Bicycling July 2013

A perfect spring day can make you a little crazy. This was one such day, with the fragrance of honey in the air and tulips leaning hard toward the sun. I was pedaling past farmhouses and a ball-field on Cofeetown Road, thinking about all the flowers I can’t name and the ping of an aluminum bat making proper contact and the first sip of the vanilla milk shake I’d soon be holding. I was on a 24-mile training ride that also could be characterized as an ice-cream run. I turned onto a road called Bellview and then into the drive of a farm that has been in one family’s hands for 100 years. The wind was blowing north, so I could smell the cows as I leaned my bike against…

It sounds counterintuitive, but Oakland, Californiabased writer and bike commuter MARYROACH says pedaling amidst the potholes, heat, and stray dogs of Mumbai, India (“Here Come the Bike Riders,” p. 56) taught her to feel less imperiled on the road. “Traffic is a bitch over there,” she says. “It’s a community bonding experience.” Her latest book, Gulp, explores a different type of transit system: the human digestive tract. Boston-area resident1 CONSTANCE WINTERS reviews and photographs city bikes and gear for our Upright Citizen blog as well as her personal site, lovelybicycle.com. She shares her top pieces for riding around town on page 54 (“Gear to Get You There”). “An American cycling publication acknowledging city bikes and dedicating print space to them? A new era has dawned, and I am pleased to…

When I read the next-to-last paragraph in May’s Editor’s letter (“Testing Myself”), I had to stop and read it again. Every day since, I’ve gone back to re-experience the double espressos, eucalyptus, thrumming on the tarmac, failure and success, cranking, exploring, and memories. Thanks for exactly capturing the poetry I feel every time I go out. Scott Haase, Sammamish, WA A MAJOR VICTORY Last summer my son and I came across the Major Taylor Velodrome (“The Passion of the Velodrome”). I had never heard of the gentleman before and started to research his history. It inspired my son and me to rediscover bicycles. I purchased a Giant fixed-gear bicycle and in seven months I have ridden 1,500 miles and lost 30 pounds. As much as I admire Lance Armstrong and…

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR FOOT IS For years, the balls of my feet used to burn on long rides. A friend suggested a good fix: old credit cards (the ones you meant to cut up but that somehow wound up in a drawer instead). I slid two under each insole and the burn never returned. I like to think I’m getting more out of my cards now than I ever did before. Rich McCarthy, Bufalo, NY We’ll give credit where it’s due: Rich won’t have to whip out any plastic for his new Park Tool Home Mechanic Starter Kit. FACEBOOK POLL What do you say to yourself on tough climbs? “Gotta spin it to win it!” —Sean Herman “This is for you, bro!” I lost my brother, Dave—who got…

The first stages of last year’s BC Bike Race were rainy, but by the time Stage 7 (shown) dawned at Lost Lake, conditions were perfect: a crisp morning that gave way to a sunny, 78-degree afternoon. Less traveled than others in Whistler, the trails at Lost Lake undulate in classic cross-country style. But even the mellowest have slippery roots and granite outcroppings. Translation: You’ll have to work for your flow. But with a conifer forest that smells of Christmas and a dip in the namesake lake, you won’t regret trying. —Evelyn Spence HIDDEN WHISTLER Three lesser-known gems BUSINESS TIME Like Lost Lake, this 5-mile trail is one of the few rolling routes in Whistler, with short, punchy ups along the Cheakamus River and cruisy, fun downs with dozens of tight…

IN THE THROES OF SUMMER, it’s easy to grumble about riding in sweltering weather. But recent science points to an upside. Researchers at the University of Oregon found that cyclists who did 10 consecutive days of low-intensity rides in hot conditions outperformed a control group by as much as 8 percent in a 60-minute time trial—gains that mimic altitude training, with more predictability and less hassle. In the simplest terms, heat exposure causes your body to adapt in ways that benefit your overall performance. Your heart, for example, pumps more blood and delivers more oxygen to working muscles, explains study coauthor Christopher Minson, PhD. Your body also learns to better regulate its core temperature, and the more stable it is, the better you’ll ride. Try the program below to use…