The Summer is half over and the races have been few, but I hope you’re all still riding, a lot. Some have been putting in more miles because they have more time to do so now. Some of you aren’t because you’re missing the motivation of training for big events that have been cancelled. Still others may not feel comfortable riding in groups (or don’t know any), but are unmotivated to ride alone. I usually ride solo, but enjoy riding in groups when I can. I tend to just look at the scenery unless I’m chasing a rabbit, but enjoy long rides in remote areas. This past weekend found me (and Steve!) on a small group ride through some countryside and small towns that needed more exploring north of Lincoln.
We got drenched early in the ride, but it was worth it! It was also a great weekend for some Gravel Medicine, exploring some gravel hills west of Lincoln on a well engineered route I didn’t have to create myself.
I’m finding I’m really missing the bacon rides to Platte River State Park for Sunday morning breakfast. What’s a rider to do when your routine has been upended? I’ve been poking around the literature, and have seen a couple of things that might give you some ideas. How about sharpening some useful skills? If you’re like me, you’ve received just about zero instruction when it comes to bike handling skills. Everything I know I’ve figured out from trial and error, read, or a kind soul took pity on me and told me. I often felt like I was re-inventing the wheel. Bicycling Magazine has a useful article for those wanting to know some essentials of bike handling that can be practiced solo, or in small groups. https://www.bicycling.com/skills-tips/a33336524/how-to-sharpen-your-skills/
For those just setting out on their cycling adventure, or feeling like they really need to know more of the basics, I’m re-posting a link to some videos made available by the League of American Cyclists https://bikeleague.org/ridesmartvideos
I’ve talked to two dads recently who were interested in developing their kids’ cycling skills. I told them about Lincoln DEVO, a mountain biking skills building organization who puts on a summer program, put on hold this year due to COVID. Seek them out online at http://www.nebraskadevo.org/ and stay tuned if this sounds like you.
Finally, here’s another article I thought was really sweet and hopefully wrong about the newbies stopping cycling when this is all over. https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a33396563/an-open-letter-to-real-cyclists/ and here’s another to make you hopeful about the current bike boom. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2020/07/17/coronavirus-pandemic-gives-bike-trails-rides-new-momentum/5434741002/