Bicycling Issue 3 2022

I’ve rescued a few dogs while riding my bike. Sometimes they have a dog tag, and other times I’ve had to get help from rescue organizations like Hope for Paws. I rescued five puppies with them once. I only noticed these poor animals because I was riding my bike every day. It was one of my proudest moments in helping my community. ALSO: One piece of advice someone gave me during my early years of cycling and trying to join group rides is to never let anyone discourage you from doing what you love, even if you’re not good at it. Everyone starts out somewhere.…

MAGGIE LOWE, 32 DAVIDSON, NORTH CAROLINA PUT YOUR F**KING HELMET ON. WHAT KEEPS ME RIDING I got involved with the Great Cycle Challenge (GCC), a fundraiser for pediatric cancer research, in June 2019. Three months earlier, my best friend’s 2-year-old, Grace, died after an intense fight against cancer. That was one of the most painful experiences of my life. So I got on a bike I had only ridden three times in three years and pedaled 200 miles in a month. Grace and GCC taught me that you can get through anything. MUST-HAVE MUSIC GEAR I love music, but I also love nature. So I have a couple of things I do to stay safe while I jam out. Shokz headphones are a lifesaver, and I also have a Bose Bluetooth speaker. Both of those allow…

SAM ARCHER, 37 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS THE BIKE IS A FREEDOM MACHINE. RIDING IN JAPAN I lived in Japan for 10 months with my wife, Danielle, who was a visiting Fulbright Scholar, and our then 3-year-old son. In Fukuoka, biking was part of normal life. Malls had huge parking lots packed with bikes. People biked in normal clothes and treated it like walking or taking the bus. Students and septuagenarians alike biked, coexisting peacefully with pedestrians, and my wife and I happily joined them, bringing our son to day-care and doing the grocery shopping by bike. WHAT I SEE FROM THE SADDLE When I’m riding, I see so much more of the side of the road and appreciate my surroundings than when I’m driving. What’s that shop? Where does that path go? HOW TO GET MORE PEOPLE TO…

Cycling depletes your body of important nutrients, so it’s crucial to replenish them shortly after a ride—ideally within 30 to 60 minutes—to begin recovering, says Angel Planells, MS, RDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Every cyclist’s body is different, so your best bet for building the right recovery meal plan is consulting with a sports dietitian. But as a postride rule of thumb, shoot for a balanced combination of carbohydrates and protein and steer clear of high-fiber or high-fat snacks and meals—they take longer to digest and can cause gastrointestinal distress for some people, Planells says. And if you don’t feel hungry enough for a full-blown feast, then at least snack on something small right after your ride to kickstart the 3 R’s of recovery nutrition—refuel, rebuild, rehydrate—says Planells.…

My postride meals primarily consist of whatever sounds good to me in the moment. I’ll stuff a musette bag in my pocket and fill it with one of the awesome sandwiches from a local bakery—usually turkey and cheese—plus a bag of potato chips, and I have a gingersnap cookie at the end of the ride before I coast home. If I did a hard ride and know I’m going to ride hard again the next day, I’ll put more thought into my postride nutrition. That means a recovery drink like Skratch or Tailwind, which I’ve found to be hugely beneficial as I get older. My favorite “recovery” dinner is pappardelle with a traditional Bolognese sauce and a colorful salad. Portion control and limiting my alcohol intake are key. I love a…

Postride, I often forget to eat…and then I get grumpy, so that’s not ideal. I know it’s a bad habit, but I’m often in a rush when riding during the week. On weekends, I like to splurge a bit and cook myself a big dinner after my ride. My riding besties Erin, Leslie, Rachel, Jenna, and I are always sharing photos of the baked ziti, lasagna, eggplant Parm, or sauce that we make after weekend rides. After races, I like to treat myself to something decidedly unhealthy. I try to get down with local treats: In New York City, that might be pizza or dumplings. If I’m coming home through Connecticut, it’s probably going to be Rein’s Deli (a long-time bike racer favorite) or pizza in New Haven from Modern, Sally’s,…