taylor in the Morning on 104.7, The Fish, Kevin Avery, 41, heads out the door long before the rest of Atlanta even wakes up. But on at least two days a week, instead of jumping into his car, Avery hops on his bike. And the station isn’t exactly down the block. He pedals a total of 45 miles round trip. Even though the ride takes about an hour and fifteen minutes, Avery says he actually saves time on the way home, which could take an hour and a half if traffic is heavy. “The cool thing is everyone else is sitting in traffic, fuming. I’m getting my workout in when I’m riding.”

• How he got hooked: While Avery is relatively new to the sport — he got his first road bike two years ago — he’s no stranger to exercise. As a runner he had accomplished a goal of completing a marathon before his 40th birthday. And while he didn’t want to give up running, he needed something that wasn’t so tough on his joints. “From running I was having chronic shin pain from so much pounding and within a week of riding the bike it had completely disappeared,” he said.

• Why he keeps pedaling: “I get a great cardio workout without all the impact,” he says. “I don’t have any joint pain like I was getting from running.” Plus, he says that it’s just plain fun. “Who doesn’t have great memories as a kid of riding a bike? You get on and you think, ‘I forgot how much fun riding a bike was.’ ” And it doesn’t hurt that he burns about 1,600 calories on his round-trip commute. “I get home and can eat whatever I want.”

• Cross-training: While cycling is now his preferred form of exercise, Avery still hits the gym two days a week to run on the treadmill and do resistance training. Even at home he can’t seem to sit still. “I probably annoy my family to death but I’ll do sit-ups while we’re watching TV,” he says.

• His favorite place to ride: The Silver Comet Trail, which runs for 61 miles, starting in Smyrna. It’s a gift to Atlanta, according to Avery. “The ability to be able to ride for mile after mile virtually uninterrupted by traffic is something that not every city has. It’s just another great reason to live in Atlanta.”

• His favorite riding partners: “My wife and I will ride together on the weekends. We’ll ride on the Silver Comet Trail. We’ll ride to the halfway point and get a coffee and sit there and talk for awhile and ride back.” The father of four says that his oldest, 10-year-old Autumn, rides with him on the weekends. And when they’re not biking with him, they’re encouraging him. “My wife loves nothing better than when I come home from a bike ride because I’m in such a great mood from the endorphins. There are days when I haven’t done anything and she’ll go, ‘Please just go ride your bike.’ It’s the surefire way for me to get in a good mood.”

— Elsa K. Simcik, For the Journal-Constitution