Missouri Bicycle News

The AP recently ran a story on President Bush's interest--one could even call it an 'obsession'--with mountain biking. And when anything bicycle-related is involved, an obsession can only be a good thing, right?

Running hurt his knees. Swimming cramped his style. So President Bush took up mountain biking, a sport that gets him outdoors, pumps up his heart rate and, every so often, sends him crashing to the ground. . . .

"This is like running except I don't feel bad afterward," he said Monday after burning about 1,200 calories over an 18-mile ride that lasted an hour and 20 minutes.

"You can cover a lot more, and you can go very fast on a bike," Bush said. Most important, he gets his heart rate up. "At my age, you're more concerned about the cardiovascular" benefits of a workout, the 58-year-old president said.

Bush has only been riding the knobby-tired mountain bikes since February, yet he takes on dangerous sections that would give veterans pause. He keeps a cramp-inducing pace on long uphill sections, pouring it on to reach each peak, backing off a little to recover and then attacking the next hill.

In the interest of bipartisanship, we must also note that John Kerry is an avid cyclist who even carries his bike with him on the campaign trail.

No word yet on the bicycling preferences of either vice-presidential candidate . . . permanent link to article: "Both presidential candidates avid bicyclists"
posted by Brent Hugh at 8/09/2004 09:53:22 PM |comment on this article