Intersection of Public Health & Transportation
15 Nov
This graphic speaks volumes.
Better Transportation Options = Healthier Lives
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Why We Still Ride
15 Mar
I broke my leg on a bike just like the one below when I was 10. My friend, Debbie Smith’s bike; I was pedaling she was riding on the handlebars… we flipped and I landed on my knees – ouch is right. Crazy kids.
This is a great post by Brent Cohrs from his “Easy as Riding a Bike” blog.
Is 2012 the Year You Rediscover Bicycling? By Brent Cohrs
Not my photo, but this was my first two-wheeler, a Sears Spyder. Image courtesy of oldroads.com
Think back.
Way back. Back to a time when the toughest decision you needed to make during any given day was which color popsicle you would eat first. Life was as simple as hopping on your bike and pedaling from one adventure to the next.
As long as I was back in time for dinner, I could pretty much go wherever my bike would take me. Down the block to a friend’s house. Over to the neighborhood White Hen Pantry. Up to the public swimming pool. Off to playgrounds near and far.
Sometimes the adventure didn’t involve any destination in particular. My bike was simply the vehicle that put my imagination into action. Sometimes it was a motorcycle. Other times it was a fighter jet, a horse, a police car, or any other conveyance needed to complete the fantasy. I didn’t require a game console and a big screen TV to simulate an experience – I just utilized my brain and my bike.
It’s been over forty years since that first solo trip around the block, yet I remember it as if it were yesterday.
I was on my older brother’s Stingray-like bike which was clearly too big for me to ride. I hovered over the top tube, pedaling sporadically to keep from toppling over. Each time I attempted to scoot up onto the seat I would lose momentum and the bike would start to wobble. Rather than risk crashing – which I’m sure I had done dozens of times before I finally attained that right combination of forward motion and side-to-side balance – I continued to stand up on the pedals until I had circumnavigated the entire block.
The five year-old version of me hopped on that bike determined to master an elusive motor skill and returned not merely satisfied with an achievement, but addicted to a new sensation. I still grin like a five year-old each time I throw a leg over my bike.
Every bike ride is an adventure.
Whether zipping over to the library or exploring a regional rail trail, tooling around the forest preserve or riding 150 miles to raise money for MS research, each outing has the potential to relax your mind while activating your imagination. Every trip can stimulate your senses while simulating your childhood memories.
Bicycling will help you reclaim your health while you relive your youth.
There is no better time than right now to rediscover bicycling. You never forget how to ride a bike – it’s been scientifically proven, by the way. Enjoying our unseasonably warm weather and getting back in shape is as easy as riding a bike.
Follow this blog for a series of posts on how you can rediscover bicycling. From slowly riding yourself back into shape to evaluating that bike hanging in the garage, I’m here to offer advice and encouragement. I’ll provide you with insider’s tips for buying accessories and offer reviews of fun and safe places to ride.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready to take my bike out on some local sales calls today. I love an early spring!
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Keep riding and be safe!
Leap Day
29 Feb
Today was the type of ride we should take more often. Slow and easy. Riding along side by side on country roads where we saw way more cows and horses than we did cars and trucks. Just talking and enjoying the spectacular weather.
We rode a little over 21 miles but it was almost effortless. We usually ride the same speed or at least with the same effort: putting our heads down (most of the ride) and pedaling hard.
I know it’s best to vary your effort – to get stronger and faster – but I tend to forget that when I’m doing a training ride. And if I’m on certain routes (east and west training routes) I only know one speed. Besides, this time of year is all about base miles so I even have a reason to ride slower.
When I ride around town on Condor, my Jamis, I never “put my head down” and go, it’s always more about getting somewhere or just enjoying an easy ride. But put me on my road bike Rocket and I get too locked in to “training”.
I’m glad we had this kind of ride today, it served as a good reminder. What about you, do you tend to ride all out when you’re on a training ride?
Katy Trail Bike Trips
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KATY Trail Sights
Missouri KATY Trail Bike Tour – Sights and Sounds
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KATY Trail 2011 – Day 5
Today was our last day riding the KATY. Despite a forecast that predicted rain was likely as we headed west, we managed to stay dry on our ride. That was our goal. We were quite happy about that after yesterday. Today was basically the same ride as yesterday – only in reverse – Augusta to [...]
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KATY Trail 2011 -Day 4
Today was the kind of day on the bike that pushes you beyond your usual limits. This is not a day I would have chosen to ride – but ride we did. And right now I’m glad we did. Even during the ride/slog I knew I would finish the ride out, although we could have [...]
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KATY Trail 2011 – Day 3
We left Hartsburg around 9:45 after after a wholesome and delicious breakfast complements of Globe Hotel owner, Jeanette. We said goodbye to the five from Oregon/Florida and wished each other safe travels. They are riding over 2000 miles on their journey – and I envy them. More about them in a later post. We felt [...]
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KATY Trail 2011 – Day 2
Today the cycling gods smiled upon us with spectacular weather and a harder packed trail surface. It was also easier because today was really flat, whereas yesterday was often a 1-3% grade climb. Not steep obviously, but after miles of it along with the softer surface, it was a harder ride than today. Could be [...]
Vermont to Quebec City
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Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec
Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec – Vieux Quebec City September 10, 2010 If you have spent any time at all on this blog you know I like bikes. If you were around last July or if you’ve looked around much and noticed the 30+ posts I wrote on the Tour de France – you could [...]
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Sojourners by Bike-Day6/Part 2
~Trois-Rivières to Quebec City~ 85 miles We left our lunch stop at Deschambault committed to riding the rest of the way to Quebec City – about 45 miles. Committed, and excited. Some of you are probably thinking we should be committed for riding 85 miles! When we rolled away from Angelus Bistro it was just [...]
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Sojourners by Bike-Day 6/Part I
Trois-Rivières to Quebec City ~ 85 miles When I woke up Friday morning, I was too busy thinking about the 90% chance of rain predicted and how to dress for it, to focus much on the miles (85, 70, 45), or to be nostalgic about it being our last day and how quickly in one [...]
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Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 5
Day 5: Sorel-Tracy to Trois-Rivières – 54 miles Today brought something I have been looking forward to – cloud cover and a little cooler temperature. My skin needed both. Looking out the window of our hotel room you could see the St. Lawrence river. We would be following the St. Lawrence as we headed [...]
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Sojourners by Bike ~ Day 4
~The daily account of a 6 day Bike Tour from Burlington, Vermont to Quebec City, Canada~ Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu to Sorel-Tracy – 61 miles Today, we leave Auberge Harris and Madame Boutin behind. Madame came out to see us off and to give us a map of cycling in the area, and a map case which attaches [...]
