Reason No. 6 to Ride

Reason No. 6 to ride your bike is your community.

Tooling around town or on the bike paths, you get to know the community in a way that you just can’t in your shiny SUV.

I’ve found more little markets and great eateries that I never noticed before. I’ve also found lovely streets and parks to enjoy on the days where I can just meander around.

Slow down, see more – what a concept!

Reason No. 5 to Ride

Reason number 5 to ride is what I learned about my body and how it works.

Did you know that your body consumes approx. 600 calories an hour when cycling BUT to effectively ride you need to take in at least 300 calories? Use those cycling jersey pockets and stock up on clif bars and almonds!

I also learned that it is not enough to hydrate during or the day of your ride but your body needs that hydration at least 3 days prior.

Reason No. 4 to Ride

Reason number 4 to ride your bike is that you save $$$.

Using a bike instead of a car just one day a week, the average American would save $609 in gasoline, maintenance and depreciation costs per year, reduce emissions by 24 pounds per week, and burn an extra 1315 calories at a 12mph pace! (Bicycling Magazine)

Reason No. 3 to Ride

Reason No. 3 to park your butt on a bike and pedal, pedal, pedal is the incredibly clear thinking you get.

This year has been one of change. Change in the way I think and act. I owe it all to the PCH. During my time on the bike a tremendous calm overcomes me and I become very clear thinking.

Without my time in the saddle I would not have had the clarity of realizing just how unhealthy a long term relationship I had was, and how untrue to myself I was being.

Without that same time in the saddle I would never have been able to continue my thoughts and sort out my professional path, changing roles between our two businesses and following the one more fulfilling.

Reason number 3 is what you feel inside when its just you and the road.

Reason No. 2 to Ride

Reason No. 2: Burn calories, not gas.

Yup, we’ve got the tree hugger perspective here. You are doing something good for the planet, two fold. 1) you are taking care of yourself, which means we’ve one more person on the planet to help cure the common cold and 2) every pedal you push saves that much more of our natural resources. (anyone else hear Emily Katella asking Chevy Chase to save our “National Racehorses”?)

Reason No. 1 to Ride

First in a series of “Reasons to Ride”.  Reason No. 1 is the battle against breast cancer.

Factlet: 3.8 hours of exercise a week decreases your risk of breast cancer by 40%

This little factoid made its way into my knowledge base around the same time I heard of cycling with Team in Training to help raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I thought, “hey, I can do that” without realizing just how hard it would be to get to 100 miles or that I would fall completely in love with it.