Come on, you know you’ve had some sort of biking experience this week. Go somewhere fun? Find a new path? Get into some trouble on the road? Run over a squirrel? No matter how big or small, we want to hear about your cycling week. Help make this feature successful by writing a comment!
Zac
So this week was an awesome week for riding I really got to get out there and stretch my legs. As all of you know here at BikeProvo we are fans of all types of cycling. With that said we definitely lean towards transportational cycling and commuting. I am going to stray from these types of riding this week. First a little history.
At the turn of the twentieth century two things happened in France: the workers recieved a 40 hour work week (instead of sun up sun down), and the bicycle was reaching the form that all of us recognize today. As a result of the 40 hour week people now had time to explore and see what was over the next hill. Automobiles were still only a luxury of the very rich, and trains did not allow one to really explore the countryside. To fill this void, in came the bicycle. Many people think it was the racer that pushed for lighter bicycles and improved technology, this is not true. It was the cycle tourist that pushed the bicycle into having gears and not weighing as much as 55 pounds. For the first many years of the Tour De France all the riders rode fixed gear bicycles with one gear and no breaks. While riding the Tour with only one gear is really awesome and really hardcore it is not ideal for the leisure non-racing cyclist trying to pack up a few days of food and clothes to go for a bicycle ride. So, what does any of this have to do with my ride this week?
I suppose I am trying to show that distance cycling was originally a pastime of the masses. It was a way to connect to your surroundings and get to know a wider area of where you lived more intimately. Much like the original French Tourists the ride I did this week was a long ride that helped me to see the beauty of our surrounding area. This week my good friend Spencer and I embarked on a pretty epic ride. In total we rode about 130 miles on Friday and I loved every mile of it. We left from Provo at 5:30 am and headed south. The ride officially began in Santaquin. We left Santaquin headed over to Goshen, then to Nephi, up the Canyon to Fountain Green, and then followed a big loop through a lot of small towns that I will not be able to accurately name. Once we finished the big loop we ended up in Fountain Green again ate at the delicious Burger Bar followed by a cold can of Coke and then headed back done the canyon.
The whole ride was beautiful but, the ride from Fountain Green back to Santaquin was on of the most incredible rides I have ever been on. As we headed down the canyon we encountered gale force winds. We are talking 30-40mph winds. On top of the wind it began to downpour and visibility became almost zero. Then to top all of that off I got brushed by an RV because the wind blew him into me. Much of this may not sound that incredible but for some reason it was. All of the ride just culminated in this beautiful dance down the canyon as both of us were just trying to stay on our bikes. Once we rolled back into Santaquin to finish the ride we were beat to say the least. Both of us were covered in sweat and little bits of mud off the road. More importantly we were smiling from ear to ear and already recounting stories to each other of our favorite parts of the ride. My goal in sharing this particular ride is not for anyone to think they need to go push out some grueling mileage to feel they enjoyed a bicycle ride. My goal is to inspire everybody to get out with some good friends and go explore this beautiful city were we live. Never ridden up the canyon? Always wanted to go check out a specific part of town? Just needing to get lost? Then grab some friends pack a picnic and go. I hope every ones last week was awesome and that this week will be a time to explore and enjoy good company.
Jamie
Despite all the crazy thunderstorms we’ve been having, I had a lot of fun riding my bike this week. I’ve also become a bit more comfortable with riding on the street and riding at night. As someone who is relatively new to this, I always have a lot of questions to ask (thanks Andrew and Zac for helping me figure out where to stop at a red light with a right turn lane!) but I’m getting better.
This weekend, I went for a ride down the Provo River Parkway Trail with my husband and brother-in-law. Using the Google Maps bike feature, I was able to plot out a route that was full of bike lanes, very few stop signs, and lots of trail riding. We went from our home in downtown Provo, rode north on 400 E (stop-sign-free heaven!), turned left at 800 N, and were able to pedal down bike lanes all the way to the trail head.
Provo River Parkway really is one of the greatest assets we have in our city! It goes all the way from Utah Lake up into the canyons, running alongside a gorgeous view of the river. We biked by lots of friendly people enjoying the sun and even came across a group of guys riding a couch around. (Yes…a couch. I think they were the same guys that were riding the couch in the Freedom Festival Parade. I mean, how many guys have couches to ride?)
All around, it was an excellent week for riding and I can’t wait to plan more adventures this month!
I was supposed to go on that very epic ride with Zac & Spencer, but alas, a lack of fitness and family responsibility kept me home. Next time though, next time. This past week I went for a very pleasant ride with my wife. We had an evening to ourselves, missing another ride with Zac & Spenny, and did a leisurely 12 miles around Orem. I love riding in the evening when the air is cooling and the bugs are not quite out. It was great to enjoy the ride, and to spend time together with my wife. By the way, it was my first time in spandex, and those chamois are all that they are said to be. If you are going for a long ride, get some shorts, bibs are better, and use em. They are worth it!