The new Point to Point Cycling News, based in St. Louis and covering news around the entire region, has just published its third issue. All issues can be read in PDF format online or picked up at area bicycle shops.
Bike Commuter Betty's advice for getting start at commuting by bike
This issue included also a retirement interview with pro cyclist John Lieswyn, who until recently lived in Des Moines, Iowa, and has often raced in Missouri:
PTP: At Missouri races like Gateway Cup and Tour of K.C. Your team has always done quite well. Is it easy to win these races, or are you working just as hard as at other races you win, like the Nature Valley GP?
At smaller regional races several factors come into play. Firstly a powerful pro team that shows up will be there to maximize their income. Secondly they are there to maximize their training benefit, so a pro will usually race flat out, even harder from start to finish than they might at a bigger race where there is more to risk for failure. Is it harder? In some respects, yes. Every time a name pro in a local field twitches, every amateur will follow the move. So you gotta club them hard on difficult courses. If it's an easy course, then it's unlikely that a pro will win at a local event. I would avoid local races on easy courses. Too much chance of a crash, too, because every dude in the race can swarm to the front and eat it in a corner right in front of you.
Kenneth Walker become active in the cycling community the last few years and leads the troop of generally ten riders through different corners and roads of Kansas City. To his knowledge such a group has not existed in Kansas City in his lifetime.
Delores Jones joins the Sprokets on a recent ride.
Have you ever wished you could get a quality treadmill workout without paying expensive gym prices? Look no further than the Treadmill Bike by the Bicycle Forest. The Treadmill Bike offers the same fat burning benefits of a conventional treadmill without the membership fees! . . .
Consider these key benefits:
* When the weather's nice, the last place you want to be is cooped up in some stuffy gym. Imagine running through evergreen forests or strolling down country roads. All of this is possible thanks to the rugged design and all terrain tires on the revolutionary Treadmill Bike. * The Treadmill Bike's hard wearing belt offers a sure grip while protecting your feet from dirt and other contaminants commonly found on the earth's surface. * Because the Treadmill Bike is also a mode of transportation, use it instead of your car for everyday tasks such as shopping, and traveling to school or your place of work.
Though the weather is a bit colder now, there is still plenty of great bicycle riding weather left this fall and winter--if you know how to dress right.
Laurie Chipman, leader of Kansas City's Brookside Ride & a Vice President of MoBikeFed, offers these clothing suggestions based on her experience:
Here are some ideas about how to dress for winter riding. I'll start from the head down.
Head: headband or thin cap under the helmet. Sometimes I use a thin balaclava but it has to be at least freezing for that or it gets too hot. A helmet cover may work too but I have not tried it. Be sure your ears are covered.
Body: I find that trying to maintain a balance that prevents much sweating works best. Sweating will cause you to become cold so layers and zippered clothing is mandatory. For above 40: long sleeve, mock turtle wicking shirt with zipper, fleece camisole or similar, wind jacket and wind vest. Below 40 add thin fleece top with zipper and turtle neck.
Hands: Above 40: bike gloves with thin cover gloves. Below 40: full finger, wind blocking biking gloves
Legs: Above 40: bike shorts with tights. I prefer loose tights. To me they are more comfortable and allow some air space. Below 40: Bike shorts and heavy tights with wind block or wind block pants.
Feet: Get some shoes that are a little large to allow for thick socks. I prefer wool. Above 40: thick wool socks and shoe covers. Below 40: thin wool liner sock, thick wool sock and thicker shoe covers.
Batteries in lights don't last as long when it's cold so have some spare lights or batteries. Also those little air activated heater packs are helpful when it really gets cold.
Another site that offers information is commuterdude.com and if you really want to see the tough riders go to icebike.com/
Feel free to give your own cool/cold weather clothing suggestions in the article comments (see below).
permanent link to article: "Bicycle clothing for colder weather"
posted by Brent Hugh at
11/22/2005 10:41:00 PM |comment on this article
Could I power my computer or my TV with a bicycle generator?
Visitors to the Web site can search for trails by using the interactive map or look for them by using trail attributes such as the name of the trail, length, type: paved, unpaved, or on-road; uses: biking, walking or equestrian; surface: asphalt, concrete, crushed limestone, dirt, or oil and chip; and also by the type of terrain and by county.
Additional information about each trail includes a listing of attractions in the area, contact information and a link to Google maps to get driving directions to the trail.
"Usage reports for the Trailnet Web site indicated that visitors want information on trails and bikeways," said Lynn deLearie, marketing manager for Trailnet. "That is why we have pushed so hard to get this user benefit added to the Web site."
As fall turns into winter, Patrick Winstead doesn't put his bicycles into hibernation.
As the season changes, Winstead is at least one area cyclist who will change along with the weather.
He'll brave a bit of cold weather to discover the beauty of winter sights and sounds on the road or the trail — not to mention to enjoy a ride minus summertime spoilsports, such as roadside poison ivy and bugs that zoom in on exposed skin.
"This time of year, you get to see all the trees changing color, all the leaves on the trails," says Winstead, sales manager at A&B Cycle in Springfield. "You don't have the bugs to deal with, or poison ivy or mosquitoes." . . .
"You can a lot of times have almost the whole Greenways trail to yourself on a winter's day," Winstead says.
Who's in a hurry, anyway, in the winter? Not Weston, even though the 45-year-old Springfieldian likes to race in the spring and summer.
And that's one thing that makes cold-weather cycling special. In the winter, Weston says, "I'm not trying to beat anyone. It's bicycling for the sheer enjoyment of bicycling."
