You might find it inspirational to learn that an 88-year-old man won three gold medals at the Connecticut Senior Games earlier this year.
But the back story for cycling enthusiast Bob Sawyer is so much more amazing than that.
A year earlier, the Bedford, Massachusetts, man had been hospitalized with lymphoma, complicated by pneumonia and the inability to eat because he could not swallow. His doctors had discovered the lymphoma on a CT-scan after he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage.
So there he was in the hospital, wasting away. Everyone, including himself, had started to give up hope ... more»
Something that immediately caught my eye when I stumbled across a list of America's Fattest Cities is that none of the top 10 were on the list of Bicycle Friendly Communities.
In fact, you had to go down to No. 15 on the list (Philadelphia) before you could find a city that the League of American Bicyclists says encourages bicycling.
Among the Top 10 Leanest Cities, however, 8 are considered bicycle friendly, and half of those have a high rating of silver, gold or platinum.
You probably can't make the argument that these cities are fat because they're not bicycle friendly ... more»
Bicyclists don't have to travel to Italy to participate in the cycling phenomenon known as gran fondos any more. There are plenty scheduled in the US and Canada in 2010.
I've stumbled across six more gran fondos -- in California, Colorado, Oregon and British Columbia -- since I first reported on the sudden surge in the events back in December: "Gran Fondo bike rides gain popularity in the US".
That brings to 17 the number of gran fondos available to cyclists in North America.
I've compiled a list of all 17, their dates and locations at a new page: "2010 North American Gran Fondo bike rides." Check it out soon if you're interested in joining in, these rides are known to fill up fast.
Three of the new rides are slated in Colorado by sports marketing firm Cyclosportivo N.A..... more»
As it could have been reported in my hometown newspaper:
A Bellevue resident celebrated his 60th birthday with a 60.5-mile bike ride on Sunday.
"It shows what you can do if you ride regularly and have a strong stubborn streak," said Gene Bisbee, who writes the Biking Bis blog.
An avid bicyclist, Gene said that he'd run into a streak of bad luck -- all his own fault -- with bicycling the past year and didn't know whether he would be able to achieve his goal of 60 on his 60th.
It all started with a fall in January 2009 caused by his improperly maintained bike. He stayed off the bike for several weeks and thought everything had cleared up until this autumn when he was again forced off the bike with severe knee pain. A physical therapist told him it was related to his hip injury ...... more»
Amateur cyclists and recreational bicyclists in the US and Canada will get more opportunities to participate in Italian-style gran fondo bike rides in 2010.
Nearly a dozen gran fondo bike rides are scheduled next year in California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ontario.
Cyclists appear to be hungry for such events.
When 3-time Tour of California winner Levi Leipheimer launched a gran fondo-style bike ride in Santa Rosa last October, 3,500 cyclists signed up.
Word must have spread among cyclists, because when online registration opened on Tuesday for the October 2010 King Ridge Gran Fondo -- 10 months before the event -- half the 6,000 spots were reserved the first day.
In addition to Leipheimer's event in Santa Rosa, the Tour of California is sponsoring two gran fondos along the course of two Tour stages before the race in April. Centurion Cycling is launching its first season of gran fondo with rides in California, Colorado and Wisconsin, and Gran Fondo USA is offering rides in San Diego and Philadelphia next year ... more»
Update: Dec. 8 -- The physical therapist told me today that it's OK to ride my bike, even though there will be some pain. The knee cap should be realigned so it's not rubbing the femur after about 10,000 repititions of the exercises he's given me. That means 3 to 4 months.
I'm still kind of stunned that a bicycling fall I had way back in January has forced me off the bike in November.
Although I had badly bruised the muscles around my right hip in that fall, it's my right knee that's been feeling the pain since August.
I finally found the time (got up the nerve) to visit my doctor about the knee pain about a week ago. That's after three weeks of self-imposed rest off the bike hadn't made anything better.
Here's my tale of woe as a lesson to anyone with knee pain in the past, present or future. Obviously your knee pain can stem from other causes, but it's illustrates the importance of keeping our muscles, ligaments and tendons in balance .. more»
Here are two examples of when you should age-out of bike riding -- never.
First is John Damiano, 80, who just finished up a cross-country bicycle vacation this summer. He told PhillyBurbs.com:
"I wanted to do something totally hard. I wanted to do it to see if an 80-year-old man could ride 3,629 miles."
He can.
Damiano bicycles frequently and has done several long-distance trips. The recent ride from Astoria, Oregon, to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, was his first cross-country adventure ... more»
Just 3 miles from home on a bicycle ride along Lake Washington Saturday afternoon and I started feeling light-headed. It was going to be a tough climb to my neighborhood.
I had that "emergency" PowerBar with me, but really didn't feel like chowing down on 240 calories of chewy paste that close to dinner. Soon I realized the road was lined with blackberry bushes and ripe berries hung from the vines.
This is an instant source of tasty energy. I was ready to go after eating about a dozen, but couldn't stop until I'd had about twice that many.
There are several different types of roadside blackberries here in the Pacific Northwest. There are the native wild blackberries (Rubus ursinus) and the invasive noxious weeds -- Himalayan blackberries and Evergreen blackberries. ... more»
Spring might seem to be the best time to dial in the fit of your bicycle, but some riders may notice that necks and backs begin to pinch a little during long summer bike rides.
For me, it's a sore knee brought on by too many uphill miles on my second-hand mountain bike that I never took the time to fit properly.
While searching for some other bike-related videos, I stumbled across this video (on jump) from YouTube of a bike fit system used over at Veloce Velo in Issaquah. I also found a do-it-yourself system produced by Performance Bicycles.
more»
Another day, another study with something for us to worry about.
Coming on the heels of a report that tied bicycling and infertility, the New York Times reports on a couple of studies that ties bicycling with the reduction in bone density.
That makes cyclists more susceptible to breaks, such as Lance Armstrong's collarbone fracture earlier this year, above.
An encouraging note is that recreational cyclists are not subject to the infertility and bone density problems. The studies looked only at elite athletes who push themselves to the extreme in training and competition .... more»
How much bicycling is too much if you're trying to start a family?
Lengthy and frequent bicycling -- like more than 186 miles a week -- can cause "significant fertility problems" for men, says a report presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
But bicycling to work on a daily basis wouldn't cause a significant increase in abnormal sperm.
This isn't another urological study about saddle pressure causing male impotence. The current study from the University of Cordoba Medical School finds that tight clothing that holds heat, friction of the testes against the saddle and the stress from hours of high-energy exercise can contribute to inferior sperm quality ... more»
David Rowe says he was taking the leap from recreational cyclist to ultra long-distance cyclist when he rode the arduous Torture 10,000 century in Oregon a few years ago.
He wasn't surprised by the length or elevation gain -- more than 13,000 feet. What surprised him was seeing so many sag wagons filled with the bikes of participants who had thrown in the towel.
"It was clear that they didn't think about what they were getting into."
So David set out to write the recently published eBook "The Ride of Your Life." It covers an aspect of cycling that doesn't get the attention it deserves -- mental preparation ... more»
It's probably not a bad thing that so many bicycle clubs factor in the local brew pub at the end of a bike ride.
It bears repeating that beer and bicycling are both good for the heart.
Iowa cyclist John Gray told the local newspaper that riding a bike and drinking beer just seems right; "The two things just go hand in hand."
So if you're looking for justification for quaffing a couple of beers after a ride, check these facts presented by the Sioux City Journal. Just remember, says nutrionist Sarah Nelson:
"The key, here, is the darker the brew, the higher the level of antioxidant present .... more»
While the big suits of the electronics industry waited in traffic in their limos, taxis and rented cars last week, analyst Roger Kay found the easiest way to get around Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show was by bike.
The first thing Kay did when he landed in Las Vegas was rent a Cannondale mountain bike, which he used to speed from his hotel to meetings or to the convention floor.
CES is spread out between two convention sites (including the Sands Expo Center, home of Interbike) and dozens of hotels where industry gurus take meetings. Instead of spending up to an hour waiting for buses, taxies or just plain walking, Kay made the rounds on his bicycle... more»
I've noticed some heavy print and online advertising -- including at this blog -- for protein waters. They're generally touted for body builders who want to bulk up and endurance athletes like bicyclists who want to shorten recovery time.
In a recent article, the LA Times examines four brands -- Accelerade, Isopure, Kellogg's Special K 2 O, and Stacker 2 Protein Water.
Nancy Clark, the sports nutrionist, says it's easy to add extra protein to your diet, even for endurance athletes and body builders, without resorting to buying water with protein added ... more»
Before Chris Carmichael started advising Lance Armstrong or we had the Scarsdale or South Beach diets, people watched Jack LaLanne on TV to learn about diet and exercise.
Here's what the 93-year-old is saying now:
"Exercise is king. Nutrition is queen. Together, you’ve got a kingdom. If you have a Corvette, you don’t put water in the tank. The human machine deserves the same treatment. No cake, pies, ice cream, soda. Your hair is out of shape. Your skin is terrible. Your elimination is bad. The wrong fuel in the human machine does that. ...
"Would you give your dog a cup of coffee and a doughnut?" ... more»
Ever since kids arrived on the scene in this household, fall has been the time of year when my head starts feeling congested and before I know it I'm suffering from a cold.
But considering myself a hard-core cyclist, I ride my bike through my illness. Then, more often than not, the cold turns into bronchitis or a sinus infection and that's the end of my fall bicycling for a couple of weeks.
I've run across some recommendations lately at UltraRob's Adventures blog and from trainer Chris Carmichael about how to prevent and control those colds and at least keep them from turning into something worse... more»
This might seem a little odd, but there's an exercise book that recommends workouts based on your astrological sign.
"Zodiaction: Fat-Burning Fitness Tailored to Your Personal Star Quality" was written by TV fitness personality Ellen Barrett and astrologer Barrie Dolnick.
A newspaper story summarized findings for the different signs of the Zodiac and told which exercises were most appropriate for each group. Which signs are aligned with bicycling? ... more»
As you can imagine, I was a bit surprised when my doctor told me to stay off the bicycle for five days.
Bicycling keeps my resting heart rate below 60, it has beat my family's history of high blood pressure, and it makes me happy and sane.
The problem was that my prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests have been running a little "hot" lately. They've been creeping up, and my general practitioner recommended I see a urologist to follow up. When that specialist learned that I ride 75 to 100 miles a week, he ordered me off the bike for at least 5 days until I get another blood test for PSA..... more»
Forget about the dishes in the sink. Forget about mowing the lawn and posting your blog. Forget about sleep. If you had 24 hours, how far could you ride your bicycle?
More than 400 bicyclists met at the National 24-Hour Challenge last weekend near Grand Rapids, Michigan, to seek the answer to that question. It was the 24th meeting for the event.
Seattle resident Craig Ragsdale, 29, learned he could set the course record by covering 502.6 miles. Just as amazing, 67-year-old Dave Thomsen of Austin, Minnesota, bicycled 403.9 miles. ... more»
A new mail order catalog for overly large people features, among other things, a bicycle saddle with a 500-pound capacity.
The East Valley Tribune (Phoenix) mentions the saddle in a story about branding a catalog for Casual Male XL, the nation's biggest chain of clothing and accessories for men's-plus sizes.
Apparently the company has jettisoned the names "big and tall" and "supersize" because of the negative connotations those names imply. In addition to extra large clothing, the stores and catalogs offer heavy-duty lawn chairs, extra wide toilet seats and more. ... more»
My efforts to save gas money, curb global warming, stay fit and have fun by riding a bicycle paid off in May to the tune of 355 miles.
I feel that I could have done more, but there was a family camping trip and some lower g.i. problems that impeded by progress over Memorial weekend. ... more»
Warmer weather and longer bike rides are right around the corner for many of us, which means sore, blistered butts are also around the next bend.
It's easier to get an idea how to avoid saddle sores when you understand what causes them. Basically it all starts with logging miles.
Even for cyclists who distribute their weight between the handlebars, pedals and saddle, there's a good deal of friction between the butt and the bicycle seat that irritates the skin. This is bad enough, and you'll want to start treatment right now. ... more»
Erectile dysfunction in bicyclists is as much about riding position as it is about the saddle, say two urologists who have studied the problem.
Many male cyclists who have suffered this numbing sensation down below may already have come to this conclusion. But now we have proof from two researchers at Boston University who used digital three-dimensional modeling.
A report in UroToday says the two, J. M. Gemery and S. K. Reid, concluded that cyclists who lean far forward eliminate most of the benefits of using a bicycle saddle with a groove down the middle. ... more»
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says it will spend $500 million in the next five years to help stem the rising tide of childhood obesity.
I hope the philanthropic organization considers the benefits of bicycling and how to make it easier and safer for children to use their bikes for exercise.
The foundation estimates that about one-third of the US population of children 17 and younger are overweight or obese; that's equal to the rate of the adult population. If the trend isn't reversed, foundation president Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey told the NY Times, “The younger generation is going to live sicker and die younger than their parents because of obesity.” ... more»
The growing obesity rate of Americans is one of the items that struck me in Trek Bicycle boss John Burke's slideshow to other bicycle makers the other day.
Burke showed a series of slides, represented at right, showing the increase and geographical range of obesity rates among adults Americans in the past 15 years.
If you're in the obesity range -- 30 pounds overweight for a 5-foot-4 adult -- or you want to hold your weight steady, you might be interested to check out a calorie calculator that estimates how many calories are burned by different activities.
For instance, I discovered that one hour of cycling at 12-14 mph burns 594 calories, while one hour of blogging (writing) burns 72 calories. ... more»
An admittedly obese Pennsylvania woman and her husband are undergoing an extreme weight reduction program one pedalstroke at a time.
The couple are about 1,000 miles into their planned counterclockwise 16,000-mile bicycle tour around the United States. So far, they've lost a combined 130 pounds.
Morton and Priscilla Houliston are getting a lot of attention as they make their way up the East Coast from Key West. Their blog at LittleChanges.com reports numerous interviews with TV stations, which sometimes results in donations of food or a place to spend the night. They've inspired people to start exercising again ... more»
Back at the end of 2006, I made the bold assertion that I would double last year's mileage and ride my bicycle at least 4,000 miles in 2007.
So far, I'm way off pace. Here are some of my lame excuses for this month:
First my high schooler was sick for three days at the beginning of February, then I came down with that energy-sapping virus for a few days myself ... more»
Here's a great way to jumpstart your spring bicycling to get that mileage base up for those long summer bike tours and rides.
The Seattle International Randonneurs is hosting a five-day spring training camp at Wenatchee, Washington, from April 26-30. The festival is designed for cyclists of all abilities who want to put in some good miles out of the rain.
The camp features two fully supported bike rides each day with options for short, medium and long mileage. Cue sheets are also available for unsupported rides. ... more»
At the beginning of the year I made the bold prediction that I would sweep aside 2006's dismal bicycling mileage and double my output to 4,000 miles.
Not much for the 8,000-plus mileage crowd, but good enough for a cyclist who has only hit 4,000 miles (the last time in 2003) a few times since completing a cross-country bike tour in 1984.
Doing the math, I'd have to click off an average 333.33 miles per month to hit the mark. That must be more difficult than it sounds, as I only bicycled 206.5 miles in January. Looking back at the bicycling logs I've saved since 1991 ... more»
What's one activity that is growing among Americans 45 years and older, while it declines among the population as a whole? Bicycle riding.
The finding is in a report entitled "Global Aging and Sports: The Impact of Aging of the World's Population on the World of Sports." It was prepared by The Consilience Group, LLC, for SBRnet, a Princeton, New Jersey-based sports marketing research firm.
I'm a little surprised in the findings that bicycling has declined among the population as a whole since the early 1990s. However, the National Bicycle Dealers Association reports that the peak participation year for cycling was 1992 with 54.6 million participants. The most recent estimates available are for 2002, when 41.4 million Americans took to their bicycles. Sales figures, however, show steady growth. ... more»
The results are in for the 2006 bike mileage survey, and I see there are quite a few long-distance cyclists who voted. Nearly one in five responded that they had bicycled 8,000 or more miles this year.
I'll do the calculations for you: 8,000 miles is an average 154 miles per week. Wow. Even if the bulk of the miles were tallied on long summer rides, you'd still have to put in a good weekly average to get your miles up there.
I'm also impressed that more than half of you -- 57% -- bicycled more than 3,000 miles last year ... more»
Vote in the poll in the right column and see where you stack up against other Biking Bis readers.
Right off, I'm ashamed to admit that I barely skimmed 2,000 miles. Looking back over my monthly bike logs, I see notes for serious bike mechanical problems in February, the commitment of managing youth baseball in March through mid-June, and illness this fall.
Here's another weapon for your arsenal in posting a fast result in a time trial or finishing that last hill on your century bicycle ride.
The jelly bean.
The Jelly Belly Co. is in the endurance sports business now with its Sport Beans product. Basically, we're talking your standard jelly beans here packed with carbohydrates ... more»
Here's my recipe for a post-bike ride recovery drink that I frequently quaff in the summertime. I found out recently that it's just as refreshing in the cold weather as well.
It's easy to make because there's no measuring involved. At least I don't measure. I guess it's an art, not a science.
Into a blender, drop 6-10 large frozen strawberries. Add a banana, about a cup of yogurt (I prefer vanilla), and lots of orange juice. Blend. ... more»
While it might seem funny that there are adults who don't know how to ride a bike, apparently there are people who are afraid to ride because of some childhood trauma. They're afraid, but they still want to try it.
The Bicycle Riding School in Somerville, Massachusetts, is the only place I've heard of that teaches adults how to get over their fear of falling off their bikes. Nearly 2,000 people have learned to ride bikes there in the past 20 years.
There are many bicycling clinics that teach adults how to safely ride in traffic or improve their skills in road racing or mountain biking. What the Bicycle Riding School does is teach adults how to get over their phobia. ... more»
When bicyclist Joe Kern explained his ability to ride 80 miles on his 80th birthday, he credited a proper bike fit as being one of the major reasons for his longevity in the saddle.
We all probably have a cursory knowledge of bike fit. Primarily it involves saddle height and handlebar reach, but pedal and shoe alignment also comes into play.
If the bike fit is right, we can ride efficiently for hours on end with little or no discomfort. If wrong, we suffer neck, back and knee pain, sore arms and shoulders and numb hands.
Cycling becomes a pain in the butt.
The American Physical Therapy Association is focusing on proper bike fit this month. Erik Moen of Seattle, an association member and an elite cycling coach with the US Cycling Federation, says he first looks to improper bike fit as the culprit when patients complain of cycling related aches and pains.
I woke up at 5 o'clock this morning, just like I have every morning for the past three weeks to happily watch the Tour de France live on OLN out here on the West Coast.
After putting on the coffee, I turned on OLN partly out of force of habit and curiosity. No Phil or Paul. Just some guy sitting there wearing a "gimme hat" talking about how to catch big-mouth bass. That was the final realization. The Tour de France is over. So, after trundling my daughter off to day camp, I jumped on the bike for ride instead of prying open the laptop. Now I'm OK. Are you OK?
After the ride, I found an article at DepressioNet that espouses physical activity, especially bicycling, as a good treatment for depression. ... more»
Sometime soon, the blogger at My Big Fat Geek Cycling bLog is going to have to change the name of his website.... maybe to just My Geek Cycling bLog.
For the past 18 months, he has used his bicycle to slowly and surely pedal himself back into shape. He's a poster boy for cycling to a healthy lifestyle. ... more»
Health officials and bicyclists in Chicago rejoiced a couple of weeks ago when the March issue of Bicycling magazine named it the second best city for cycling in its population division -- over 1 million.
Yet at the same time, Men's Fitness magazine in March named the Windy City the #1 Fattest City in the US.
I've often been accused of being a bicycling Luddite. I'm the last cyclist on my block to use integrated brake-handle shifters, aerodynamic helmet, Kevlar tires (what's wrong with Mr. Tuffies?), aero rims, etc.
That also goes for bike electronics. Yet I read with interest a New York Times piece touting a bicycle computer made by Garmin in today's technology section. With 8 data fields, it's too distracting for me to use, although I'm sure many others will find the features very valuable. ... more»
"If you're a traditional cyclist and you ride using your legs, your upper body turns into matchsticks. So when you're suddenly requiring your chest and your arms and your back to move your whole body, you realize just how weak those muscles are." ... more»
Wake up and smell the coffee before a ride, but don't overdue the caffeine intake if you have coronary problems.
That's the finding of a study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology this month. Two cups of java reduced the body's ability to increase blood flow to the heart during exercise. ...
more»
"On your left...." "ON YOUR LEFT...!" "HELLO?"
Just a snippet of a one-way conversation I had with a bicycle-riding couple on the Lake Washington bike trail a few weeks ago.
They were toodling along on their bikes, side-by-side, oblivious to the world around them. When we reached a hill and the guy rode a little bit ahead, I had a ... more»
Cyclists shouldn't be suffering a lot of fear and loathing over the possibilities of male impotence caused by bike saddles. Anyway, isn't anxiety a major cause of erectile dysfunction?
The New York Times interviewed several specialists in a story this week ("Serious Riders, Your Bicycle Seat May Affect Your Love Life") that concludes that most bike saddles do little to protect the sex organs ... more»
The role that bicycle saddles might play in male impotence is destined to become a national fixation now that the New York Times has weighed in on the subject. The NYT says that typical bicycle saddles (like the one at left) do little to protect the sex organs. Ergonomic saddles (right) sometimes create their own problems. ...
more»
People in China used to ride their bicycles to get to work, shop, visit. Film clips of the country used to show roads packed with bicycles -- such as the ubiquitous Flying Pigeon.
Now, it sounds like the Chinese might need to get on their bikes for exercise. Many Chinese are suffering obesity from a sedentary lifestyle, according to ... more»
It's no news flash that hard training and weight loss create more speed. But by how much?
In the case of Lance Armstrong, he boosted his muscle efficiency by 8% over the period from 1992 to 1999. Couple that with a 7% reduction in body weight and fat and it adds up to an 18% improvement in his steady state power ... more»
If you want to lose weight by riding your bicycle into the ground, go ahead. It won't weaken your bones.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say that, unlike dieting alone, exercising to lose weight doesn't reduce bone mass, even in people aged 55 and older.
I've been thinking a lot lately about Broc Bebout, the 57-year-old Indiana cyclist who died the day after completing a cross-country bicycle tour.
The well-liked bike club member from Anderson was a marathon runner in his 20s and 30s, until he was diagnosed with heart disease and underwent a quadruple bypass at age 39. Bicycling helped him lead a ... more»
For many years, neck pain had become such a normal part of riding for a bicycling buddy of mine that he had come to expect it -- just like getting thirsty on a hot day or getting out breath on a long climb. He's not alone. Neck and back pain is a common ailment for cyclists, according to an excellent article in Roadcycling.com. The authors explain in detail the causes of neck and back pain and give some suggestions on how to treat it. more»
What's the draw for electric-powered bicycles? They look cumbersome and heavy. It makes sense that you'd need the extra boost from an electric motor to get over hills because of all the weight from the electric motor -- a self-fulfilling prophecy. A doctor in the UK, however, says they're very useful for patients recovering from knee surgery or those with circulation problems in their legs. more»
Are your legs sore after these spring bicycle rides? It might not be that you're too out of shape. Fitness experts encourage cyclists to use smaller gears and keep a high cadence while they ride, especially now that your body is recovering from its winter doldrums.
This might be a little bit like preaching to the choir, but it's something that's important to remember these cold winter days when we face the choice of getting on the bicycle or plopping down in front of the TV or computer.
We all know that exercise is good for us, and we've chosen cycling as at least one of the ways we stay healthy. But we have to remember that the older we get, the more important it is to get out on the bike.
Considered individually, high blood pressure, high levels of blood glucose, high cholesterol and too much abdominal fat are risk factors to avoid when we get older. When three or more of these factors combine, it causes metabolic syndrome and can lead to heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Recently, researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore studied what happens when a group of men and women aged 55 to 75 exercised 60 minutes three time a week, compared those who didn't.
You can guess the results. The rate of metabolic syndrome dropped by 41 percent in the supervised exercise group, compared to 18 percent in the other group. The researchers recommended that older adults shouldn't cut back on exercise, they should step it up. It increases fitness and muscle mass, while burning off the fat.
Instead of waiting until my mood and the weather is just right for a big ol' monster bicycle ride, I've been using my bicycle for light errands in whatever the weather.
Here in the Northwest, that usually means drizzle and temperatures in the upper 30s to 40s -- not ideal for cycling but better than freezing cold and snow or ice.
What happens is that once I'm outside, that chill and drizzle doesn't seem as bad as it did when I was sitting in my warm house. After I'm done at the bank, or the store, or the Blockbuster, I'm apt to point my bicycle down the road instead of pedaling back home. A two-mile ride turns into a 10- or 15-mile ride. The total mileage on my bicycle training log shows 214 for January, instead of the usual wintertime 80 to 100 miles.
The first thing I do when I walk in the door from a bicycle ride -- even before a shower -- is to record my time and miles in a bicycle log.
I like to keep it simple. Route, miles, time, MPH, and comments. I've created an Excel spreadsheet file that computes the MPH and tallies the monthly miles and hours in the saddle.
Most of the other bicycle training logs I've seen (here's another free one at Arnie Baker Cycling) include reams of data points for such things as stretching, resting pulse rate, elevation gain, cadence -- you name it. Many of today's bicycle computers can record this data, some can even download the information right into the computer.
That's great if you're training for the racing season or if you're serious about meeting other bicycle training goals. But for me, I'm just curious about how many miles I've knocked out for the month.
I've been logging my rides since 1991, that's about 37,000 miles back up the road. That's a lot of blacktop, and it doesn't include my previous 13 years of cycling with independent tours of Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, the NE US and Quebec, and lastly a 4,000-mile cross-country bicycle tour from Yorktown, VA to Carlsbad, CA.
This past year I knocked off 2,359 miles, slightly less than my 2,600 average. I see I didn't ride at all in November, and October and December were about 60 miles each.
August was my best month and the best recorded August -- 716 miles. July 2003 was the best month -- 948 miles.
I see lots of trends over the years. My mileage generally falls way off the last three months -- that goes for living in both warm and cold climes. I think I just get burned out by the end of the year, regardless of the weather. The mileage always picks up again in January.
You might find it inspirational to learn that an 88-year-old man won three gold medals at the Connecticut Senior Games earlier this year.
An avid bicyclist, Gene said that he'd run into a streak of bad luck -- all his own fault -- with bicycling the past year and didn't know whether he would be able to achieve his goal of 60 on his 60th.
Update: Dec. 8 -- The physical therapist told me today that it's OK to ride my bike, even though there will be some pain. The knee cap should be realigned so it's not rubbing the femur after about 10,000 repititions of the exercises he's given me. That means 3 to 4 months.
Spring might seem to be the best time to dial in the fit of your bicycle, but some riders may notice that necks and backs begin to pinch a little during long summer bike rides.
Another day, another study with something for us to worry about.
How much bicycling is too much if you're trying to start a family?
David Rowe says he was taking the leap from recreational cyclist to ultra long-distance cyclist when he rode the arduous Torture 10,000 century in Oregon a few years ago.
I've noticed some heavy print and online advertising -- including at this blog -- for protein waters. They're generally touted for body builders who want to bulk up and endurance athletes like bicyclists who want to shorten recovery time.
Ever since kids arrived on the scene in this household, fall has been the time of year when my head starts feeling congested and before I know it I'm suffering from a cold.
As you can imagine, I was a bit surprised when my doctor told me to stay off the bicycle for five days.
Forget about the dishes in the sink. Forget about mowing the lawn and posting your blog. Forget about sleep. If you had 24 hours, how far could you ride your bicycle?
Warmer weather and longer bike rides are right around the corner for many of us, which means sore, blistered butts are also around the next bend.
Erectile dysfunction in bicyclists is as much about riding position as it is about the saddle, say two urologists who have studied the problem.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says it will spend $500 million in the next five years to help stem the rising tide of childhood obesity.
At the beginning of the year I made the bold prediction that I would sweep aside 2006's dismal bicycling mileage and double my output to 4,000 miles.
How many miles did you ride your bicycle in 2006?
Here's my recipe for a post-bike ride recovery drink that I frequently quaff in the summertime. I found out recently that it's just as refreshing in the cold weather as well.
While it might seem funny that there are adults who don't know how to ride a bike, apparently there are people who are afraid to ride because of some childhood trauma. They're afraid, but they still want to try it.
When bicyclist 
I woke up at 5 o'clock this morning, just like I have every morning for the past three weeks to happily watch the Tour de France live on OLN out here on the West Coast. 
Sometime soon, the blogger at 
Wake up and smell the coffee before a ride, but don't overdue the caffeine intake if you have coronary problems.
It's a new year; time to begin keeping track of your mileage.
"On your left...." "ON YOUR LEFT...!" "HELLO?"
The role that bicycle saddles might play in male impotence is destined to become a national fixation now that the New York Times has weighed in on the subject. The NYT says that typical bicycle saddles (like the one at left) do little to protect the sex organs. Ergonomic saddles (right) sometimes create their own problems. ...
It's no news flash that hard training and weight loss create more speed. But by how much?
What's the draw for electric-powered bicycles? They look cumbersome and heavy. It makes sense that you'd need the extra boost from an electric motor to get over hills because of all the weight from the electric motor -- a self-fulfilling prophecy. A doctor in the UK, however, says they're very useful for patients recovering from knee surgery or those with circulation problems in their legs. 
Are your legs sore after these spring bicycle rides? It might not be that you're too out of shape. Fitness experts encourage cyclists to use smaller gears and keep a high cadence while they ride, especially now that your body is recovering from its winter doldrums.
