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I put my hand on his shoulder. “You rode forty-one miles?”
Jacob’s face lit up. He smiled from ear to ear and nodded his head with unrestrained enthusiasm. In a wonderful conversation I’ll never forget Matt explained to me how hard he’d worked to teach Jacob to ride a bike, and how disappointed they’d both been when the first family outing abruptly ended in a crash. Matt told me how discouraging Jacob’s subsequent fear had been. He’d dreamed for so long of riding with his son, but now hope seemed to be lost.
One day, while home sick from work, Matt was reading Bicycling Magazine. He learned about a unique program that was successfully teaching children with a variety of mental and physical challenges to ride bicycles. The system was a brainchild of master engineer and tinkerer Dr. Richard E. Klein. He’d become fascinated with the dynamics of bicycle riding while teaching at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and had continued working on related issues after his retirement.
Among the things Dr. Klein discovered was that training wheels actually teach children bad habits. Instead of initiating recovery by leaning and turning in the direction a bicycle is tipping, a child with training wheels recovers by throwing their weight and turning their handlebars in the opposite direction. For children whose confidence is already challenged by brain issues, this results in an almost invincible barrier when transitioning away from training wheels. Dr. Klein’s solution included approximately twenty innovative steps on the road to cycling competence.
A StreetsWiki article talks about why it is a good idea to teach children how to bicycle safely in an urban environment and then goes on to discuss in detail ideas and strategy for teaching children to deal with different situations:
There are a number of very good reasons to bicycle with children in the city. Children are naturally curious and bicycling is an excellent way to explore the urban environment. Bicycling expands the child's universe beyond the immediate vicinity of their home and school, and exposes them to the people and places between home, school, and other destinations. Through bicycling, children learn to read and use maps, navigate traffic, and interact with pedestrians and motorists. Bicycling is also good exercise that is easier to fit into a busy schedule when used for the dual purpose of transportation. Instead of purchasing large vehicles such as SUVs that pollute and detract from our cities while sealing children off from their natural and social environment, parents can bicycle with their children and make transportation an engaging, educational, health-promoting family experience.
Bicycling with children initiates so-called "virtuous cycles" that further promote bicycling. Parents who bicycle with their children may be encouraged to bicycle more often because of their children's enthusiasm for bicycling. Adults bicycling with children tend to zealously guard their children's safety, becoming potent advocates on the road and with government for improving bicycling safety. Motorists tend to drive less aggressively when they are aware of children bicycling nearby. Children who bicycle regularly will be more likely to bicycle as adults. In all of these ways, urban bicycling with children promotes bicycling and bicycling safety generally.
Regular running slows the effects of aging, according to a new study from Stanford University School of Medicine that has tracked 500 older runners for more than 20 years. Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as aging nonrunners to die early deaths, the research found.
"The study has a very pro-exercise message," said James Fries, MD, an emeritus professor of medicine at the medical school and the study's senior author. "If you had to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise." The new findings will appear in the Aug. 11 issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
When Fries and his team began this research in 1984, many scientists thought vigorous exercise would do older folks more harm than good. Some feared the long-term effect of the then-new jogging craze would be floods of orthopedic injuries, with older runners permanently hobbled by their exercise habit. Fries had a different hypothesis: he thought regular exercise would extend high-quality, disability-free life. Keeping the body moving, he speculated, wouldn't necessarily extend longevity, but it would compress the period at the end of life when people couldn't carry out daily tasks on their own. That idea came to be known as "the compression of morbidity theory."
Fries' team began tracking 538 runners over age 50, comparing them to a similar group of nonrunners. The subjects, now in their 70s and 80s, have answered yearly questionnaires about their ability to perform everyday activities such as walking, dressing and grooming, getting out of a chair and gripping objects. The researchers have used national death records to learn which participants died, and why. Nineteen years into the study, 34 percent of the nonrunners had died, compared to only 15 percent of the runners.
At the beginning of the study, the runners ran an average of about four hours a week. After 21 years, their running time declined to an average of 76 minutes per week, but they were still seeing health benefits from running.
On average both groups in the study became more disabled after 21 years of aging, but for runners the onset of disability started later.
"Runners' initial disability was 16 years later than nonrunners,'" Fries said. "By and large, the runners have stayed healthy."
Not only did running delay disability, but the gap between runners' and nonrunners' abilities got bigger with time.
"We did not expect this," Fries said, noting that the increasing gap between the groups has been apparent for several years now. "The health benefits of exercise are greater than we thought."
Fries was surprised the gap between runners and nonrunners continues to widen even as his subjects entered their ninth decade of life. The effect was probably due to runners' greater lean body mass and healthier habits in general, he said. "We don't think this effect can go on forever," Fries added. "We know that deaths come one to a customer. Eventually we will have a 100 percent mortality rate in both groups."
But so far, the effect of running on delaying death has also been more dramatic than the scientists expected. Not surprisingly, running has slowed cardiovascular deaths. However, it has also been associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.
And the dire injury predictions other scientists made for runners have fallen completely flat. Fries and his colleagues published a companion paper in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showing running was not associated with greater rates of osteoarthritis in their elderly runners. Runners also do not require more total knee replacements than nonrunners, Fries said.
"Running straight ahead without pain is not harmful," he said, adding that running seems safer for the joints than high-impact sports such as football, or unnatural motions like standing en pointe in ballet.
"When we first began, there was skepticism about our ideas," Fries said. "Now, many other findings go in the same direction."
Fries, 69, takes his own advice on aging: he's an accomplished runner, mountaineer and outdoor adventurer.
Hanging on his office wall is a photo he jokingly describes as "me, running around the world in two minutes." In the dazzling image of blue sky and white ice, Fries makes a tiny lap around the North Pole.
From Itasca State Park in Minnesota, to the southernmost point in Louisiana, on the Gulf of Mexico, Bob Robinson guides you along the designated route of the Mississippi River Trail, turn by turn. The Mississippi River Trail follows the mighty river's entire 2000-mile journey across America's heartland.
Whether you are planning on cycling the entire trail across the country or just looking for a weekend adventure, this guidebook includes the services, route directions, bike shops, and maps you need to plan your adventure.
The narration accompanying each section of the guidebook includes points of interest and history of the area, so that cyclists can better appreciate the communities and scenery they pass along the route.
Many of the quaint picturesque communities along the Mississippi River have long been popular destinations for travelers, and are well equipped to accommodate their needs.
So grab your bike and get prepared for the adventure of your life!
Author Bob Robinson adds: "I will send Terry Eastin, of MRT, Inc., $1.00 for each copy sold."
To order, visit the book's web site and use Discount Code C7RMW4HX
As you fill up the second time this week, consider Jenna Cochran, who's figured out how to avoid gas stations, lose weight and save a couple hundred dollars a month.
In early May, she became a bicycle commuter. . . .
In about three months, she's lost 39 pounds. She's gone from two diabetes medications to none. And rather than spend $250 filling up her Dodge Dakota every month, her monthly gasoline costs have dropped to less than $50. The money she's saved is going toward a new wardrobe.
Rick Dunaway writes about his ride at the 102 Valley Bicycle Race and Tour in Hopkins, MO, last weekend:
It was nearly a last-minute decision I made to take my grandson, Austin Foran, with me to the event. I had flirted with the idea of riding the route before my daughter called me mid-week from Kansas City to ask if I would mind watching him for the weekend while she spent the weekend in Kentucky.
I didn’t mind a bit, especially since it had been way too long since we’d visited. Despite just a one-hour distance between us, my daughter’s busy schedule, combined with my own, makes those get-togethers painfully infrequent.
“But,” I added at the last minute before she hung up, “can he bring his bicycle?”
So Austin arrived on my doorstep on Friday afternoon with his single-speed, 20-inch mountain bike — not at all what a person would want to ride on a road tour. Still, I gave him the option, and he heartily agreed, despite not riding all spring due to a blown back tire. . . .
So Austin, my wife and I found ourselves at the starting line of the more leisurely tour portion of the event. I had decided that we would tackle only the shortest, eight-mile route, since my wife was still recovering from knee surgery and Austin’s bicycle was ... well, not the best tool for this job.
We reached the four-mile point, my 11-year-old guest furiously pedaling up the rolling hills and catching his breath down them, as I kept a steady, slow pace on my brand new road bike. Others around Austin’s age pedalled furiously, too, but one by one they were collected by the “sweep,” the truck that shuttled weary riders and their machines back to the starting point before their goal was completed.
1. Establish best practices. Do everything in a safe, defensive manner. Obey traffic laws - period. Signal your intentions with hand gestures, and never be the first one into the intersection.
2. Never be where you aren’t expected. No zipping between cars, scooting by on the wrong side of turning traffic or riding on the sidewalk. Wrong way down a one-way street? You know better.
3. Be smooth and predictable. Ride as straight a line as possible, no weaving, no swerving.
4. Be a politician. Make contact, saying "good morning" or nodding.
Asher Abrahms was taking a break from cycling one sticky morning, when a question was posed: Why not spend the summer in air conditioning, playing video games and watching TV? It'd be so much more ... comfy.
Asher, 11, of University City, crinkled his nose at the notion.
"That's what all America does," he said. "It's good to be fit." . . .
Health experts estimate that one in three American children today is overweight or, worse, obese. They're turning up in doctors' offices with heart disease, high blood pressure and Type II diabetes, ailments once seen in only adults.
Theresa Eppert, creator and coach of the Tri-Art Camp, is working to prevent Asher and other Junior Triathlon Team members at her Tri-Art Camp from becoming one of those statistics — now and in years to come.
At the camp, kids learn to sew, make pottery, fix their bicycles and, hardest of all, train for a triathlon.
Ideas for running at a bicycle rodeo from MoBikeFed Board Member Coy Hart, who has been involved with running many of these events:
1) Helmet fit - There is a difference in quality of helmets and if you are going to be fitting a number of new helmets, those with knob adjustable suspension systems are way easier & faster to fit than the cheaper ones which only use pads. Local organizations have been buying these from a company called 'Gear Up' for around $8 each (about $1 more than the very cheapest - which are a nightmare to fit & being in a hurry just makes it worse). Down here, they get two sizes ... small and large, and do NOT get helmets for infants or toddlers. All the small ones are blue and all the large ones are red. This is for our benefit to speed up the process. We usually put the kids name on the black raw styrofoam part of the helmet with a black Sharpie. This doesn't stand out too much, but still identifies who's helmet it is (helmets should NOT be shared) Also, if you have similar organizations in your area, if you can cover half the cost it seems to 'grease the wheels' of those very helpful organizations.
2) Bicycle check - see the ABC Quick Check on the League of American Bicyclists website. Try to engage parents and older kids in this bike check. At the same time as the bike check, you also need to check the fit of the bike to it's rider. Younger kids (9 & under) will be more comfortable if they can put their feet on the ground while sitting on the saddle. Kids 10 & up including adults should have their seat higher and NOT be able to put their feet on the ground while seated. They should start & stop straddling the bike with their feet on the ground and raise themselves to the seat on the first pedal stroke & standing on one pedal and catching themselves on the opposite foot when stopping. Encouragement to get kids to accept this higher seating position is that they will be faster and more comfortable with the higher seat position. Sometimes we try to get local bike shops to help with this step.
3) Ride a straight line - If one is available, just use a painted line on a parking lot. I've seen a lot of zig-zag courses under the pretext of teaching balance, but motorists need to be able to PREDICT where the bicyclist is going ... difficult, if not impossible, if the rider can't hold a line.
4) Scanning to the rear for traffic (both to the left and to the right). Kids can pick up this skill a lot faster than most adults. Start by having the kid straddle the bike standing still while you straddle the front wheel of their bike and hold their handle bars to have them practice. The natural tendency is that they accidently steer the bike in the same direction they are looking. We want them to be able to scan while holding a straight line. Using the same straight line as above, have the children look back and shout out how many hands you hold up on your command (none, one, or two). Do this a number of times with them looking over their left shoulder and after that is mastered then try it to the right. If they are going to attempt a left turn, stress to them that if there is threatening traffic behind them to just pull over to the right & stop, get off the bike and walk across at an intersection. Signaling is also important, but it's not near as important as having them scan for traffic and maintaining control of the bike.
5) Entering a (busier) street from a side street or driveway. They need to learn to stop at the curb line, look left, right, and left again. If their view is obstructed by brush or parked vehicles, they need to ease forward and stop again at the street side edge of the obstruction and do it again ... look left, right, and left again. Enter the street only when it is clear.
6) They need to know they should ride on the right side of the street and NEVER on the left side against traffic. This is mostly because at intersections motorists are NOT going to be looking for traffic coming at them on the extreme wrong side of the street. In almost every town, it is illegal (and NOT as safe) to ride on sidewalks, especially in business districts. The youngest kids in residential neighborhoods are probably going to ride on sidewalks anyway. I tell them to do what their folks tell them to do. Your event can also be an opportunity to try to get the parents to come and learn the proper way to ride in traffic. And, BTW, if you want the kids to adapt a certain behavior, then the adults ought to behave in the same way to serve as an example! If you want your kid to wear a helmet, then YOU wear a helmet on EVERY ride.
Other items and tips:
Keep looking up and ahead for what is happening in front of you!
Ride far enough away from parked cars to avoid a car door being opened into their path.
You can teach Rock Dodge (avoiding objects in the road), Quick Turn (an emergency turn almost always done to the right ... most often to avoid a car turning either right or left in front of the bicyclist), Emergency Stop (lifting off the seat and throwing your weight back over the rear wheel (especially while modulating the front brakes if the bike has them) ... to stop fast and avoid being thrown over the handle bars. See this web page for details.
I would never recommend kids riding bikes at night, but if the do they should be equipped with a white front head light and a red tail light as well as a full set of reflectors.
If there is a school still in session or an art class, maybe you could get them to make you some traffic signs (about 2 foot square) and fix up some fronts of cars, trucks, brush, etc. ... everything on cardboard (easy to store) and some of which can just be held by your assistants.
You might contact your nearest MoDOT office or some local agency that maintains traffic signs for some real signs as loaners. The kids need to learn what the signs mean and they should be taught to obey them.
permanent link to article: "How to run a bicycle rodeo"
posted by Brent Hugh at
6/21/2008 08:19:00 AM |comment on this article
How to fix just about anything on your bicycle
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
BicycleTutor.com has videos showing you how to fix just about anything on your bike, from replacing cable housings to fixing a stiff chain.
A new guidebook for bicycling the Mississippi River Trail is available:
Missouri bicyclists--