Features
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More People Bicycling More Often: Growing Statewide
By Barb Chamberlain, Executive Director, Bicycle Alliance of Washington The BAW’s history of accomplishments and commitment to a partnership approach made a real difference for riders around the state long before we became part of a growing nationwide phenomenon. Bikes are a cool cultural symbol at last — reaching beyond the spandex image to everyday people in regular clothing. Bicycles have finally started getting included in discussions of the transportation system rather than being regarded as a purely recreational toy; the momentum is growing rapidly and that’s good for all kinds of riding. Read More
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A Sports Nutrition Perspective on Glucose Intolerance
By Ellen K. Chow, MS, RD, CSSD, CD Endurance sports rely heavily on glucose to provide energy. But what if this mechanism goes wrong? Is it healthy to use protein and fat in place of carbohydrates? How would you know if you consumed too many of them for a specific type of exercise? Should a family history of diabetes be a concern? Carbohydrate metabolism is a complex biochemical process. This article aims to address some basics regarding glucose control for athletic performance and long-term health goals. Read More
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Extend your Season with an Over the Top Ride
By Sue Wolling I thought “Over the Top” was a geographical description of this bike ride between Oakridge and Blue River, Ore. — but it turned out that the amazing food, friendly support and comfortable accommodations were also “over the top.” This fabulous weekend in October 2011 was a culmination of another wonderful Oregon cycling season. Read More
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September's Trivia: Olympics History
By Dave Campbell It seems only fitting after the incredible performances and the excellence of London that this month we should focus on the Olympics. Read More
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The Four-day Getaway — Part II
By Darren Dencklau After pedaling his way from North Bend to Vantage, Wash., mostly riding the Iron Horse Trail, Darren prepares for the return trip and a few more adventures. We find him on day three after getting only an hour of sleep due to the previous night’s windstorm on the Columbia River. Read More
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Seven Records Set at Alpenrose Velodrome
By Dave Campbell The 14th annual Alpenrose Velodrome Challenge (AVC) featured a top notch women contingent from across the nation and dominating performances from a pair of Portland men who have been racing internationally. Both fields combined to set a stunning seven records on the 268-meter track. $13,000 in cash was up for grabs to the fixed gear faithful that journeyed to Portland on July 13-15. Read More
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Cycling: Bad for the Bones?
By Katie Hawkins A hard crash on a bike could be enough to break anyone’s bones. But in the last few years, studies have shown that speed may not be the only culprit. Researchers have found that because cycling is a non-weight-bearing exercise, it can put riders at risk for osteoporosis. To build strong bone mass, the skeleton needs “bone loading” exercises, or weight bearing activities such as walking, running or jumping to build bone density, as it reacts to external stresses. Sports such as bike riding and swimming have little to no loading qualities for the spine, and though both are fantastic workouts for cardio health, they don’t do much to build skeletal strength. Read More
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Can a Light Be Too Bright?
By Samantha Shimogawa You have probably experienced this before: it’s dark outside as you make your daily ride home when you see a small, bright dot appear in the distance. As it nears, the light becomes brighter and brighter until you’re completely blinded. You now choose one of two options: keep riding forward and hope to not run into anything, or move to the side and wait until the oncoming cyclist has passed before resuming your ride. Read More
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A Fantastic BC Superweek
There was some impressive racing during the $105,000 nine-race BC Superweek in July. Flanked by the Tour de Delta (July 7-9) and the Tour de White Rock (July 14-16), the 10-day event also featured three midweek criteriums — the UBC Grand Prix, Giro di Burnaby and the famous Gastown Grand Prix. Read More
Opinions
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Cyclists: It Takes One To Know One
By Joe Kurmaskie Wild animals know their own — from something as slight as a scent on the wind or a growl in the night — and cyclists aren’t that much different. Maybe it is the guy in the business meeting who notices your distinct biker glove tan lines and looks down at his own, then gives you a nod. Perhaps it is that woman rushing out of the elevator who whispers, “On your right” as she shoots by or the guy in line at the bank with the chainring grease marks on his calf. We know our own. Or we should. Why? For lots of reasons, such as camaraderie, sense of self, and because it is fun to see your tribe uncaged and rolling around out there in the wild. But the biggest reason that jumps out for me is that if we champion all forms of riders, it will help build a more livable community. Read More
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I Like My Coffee Bitter
By Maynard Hershon I’ve never aimed any of my work at the new cycling commuter or the fixie crowd. I don’t think of those folks as my readers. I imagine my readers as men and women who were riding before Rapha, before Surly and before cheap ‘70s Peugeots became New Century icons. I picture them to be cyclists with brakes; cyclists aware that they’re not alone in the world and that other people exist ... If it’s true that an idea is not responsible for its adherents, then it’s not cycling’s fault that many promote anarchy on our streets and our sidewalks. Read More
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Cadence Press Rolls Out Bike Books To Help You Find Your Rhythm
By Joe Kurmaskie Who would launch a bike book publishing company during a recession when many publishers are closing up shop? It sounds like pedaling uphill in a headwind with storm clouds building on the horizon. But if you’ve towed your sons across continents, outpaced angry elephants in Botswana, been treed by geese in New Hampshire, and reclaimed your possessions in a mountain bike race in the Australian Outback, taking on the challenge of launching a publishing company during “interesting times” is in character.Par for the course, really, my course anyway, that looks like Dr. Seuss designed it, mind you. Read More
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What Gears Are For
By Maynard Hershon Because your legs, like a car engine, have a happy, efficient operating range, most bikes are equipped with a number of gears. This allows your legs to find a cadence or a pedaling speed that pleases them. Each time you pause, your muscles stop moving the blood in and out of your legs, where it can be cleansed and re-oxygenated. Nothing good happens while you’re coasting. Read More
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How Cyclists Helped Rethink A Bridge
By Joe Kurmaskie In the spring of 2009, the Oregon and the Washington State Department of Transportation and other business interest groups were pushing the Columbia River Crossing project, a 4 billion dollar, 12-lane bridge planned to replace the existing I-5 structure between Oregon and Washington. Read More
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On the Club Ride, Part Two
By Maynard Hershon Part two of a two-part conversation between Maynard and his friend Corey. Last month they were talking about club rides and the advantages and disadvantages of participating in them. Many would never ride with more experienced cyclists. They’re afraid they’ll embarrass themselves when they can’t get a wheel off their bike and fix a flat in a reasonable time — while 15 people fidget and watch. If you can fix a flat, you know how easy it is. If you don’t know how, think of how liberated you’d feel if you did know. Why, you could ride with anybody! Read More
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Tour De Lance: The Extraordinary Story Of Lance Armstrong’s Fight to Reclaim The Tour de France
By Joe Kurmaskie Saddle back up and reclaim the Tour de France? Dream on. Sports comebacks are unwieldy animals that rarely go according to plan, or end well. More than baseball, boxing or basketball, bicycle racing offers absolutely no margin for error, no wiggle room, no accommodations for age or motivation. It’s a young man’s dance with pain and suffering on the outer edges of endurance. As the comeback plays out that’s a sincere and legitimate part of the story. Bicycling magazine’s editor-at-large, Bill Strickland, brings back the rest ... and it’s one for the ages. Read More
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On the Club Ride
By Maynard Hershon Club life was different 30-odd years ago. Rides were structured and instruction or discipline was often harsh. We were young, malleable and hungry for knowledge. We felt lucky to learn about the sport from seasoned riders. Recently I’ve begun riding with a local club. Read More
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How To Out Pedal An African Elephant
By Joe Kurmaskie It was the second day in country and the first full one in the saddle. We numbered 300 riders on a South African fundraising bike adventure with Children In The Wilderness. Divided into groups of about twenty, with two guides, the plan called for 100 plus kilometers per day through remote bush on full suspension bikes; the ride of a lifetime. By the end we’d pedal through six private game preserves and four national parks in five countries. Read More
