Bicycle Kingdom
Remaining Vigilante
Last year, China became the world’s second-biggest car market, behind the United States. In Beijing alone, there are 1,000 new cars on the streets every day.As a result, bicycles are increasingly being squeezed to the margins. The streets are choked with traffic and automobile fumes. New roads are sometimes built without any bike lanes. Hundreds of bicyclists are killed in collisions with cars every year.
Pedal power has become so life-threatening that many Chinese have abandoned their bicycles.
Source: StreetsBlog
Cycling Generates Brainpower
alive
Cycling has enormous physical benefits. In a one-hour ride, you can work on strength and endurance, aerobic capacity, balance, and, depending on how many car doors you managed to dodge, agility.Good for the Brain…
Recent research shows that exercising can increase brainpower by prompting brain cells to multiply, strengthening their connections, and boosting their resilience against damage and disease, especially in older adults. A study published in 2005 reports on older Italian cyclists who, despite their ages, maintain extraordinary activity levels. The study explores “the physical and mental health effects of intensive exercise in older people…and the cultural and social features that support and promote bicycling in Italy.”
…and the Soul
Exercise-generated brainpower is conducive to philosophy and the soul. Cycling in nature provides the sensory impetus. The smells of the area may awaken long-lost memories that can add fuel to thought. Sounds of bugs, birds, and large hairy woodland creatures (whoa!) spark the development of more thought. On a bicycle you can experience every pothole on the trail and every daisy by the roadside. On every ride there is a cacophony of sensory input to spark those new brain cells. Thinking is like an adventure holiday. All you have to do is pedal.
Source: alive magazine
Here's Riding at You
Sweet Rider
Here’s a tip for riding in the winter months:Dress in layers. Multiple layers will help trap heat to your body and help maintain a steady body core temperature. You’ll want a windproof outer layer, a warm fleece type middle layer to trap your body heat, and a wicking bottom layer. You want the bottom layer to be next to your skin so that it can pull your perspiration away from your body to keep you dry. Keeping the body dry will prevent you from getting a deep chill that you can’t shake.
Source: Pedal Pushers
