Life of Bikes

It's Cold! Now What?

Yup, its that time of year again for many of us in "less than San Diego" climates as I like to say.  What to do?  If you stop riding now you will have to deal with that awful "Spring Burn" that in some cases keeps you off your bike until summer, fall or even another spring.  That is not an option for me. 

So what then?

Run, hike, join a gym, anything! 

Running will keep your legs and lungs in form.  Somewhat different muscles but many of the same.  More importantly it will keep you mentally in the mode of working out and feeling the adrenaline of doing it. 

Hiking will help you build some leg strength if you do it right. Don't just stroll along.  Run a bit, hit some hills like you would on a bike and enjoy being outside in the cold.  Nothing is worse for a bike rider than bing couped up inside for a winter.  I start to get nuts!

Gyms are great this time of year because there are others like you there working out and in some cases the people that are only concerned to look good on a beach are home building up more to burn off later.  Brilliant time to go!  Build up some muscle or strengthen up where you were weaker. 

 

I keep this in mind year round as it is the best motivator for me...

 

"Pain is temporary, quitting is forever" - Lance Armstrong

 

Happy winter...whenever that arrives.

 

Rain Rides - Can't Put My Finger on Why it is Fun

There is something about being on a bike on a rainy day. Your all wet, extra sweaty with rain gear, breathing heavier, listening for beeps over the IPOD and just digging deep for all the stamina you can find to climb and hold on. It's different than a sunny day in some way that I can't put my finger on.

This image from CarisWorld tells the story pretty well.  Maybe it is that when it rains most people are not out and it makes the ride more peaceful and about just you, the bike and the terrain.  Typically rain is not a favorite, but on a bike it grabs you somehow.

Flickr! is Amazing

For those of you that have not been to Flickr!, What are you waiting for?  It is so full of great photos by amateur, professionals and terrible photographers.  This is not the main reason to visit.  It has stories, not the text-based type.  It has story after story in the imagery it shares.  You can spend hours browsing a topic if you like.  It is seemingly endless.

Here is my example.  I am a bike fanatic.  BMX, Freestyle, Mountain Bikes.  I even will sit still long enough to catch some road riding if the drama is high enough in a Tour de France stage.

This is a list of links that I grabbed related to bikes.  Granted I only spent about 15 minutes on the site, but I could have continued to stroll through the world's photo albums.

Enjoy.

Romania. Moscow. France. USA. UK.  Brazil.  Canada.   New Zealand.  Japan.

Pick a country and you can find a story.  Pick a story and you may find a country.  It is limitless.  Enjoy 

Moscow.