Endurance is the ability to bear a hard thing but to turn it into Glory
Sweat is Fat Crying
If you are going through hell, keep going
Winning is everything but the will to win is EVERYTHING
Just Ride
I’m a writer by trade, and one of the most frequent challenges I face in my work is writer’s block. It’s this paralyzing anxiety about writing that, for me, mostly stems from the thought, “What if what I write isn’t good?” It’s in our natures as human beings to recognize talent before we can recreate it. I know what great writing is, and I feel writing anxiety because I know what I’m capable of producing isn’t exactly Faulkner-level prose.
I’ve had the same anxiety about cycling. My roommate after college was an avid cyclist, and he and his family would often take trips to Moab or Arches in southern Utah to hit mountain bike trails. Even though I’d spent most of my college years using a bike as my primary mode of around-town transportation, I’d never ridden “seriously” like my roommate.
Photo by: flickr.com/tonyhall
There was one solution to my writing anxiety, and it also worked for my riding anxiety: just write (or ride).
I’m sure there are some of you who you read this blog, love with the idea of riding, but can’t seem to actually get to it. Maybe you work late hours, or maybe you’re not in the shape you want. Maybe you’re waiting to buy a new bike once you’ve saved up the money. Or maybe you have a bike but also have kids who will tease you if you try something different. There could be a thousand good reasons why you haven’t started to ride yet. Where should you start?
By getting on your bike. Just ride.
Every Friday, you probably see the awesome bike videos the Wheel Brothers share on their site. You’ve probably also seen the interviews, race recaps, and other posts about people who love riding. If you’re a regular reader, you probably want to join those people if you haven’t already.
There’s good news: you don’t have to wait to join their ranks. Here are some reasons why you can get out and start riding today.
You’ll Get Better at It
No one starts off as a great cyclist. Heck, who can even say what a “great” cyclist is? Is it only the participants in the Tour de France? Or is it only the two or three best cyclists in the world?
There isn’t any really great answer in my opinion. You don’t need to be at a certain level to ride and enjoy it. And the more you ride, the more you’ll improve. It’s an upward cycle.
You’ll Get in Shape Like Them
Cyclists are traditionally in great shape. This is because there are also a ton of health benefits associated with riding. Richard Meyer has a great article on his blog (http://www.richsthoughtsonlife.com/just-get-out-and-ride10-reasons-to-start-riding-a-bike/) featuring a ton of the reasons to start cycling more often. Check it out, and let some of those reasons start to work themselves into your head.
Photo by: flickr.com/bryanpearson
Get Started
Here’s what you need to get started riding:
- A bike (pick one that works)
- A helmet
That’s it. You can purchase both of those for less than $200 if you shop around. You can also check online ads like Craigslist.
If can afford it, buy a custom bike you’ll be in love with that lasts a little bit longer.
Not one of those Walmart specials that break after 2 hours and you don’t have to buy the latest Trek, Specialized or Cannondale. You can buy one for under $400 at companies such as www.solebicycle.com.
However, whatever you have to do, start riding.
Peach Pedal Bicycle ride 2012 in Weatherford, Texas
The 24th Annual Peach Pedal Bike Ride benefiting the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce and the Weatherford College Foundation invites you to join their ride on July 14th, 2012 starting at Weatherford High School, 2121 Bethel Rd, Weatherford, TX
Last year we were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Brent Baker, Ride Director of Peach Pedal Bike Ride to ask some questions about their upcoming ride
Why Join the “ Peach Pedal Bike Ride”?
Great views of the countryside, challenging hills, friendly people and the Peach Festival!
How long has the event been around and how did it start?
This is our 24th year. It started as a small ride to compliment the Peach Festival…back then, they used to begin the ride around the downtown courthouse, which must have been cool.
How have they been able to utilize the funds in the past?
We split the funds between the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce and the Weatherford College Foundation. Weatherford College uses the funds for scholarships…last year’s ride funded 20 individual semester scholarships! The Chamber uses the funds to help promote our community to the rest of North Texas.
Logistically, can you give us an idea how many volunteers, finances, and planning it takes to put on this event?
We’ll have more than 200 volunteers working the event. It’s amazing how these people work so hard in the heat for no pay. I’m truly grateful. Planning is year-round, but most of the work is done between January 1st and ride day.
In years past you encouraged folks to go down to the Parker County Peach Festival after the race, how about this year?
No doubt. The Peach Festival is a must-see. Great arts and crafts, food, and music. It’s hot, but not as hot as riding 63 miles! All our riders get a free festival pass…check out the festival at www.peachfestivaltx.com.
What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event? (prefer the rewarding/unforgettable experience ;o))
I remember one lady…somewhere around 2004 or 2005. It was after 2:00 p.m., and we had shut down the route and our rest stops. But this one lady, mid-50s, came rolling up to the finish area. She was all by herself, and we were tearing everything down. We just had one table with about three cups of Gatorade and a banana sitting there. But the look on her face was classic. She finished the 100K, and to her, it was like winning the Tour de France. I was hot and tired, but I had a lot of satisfaction that day that we were part of her reaching a goal.
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
The main thing is just come out and ride with us and tell your friends.
The cycling community is amazing in DFW…the folks with Ride for Heroes, Blazin’ Saddles, the Tour de Pepper and others have been really helpful to me over the years. These people are awesome.
What is your role in this race and to the success of it?
I’ve been the ride director since 2004. The director before me, John Karnes, laid a great foundation for the ride. We added a few things along the way to continually improve the ride. The biggest change was moving the start/finish and essentially re-routing everything a few years ago. It took the route mostly out of the city limits and cut down on some of the traffic on the route. It was a hard thing to do that took a lot of time, but it was worth it–everyone loves the “new” location.
What makes riding in the area around Weatherford so special?
We do a survey every year of the riders. The two things they enjoy the most are the scenery and the people. The western part of the route, is just beautiful. You forget you’re in North Texas…seems like a totally different topography. And the people that staff our rest stops and finish area are fantastic. This is a close-knit community, and our friendliness and hospitality really shows at the Pedal.
Thanks Brent Baker for this quick interview and we hope to catch everyone at the ride!
Click here to view the event details of the Peach Pedal Bike Ride 2012
Happy 4th of July from WheelBrothers.com
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii (Oct. 11, 2008) Lt. Cmdr. Damon Dixon, force oceanography/deputy technical reconnaissance officer at Naval Special Warfare Command and the executive officer at Naval Oceanography Special Warfare Center, waves the American flag as he crosses the finish line at the 30th Ford Ironman World Championship. S Sailors from the Navy athletic team and Naval Special Warfare competed alongside 1,800 elite athletes in the triathlon event performing 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and a 26.2 mile marathon run through tough ocean currents and challenging lava-covered terrain. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Paul D. Honnick/Released)
Tour the Peanut Country in Gorman, TX
The Tour the Peanut Country invites you to join their upcoming ride happening on July 14, 2012 at Gorman City Park, Gorman, Texas
We were lucky enough to be granted an interview with Bill, Webmaster of Tour the Peanut Country to ask some questions about their upcoming ride.
Why join the Tour the Peanut Country?
Low traffic, great scenery.
How long has the event been around?
13 years
What was the motivation behind starting the tour and who benefits from it?
Needed a project to raise fund for the volunteer fire dept. and Lion’s Club camp.
How have they been able to utilize the funds in the past?
50% to Fire Dept, and 50% to Lion’s Club
Logistically, can you give us an idea how many volunteers, finances, and planning it takes to put on this event?
About 30 volunteers and a cost of over $1000.00
What was the most rewarding experience throughout the years hosting this event?
Repeat riders. Many have come to our ride from the beginning.
What is the average number of participants per year? How many riders do you assist during the average race?
About 80 to 100. Not as many as we would like.
What was the most unforgettable experience or worst accident you had in this event?
We have a lady that comes every year. We call he RED. She tries to kiss all of the firemen.
What can folks do to support you and your mission?
Advertise. We don’t have a large budget to promote the ride. We had to move our ride date a few years, because Dublin,Tx had a Dr.Pepper ride. they had over 500 riders the fist year. We had 40. We changed to Second end Week in July.
What is your role in this race and to the success of it?
I keep the website, print all forms, make the signs for the course, and put out and take-up the signs.
If you had to come up with a David Letterman style top 10 about the race, what would it read like?
Top 10 things you need to know about the Tour the Peanut Country Bike Ride.
10. There are no more peanuts farms on the tour
09. Camping is free in the park.
08. Report road kill, someone may want it for supper.
07. If you have a flat, some one will be along with a tractor to bring you in.
06. We like your fancy riding suits, but be ware overalls.
05. Rest stops every 10k not every 1k.
06. Gorman is easy to find, (if you have a GPS).
05. You might want to bring a bag lunch, we have only a Dairy Queen.
04. The ladies have to watch out for Curley, he likes to flirt. (He is 89)
03. If it has wheels and you can peddle or push it, OK with us.
02. Good folks, Good Time for all.
01. No we don’t have a Mr. Peanut!
Thanks Bill for this quick interview and we hope to catch everyone at the ride!
Click here to view the event details of the Tour the Peanut Country
Bicycle rides in the State of Texas for the month of July, 2012
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkKapfSIUYk]
Every month we present to you all of the bicycle rides and criteriums in the state of Texas in less then 90 seconds.
Look through the rides, pick your rides or criteriums, on our pages you will find all the registration information including maps on how to get there.
Texas Bike Rides: http://ventidev.com//texas-bike-rides/
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