Day 13, Miles Ridden Today: 64 Miles Ridden Overall: 511 Camping: $0 We are at the Coronet Motel in Scottsmoor, FL, Cost: $41
- to track online our current location, see instructions on the Ride the Nation Route plan page
- also, follow us on Twitter, search “ridethenation”
- check out our Monday blog on www.bmxmania.com for exclusive details you won’t find here.
If you are reading this blog, it means I was too tired to write after riding. Hope you enjoy it regardless and check back for an update on tomorrow’s blog. Thanks again for following our epic bicycle journey.
MAY is National Bicycle Month according to www.bicycleleague.org
So, how can you make that mean something to you in your life? Here’s a few of Ride the Nation’s suggestions:
1) Make your bicycle your means of “getting there” one full day this month; heck, make it one day a week this month. This isn’t hard to do as long as you decide to make it work. Don’t wait until that day to get your bike ready. Spend an hour or so prepping your bike: clean it, fill the tires, adjust the seat to the right comfort level for yourself, AND clean and adjust your helmet, too. Make a plan as to where you are going and if you haven’t biked it before, check out Google bicycling maps. Enter your start and destination point and run bicycling directions. There’s even a feature on Google maps that allows you to get a “street view” so you can see if there’s a bike lane.
2) While driving or riding in your vehicle this month, count how many bicyclists you see during your drive. It’s fun and you might be surprised at the outcome. Many bike to work every day and sometimes go unnoticed when they intersect with our busy worlds.
3) Wherever you go, take note if there are bicycle racks available for cyclists. It’s been our experience that there aren’t enough bicycle racks at places we all visit. Feeling a little gutsy? Mention the lack of a rack to management, in a nice way, of course. Sometimes, a mere mention of something can put the ball in motion; we are all vehicles of change when we decide to be.
4) Check out a different BMX track. If you’re not a BMX’er, search www.nbl.org, “find a track” and visit a track near you; check their website for a race night and go see what BMX is all about. You will be amazed by the range of skills and ages in this Olympic sport. If you are a BMX’er, take a drive beyond your regular track and check out a new track.
5) Resolve to give bicycle theme items as Christmas gifts. Christmas? Yes, Christmas … or birthday. Start thinking now about it and keep an eye out for special sales on helmets, gloves, water bottles, bicycles themselves. With 7 months to shop, you’re sure to find a suitable item for the riders in your life and probably at a better price and selection than if you wait until the holiday shopping season. Like to tinker with stuff? Buy a yard sale or thrift store bicycle and breathe new life into it. Replace the older chain, clean, polish or paint the frame, replace the seat … and make it a new treasure in someone’s world. You can even get or make custom stickers that turns the new owner’s name into a custom “brand” label.
6) Finally, think bicycles. Think of them as a vehicle with staying power. While most other “gadgets” come and go, the bicycle stays. It changes to fit our needs and our whimsy. There are endless bicycle choices to get you there, to get you in shape, to get you thinking differently. I’ve seen bikes you ride from way up high and ones you lie down on and propel forward by pedaling your arms above your chest. I’ve seen trikes made for stability and I’ve seen two wheeled “Striders” without pedals that let the youngest amongst us focus on balance until they are able to coordinate pedaling, too. I’ve seen smiling faces on bikes that cost $3,000 and bikes that cost $300 and bikes that cost $30. No matter what kind of bike it is, whenever I pass a child on a bicycle, I always say, “Niiiiice Bike” and I always get a big smile. Remember how proud you were of your first bike? Remember to boost a kid’s day with two simple words: NICE BIKE!
- to track online our current location, see instructions on the Ride the Nation Route plan page
- also, follow us on Twitter, search “ridethenation”
- check out our Monday blog on www.bmxmania.com for exclusive details you won’t find here.
If you are reading this blog, it means I was too tired to write after riding. Hope you enjoy it regardless and check back for an update on tomorrow’s blog. Thanks again for following our epic bicycle journey.
MAY is National Bicycle Month according to www.bicycleleague.org
So, how can you make that mean something to you in your life? Here’s a few of Ride the Nation’s suggestions:
1) Make your bicycle your means of “getting there” one full day this month; heck, make it one day a week this month. This isn’t hard to do as long as you decide to make it work. Don’t wait until that day to get your bike ready. Spend an hour or so prepping your bike: clean it, fill the tires, adjust the seat to the right comfort level for yourself, AND clean and adjust your helmet, too. Make a plan as to where you are going and if you haven’t biked it before, check out Google bicycling maps. Enter your start and destination point and run bicycling directions. There’s even a feature on Google maps that allows you to get a “street view” so you can see if there’s a bike lane.
2) While driving or riding in your vehicle this month, count how many bicyclists you see during your drive. It’s fun and you might be surprised at the outcome. Many bike to work every day and sometimes go unnoticed when they intersect with our busy worlds.
3) Wherever you go, take note if there are bicycle racks available for cyclists. It’s been our experience that there aren’t enough bicycle racks at places we all visit. Feeling a little gutsy? Mention the lack of a rack to management, in a nice way, of course. Sometimes, a mere mention of something can put the ball in motion; we are all vehicles of change when we decide to be.
4) Check out a different BMX track. If you’re not a BMX’er, search www.nbl.org, “find a track” and visit a track near you; check their website for a race night and go see what BMX is all about. You will be amazed by the range of skills and ages in this Olympic sport. If you are a BMX’er, take a drive beyond your regular track and check out a new track.
5) Resolve to give bicycle theme items as Christmas gifts. Christmas? Yes, Christmas … or birthday. Start thinking now about it and keep an eye out for special sales on helmets, gloves, water bottles, bicycles themselves. With 7 months to shop, you’re sure to find a suitable item for the riders in your life and probably at a better price and selection than if you wait until the holiday shopping season. Like to tinker with stuff? Buy a yard sale or thrift store bicycle and breathe new life into it. Replace the older chain, clean, polish or paint the frame, replace the seat … and make it a new treasure in someone’s world. You can even get or make custom stickers that turns the new owner’s name into a custom “brand” label.
6) Finally, think bicycles. Think of them as a vehicle with staying power. While most other “gadgets” come and go, the bicycle stays. It changes to fit our needs and our whimsy. There are endless bicycle choices to get you there, to get you in shape, to get you thinking differently. I’ve seen bikes you ride from way up high and ones you lie down on and propel forward by pedaling your arms above your chest. I’ve seen trikes made for stability and I’ve seen two wheeled “Striders” without pedals that let the youngest amongst us focus on balance until they are able to coordinate pedaling, too. I’ve seen smiling faces on bikes that cost $3,000 and bikes that cost $300 and bikes that cost $30. No matter what kind of bike it is, whenever I pass a child on a bicycle, I always say, “Niiiiice Bike” and I always get a big smile. Remember how proud you were of your first bike? Remember to boost a kid’s day with two simple words: NICE BIKE!
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