Iowa Rocks!

Normally I would be headed to Des Moines the last Saturday in January for the Iowa Bicycle Coalition Expo, a large bike travel show. This Iowa convention is important because it’s one of the few opportunities this winter to be in contact with other cyclists from all over. If you’ve been reading along with our blog for any amount of time, you know that something I love about this job is meeting other cyclists. This year, we’ll miss the buzz of being in person at the expo more than ever, but we’ll happily settle for a virtual event if it means we still get to connect with others and chat about biking.

From the comfort of your home please check out the show at this link and stop by our virtual booth! This is uncharted territory for us, but we’ll make the best of it. Added bonus for you: in addition to a giveaway at our booth (rechargeable safety lights, bike gloves & socks) we’re also putting all of our week-long tours on-sale, for a savings of $100 per person! Watch our new video on Youtube here, to get a sense of what our week-long tours are like, but it’s a teaser. you’ll need to register for the Iowa show to see the good stuff.

Step up your game

Have you revised your goals for Better Biking in 2021? I have. You see, the social distancing that we’ve adapted to has kept me off my yoga mat for 9 months, and also removed my exercise classes. As a result, since late summer my arms have given out before my legs do on almost every bike ride. This makes it tough to hang on to the handlebars at the end of the ride. Also, the ease with which I mount & dismount the bike has become difficult to find. In short I’ve turned into a stiff old guy with spaghetti arms. To resolve these issues I’ve written a plan to restore some flexibility and strength so I ride better in 2021.

Step One, I’ve joined a 30-day challenge with Yoga Master Tim Senesi. I’m halfway through the challenge and loving it, and searching for the breath to forgive myself for letting yoga drop last March. I’m also enlisting some help from Sue Hansen, a local yoga instructor who led some stretching while on the Ride to Pictured Rocks Tour last summer. Step Two will be to find online weight training to boost my arm strength–looking to upgrade my spaghetti arms to at least macaroni or penne arms so I can ride without so much fatigue; your suggestions are welcome here.

Finding your Champions (know your resources)

There’s so much more to better biking, beyond yoga and strength classes. In a way these online PE classes are low-hanging fruit: they are important, but not the goal. Already we know that my competitive days are in the past, so instead of trophies I’m looking for champions. I’ve become very fond of finding people who are champions for bicycling, interviewing them, and then blogging about them to share their story.

One strategy I use is to follow cycling friends on Facebook and other forums. I look for those who are leaders for the cycling cause, and I hope this is apparent to those of you who’ve been following my blog posts. Since 2018 I’ve published 4 blog posts on bicycle safety, and 11 posts on people doing unusual or exceptional things with bicycles. These blog posts were all focused on someone or something else- hidden resources. Hopefully you’ve found an inspiration or strategy in them to improve your cycling. If nothing else, perhaps you found a greater sense of community in the cycling world–a camaraderie with fellow cyclists, even ones you haven’t met. Sure, physical training can and will improve your biking, but so will keeping informed about the endeavors of the greater cycling community as a whole.

Butt In Any Time

I enjoy gathering the interviews, the necessary research to blogging. I’ve found some success inviting myself to ride with strangers for non-standard rides–a second strategy I have for finding champions. A week ago on a rare warmish January afternoon, my friend Tom Jackson and I met up with Greg Tarver and Michelle Pryor for a spin around downtown Detroit. We had a great time talking up a storm while riding by many of the sights of the city. The take-away: don’t be afraid to invite yourself along on a ride like this.

I’ll soon have more to say about Greg and Michelle. Each provide leadership and support for cycling in the City of Detroit, and their efforts are getting noticed.

In the photo: Tour Chief Jim, Michelle, Tom, and Greg, at Milliken State Park in Detroit.

Take a cue from friends

I have a friend who is also a returning guest; Sharon Edgar has joined our River Towns Tour for this June, her 5th tour with us. Sharon is an adult convert to cycling, and she’s up for a challenge. In fact, she had her first 1,000 mile months last summer on a virtual bike challenge and racked up over 7000 miles in 2020! The virtual challenges were so good for her that she’s recommended the program to me, and to the other guests on the tour. I’ve been leary of virtual events, but I have to check this out based on Sharon’s experience.

We shared a phone call so I could learn more about the virtual events, and why she likes them. For Sharon it’s been a way to stay active, to feel support from a mentor. She now has 3 bikes and won’t use her car for trips of less than 5 miles. She’s tough, too. Her home is in Ludington MI, on the snowy coast of Lake Michigan. Keep it up, Sharon! She’s in the photo here, at the Pickle Barrel House Museum in Grand Marais, MI, on our Ride to Pictured Rocks Tour.

Put something on your calendar

January is almost over; have you ridden your bike yet? I understand how difficult this can be in the snow and ice. Take the first step: get your calendar out and pencil in a ride. While the weather may not be the most enjoyable, there is much to love about winter biking. For sure, layers are needed to endure the cold, but certainly you’ll stay warm once you get your legs moving. Air is medicine, and if you’ve ever been in a bike rut, crisp winter air is just what the doctor ordered.

A year ago, when we could still be out in public and not shuttered up, I gave a new presentation to a group at the local library: Where to Ride in Michigan. I had taken my old travelogue and updated it with some ideas on how to ride, peppered with tour photos to illustrate where to ride. The how-to boils down to thinking about three kinds of rides, and the frequency you do them.

The first is a ride beginning and ending at your house, no auto travel involved. I suggested that a good goal would be to do this 3 to 4 times per week. The second type of ride is a day trip- carry your bike in the car to a ‘new’ local destination, maybe join friends at a new location. Suggested frequency, weekly. The third type of ride is an overnight trip with your bike, and I can think of dozens of events ranging from weekend to week-long tours. Do this three or 4 times each year and you’ll have a great season.

So, get your calendar today and put something down on it. This calendar vision is maybe your first step to a better year ahead.

Parting shot

From our ride in Detroit on January 21, a special bonus. The Algoma Sault was idling in the Detroit River, just begging to have a photo made. Shipping on the Great Lakes is a feature of many of our tours, offering you the chance to see these giant freighters first-hand.

As always, your comments are welcome, please send them to us at this link.