Thursday December 10, 2009
When putting up your bike for the winter, there are several things you want to do to store it properly. Taking these smart and easy steps will help prevent deterioration from disuse and also ensures that your bike will be ready to ride when it's time to take it out next spring.
Read the whole article: How to Store Your Bike for the Winter
Related:
Is there anything special you do when storing your bike? Comment below.
Photo credit: Nikolaus Bauman/flickr
Tuesday December 8, 2009
If you're looking for something fun to do this weekend in Chicago, be sure to check out the Santa Rampage. Either as a spectator or participant, you'll get a kick out of this bevy of Santas on bikes buzzing around the city's downtown, promoting holiday cheer and the joy of cycling in the central shopping district.
Full Santa regalia required to participate; fully costumed elves, reindeer, and grinches grudgingly allowed. 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 13th at the Twisted Spoke, Ogden and Grand. For more information, check out all the information here.
It's all part of Bikewinter.org, a loosely-organized collection of groups that promote the fun and practicality of cycling, even when temperatures drop. Along with the Chicago chapter, others include Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin and St. Louis, Mo.
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Sunday December 6, 2009
So you can't get enough Lance, eh? Well the good news is that he's just released a new book this week called Comeback 2.0: Up Close and Personal that details his return to professional cycling in 2009.
The book is essentially a collection of Lance's own journal entries compiled over the course of the past year, and features color photography by top-notch cycling photographer Elizabeth Kreutz, who followed Armstrong along the way.
In the intro, Lance talks about his decision to return to cycling after being gone for three years. He was in an Ohio hotel for a Livestrong conference, killing time between sessions and one day found the Tour de France on the TV:
What got to me was watching the stage when they climbed Alpe d'Huez. I have history with Alpe d'Huez. Good history. Most notably when I won a Stage 16 time trial there that was critical to my 2004 Tour victory.
As I watched Carlos Sastre make his move on Alpe d'Huez, a move that went essentially unchallenged, I felt a pang: I want back in. It was the first time I'd even considered a return to the Tour de France. I can't say that I decided right then and there to mount a comeback, but the seed was planted. In the days and weeks that followed, it was on my mind. Increasingly on my mind.
Armstrong goes on to recount the responses of his family, his coach and his friends and business partners to his desire to return to professional cycling. Not surprisingly, Lance received mixed reactions. But in true Lance fashion, he pressed on, and we watched it all unfold last July when he ended up third on the Tour de France podium.
The 208-page book is published by Simon & Schuster and retails for $27.99. You can read the full introduction here.
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Thursday December 3, 2009
I used to be one of those people who wondered why in the world anyone would wear a hat underneath their cycling helmet.
But not anymore, and I'll give you three good reasons why it's cool --- they're comfortable and they look good, and they're fun as heck to wear. So, even if you don't consider yourself a cap wearer, you should still check out cycling caps, and especially the ones made by Walz Caps out of Vista, California if you still need convincing.
Handmade out of a variety of materials, including warm wool, eco-friendly hemp, and high-tech moisture wicking performance fabric, you'll find a cap for every type and style of riding. Bills flip up or down, and two different sizes plus an elastic band in the back means they'll fit comfortably. Plus, the hats' sleek profile allow them to to fit snugly on your head, fitting easily under your helmet.
