Grab a Bike Downtown and Go!

What a gorgeous Colorado fall day today has been! 71 degrees, sunny, fall leaves swirling around. I was dying to get outside! But had a lot of work to do for Good Catch Publishing, so I settled for grabbing my laptop, parking my car far away, and lingering in the sunshine before going into the local coffee shop/bakery to work. I was hoping to get some bike riding in today. Maybe tomorrow! This is the PERFECT TIME of year for riding on the hundreds of miles of Denver area bike paths!

I got this e-mail from TEAM FREEWHEELIN’ today. They are the group that brought a ton of bikes to the Democratic National Convention for those who wanted to “ride green!” If you recall, in between my volunteering with One Church Metro Denver handing out cups of cold water and picking up trash, I rode one of their bikes down the Cherry Creek Bike Path.

“Pedaling” these bikes to us for free  is a SUPER idea! All you need is to leave your drivers’ license number and credit card number for collateral and you can grab a bike and go!

 Here’s what Team Freewheelin’ had to say:

What a wild ride!

The results are in, and we’ve made history! Your support for Freewheelin helped us surpass our goal of 25,000 cycling miles ridden.

During the Democratic national convention, you rode Freewheelin bike 1 time, pedaled 2 miles, burned 62 calories and reduced your carbon footprint by the equivalent of roughly 1 2-mile car rides . Way to go!

We measured our success over the course of eight days in number of rides, miles ridden, calories burned and amount of carbon eliminated from the air. We’re thrilled to report:
            7,523 bike rides
            41,724 miles ridden
            1,293,429 calories burned
            14.6 metric tons of carbon offset
            $151,414 raised at the RNC for hurricane relief based on your miles!

You were instrumental in making Freewheelin a success at the conventions, but that was just the start of the bike-sharing revolution. Let’s continue our ride together. Have something to say about Freewheelin, or suggestions on where we should go next? We want this to be your revolution. Our Freewheelin blog is a forum where you can post suggestions, questions and comments, photos and videos, as well as access the most current news about all things Freewheelin. You might even see yourself in one of the postings!

Thanks for your interest in Freewheelin; we hope you had as much fun as we did!

-Team Freewheelin’

Only one thing: they have their stats wrong about me! I rode at least 10 miles! So I reduced my carbon footprint by MUCH more than a two-mile car ride!

“When Riding Tandem, Somebody Has to be Second!”

This was the topic of our “illustrated message” Sept. 6 at our First Saturdays kick-off –”Medley of Mentoring” — sponsored by Open Book Ministries. We gather in an open forum of dynamic interchange among women once a month in different womens’ homes. This Saturday will be #2. (All women are welcome to come to these meetings in the Denver area).

 

In September, I dressed up in bikers shorts and stood in front of my mountain bike (with a clip art of tandem riders taped to the crossbar.) Here are excerpts of what I said:

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Let me see a show of hands – how many of you have ridden either a road bike or a mountain bike? Good! How many people does it take to maneuver one of those?

[Audience said, "One!"]

As most of you know, tandem bicycles are specially built for two riders and include two seats, two sets of pedals and two handlebars. The more experienced tandem cyclist or the one with the greatest upper body strength is best suited to ride in the front seat as “captain” of the bicycle. The captain is responsible for controlling the bike’s direction and speed while warning the back seat rider of upcoming obstacles, bumps and gear shifts.

The rear rider or “stoker” is mainly a source of extra cruising power for the bike. Stokers must be very careful to keep their weight centrally balanced while cruising, and lean to one side only on turns.

Learning to ride tandem with another person is different than riding a single person bike by yourself. It takes a little getting used to, a little bit of practice. But you CAN learn, and when you do, tandem riders will tell you what a thrill and rewarding experience it is.

When you decide to take your life’s journey for a season with a human mentor, you want to ride with someone who has tried and tested the road of life, over the potholes, through rough terrain, winding paths and up difficult mountains. But most of all, you want to ride with someone who has been learning to ride tandem with her Captain, our Lord Jesus.

What I share with you about tandem riding will apply not only to riding tandem with a human mentor, but also riding together with Jesus, getting into a rhythm with His plan for your life as you let Him steer you through the challenges and joys of life.

Today I will share with you FIVE RULES for riding a tandem bike. READY TO HOP ABOARD? 

more…

Cycling Heaven, Part 2 – Tooling around Frisco, CO!

I remember only about three years ago when Dillon lake was a pitiful sight – half the water was drained leaving ugly brown scrub and mud. The Colorado drought dried up our tourist-loving waterways and lakes. It warmed my heart to see the clear blue water lapping up all the way to the edge of the Marina during my bike ride.

 

 

Of course I have to include this photo of the lighthouse at the Frisco Marina. Don’t laugh, those of you who know me! Since I collect lighthouse replicas, it is only proper that I collect one on my blog!

The women’s mentoring group that I have been participating in for over three years (seven of us on the leadership team at this time – you’ll learn more about this crazy group as time goes on) has acquired quite an affinity for tandem bikes; it is a wonderful metaphor for us. We ride Tandem with Jesus – let Him take the Captain, or front seat, in our lives. We also ride the tandem journey with some awesome younger women.

Sept 6 Open Book Ministries had our very first fall First Saturday gathering and I was given the role of sharing our “illustrated message.” Vicki Bustos and I called all over town trying to find a tandem bike to use as a demonstration. We could not find one anywhere! We came very close to strapping a brand new one on top of Vic’s SUV – but didn’t. You can read the essence of my message, titled “When Riding Tandem, Somebody Has to Be Second!” HERE – in which I faked it in Marsha Dunn’s back yard using my regular mountain bike and a clip art of a tandem bike with its two riders atop taped to the cross bar!

So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I saw this bicycle shop in Frisco that was actually selling its rentals from last year. One of the salesguys (he may have been the owner, for all I know) enthusiastically answered every question I had about tandem bikes. They had two different kinds. The one pictured here is  a model that has been on the market for only three years. It is a new concept in tandem riding: it is designed for an adult and a child, and the child sits in the front. That almost blows the concept of having the Captain in front, as I talked about in my presentation at First Saturday – except for the fact that the child has no control over the steering or brakes. It makes a lot of sense to allow the child to be in front so he or she can actually enjoy the view.

So now we know, ladies, where we can rent a tandem bike!

CUTE ALERT!!! As I was leaving the bike shop, a cart of 3-year-olds rolled by! One adult was pushing this darling custom-made wagon while another walked alongside.

“How did you get so many little ones?” I asked.

“These are kids from our day care,” one of the proud adults answered. They agreed to pose for a quick photo before rolling on down the street, probably for lunch and a nappy.   

This is a typical creature carving you’ll find in these mountain town resorts.
Mr. Moose here is perhaps larger than most.

It was getting close to 4 p.m. and I needed to head back to Copper Mountain to turn in my bike rental. But before I did, I saw this hilarious sign posted in one of the retail shops:

Do you notice the fine print? They even have a web site: www.TheEvilPineBeetle.com! My family has had its share of warding off Evil Pine Beetles at our small historic cabin in Allenspark! See the post about Tree Dudes, dear husband Chet and Steve Nuss as they cut over 125 trees one weekend last spring. (Only a few of them were actually beetle-infested. We were working with the local and state forest service to prevent the problems that have occurred on this side of the mountain.)

Finally, it was time to head back to Copper Mountain. I did not realize that my 25-minute journey downhill to Frisco would become an hour-and-a-half huffing and puffing bike trek back! Needless to say, I did not make it in time to turn the bike in before the shop closed at 5 p.m.

 

 

 

Cycling Heaven! Part 1…

Knowing how much I love to ride, Chet rented me a bike on Tuesday while he was working the RMRPPR Trade Show in Copper Mountain. I didn’t get a chance to use it until that afternoon as I needed to work on my books for Good Catch Publishing.

But at 3:00 Mountain Time, I was whizzing across Highway 70 to catch the bike trail from Copper to Frisco. What breathtaking scenery on a perfect fall day! From trailhead to trailhead, it was 7.6 miles of bike path flanked on one side by a rushing creek and on the other still ponds with Canadian geese, yellow-green aspen, evergreens and mountainside rock.

“I LOVE THIS!” I kept saying to noone in particular, thoroughly enjoying to ride. “This IS THE LIFE!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took me only 25 minutes to get to Frisco.  Good thing I enjoyed the cool breeze, colors and natural surroundings on the way down…little did I realize I would be heaving and heaving up the hill for an hour and a half pedalling mostly in gear 1-1 on the way back! Payback time!

As I entered Frisco, I saw a very peculiar sight…rock creatures to my left and right! Either space aliens landed in this pristine mountain area and decided to create self-portrait sculptures…or some bored kids were having a bit of fun! I tend to think the latter…

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one even has the ring in its snout.

Riding through Frisco on the path reminded me of my walks with Jan Tennyson, Director of Dare to Dream Children’s Foundation. We holed up for several days in one of the gorgeous mountain homes banging away at Part One of her Dare to Dream book. We worked hard, ate good food and took walks around the lake and on the path. Frisco is a darling little resort town. I fantasized what it would be like to live there year around.

Who would have thought that one would run across a Cart o’ Kids wheeling its way down Main Street? And guess what Open Book Mentors and Mentees – I found two different kinds of Tandem bikes to rent – or buy! Also, took a refreshing walk around the Marina. Many of the boats were moored there, but quite a few the owners had pulled out of the water and parked in winter quarters. AND – most surprising of all – I discovered, in an effort to ward off a very serious problem that has ravaged the landscape, the quirky humor of the small mountain town folks …

All these and more in the next blog entry! (Awwww, shucks!!!)

Cycling GREEN!

FREEWHEELING – yes it was free! I took advantage of the fact that Humana shipped in 1000 bikes to Downtown Denver for the Democratic National Convention. They had several stations set up. With a drivers’ license and a credit card (for security only), at no cost you could sign out a bike and ride it all around downtown or on one of the many bike paths available.

On Thursday, I missed the guided bike tour of the city parks (due to a L-OOOOOO-NG bus ride downtown – took one of the buses that stopped at nearly every corner!), but did take the green bike – a “cruiser” with three automatic gears – down the Cherry Creek River path – gorgeous! As a resident of the area, I had never cruised down that trail before. It was beautiful! I ended up going about 10 miles total before heading back to the One Church Denver park to help tear down the booths and pack things up.

With a lock, I was able to stop off at The Market for a delicious vegetarian sandwhich!

The Freewheeling volunteers gave us the sturdy black bag on the front (with their advertising info of course) to keep when we turned in the bikes.

I heard that Humana will be leaving about 70 bikes in downtown Denver – and I may just be taking another trip downtown before the snow flies, now that I have discovered some new paths and have access to a free set of wheels! This is a GOOD thing!!

CYCLING SISSY, Part 6 – YEA! I Can Do This!

This morning I needed to drop something off to a friend of mine who lives not too far away. By car, it’s a 10-minute drive. There are about five lights on a major street and tons of traffic.

But I was feeling adventurous. Why not ride my bike to her house?

This was a day of many firsts (in a long time, anyway):

Ø  I dug out my helmet – which hasn’t been worn in years – from the garage, somewhere, and wore it.

Ø  I dug around and found my hubby’s hiking fanny pack with water bottles (shhhh! Don’t tell him – he’s out of town) and discovered I could wear it while riding and thus have a place to stow necessities. YES! I can do this!

Ø  I rode my bike to a friend’s house, rather than using up about $3 worth of gas.

Ø  I kept going in the general direction of her house on side streets avoiding the main ones and discovered shortcuts!

Ø  I also discovered new neighborhoods I have never driven through – they are very pretty with the colors and greenery of early summer.

Ø  In the fanny pack was a tightly rolled rain and wind jacket. Turned out I needed it, as it got cold and windy on the way back.

Ø  I Discovered I like bike riding even when the weather isn’t pristine!  Maybe one day I could become Hard Core (please perish the thought!).

As I was walking out the door, Vicki said, “Wait! Wait! I want to get my camera!” She took this shot of me.

 

CYCLING SISSY, Part 5, Along the Platte River

 

Since I don’t really have time to take the bike to the shop today, thought I’d go ahead and take it for a spin with just me before I get thoroughly embarrassed if it doesn’t work in front of a dozen new bike-riding friends. (Chet is in Albuquerque this week on business.)

Pulled my purple bike with the oversized mountain bike tires out of the garage, combed through a map of Colorado Bicycling I had (that didn’t do any good for trails near my house) and decided to go ahead and wing it.

One tire was flat, of course. But the nice man at the service station not only filled my bike tires, but also the tires on my car – the pressure was down about 10 pounds each! (Baaaaaad for gas mileage in these days of $3.79/gallon gas!) So I got two things accomplished.

Went to an intersection where I thought I heard there was a trail. Turns out, no trail, but as I headed down a hill, met what appeared to me to be a “seasoned rider” – wearing all the colorful gear, y’know. Flagged her down, and found out she is a postal worker who rides an hour and a half to work one day a week. What a great idea! She reminded me 2008 Bike to Work Day is coming up June 25.

This wonderful lady told me how to catch the Platte River trail from there, and I took off on the double-wide sidewalk.

My first biking outing in a long time. By myself. I did it!

The river, dotted with tiny islands and flanked by greenery was refreshing scenery. I heard different kinds of birds calling from the trees and as they whistled through the air. Every now and then I passed someone. But I rode at my own leisurely pace.

As I rode along the path, I thought of the many hours I’ve wasted surfing the internet, or watching an old re-run on TV when I could have been out in the fresh air, enjoying the beautiful landscape…and getting great exercise! I’ve lived in Colorado (this time around) for 14 years. Why did I not purpose to learn more about bikes and trails and get out there on a regular basis sooner?

I guess I’ll just have to make up for lost time!

CYCLING SISSY, Part 4 – Revving Up for the Spring!

YEA!!! I am taking baby steps towards my dream to ride regularly. Part of that dream includes getting in shape enough that I can keep up with other riders without wheezing and coughing!

After I had arthroscopic knee surgery in September 2007 and saw the Physical Therapist a few times (will be uploading an article published in the 50+ Marketplace News,  about the first surgery I had, which apparently didn’t take), the orthopedic surgeon told me bike riding would be great rehab. I started taking REV (like Spinning) classes at the Rec Center 6 weeks after the surgery.  Monday, Wednesday, Friday at – gulp! – 6 am. Our instructor is GREAT! Jasmine really gives us a workout, but educates us along the way. She’s a hardcore cyclist, and pushed us to our groaning limits.

(Sadly, she was not there to teach Monday this week; one of the staff told me she had a terrible bike accident on Sunday and broke her hip in three places! Yikes! Poor Jasmine!)

I have been going to these classes for about seven months – hitting and missing sometimes. Boy, you can really tell when you haven’t been for a while! But gaining more and more confidence that I can keep up with at least some of the riders. Increasing my strength and endurance. Learning some riding techniques.  Enjoying the camaraderie of the handful of other early morning suckers in our class.

But, more importantly, while we “Revved” to compelling music and shouts from our instructor, as the snowy days transformed into warmer sunny weather, and as the sun rose earlier, and its light poured through our huge picture window, I yearned more and more to be out there riding rather than cooped up inside on a bike look-alike!

I can’t wait to get outside in this beautiful Colorado springtime weather and enjoy God’s beautiful creation!

CYCLING SISSY, Part 3 – Gripped By A Heroic Inspiration

 

She sat in the circle of around 12 women in the grass, legs crossed casually, smiling. Her talk would be the catalyst that would propel me into signing up for Rev (cycling or Spinning) classes only 6 weeks after my knee surgery.

The women’s mentoring group I serve with had several “real life parable enactments” as a part of the Fall 2007 Determined Pursuit Bible studies. One of those enactments occurred at a park in Broomfield.

And we sat in the lush grass listening to Marianne Svec tell us about her positive experience as a first time athlete in the Tri For the Cure Triathalon, just a few weeks before, first weekend in August. Three thousand women swam, biked and ran for “Susan G Komen for the Cure.”

Marianne truly inspired me. The fact that she is 50-something and said “YES!” to an opportunity way beyond her comfort zone touched a spot in my heart. Her supervisor at work, an experienced triathelete, mentored her. They trained throughout the year, logging in about four days a week at the nearby rec center in swimming and Spinning classes. They also ran together quite a bit. Marianne ended up swimming the 750 meters (1/2 mile), biking 20k (a little over 12 miles), and running the 5k (3.1 miles) in an hour and fifty-five minutes, including transition time.

She read Philippians 4:13 to us: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” and II Timothy 4:7-8: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord…will give to me on that day…” (New King James Version) 

She concluded by saying: “You can train together the whole time with someone who’s been through it before. But in the end, you’ll have to run your own race.”

Something in my heart leapt that day: I wanted to take indoor cycling classes like she did and ride my bike in some long rides, maybe in the summer. Marianne inspired me.

 

CYCLING SISSY, Part 2 – The Revelation

I have never been the athletic type. I didn’t play any team sports in elementary, junior high or high school.  I belonged to such boring clubs as the Latin Club and a journalism club. I’d just as soon sit on my potato and watch wholesome TV shows or mysteries on the couch, or even better, read, as get out there and move my booty!

But over the past few years, I’ve felt the conviction that I need to exercise more, and as I realize how much I hate to work out at a gym, the desire to get on a bike again has grown stronger and stronger.  If I’ve got to exercise, why not do something I really like?

In the fall, when the trees were brilliant with color, the sun shining and the days crisp, or in the spring when new leaves budded on the trees and the clean fragrance of flowers and flowing green pastures, I’d pass riders on country roads here in Boulder and Denver. I’d think wistfully, “I want to do that….”

But not like that.

Suddenly I realized: here is one of my hang-ups – why I keep procrastinating. It’s intimidating to take up biking in the Cycling Capitol of the World, where Lance-Armstrong-types flock to train; the place that has birthed many Olympic medalists. These guys and gals whiz up and down hills, heads low, decked out in a full array of colorful – and expensive – cycling gear down to gloves and cleats. They think nothing of going a hundred miles in a day.  Not my style. I could never live up to their standards!

I had to come to grips with the fact that I don’t want to be a Lance-type, training for hours each day and competing in the many rides offered in our neck of the woods as an elite cyclist.  And that is OKAY! I can be me! It is OKAY that I want to be a fair-weather bicyclist, puttering on the easier trails or paved roads with clearly marked bike lanes.  It’s OKAY if I don’t want to train for anything, if I ride an hour or two along Platte River or the Boulder Bike path – or even in my neighborhood. No pressure, no expectations. Just sheer pleasure.

AND…Enjoying God’s creation.