Cycling for the fun of it!
One thing I noticed after I moved to Florence, were the number of
people on bikes. This is not just the kids running around
on their bikes, but people of all ages. I hadn't ridden a
bike in at least 12 years, but I made my first stop at Bicycle 101, the
local bike shop. After several visits and waiting for the
new models to arrive I bought my bike. That's me with my bike to
the left, a
Trek Navigator 100. I admit I was a bit nervous when I
first climbed onto it there in the parking lot. But pedaling
around the lot it started to come back to me. I've heard
that once you learn to ride a bike you never forget. One of
the several things that got me interested in getting back to biking is
the fact that Florence is a good place to ride. Another was
the excellent help from Tim at Bicycles 101 in selecting the right
bike. Check out the Bicycles 101 page
I've added to this web site.
After a few wobbly starts on riding, I've gotten pretty good at
it. Also I've added a few accessories to my bike including
the a water bottle, rack for the back and a bag to go on it. Then
came a mirror and finally a speedometer. More recently I added a
flashing tail light to use when I go cycling on busy streets. Of
course no decent
cyclist would go out riding without a helmet. A few adjustments
to the seat have been necessary, and suggested adjustment to the
handlebars. It took me a while to get use to all the
gears. My last bike had 10 speeds, well this one has 21 and
it took me a while to get use to shifting them.
I started out slow and not going very far, but as time has passed by
I've increased my distance. In 2004 I rode a distance of 380
miles. While much of my mileage was riding the streets in
Florence, I have ridden on the bike trails along the Willamette
River in Eugene and in parks around Salem and the Row River Trail (2005). For
2005 I rode 961.34 miles. In the just
more than five years since I bought my bike I have ridden 1736.31
miles (through Sep 30, 2008), which
is quite an accomplishment for me. I have not ridden much since
Sept
6, 2006, due to an accident (non-cycling) that kept me off my
bike. Since that
time I have had knee surgery and a lot of physical therapy. Also
during this period I moved from Florence to Keizer, OR and finally
settling in SE Salem. I did ride some in 2007 but not much. I started
out 2008 a little late, but through the end of September I had ridden
a total of 152 miles.
While Salem does have some bike lanes and there are several area parks that
offer off road biking trails, Salem is not what I would call bike-friendly.
There are many cyclists here and a tip of my helmet to those who ride and
especially those who have to deal with the traffic and less than favorable bike lanes in
certain areas.
I enjoy each ride and all that I see at that level and
speed. One never knows how much they miss when they drive
along in their vehicles. Its a whole new
experience. Biking has another benefit in that it is good
exercise. It is easier than jogging and pounding your feet
on the ground, tho one may experience some muscle soreness and
tenderness on your backside.
Cycling and flat tires go together and I experienced my first flat tire
Sat, Sep. 17, 2005. So that meant pushing my bike home
which was
8/10th of a mile from where I was at the time. I had expected a
flat since the tire had a slow leak that wasn't a constant leak.
Since I gotten into cycling I've picked up a lot of
information. Highway 101 which runs thru Florence is also
designated as the Oregon Coast Bike Route. Especially in
the summer months one can see any number of cyclers traveling down the
road. I've talked to a number of them when I see them at
the bike shop or stopped at a store in town. Some travel
this route on a yearly basis. I've included some links of
interest to cyclists and those thinking of getting into cycling.
I'll be adding more as time goes by.
Something many of us bikers, joggers, hikers and others don't think
about is carrying indentification when we go out enjoying our
sport. There are 450,000 of us bikers, joggers and others that
are injured, unconscious and without identification taken to the
hospital each year. Road
ID can prevent serious delays in getting proper medical treatment.
Check
it Out.
Cyber Cyclery - The ultimate
cycling
directory - for bicycling and bicycle riders worldwide
Thousands of cycle enthusiasts around the world use Cyber Cyclery every
day to find a wide variety of bicycling related information, resources
and services.
Cycling in Oregon.
This page of links to web sites that have information on location
and maps about paved bike paths and trails in Oregon. Lots
of good information if you are thinking of doing some cycling in
Oregon. Check out my recently added page on the Row River Trail
located at Cottage Grove on the 'Cycling in Oregon' page or click 'here'.
Check out the local bike shop
page revised Oct 6, 2008
