Family Cycling Create Lasting Memories

What follows is part of an article I wrote for croftonbikedoctor.com.

I love cycling and I think it can be such a great part of everyone’s lives, young or old. With the busy lives we all seem to live these days I think a few hours on the bike can be healthy and rewarding for all involed. I hope you enjoy the article.

Create Lasting Family Memories

In our lives which seem to get busier by the day the time on the bike allows us to escape, slow down our lives, while regenerating our body and our mind. The bicycle is a wonderful tool, a tool for fitness, a tool for transportation but it is also a great tool for the family.

I remember growing up our family would occasionally ride our bikes through Valley Forge National Park. Valley Forge was so cool because the bike path was rolling and wound around through so many great areas of the park. There was the long hill that was always a challenge to climb and at the top of the hill was a statute of a man riding a horse. (I had to look it up to remind myself that it is the statue of Anthony Wayne) That was also the top of the world’s best sledding hill at least in the opinion of a ten year old. After a hard fought climb I was always rewarded with a fun downhill ride that led off to the next adventure. The trail passes close by some of the cabins that George Washington’s soldiers spent the winter in.  I used to enjoy stopping there and wandering through the cabins imagining what it must have been like for the soldiers back then.  Of course no ride was complete without a stop at the visitor center where I could get some water.  Some of these rides were enjoyed by my Mom, Dad and I some of them were adventures that Mom and I would have.

I remember spending time with my Dad rebuilding the first bike he bought me that had gears from a garage sale, those gears certainly made climbing that hill easier.  While Mom and Dad had the coolest Raleigh 3 Speeds with a Brooks saddle I wasn’t afforded the luxury of a new bike just yet. That would come later as a Christmas Present.

I cherish all of these memories of time spent with the family all because of cycling.

When is the last time you took your family on a bike ride?

For more click here.

Allsport GPS

Okay so I just started using a new app for my phone from Allsport GPS. It seems pretty cool, here is a map of the first ride we did yesterday using it.

I am really excited to use this as it will allow me to Map and share all of my rides with everyone. You can even download them to your own phone that is compatible with the AllSport GPS program. I’ll share more as I get more in-tune with the program. So far it is a fairly simple program to use.

Cold Water

Here is an interesting fact. Reasearch from a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found that Chilled H2O could help you maximize your exercise. Cyclists were able to work out 23 percent longer when they drank cold water then a beverage that was at body temperature. So I guess I need to be using my Polar Bottles a little more.

Riding with the Pros – Well sorta

The Pro Cycling season has kicked off while many of us are still stuck indoor on our trainers gearing up for another great year of cycling. We long of the occasional day where the weather breaks and we can venture outside. If not we watch videos from previous races or adjust our training schedules to catch some of the coverage of events such as the Tour Down Under or the Amgen Tour of California.

Here is a break up for the boredom!

Want to “ride along” with the pros? What follows is a break down of each of the stages for the Tours. Then next to it is a distance that is a percentage of each of the days stages. You can pick your corresponding distance for the day  and ride it either indoors or out.

Thanks for the help from my friend Nathan and also the write of the Maryland Bike Routes link to the right.

  2009 Tour Down Under – Australia
  Date  Distance Est Climbing Highest elevation
    (miles) (feet) (feet)  
Stage            
1 Norwood to Mawson Lakes 20-Jan 87.5 2500 about 1650 ft  
2 Hahndorf to Stirling 21-Jan 90.6 4600 about 2600 ft  
3 Unley to Victor Harbor 22-Jan 85 2000 about 1400 ft  
4 Burnside Village to Angaston 23-Jan 89.4 2000 about 1300 ft  
5 Snapper Point to Willunga 24-Jan 92.5 2000 about 1200 ft  
6 Adelaide Circuit 25-Jan 56.25 0    
             
    TOTAL 501.25 13100    
             
  10% – Trainer Dist 25% 50%
  Distance Est Climbing Distance Est Climbing Distance Est Climbing
             
Stage            
1 8.75 250 21.875 625 43.75 1250
2 9.06 460 22.65 1150 45.3 2300
3 8.5 200 21.25 500 42.5 1000
4 8.94 200 22.35 500 44.7 1000
5 9.25 200 23.125 500 46.25 1000
6 5.625 0 14.0625 0 28.125 0
             
TOTAL 50.125 1310 125.3125 3275 250.625 6550
         
             
2009 Amgen Tour of California
    Distance Est Climbing Highest elevation
Stage            
P Sacramento 14-Feb 3 N/A    
1 Davis to Santa Rosa  15-Feb 108 2800 about 1700  
2 Sausalito to Santa Cruz 16-Feb 115.9 4400 about 2300  
3 San Jose to Modesto 17-Feb 104.2 3500 1930  
4 Merced to Clovis 18-Feb 115.4 5800 about 3800  
5 Visalia to Paso Robles 20-Feb 134.3 1700 about 1700  
6 Solvang 21-Feb 15 N/A about 1000  
7 Santa Clarita to Pasadena 22-Feb 88.9 4700 4906  
8 Rancho Bernardo to Escondido 23-Feb 96.8 5800 5123  
             
    TOTAL 781.5 28700    
             
  10% – Trainer Dist 25% 50%
  Distance Est Climbing Distance Est Climbing Distance Est Climbing
Stage            
P 0.3   0.75   1.5  
1 10.8 280 27 700 54 1400
2 11.59 440 28.975 1100 57.95 2200
3 10.42 350 26.05 875 52.1 1750
4 11.54 580 28.85 1450 57.7 2900
5 13.43 170 33.575 425 67.15 850
6 1.5 0 3.75 0 7.5 0
7 8.89 470 22.225 1175 44.45 2350
8 9.68 580 24.2 1450 48.4 2900
             
TOTAL 78.15 2870 195.375 7175 390.75 14350

Photo

I love this photo that I took on a ride the Sunday after Christmas:

Taken from the Annapolis scenic overlook
Taken from the Annapolis scenic overlook

 

A larger versions is available in My Gallery.