First Taste of Freedom

Bike to school day typically falls in early May each year so I had planned to write about that and share tips and tricks on how to make it a successful event for you and your family. Things like how to find safe routes to and from school and the importance of practicing with your kids prior to the event day. Well, thanks to the Corona Virus, “school” is taking place at kitchen tables around the country, eliminating the need to commute at all, let alone via bike. However, now is actually a fantastic time to teach your kids to ride, brush up on the rules of the road and set the foundation for safe cycling!

Let’s start with the obvious. With much of the country currently on some sort of “stay at home” orders, there are very few cars on the road. And, I’m finding the cars I do encounter are driving more patiently and less aggressively, ostensibly because no one is in a hurry these days. So now is the PERFECT time to get your little ones out and start building confidence by teaching them the basics. Seriously, LOOK at these empty/quiet intersections!!

Since one of the biggest hurdles can be moving your little one from the sidewalk to the road (where bicycles belong), the reduced traffic, slower pace and over-all quiet neighborhoods will work in your favor. Initially, when I was teaching my kids to ride, I found it easiest to have them follow behind me, single-file and basically do whatever I was doing: signal when I signaled, stop when I stopped, etc. Like “follow the leader” but on bikes. Even better if a second adult can bring up the rear and follow behind the little ones ensuring their compliance and safety.

Now that mine are older, I like them to lead the way so I can follow behind and see if they are actually obeying the rules of the road: staying on the right side of the road for starters (I have one who likes to take his half in the middle), signaling when turning and obeying traffic signs. 

Seeing them in action gives me greater confidence that they are being safe when I’m not cycling with them. That said they need constant reminding on the basics which include:

• ALWAYS wear a helmet - this is non-negotiable for me: if you get on a bike, you wear a helmet. Period.
• Bike on the right side of the road, with traffic (never against it).
• Do NOT bike on the sidewalk - sidewalks are for pedestrians. 
• STOP at stop signs and obey traffic rules.
• Do NOT listen to music while biking - stay aware and listen for cars.
• SIGNAL when turning - cars, pedestrians and cyclists need to know what you are doing.
• Have fun!!

The freedom that cycling provides kids is priceless. The ability to explore, play and transport yourself by virtue of your own two legs and lungs builds confidence as well as fitness. Teaching your kids to ride a bike is their first taste of freedom and helps foster independence. I also hope that, by starting them young and teaching them how to share the road safely, they will be more aware and more careful drivers when that day comes.

Stay safe and happy cycling!

Erin

February’s Winter Trainer Love, Hate, and Glorious Suffering Blog

February can be a rather depressing and boring month when you are trying to ride outside. Unfortunately, Mother Nature has other ideas. This mostly applies to those like me who own but one bike, and it is a 100% road bike for paved roads. So, then we have the dreaded trainer to aid in our, umm, relief by connecting your bike to this beast and spinning aimlessly till the snow melts. Sound familiar friends!? 

OK, so some back history on my trainer love/hate relationship when we used to go to the Mecca of spinning dens in Golden run by a world famous bad-ass named Megan. We would show up every Saturday morning in the winter and some Wednesday evenings to be lulled into a nice warm-up and then told to spin till we bake forever. There was quite the following for many years to this den of sweat, smiles, sometimes cookies, and decent views out the windows. This definitely grew my love for riding even more. Thank you Megan.

Now, back to this month, February 2020, and what I do for cycling promotion, encouragement, commuting (not so much) and the love of riding. The highlight of this month is always the virtual tour of a mythical nation that is nine days long. Yes, nine consecutive days on your trainer with a couple thousand other friends from around the world. Why you ask would anyone want to subject themselves to this type of insanity? Well I shall tell you why as best I can. The name of this tour is The Tour of Sufferlandria (TOS) and is based in our mythical nation of Agonia (no one knows where this actually is), somewhere in the highest mountain range, so the suffering is glorious. We do this tour to raise money for the Davis Phinney Foundation. Their mission is to make the lives of those with Parkinson's disease more livable and normal. This year, we raised close to $225,000 for the foundation. The tour is very hard and requires a lot of planning. Some stages are two to three hours long. I have met so many great people virtually and in person over the years and encouraged them to improve on the bike as they have encouraged me. Every day, we post our glorious suffering results, pics only no data of the ride. Then we encourage and heckle everyone else till the next day's stage.

Throughout the year, many Sufferlandrians use the Sufferfest App to train both indoors and outdoors for races they have their sights on for months. But really, the main focus for all of us is the TOS. The tour is different every year. In the stages' videos, we are challenged to complete within a global 50 hour window for each stage. This year was probably the toughest of the seven tours I have done, having a mixture of sprint, time trial, and climbing workouts.

This tour is also a great springboard for many of us to get into shape for the upcoming outdoor season of commuting, riding, and racing. No one likes to hit spring time up 10-15 lbs. or worse. Right!? 

After the tour is complete, rest and recovery are the keys, then back on the trainer till spring arrives and Mother Nature will allow us to ride outside on our awesome road bikes. Throughout this month, and especially during the tour, positive posts of why we ride, how we ride, or equipment and attack plans are critical to all. This is how we grow our cycling community both indoors and outdoors. Always be looking for ways to encourage those who are new to riding and to those who may be a tad burned out from riding. #ridemoredriveless

This is my February on the bike as an Ambassador.

Gerry Stephenson (GJStache53)

Road Cyclist/Racer -> Bike Commuter

Last year was my first year racing bikes. I got into cycling a few years ago as a form of cross training to complement my running. I've always been very competitive, have loved working hard, and seeing results, and chasing down goals. Naturally, after riding bikes for a couple years, racing was the next step. I joined a local cycling team here in Denver for the 2019 season and although I was only able to race a handful of times, I'd call the season a success. I ended up getting some good results: 11th, 2nd, 6th, and 4th.

Toward the end of the year, I was riding with Megan and she asked me if I was planning to race again in 2020. At that point, I wasn't sure what my plans for 2020 were for bike racing, but I knew that my free time would be extremely limited due to two little ones at home.

Megan asked me to join the Bike Ambassador team of bike commuters who are passionate about getting people on bikes and out riding, specifically to/from work. In doing so, I've been forced to bike commute more (can't talk-the-talk if you don't walk-the-walk) and in doing so I've learned a couple of things:

1. Bike Commuting Can Be Just as Fun as Bike Racing - The competitive drive can still be satisfied when you aren't focused on racing. Seeing others who commute can fuel your fire. I know people who commute all-year round, in all conditions. That motivates me to get out. I know people who commute further, or have harder commutes, but they still do it, so it motivates me to get out and do it. Etc., etc.
2. You Can Still Set and Achieve Goals -  Maybe instead of doing Tuesday intervals, you bike commute both ways to and from the office. Maybe instead of increasing your threshold by 10 watts, you want to bike commute at least three days, each week for this month. And, of course, you can still chase KOMs for segments that are on your commute - although it's harder when you're carrying work cloths, shoes, etc.
3. It Is a Great Use of Time - Especially now with our second kiddo, bike commuting is an excellent use of my time. Instead of the 30-minute commute each way + trying to fit in at least an hour workout a day, I can bike commute and accomplish the commute and workout simultaneously. It is a great way to prepare for work in the morning and decompress on the way home. The mental benefits of bike commuting and not driving the car/sitting in traffic are amazing.
4. It's Okay to Not Bike Commute Every Day/Everywhere - Sure, I'd love to ride my bike everywhere, work, the grocery store, post office, bank, doctors, or dentist, etc., but it isn't always going to happen. Sometimes, it isn't practical, sometimes I have a limited amount of time and driving is faster, sometimes I need to stay at home later in the morning or be home sooner in the evening to help with the kiddos, sometimes it isn't safe due to the weather, and sometimes I just don't want to. That's okay!!! You don't have to ride every single day. You don't have to ride everywhere. You can still take the car and drive. Fact of the matter is you're still getting exercise, reducing your carbon footprint, and making the world a better place! Don't feel bad about using the car sometimes!

If you haven't tried bike commuting, you need to. It'll change your life.

-Ben

In Search of Adversity

            Earlier this year, I gave an interview to the marketing team for an undisclosed major outdoor retail brand.  While I was never made aware of the exact reason the in-person interview was taking place, I had a blast spending about 90 minutes with the crew, talking all-things-outdoors.  In case you don’t know me really well, at heart, I am your typical running nerd.  As you might expect, it wasn’t long until we started to take a pretty deep dive into my love of running and the lure that the nearby Rocky Mountains have over my soul.

            As our conversation continued, we shifted to the subject of fear when out in the wilderness.  I ended up telling a story about a solo weekend outing in which I found myself in some pretty nasty weather.  Though I had all the right gear with me: satellite beacon, food, extra clothing, etc and I was never truly in any danger, the mere thought that I was on some sort of edge kept me 100% dialed-in to the task of getting to my destination.  As I told my story, the interviewer sat, listening attentively. Much to my surprise, afterwards, she was chuckling a bit.  “This entire interview, and it took you up until a story where you felt scared to show me a smile that big?!?” she said.  Apparently, my face had just LIT up when speaking, and, in reflection, I could see it too.  Why had I reacted like that?

            I thought about this occurrence for quite a few weeks. What was so different about that story that sparked joy and life into me?  Then, one day, while talking to some friends about the rise in popularity of trail running events, it hit me.  People crave adversity in their lives.  Actually, scratch that, they NEED adversity in their lives!

            The guy who sits alone in a cubicle for 50 hours each week signs up for an ultramarathon to feel like he’s part of something bigger than himself. The brotherhood and camaraderie that comes along with completing a trail ultra is powerful!  In our daily, civilized cultures, though, people go from air-conditioned houses into air-conditioned cars and make their way into air-conditioned work spaces.  Unless you specifically choose to be under a little duress, you can live comfortably forever.  This sounds great until you realize that the human species did not evolve because we chose comfort.

            While I’m not saying that everybody needs to take cold showers all the time, putting yourself in a place of discomfort enables a primal side of your brain to engage.  This reptilian part of your brain thrives on binary decisions – am I safe or not?  Pick one. When you subject yourself to a little bit of duress, you can help fine tune the workings of your fight-or-flight system.  The daily stresses of life in 2020 try to keep this system turned on 24-7; you can help it discriminate between true threat and perception of threat by allowing it to function in its own right. For example, a 35-minute bike ride into work in the winter doesn’t typically appeal to the average cyclist, yet, it can be the crack in the door needed to reset your brain.  When you choose to, in this case, ride into work despite there not being “perfect conditions,” you offer the autonomic nervous system a chance at doing its job.  So, how will you add some adversity to your life?

            There are a number of action steps you could take right now.  Whether for completion or competition, that endurance event that you’ve been procrastinating in registering for – sign up!  Have you always wanted to try acro yoga?  Take an introductory class!  Grown tired of rock climbing indoors and have wanted to get outside?  Find a camp!  OR, for those of you that just want to shake your life up a bit, creating a touch of adversity twice a day, start riding your bike to work.  Simply pick one day a week as a target and, before you know it, you’ll be trying to find ways to ride everywhere!  Bike commuting will change your life in ways you will not imagine, and you’ll find yourself smiling just a bit more each day because of it.

My Journey Into Bike Commuting

Six months ago, I started commuting to work by bicycle. Here are six things I’ve learned in that time:

1)    Bike Commuting Saves you Time, and it Saves you Dollars! As an endurance junkie, I am always looking for new ways to grab a quick workout.  What sounds more appealing to you: sitting in traffic and slugging to work in 25 minutes OR hopping on a bike and cruising there in 35? Obviously, the option that comes with aerobic gain!  Then, there’s the savings on gas & vehicle maintenance.  What if you only had to drive your vehicle on the weekends? How cool would that be?!?

2)    I’m Better at Combatting the “What Ifs” As a chronic over-analyzer, one of my biggest problems lies in obsessing over all the details of a decision.  If I pick this, will this other thing happen?  What if I don’t have the time to do this as a result?  Whether it’s your classic decision fatigue or “analysis paralysis,” choosing two wheels over four has helped me narrow my focus.  While I thought I might still do this with my bike commute, making the choice to ride into work has given me some pretty good resiliency in staying committed to getting out of my own head.

3)    Daily Injections of Momentum For me, the ongoing path toward health and wellness has always been blazed by movement.  Whether running, cycling, lifting weights, or yoga, ensuring that I get a daily dose of exercise takes me off a mental edge.  It makes me a better human, dad, husband, and teacher. However, like every busy human in the 21^stcentury, I have days where I get bogged down by life.  I lack motivation after a poor night of sleep, or I come up with 57 things I “need” to do before I make time for exercise. When I started bike commuting, though, the barriers to movement were removed.  Whether I felt “ready” to ride into work, I was going!  After just a few days of transitioning into this change, I was completely sold.  Bike commuting provides me the impetus to keep my activity level up and buzzing.

4)    A Time for Reflection We all have those difficult and draining days at work – maybe these are frequent for some of you.  On your drive back home, what do you do to help unwind? After all, once you walk in the house, you have to quickly put on your new hat – as a parent, as a spouse/significant other, etc.  Do you listen to music or put on a podcast?  While either of those used to be my go-to, I have yet to find a better way to reset my brain than simply moving.  My 35-minute bike commute affords me some time to prepare for my day in the morning and shake off any stressors in the evening.  Have you ever heard anybody say, “Man, I really wish I didn’t go on that bike ride.  I’m so stressed now.”  No, I didn’t think so.

5)    Upping My Problem-Solving Game How often have you found yourself wrestling a problem in your head for days, only to completely unravel it & find a solution during exercise?  If you’re like me, then the answer is a resounding “All the Time!”  While I used to “double” quite a bit in college (running in the morning and afternoon), I have scaled back on that practice in adulthood. This meant I lost out on some key problem-solving time.  Well, the to-and-from work time on my bike has reopened that portal.  Upon entering my house, after commuting home, the number of times my conversations have started, “Hi, family!  I missed you today.  Okay, I think I figured out what to do” is too many to pin down.

6)    I’m Better at Channeling the “What Wills” In removing the “what ifs” from my daily thought, I have replaced them with “what wills.”  By getting out of my own head, I can clearly see the benefits of my six months of bike commuting.  What will happen if you choose to follow a similar path is some or all of the following.  You will inspire those around you, both at home and at work, to engage in conversation about the benefits of riding to work. You will contribute to the health of our planet by removing one more vehicle from the roads.  You will be part of the solution to many of humankind’s problems – connecting with your environment on a deeper level and finding yourself experiencing the world on your way to work, instead of just passing it by.

            Six months ago, I made the decision to commute to work on my bike. I didn’t know how much of a positive impact this simple choice would have on my life.  I thought I was just giving this biking-to-work thing a try.  I didn’t know I was about to fall (back) in love with my bike.  As you sit there and contemplate riding your bicycle to work, try to avoid lingering on all the “what ifs.”  What if it rains?  What if I have to go somewhere after work?  What if I usually drive to get my lunch every day?  Let all those thoughts fly out the window.  Instead, focus on the “what wills.”  Commit to riding your bike to work one day each week and try it out for a month.  Take some time to do a little planning.  On your next drive into the office, stash some spare clothes and a box of granola bars at your desk.  There is a way to make it work; you just have to find it.  I’m always here to help so please feel free to reach out with any questions.  I promise you won’t regret this decision. 

Dear Santa ...

Do you remember your first bike? I think I remember mine. It was a hand-me-down from my brother. It was powder blue and it had an alligator on the chain guard. It was awesome. Until, the day my dad ran it over with his car. 

That Christmas, to replace my otherwise flattened bike, Santa brought me a brand new bike. It had a giant banana seat and it was rainbow colored. It even had rainbow streamers in the handle bars. In my opinion there is nothing better than getting a new bike.

Fast forward 30 years- Every year my husband and I sponsor children through the Precious Child program and the Boulder County Bar Association. https://apreciouschild.org/what-we-do/precious-gift/

The Precious Child program collects donated new toys, gift cards and gifts for children (babies through teenagers) in the most need in the community.  They make incredible efforts to assure that children do not wake up Christmas morning without a present. This year, one of the children we sponsored was an 8 year old boy. His Christmas list to Santa included new clothes, dinosaur toys and a BIKE.  My husband and I were thrilled to help Santa deliver a new bike to this little boy.

During our search for a new kid’s bike, we met a retired Auto Worker who now lives in Lafayette, Colorado. This incredible man spends his retirement fixing-up and donating gently used bikes to the community. He works out of his house and has bikes available for sale or donation- depending on your need.  You can drive past his house in Lafayette and see his display of available bikes. It’s amazing. He also donates bikes to Community Cycles, and is happy to donate bikes to charities in need. Check out Community Cycles- https://communitycycles.org/ Their focus is not just children’s bikes, but adult bikes as well.  Many individuals are dependent upon their bike as their primary mode of transportation.

We are lucky to live in Colorado where numerous organizations exist that donate bikes to both children and adults. Check out some of the bike donation programs in Colorado. A Bike can change a life and make things that were previously inaccessible, accessible. If you have any bikes collecting dust in your garage, consider donating them and giving the bike and its eventual recipient a new life.

https://projectrecycle.org/

http://bikestogether.org/donate-a-bike/

https://www.goodwilldenver.org/programs/peoplewithdisabilities/goodbikes.html

Happy Holidays!

Making Group Rides Great!

Long live group rides!  They are an opportunity to spend time with old and new friends, offer safety in numbers, and allow us to ride better, longer, and on new routes than we might on our own.

They can be even more fun if you follow these simple rules.


1. Keep the group to a reasonable size.  The size will vary based upon the type of ride, but for informal, social rides, 3-5 people is the perfect size. This size isn't that difficult for others (cars, other trail users) to navigate, and you won't develop a herd mentality that ignores the needs of others.  Finally, as a good friend says, for any group ride over three people, add 15 minutes to your total ride.  If time is of the essence, keep the group size small.

2. Know your skills and fitness.  As the ride is planned, have a realistic expectation of what you can do right now.  Most likely you will be fine, especially if you know and trust your riding partners. But it is good to know how long, how far, how much elevation gain, and how technical the ride is so you can map that back to what you've been doing.

3. Keep together.  Don't split up, unless you've planned ahead or have a communication plan to make sure everyone has made it home safely.  Regroup at natural places (trail heads, intersections), recognize that everyone has their own pace, and make sure you are never that far apart from one another.  This is for fun of course because why ride in a group if you don't spend time together, but also for safety.

4. Be situationally aware. Pay attention to the situations around you -- vehicles, trail users, etc -- and be respectful of them.  Groups can be intimidating to other folks and showing that you are paying attention to them goes along way.  Try not to impede traffic, repeatedly stop in front of other trail users, etc.  As for the group itself, use some judgement about how often and when you stop for snacking, changing wardrobe, etc. and try to coordinate that when others are doing it.  Being considerate can make the ride flow much more easily.


5. Car pool.  If you have to drive to ride, make it more fun by carpooling.  Drive together, ride together.  You are doing the environment a favor, saving money, and getting more out of your ride. 

Finally, many of us have ridden in the back of the pack and have had the faster riders wait for us.  It's really no big deal, and they most likely haven't been waiting long.  Don't apologize for 'being slow.'  Just say, 'Thanks for waiting.'  It's the nice thing to do.