People
August 05, 2008
Not Every Ride Makes You Fitter
By Nobalance
Parenting is beyond doubt the weirdest, most coolest thing a human can do on the planet. Mind boggling really. My wife and I do our best and are lucky enough to have three pretty special kids growing up in our house. I know, every parent thinks their kids are the absolute best and ignores what is painfully apparent to everyone else within spit-ball distance. I get that. But we tend to the realist side of parenting and though while we experience our fair share of pride bursting moments we temper all of that with a lovely fatalistic, 'what's coming next,' viewpoint. As I said, we feel lucky, and lucky so far, specifically.
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August 04, 2008
A Day in the Life of a Biker Wife
Some months ago I found my wife (Snooch) laughing at the computer reading one of Konarider's editorial and taking notes. She warned Konarider and I that she had the wife's retort. Enjoy this sample as I've been told, or maybe warned, that there is much more to come.
By Snooch
It's Saturday morning and the kids are sleeping in. I plan to doze off for a little while longer. Then I get a rude awakening, the 'BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ' of the alarm. Yup, The Husband is planning to meet the biker crew for an early morning ride. So I now climb over the husband, turn off the alarm, and proceed to wake him up since he slept through the world's worst noise.
I snuggle back down under to covers, just about in a blissful state of sleep when 'BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ,' off goes the alarm again. There is no gently waking The Husband. I proceed to pound on him and curse at him until he turns of his alarm, and then I push him out of bed.
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July 15, 2008
Ever forget you're a mountain biker?
By Nobalance
Late again. Yup, late again in the pursuit of spring and summer fitness I've, like an old crow, flitted from one shiny fitness idea to the next over the last few months. Dusted off an old pair of trail running shoes bought on clearance at MEC many moons ago and was at one point running four days a week. That died with a trip to Boston to support my wife in her first running of the Boston Marathon - crazy fast beauty ran 3:06 and change - of twenty-five plus thousand folks that drops her inside two thousand - Wow! I know.
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July 08, 2008
A Message From ECMTB's Favorite Pro
East Coast Mountain Biking's favorite pro rider, Ryan Leech keeps an eye on our forums and the East Coast riding scene in general. He noted the the fierce conflict associated with wearing a helmet while riding and sent us a letter. Ryan rides for Norco, and we were treated with a few demo rides in the Maritimes last year. I had the chance to meet Ryan at Savage's Bike Shop in Fredericton and I can't say enough about the man. He spent time with every person who came for an autograph, and put on an A1 show to boot. Here is what he had to say, after admitting that it the helmet issue is a tricky one, but one he cares a lot about.
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June 26, 2008
Event Organizers: Thank you!!!
By Konarider
This is not meant to scare away would be race / event organizers but rather to give those who have never participated on that side of the fence an insight into what's involved.
The Woolastook 5 provided me with an opportunity to work with Andrew and Chris on the organizing side of things. I've participated in maybe a dozen or so different events and never really took the time to realize what had to be done to successfully host an event or race. I offer you a quick overview of what's involved. I know I'm missing a few things.
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May 21, 2008
Q & A with Andrew, Mark and Paul
By Replicator
I had a chance to catch up with three owners of Cyclesmith, Andrew Feenstra, Mark Beaver and Paul Shaw. I took the opportunity to pose a few questions to them in the hopes of them passing on some of their Yoda-like wisdom and insight. I wasn't dissappointed.
Replicator: Where do you see the biggest challenge in bringing more people to cycling?
Andrew Feenstra: Safe areas to ride, and education for automobile drivers.
Mark Beaver: Road conditions in Nova Scotia. Lack of shoulders on roads, narrow roads. Off-road, lack of mapping of routes and places to ride. Weather.
Paul Shaw: I see the biggest challenge is the same challenge our society faces with lifestyle changes. Many know they need to become more active, drop weight, eat better, move more, but aren't able to incorporate the needed changes into their life. With active living, come more cyclists (and walkers) who commute by bike and from that more people who ride for pleasure. I ride to work wearing street clothes on a bike with fenders. I don't need a shower when I get here if I commute at a leisurely pace. Getting on my bike is as easy as putting on my shoes. I want people to see cycling as easy, as another mode of transport, as a practical alternative. More commuters who are comfortable in traffic will lead to more riders of all stripes - in the woods and at the races.
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May 17, 2008
Dear John / Jane Letter for Cycling Season
Our newest columnist Mike "Konarider" Phillips knows how to cover his bases! Be sure to use his letter whenever necessary.
With cycling season getting into full swing I thought I'd help my fellow cyclist by providing a letter you can just fill in the blanks and hand off to your partner/spouse/significant other etc to save some time from constantly explaining where you are and what you're doing... hope it's helpful.
- Konarider
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