Our friend Bob reviews a set of prescription sunglasses from ADS Sports Eyewear…a company who supplies online prescriptions sunglasses for cyclists and other athletes.

Prescription Sunglasses for Cycling

by Bob Avery

As a near-sited cyclist, I’ve been looking for a good pair of cycling shades that can house my prescription, provide maximum coverage and don’t stick out like a sore thumb.

Because of the curvature of most cycling glasses, lens manufacturers haven’t been able to make Rx lenses without distorting the corrections.  I purchased this pair of sunglasses a year ago at my eye doctor’s office.  They’re a great pair of Maui Jim’s.  But, as was explained to me, the curvature of those lenses was the maximum I could have with my Rx without distorting the correction.

And some sunglasses designed for cyclists could have an Rx lens, but with limitations, only a minor correction.  I have a pair of Oakley Flak Jacket shades without a prescription.  Oakley will put Rx lenses in them, but only to a total or reaction of ± 3.0, including correction for astigmatism.  My script is outside those limits.

“But what about contacts” you ask?  My eyes are unusually dry and when I’ve tried contacts to wear with the Oakleys, my eyes were bloodshot by the end of the ride.  In fact, on a longer ride, one actually popped out and stuck to the sunglasses.  I’ve tried two different brands of contacts with similar results.

I thought I was doomed to either riding with blurred vision, dealing with dry eyes from contacts, or not having shades when I ride.  Until now.

So when Darryl asked me to review a product from a company that makes prescription sunglasses for all sorts of activities, including cycling, I naturally jumped at the chance.  He put me in touch with ADS Sports Eyewear, an on-line company that does prescription cycling sunglasses.

After picking out a frame on-line (Adidas Adivista) and exchanging a few e-mails to sort out the details of my order (I didn’t order through the website since it was a comp order), I received the glasses less than two weeks.

In addition to Adidas, ADS also has cycling sunglass frames by Oakley, Nike, Bolle, and Kaenon available.

I’ve used them several times while riding (and driving and mowing the lawn) in the last couple weeks.

Verdict: I. LOVE. THEM!

The clarity of the correction is not affected by the curvature of the lenses.  It’s as clear and precise out of the corner of my eye as it is looking dead ahead.  This was a true breakthrough.  Finally, cyclists who need any significant vision correction have an alternative.  And they can do bifocal lenses!

So, how does ADS do it?  I’ll let them describe it.

“New Free-Form Digital Prescription Lens” technology makes it possible for us to create prescription sports sunglasses with amazing clarity throughout the entire lens, even if you select sunglasses with an 8-base wrapped design.  Free-Form Digital lens technology is a life changing improvement for people who wear prescription motorcycle glasses, prescription running sunglasses, prescription golf sunglasses, or any prescription polarized sunglasses.

The newest adaptation of this digital technology is a Lenticular Free-Form lens that makes it possible to put stronger prescriptions in almost any prescription sunglasses without creating excessive thickness.

This dramatically expands the range of what is possible for people who wear prescription sunglasses, and it can create the thinnest lens ever possible in prescription sunglasses.

“I’m so impressed, I intend to order additional lenses for these shades, for different riding conditions.  And I may order prescription lenses for the Oakley sunglasses I do have.”

Because of the cost of prescription sunglasses, you would be right to be concerned about satisfaction.  ADS has a pretty good policy on returns and correcting lenses.  You can read more about that here.  In fact I encourage you to do so.

Finally, I want to say gain, that the staff at ADS was extremely helpful!  Based on my interactions with hem through the ordering process, I am onside not that you will be more than satisfied by their customer service.

The more I get to know Rob Greenfield, the cooler I think he is.  He continues his Off the Grid Across American bicycle tour….where he’s showing the world how to be more self-sustaining. Here’s his Day 56 journal entry.

Off the Grid Update: Day 56

Today I finally visited Growing Power (www.GrowingPower.org) which is something I’ve been wanting to do for years now since I first saw them featured on the documentary Fresh (www.freshthemovie.com). They are a 1% for the Planet recipient and through my Off the Grid adventure across America I am raising funds for them to keep on doing the amazing things they are doing. They have grown into a huge movement over the last few years so the amount I raise for them will be a tiny fraction of what they receive each year but I know they will put whatever I give to them to good use.

My visit to their 3-acre organic urban garden was more productive, educational, and inspirational than I had ever imagined it would be. Every corner I turned there was something interesting and exciting to see. The interns, volunteers, and staff were all stoked to learn about my bamboo bike and solar panel covered trailer as well and the combination of what they had going on as well as mine made for an afternoon full of laughter and joy.

The vision of Growing Power is to inspire communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound and create a just world, one food-secure community at a time. They thoroughly impressed me and I truly believe this organization knows how to change the world for the better. They are already doing it and if we just replicated their system around America we could be on our way to a healthier happier nation tomorrow.

Tami Hughes, the communications and public relations manager, gave me a tour of most of the entire farm although there was so much happening on the 3 acres that I doubt I got to see it all. Tami is a gem and I was also honored to spend some time with Will Allen who is a man creating a better world near and far. Nothing but smiles and good words came from his mouth in the time I got to spend with him. Here is a wikipedia article to sum up some of his many achievements: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Allen_(urban_farmer).
Here are some of the spectacular things they are doing at Growing Power:

Growing good food in large quantities. They feed over 10,000 people per year with the food they produce and they grow over 1,000,000 pounds of vegetables per year. A large percentage of their veggies are grown via aquaponics and in doing so they also raise over 35,000 tilapia and yellow perch per year. Aquaponics is a sustainable food production system that combines raising fish in tanks with growing plants in water in a symbiotic environment. The nutrients are cycled between the fish and plants and soil does not have to be used. It is a very productive system of farming and can produce top quality food in large quantities year round even in cold environments.

Keeping food from the landfill. Growing Power composts 43,000,000 pounds of waste per year and 21,000,000 of that is food that is diverted from landfills by picking it up from stores, distributors, restaurants, school cafeterias, etc. Instead of all this becoming waste and going to the landfill they turn it into valuable fertilizer that is then used to create more food. They also feed some to the goats and probably the chickens which creates fertilizer as well.

Will has a vision of a world where everybody has access to good food and he has dedicated his life to making this happen. He and Growing Power transforms communities by providing healthy and affordable food to lower income communities. In doing so they teach people what real food is and what they need to put in their bodies to have a healthy body. I’ve been learning that some parents feed their children nothing but chips and sugary drinks for lunch and that many people know close to nothing about food. Growing Power is doing their part and more to change that. They grow food, grow minds, and grow the community.

They offer The Farm-to-City Market Basket Program which is a is a cross between a mobile grocery store and a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. It’s not all local food because they don’t grow things like bananas and oranges around here but it is all healthy. This is an excellent measure they are taking to provide good healthy food at a good price in a convenient way. If there is one thing I know it’s that Americans love convenience. So if we are going to get people eating healthy it can’t be complicated or too challenging.

They also offer all sorts of workshops, outreach projects, and youth education programs. After all education is often the key to creating a more conscious person.
This is a non-profit that has multiple streams of pulling in income in order to raise the funds they need to keep on creating a better world. I respect this greatly as many non-profits don’t understand how to generate revenue. They seem to be doing a very good job of this though.

I’ll quote Will here. “If people can grow safe, healthy, affordable food, if they have access to land and clean water, this is transformative on every level in a community. I believe we cannot have healthy communities without a healthy food system.” So they don’t just grow healthy food at growing power, they teach people in the community how to do it and give them the resources they need as well. If you’d like to learn more visit their website (www.GrowingPower.org), “like” their Facebook page, and read Will’s book, The Good Food Revolution.

Growing Power was a 10-mile ride from Mitch’s house through urban Milwaukee. I enjoyed the ride up there and since I was in a rush did the 10 miles in around 45 minutes. On the way back I took my time and relaxed at a park overlooking lake Michigan where I prepared a sandwich of greens and tomatoes from Growing Power, venison from Todd in Madison, and whole wheat bread from a dumpster. It was a beautiful day to be out and about and even though it was my day off I was happy to be doing some riding. I pedaled along the lake south and then rested at Bradford Beach for a few hours until evening and then stopped at Whole Foods and picked up some local organic milk and ice cream, which served as my dinner. That night we had a gathering at the house and about fifteen friends came over to see me. Many of them I had not seen in years and it was a fabulous evening of spending time amongst friends.

What do Alejandro Valverde, Danilo Di Luca, Ricardo Ricco and yours truly all have in common? Nope… I’m not a scum bag doper… but I’m making a comeback

It’s been a while since my trippy European ramblings have graced the screens of LovingTheBike.com but (hopefully) you’ll be pleased to hear I’m saddling up to the laptop and back  in the wonderful world of LTB. 

Unfortunately for all those women who’ve sent tonnes of fan mail recently I must state early in my comeback that I am now a married man. The preparations for the wedding, the day itself and enjoying the time since has taken a lot of my time but now seems a great time to hit you all right between the goggle-balls and get back online. 

I’ve kept my finger on the pulse whilst I’ve been away and I’d like to say a big congratulations to Darryl and the Mocha Spoke team, and wish them every success.  The reason I continue to be involved in this website is Darryl.  He is true to his principles and lives what he preaches, which is why I know Mocha Spoke is destined for greatness.  Do head over to the cafe site as well as the Facebook page for news and pictures.

Have a great week and I’ll be back soon with something… well hopefully cycling related! If you’re lucky you might even see me over on Twitter!

Stevie

Every time I see that it’s someone’s birthday, I’ll usually post my wishes to them on social media and ask if they’re getting out for a birthday ride.  I also asked about this when I hosted #bikeschool a few weeks ago to find out what sort of cycling rituals people had on their big day.

It seemed like the most popular response was for people to ride the amount of miles that equals their age.

Well, today it’s my turn.  Yes, Mr. LovingtheBike turns another year older today, and as always I’ll be getting out for one special birthday ride.  So how old am I, you ask?  Well, I honestly feel like age is just a number and I don’t personally get too tied up with it.  But two years ago I posted about having abs at 42…..you do the math.  Oh, and thanks to my time on the bike, and decent nutrition……I still have abs at 44.

I don’t have a consistent ritual for my yearly birthday ride, but I tend to do something out of the ordinary so as to make it memorable.  Some years I’ve gone ultra long distance.  When we lived in St. Kitts, I was sure to do an around-the-island ride.  Other times it was a ride that allowed me to clear my head and spend time in nature.

I’m not exactly sure what’s in store for this year, but all I know is that after I’m done putting in some hours at Mocha Spoke this morning….I’m heading off for a sweet journey with just me and my road bike.  After that, the rest of the day will be spent celebrating with my Family.

Okay, so what about you?  What are your birthday riding rituals?  Let’s hear about it.

My Off the Grid cycling tour buddy, Rob continues his journey to promote sustainability.  Here’s his journal entry from Day 53 that includes wise words and an update on his ride.

“Every day we choose, whether we realize it or not, to be a part of the solution or to be a part of the problem.”

Off the Grid Bicycle Tour: Day 53

by Rob Greenfield

I left Grant’s house at 3:30 as the clouds rolled in partially covering up the sun. It had been a hot day, 85+ degrees, and this cooled it off a bit.  A few sprinkles fell from the sky and the humid air was full of vigor and life.  Leaving town I was tremendously grateful to have spent time with great friends and rested my drained body.  I stopped behind the grocery store on the way out and loaded my bag full of blackberries, apples, nectarines, spinach, and melons.  This ten pounds of fruit would last me for about twenty-four hours.

The terrain outside of Boscobel was stunningly beautiful and brought excitement to my mind and body.  The road took me along the flooded Wisconsin River that was flowing through the forests creating a river wonderland.  The green land enthralled me and was full of magical scents from blooming trees and wildflowers.  The air was the ideal temperature to be riding in just my shorts and my hairy body trapped hundreds of little insects all over it.  Insects bounced off my forehead and flew into my eyes but I enjoyed this knowing it was a sign of the life that this river had created.  I pedaled along the Wisconsin River feeling as inspired as could be by the beauty surrounding me. The beauty was so grand that it brought sadness to me, as nature often does.

This is Wisconsin. This is my homeland. This is where my roots spread into the ground as a youth and soaked up knowledge, experiences, friendships, love, and memories.  This is where I was molded into the man I am today.  This is Wisconsin. This is my homeland.  As far away as I travel and as long as I stay away it will always be the land that made me who I am today.
The lush dense forests and the green pastures full of spotted cows were a source of great inspiration for me.  Emotions flooded my mind, opening it up and allowing me to come up with inspiration of methods to create the happier and healthier world I desire to see.  I took voice memos of the ideas as to not forget them so that I could capture them in their peak and transcribe them onto paper when I had the time.

On this journey I have created and solidified my mission in life and have dedicated myself to being the change that we need in this world.  To being the inspiration that people need in order to take action. To lead by example to demonstrate what can be done and what is attainable for anyone. To teach simple ways to live a happier healthier that will create a happier healthier planet.  That is who Rob Greenfield is and that is who Rob Greenfield will be.  The path that I took in my younger years in Wisconsin did not always have an obvious arrow pointing in this direction but I am thankful for every moment that I have spent on this earth because it has brought me to where I am today and it has led me into this mission. It has created a desire deep inside me to be the change that this planet needs.  I gave thanks to the Wisconsin wilderness for the shivers it sent down my spine as I rode today and for being a source for the greatness inside me.

I passed familiar places in an unfamiliar way, via bicycle. When I lived in Madison just fifty miles from where I was pedaling today it would have been quite the task to pedal out here.  Now it was just another 50-75 mile day on the road. It is something I can do now without even thinking twice about it. In Wisconsin I drove everywhere I needed to go and I used a credit card to pump the gas the car needed to go.  This credit card detached me from the fact that I was pumping money into my tank everyday.  For many years I never thought twice about reducing the amount of fuel I used. I just assumed, hey if I want to go somewhere I’ll just put the gas in the car to get me there. I did not think about the idea of saving myself money and not contributing to global warming. It was simple, if I needed to go somewhere I put gas in my car. Now that I realize what this mindset does to the planet and how much more financially free I am not pouring my money into my car I would cringe to pump gas into a vehicle. This is a perfect example of how life is just a matter of perspective and how we shape the world around us. Everyday we have choices to make, and each one of us as individuals makes the decision to be a part of the problem or to be a part of the solution.

I carried on pedaling through favorable conditions in love with the lush jungle green hills that rose straight out of the flooded waters. This land is so thick and so full of life. The birds sang songs all around me, deer watched me ride by from within the foliage, frogs croaked, muskrats scurried off the roadside, and turtles sat lazy on the river banks enjoying the summer nights they had been waiting for. I had been told that it was a very long winter here in Wisconsin that had just recently ended and it was quite obvious to me that the fisherman on the riversides and the cheery birds above were happy to be out together in Mother Nature.  My knees ached and the bursitis in my foot burned hot. Even though the pedaling was quite easy I felt much pain along with a very itchy body from all the biting gnats and mosquitoes. Occasionally it would distract me from my heightened spirits but never for too long as every time I looked around me into the beauty the emotions flooded back. I’m in pure bliss here in the driftless region of Wisconsin.

As the light faded away from the sky it was so pretty that it hurt. I had a tough time deciding whether to end my night in Black Earth still amongst the lush rolling hills or to continue on all the way to Madison. I mulled it over for an hour as I rode and just couldn’t make a decision. I wanted to stay out here amongst the beauty for as long as I could but I knew I had a busy ahead of me tomorrow and it would be helpful to wake up in Madison. Rather than deciding I just keep my wheels turning until I was far enough past Black Earth that I was far enough way to not be able to turn back. The beauty was bittersweet for the rest of the ride as I yearned to soak it in and walk through the forests, visit the farms, and drink fresh milk from the cows. Alas I kept on pedaling at my casual pace of 12 mph and carried on into the dark figuring I’d make it to my friend Lars’s house around 10:30, where I would have a bed to sleep in and a good friend to hug.

I turned off of the dark and busy highway 14 onto a country road where the only lights in sight were those of the lightning bugs in the ravines below and the twinkling stars above. It was eerie but I was happy to be alone in the dark woods. This alone time creates growth for me. It was so quiet I could hear every creek from my bamboo bike and I could have heard a rabbit nibbling on leaves if there was one. The light gray road was lit up just enough by the reflective clouds above that I could pedal along in the dark safely. I heard shrieks from the forest from an animal that I could not identify. At first I thought a Bob Cat, but who knows what it was. The air was cool and comfortable to be pedaling in. I was so close to the familiar city of Madison but pedaling on a road I never had before that felt very unfamiliar. With nightfall I felt loneliness but I was grateful for it because I know that many humans do not get the opportunity to experience solitude in nature. Many humans do not take the opportunity to connect with nature and experience the peace it can create within. I arrived at Lars’s home as planned around 10:30 and was happy to be in a comfortable home where I could rest my body and mind.

For more on Rob’s incredible bike journey, follow him on Facebook.

Photo by Brent Martin.

Last month we introduced a new deal on the site called Cycling Tips from Broken Bones.  Yeah, kind of a messed up title….but if you checked it out you would have seen that these are a series of tips from Josh at Broken Bones Bicycles.

He’s a cool guy and shares his cycling wisdom over at what he calls, Broken Bones Garage.  We’re going to be featuring one of his tips each month, and this time around Josh is talking about your first ride back after a rest week.

We all know how important it is to protect ourselves while out cycling, but Barry Seltz reminds us that we also need to protect our bicycle as well.  Here are his three tips for protecting your bike and yourself.

Protecting Your Bike and Yourself as a Cyclist

by Barry Seltz

Cycling represents one of the very best forms of exercise, as it is extremely enjoyable, gentle and accessible to people of all ages.  Whether you are looking to cycle around your local park or venture further, it is important that you take the necessary steps to protect yourself and keep your bike in good working order.  Not only will this guarantee you years of uninterrupted fun and enjoyable activity, but it also enables you to safeguard your financial investment.

Image c/o Wikipedia

How to Protect You Bike and Yourself as a Cyclist: 3 Tips for Success

With this in mind, what practical steps can you take to protect yourself while cycling?  What can you do to ensure your bike is stored and maintained safely?  Consider the following:

Ÿ Purchase High Quality Safety Equipment:  When cycling out on the open road, your first task is to ensure you travel safely.  In order to achieve this, you will need to buy various safety products that protect individual parts of your body.  The most important purchase you will make is that of a helmet, which should fit well and provide adequate protection in the event of a fall or collision.  Similarly, you should also invest in suitable gloves and kneepads, as this may help you to avoid damaging your hands and legs during an accident.

Ÿ Learn the Rules of the Road: While cycling and driving are rarely compared as being similar to one another, there are a number of fundamental similarities.  When you take a vehicle out onto the open road, you are ultimately responsible for the safety of fellow travellers including pedestrians and motorists.  With this in mind, it is important to learn the basic rules of the road before you begin to cycle regularly, especially if you are looking to commute to work or travel within busy, metropolitan areas.

Ÿ Identify a Safe and Secure Storage Options: While there are an increasing number of new build housing products in the UK, modern properties are far smaller and more compact than in previous generations.  This creates something of an issue when it comes to finding adequate storage, but it is important to ensure that your bike has a safe and secure location when idle.  This can be achieved by purchasing a compact, durable bike shed, which provides adequate protection against theft and adverse weather conditions.

Image c/o drdul

The Bottom Line for Cyclists

While bike ownership is often seen as a light hearted and more enjoyable alternative to driving a car, you have various responsibilities as a cyclist.  Not only must you uphold your own safety and that of fellow road users, but there is also a pressing need to take good care of your bike and maintain its performance.  So be sure to cycle responsibly and with the rules of the road firmly in mind.  It’s also a good idea to buy a bike shed at www.asgardsss.co.uk – Storage for Life to provide comprehensive protection against a host of external threats.

About the company:

Asgard are Storage experts based in the UK, who specialize particularly in secure cycle storage alongside their other lines of work in garden and motorbike storage solutions.

Old habits die hard.  It’s difficult to change your thoughts, and your habits.  But worthwhile tasks are seldom easy, right?  This week, I’m going to challenge you to rethink your dessert and what you put into your mouth before bed.  To trade in the sweets at night.  It’s not always been my way of thinking.  In fact, I’ve generally allowed for a small treat each night after dinner.  However, the more I learn about recovery, and our bodies own hormonal balances, ebbs and flows, and cycles, the more I see sugar before bed as a big problem.

This week’s Loving the Bite will help you replace an old habit with a new one, and promote better recovery through the night.

Recipe of the Week: Super Recovery “Ice-Cream”

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen fruit such as pears, cut into 1-inch cubes if necessary
• ¼-1/2 cup coconut milk (from cream, such as canned)
• 1 scoop protein powder (20 gm protein) OR 6 oz. organic plain greek yogurt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp (9-10 grams) l-glutamine powder (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut pears into small one-inch cubes.  Freeze on greased cookie sheet for approximately 2 hours.
2. Place frozen fruit, protein powder/yogurt, cinnamon, and optional l-glutamine in blender.  Begin to blend, adding coconut oil (only as much as needed to get fruit blended…too much will result in a smoothie rather than ice cream).  Blend until desired consistency.
3. Eat 1-2 hours before bed.

Serves 4, approximately 2/3 cup each serving. Nutrition Information: 85-125 calories, 9 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 4-6 grams protein

To use for Recovery after Your Ride: Since you need more carbs immediately after a hard ride, consider eating 1.5 servings and drizzling 1 Tbsp raw/organic honey on your serving.  If you finish training late in the evening, eat as written without extra carbs.

Comments:

One of the main hormones at play in cellular and muscular recovery is Human Growth Hormone.  And, like it or not, it has everything to do with dessert.  Over 50% of our daily dose of HGH is released by the pituitary just 1-2 hours after we reach deep sleep.  It just so happens that an intake of sweets and sugars, and therefore an increase of insulin in our systems interferes with HGH release, reducing its effects.  Why is HGH so important?  It:

• Improves cellular recovery, protein synthesis,  and increases muscle mass
• Stimulates the immune function
• Promotes fat breakdown
• Increases calcium retention and improves the mineralization of bones

How can you optimize your body’s release of nightly HGH and recovery?

• Avoid high amounts of carbohydrates, especially highly refined ones likes starches and sweets, before bed
• Consume nutrients that improve blood sugars and reduce insulin needs such as coconut fats, proteins, and cinnamon
• Give your body adequate protein for recovery and specific amino acids used by skeletal muscles such as l-glutamine
• Prioritize sleep and do what you can to reach deep sleep with a total average of 6+ hours of sleep per night

Of course, you could certainly skip dessert altogether if as long as you’ve already consumed the nutrients you need each day for optimal recovery and aren’t tempted by desserts.  This is fine.  But, there’s nothing wrong with a small snack after dinner as long as it helps your reach your overall goals for recovery and performance.

Bonus: Click Here to Watch Kelli’s Short Video on L-Glutamine

This week, replace an old habit with a better one.  Rethink your dessert (at least 80% of the time).  If your priority is performance and recovery, you can still have a satisfying treat before bed.  Just make it one that will make you a better cyclist and not work against you.

Fuel Your Ride.  Nourish Your Body.

We’ve had quite a few readers write in asking how they can find passion for cycling and use it to help achieve their fitness goals.  Today’s post is the starting point for making it happen.

So you’ve decided you’re going to get that body of yours into better shape, and you’re going to use the bike to help make it happen.  Good job.  I couldn’t think of  a better vehicle to take you there. But to make sure this thought becomes a lifestyle that sticks, here are a few tips:

1. Start Slow – A lot of times people get so fired up with their new fitness motivation that they go gang busters for the first week or two….then when they realize they can’t keep up with the intensity, they totally drop it all.  Start small.  Make a goal of getting on the bike 3 times per week for 30 minutes.  Get comfortable with that and then slowly start increasing the amount of times and duration of your rides. A great way to track your riding and stay committed is using Daily Mile to journal your rides.
2. Get a Good Bike – If you’re pulling out an old hardware store, no-name brand bike from your storage shed to take out on the rides….you likely won’t be enjoying the ride like it’s intended.  Invest in yourself and buy a good bike.  Whether you go with a road bike, mountain bike, hybrid, or whatever….a good quality bike will make it easier to stick with it. It will provide a smoother ride with minimal maintenance and the funds you sunk into it will also help add to your motivation to get on it. (if you need help selecting a good bike, please ask us or stop by your friendly neighborhood bike shop and have them help you out)
3. One Bad Day - Okay, so you got caught in a rainstorm while riding…a dog chased you down….your neighbors saw you in your spandex; don’t let it stop you from getting back out there and doing it again next time.  Same thing goes for missing a couple days.  All it takes is one step back in the direction of your goals and you’re back on the way to success.
4. Friends – If you’re the type of person who finds motivation in numbers….find someone to go out riding with you.  You can also join a bike club where you can get in on group rides catered to your riding level and make some new friends.
5. Eat Well - Just because you’re burning up calories and boosting your metabolism by riding your bike, don’t think you now deserve to splurge on all those treats.  Your body needs good quality food now more than ever so that it can fuel you through those increasingly tougher rides.  Eat Well My Friends.  (Hydrating yourself properly is equally important).
6. Suffer – Don’t let the thought of a tough cycling workout scare you.  If you truly want to get in better shape, you’re going to have to push yourself.  A nice easy ride through the neighborhood is a good way to get you started, but before long you’re going to have to start challenging yourself more and more. Yeah, that means lots of sweat, pain, and suffering….but, believe it or not, it just may be something you start looking forward to.  When you’re out there pushing yourself to the limit you might be hating it….but I’ll guarantee that when you’re all done and back home, you are going to feel like a million bucks…and just itching to do it again.

It doesn’t matter if you’re new to cycling or just wanting to take your cycling to the next level, these 6 tips will be the building blocks to success and for making it stick.  In my opinion, there is no better form of exercise and I hope that you too are able to use it to make that body of yours better. Remember, it’s the only body you’ll ever have.

I know at least a few of our readers use cycling for weight loss….if you’ve found something that has helped you stay on the bike and stick with your goals, please share them.