Tag Archives: cycling

Join or Donate to the 2024 MS Coastal Challenge to Find a Cure

By Rob Cohn

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. MS is an autoimmune disease and the body attacks the healthy tissue in the brain. MS may cause blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech or even bad memory. Some people lose their ability to walk let alone ride a bike. The unpredictability of the disease can present many challenges, including the possibility of facing increasing limitations. Anyone may develop MS but there are some patterns. Two to three times more women than men have been diagnosed with MS.

I am participating in the 2024 MS Coastal Challenge in Ventura, CA because my husband Randy has MS. Every week he has to take an injection of medicine that will hopefully slow down the progression. The side effects that he deals with every week are having symptoms of having the flu, headaches and chills. He has to take over the counter medicine to help counteract the side effects. My wish is that a CURE is found so that people like Randy can live a life without the need for these horrible side effects.

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Posted on August 23, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Google Maps Gives Cyclists Their Own Directions

Take that old Schwinn out of the garage and wipe off the dust. In addition to walking and driving directions, Google maps also has biking directions.

Many people prefer biking to work or school to help the environment, save money, or just enjoy nature. So due to popular demand, Google maps introduced biking directions in March 2024 so that cyclists could more efficiently map out bike trips. The bike directions allow a user to personalize their trips, find bike lanes, and avoid big hills and major traffic zones. Google maps provides a useful tool for those who want to stake out the best routes and get reacquainted with a heart healthy childhood pastime.

In order to find bike trails in your town, type in the city on Google maps. Once you have found the correct city and zoomed in, click “more” on the options at the top of the map. The drag down list includes a “bicycling” option. Once you have selected the bicycling feature, the city map will now include dark green lines which indicate a bike-only trail, light green lines which indicate a bike lane on a road, and dashed green lines which indicate a road is designated as preferred for cyclists but without the specific bike lane.

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Posted on August 11, 2023 by Jamie

First Vegan Cyclist Rides Tour de France

July 2, 2024 brought about another first for the infamous cycling event, the Tour de France. In its 107-year history, cyclists have experimented with a multitude of options to better their chances at taking on the steep mountains and rigorous course. From diets full of red meat and carbs to even using cigarettes as a tactic, nearly everything has been attempted by the athletes. However, American cyclist David Zabriskie tried something no one else ever had. Zabriskie showed up to the starting line, planning on his vegan diet to carry him to victory.

While so many people practice a vegetarian or vegan diet, why was Zabriskie’s diet news? His no meat, dairy, or egg diet seems so radical due to the demands his sport puts on his body. Most cyclists eat plenty of meat and diary to help muscle recovery. The iron in red meat helps the body produce hemoglobin which helps transport oxygen to the muscles.

So why would any athlete of Zabriskie’s caliber do such a thing? Zabriskie has a medical reason, stating that blood tests showed some food sensitivities that meant while most athletes would benefit from red meat, that meat would take too much energy for Zabriskie to digest.

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Posted on July 29, 2023 by Lacy

Beetroot Juice Found to Enhance Athletic Performance

Athletes may be caught juicing with a new performance enhancing product soon. But this product is legal and it really is juice. Recent studies have been conducted with competitive cyclists and a somewhat foreign ingredient called beetroot juice.

Athletes in these tests were given the beetroot juice before a time trial. Multiple distances were timed and the cyclists who drank the complete beetroot formula were found to be over 2.5% faster than they were without the juice.

Beetroot juice is a natural source of nitrate. The nitrate ingredient is what is believed to be causing the enhanced performance. Nitrate widens blood vessels which lowers blood pressure and allows for more blood flow. Nitrate also reduces the amount of oxygen needed by muscles during activity. These two effects combined are the source for the improved performance of the cyclists in the research.

The cycling tests have surely sparked the interest of other athletes as well. If this natural and legal product can improve performance in one physical area, it seems plausible that it can help improve the performance of other activities as well. When dealing with sports, where seconds can mean the difference between second place or champion, beetroot juice may soon needs its own sports agent.

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Posted on July 12, 2023 by Lacy

Fun July 4th Activities for the Entire Family

It’s the hottest (often literally!) holiday of the entire summer, and one most of us look forward to all year long. July 4th celebrates the birthday of the United States of America, and the most common form of celebration is the community picnic with fireworks. It’s great to spend time with your friends and family, and everyone enjoys a day off, but don’t let the holiday celebration plop your bottom into a lawn chair for the day.

Instead, why not take part in some of these fantastic activities that the entire family, from kids to grandparents, can join in on? As a bonus, we’ve included the calorie counts of some popular picnic foods so you can see if that Firecracker popsicle is really worth it! (hint: it’s a good choice!)

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Posted on June 28, 2023 by Carmen

5 Ways to Fit In Fitness This Summer

The summer brings about several wonderful things. Kids long for the summer because they don’t have to go to school, and parents can often look forward to summer vacations and spending more time together as a family. While you are running around trying to find activities for the kids to do this summer, it can be easy to lose track of your own fitness.

Many summers involve family travels and vacations, summer camp, sleepovers and swimming activities. With just a little creative thinking, you can continue to get your daily fitness activities in regardless of the number of summer activities you’re juggling. Just because the summer is here doesn’t mean you have to neglect your body and well being. Everyone can use the summer to become more fit and enjoy the extra sunlight. Try some of the following recommendations to fit in fitness during the hectic summer months when schedules can be a little crazy.

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Posted on June 9, 2023 by Descygna

Technology and Style Bring Biking to a Whole New Level

The Pi Mobility PiCycle Sport Touring Bike

by Kelsey Murray

Long gone are the days when your bicycle was simply a way to get from point A to point B, or to get a little exercise in. There are many different styles of bikes: road, racing, mountain, commuter, and electric to name a few. Now, these many different styles of bikes are also getting a complete makeover. Check out some of the most creative – and functional – new bicycles to hit the road.

Pi Mobility PiCycle Sport Touring. This is an electric/manual model that has fantastic features, such as an anti-theft electronic feature to keep your bike from being stolen while you are not riding it. The design for this bike was originally created 20 years ago by an art student at Pasadena Art Center, Marcus Hays. This bike is great for recreational riders or those who commute to work. It ranges in price from $3,000 to $5,000.

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Posted on June 8, 2023 by Health Buzz

Bike to Work Day is May 20th

Friday, May 20th is Bike to Work Day, so dust the cobwebs off of your bicycle, strap on a helmet and pedal your way to better health.

The mornings are heating up as summer approaches so take advantage and ride your bike to and from work this Friday. Biking can burn up to 500 calories an hour, depending on your size, so you can easily fit in a killer workout while you commute.

Biking is the perfect way to exercise. While it’s a great cardiovascular and lower body workout you can do in the great outdoors, it is also a cheap, green and fast form of transportation. Bicyclists can ride right with traffic, sometimes faster, and eliminates the need to search for parking, pay for gas and pollute the air.

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Posted on May 17, 2023 by Kelly

Find Love for Yourself and Your Body by Finding a Love for Fitness

Jane Rides is the inspiration for See Jane Ride Bicycle Tours (www.seejaneridebicycletours.com or www.facebook.com/seejaneride). You can never be sure where she’ll pop up – New York – or Paris – Fashion Week; a royal wedding; or a Penn State football game. She’s always on her bike, always smiling, and always looking fabulous…at least on the outside. Wherever she’s seen, you’ll know that she’s bringing her philosophy of empowerment by encouraging adventure.

I consider myself a citizen of the world, but I call Central Pennsylvania my true home.

It was on the rolling hills and wooded mountains of Pennsylvania where I first learned about the zen-ness of cycling. There was also that incident at the Tour de France but I’m not sure I’m legally allowed to talk about that yet…

Moving on…

As much as I love riding – a commute here, a single-track trail there – I have to admit I’m still a bit of a girl. A girl who has all the same issues that the girls – ahem, excuse me, women – I meet all over the world have. One of them, my dears, is body image.

You look at me and you think, “Dear Jane, what on earth do you have to worry about. You are perfection on two wheels. The hair! The skin! The figure! The lips!”

First of all, thank you, thank you, thank you. I am quite fabulous looking, aren’t I? But more importantly, I feel great. Not every day, that’s for sure. I am still human – and no human who isn’t overly medicated and delusional feels great every day. That’s just not natural.

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Posted on May 11, 2023 by GuestBlogger

Take Your Bike to the Streets With Races Around the Country

Have you been taking spin classes like they’re going out of style? Spinning is one of the most popular forms of cardiovascular training today and is great for improving endurance, stamina, lower body strength, and even mental strength. Are you ready to get out of the gym routine and actually put all your training to the test? Well, bikeride.com offers a wide variety of upcoming biking events around the country. Each event or team in training (TNT) ride offers you an intense endurance workout while taking in some of the most scenic views this great nation has to offer. So, get out of the gym and hit the streets. Below is a list of team in training events near you.

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Posted on January 18, 2024 by Matt

20 Ways to Celebrate International Fitness Day

October 16 is International Fitness Day! Join people from around the world celebrating the day dedicated to health, fitness and charitable giving to help end the obesity epidemic. International Fitness Day is designed to encourage everyone to get up, out, and exercise at least 30-minutes that day, doing whatever kind of exercise you enjoy doing, and eat healthy all day long.

Need some ideas of activities you can do to join in the festivities? Try one of these on for size:

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Carmen