Take the Cyclist Dad With You!!

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

If you are as busy as I am it seems like there is never enough time in the day to accomplish what I need to, let alone what I want to.

Hopefully checking out my blog is on your list somewhere but I am guessing it’s not at the top.

Well, in case you were not aware, it is possible to follow my blog from your smartphone while you are on the run.

Actually, to be clear, I would prefer you view it while you are sitting or standing still.  I am definitely not one to encourage this activity while you are driving, or riding for that matter.

Above you will find a screen snapshot of what the blog looks like on an iPhone.

Let me know if you find it useful or if you have any recommendations.

Thanks!

Love, live,, and ride.

Dean

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Too Old or Young to Ride?

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Dean| 1 Comment

Like I mentioned in an earlier post I turned 49 this week.  As I thought about that it got me wondering about the age range of my followers.

Please take a few seconds and fill out the survey below.

How Old Are You?

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

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Tip of the Day – Yoga for Cyclists

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

A friend of mine ran across a great article in Bicycling Magazine about the benefits of yoga as cross training for cyclists.

Find it here

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

 

 

 

 

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Almost Half A Century!

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks I have received several junk e-mail messages regarding AARP, Medicare, and yes, even Senior Dating Services.

What are they trying to say?!

I did, unfortunately, turn 49 years old on Monday but please, this is a little ridiculous.   I don’t feel  like 49, let alone 65.  I feel more like 29!

This has really gotten me thinking about how I handle the fact that next year I will be 50 years, 5 decades, 1/2 century old?  Do I just sit here and take it?!

I think not!!

My goal is to face this head on.  Since I am, by nature, a positive person, I thought I would put a positive spin on the situation:  I am going to live to be 100 years old so I am, therefore, less than half way through my life.

When I think of it like that, it actually does make me feel a little better.  It also gets me thinking about how much riding I will be able to get in.  I figure over the next 50 years I should be able to ride somewhere between 50, 000 and 100,000 miles.  That sure sounds like a LOT of work doesn’t it?  I am getting  tired just thinking about  it…

It’s getting late so I should probably get some sleep.  Time for a glass of warm milk…  just kidding.

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

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It’s Not About The Bunny!!

Posted on April 8, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter!!

Easter is not about finding a basket full of candy or going on an Easter egg hunt; it is about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Through Him all things are possible!

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

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I HAVE WRITER’S BLOCK!!!

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

So, I have been blogging now for a little over 90 days and have written about 60 articles as well as about 61 Tip of the Day posts.  I never thought it would happen but I think I have writers block!!

This brings up an interesting dilemma; what do I do?

  1. Do I change the ”Tip of the Day” to the “Two Tips Every Three Days?”
  2. Do I find others far more creative than I to help me out?
  3. Do I try to focus and come up with longer articles once or twice a week?
  4. Do I give up?  (NOT REALLY AN OPTION!)
  5. Do I reach out to the people who frequent my blog and ask for ideas?

I think number 5 is probably the best suggestion so here goes: Does anyone have any constructive ideas for new articles, featured columns, obscure topics, or anything they would like to hear about?

I am open to any legitimate idea and I will even give credit where credit is due by dedicating the article to you if you so desire.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Love, live, and ride (and hopefully write more…)

Dean

 

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Any Duathletes Out There?

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

When I was much younger, like 33 years ago, I ran cross country in high school and actually really enjoyed it.  I was never the fastest on the team but ran a pretty respectable, by my standards,  6:15  per mile pace.  Just to be clear that is 6 minute 15 seconds per mile.

Over the last 10 years or so I have only run a few times with one of those times being in a local duathlon.  It was the first time I had ever competed, if you could call it that, but I really did have fun.  I am thinking about taking up running again and am looking to compete in 2-3 duathlons this year.  In case you’re wondering, triathlons are out since I am not a great swimmer and don’t believe the dog paddle or breast stroke are considered to be the strokes of choice from a speed perspective.

What I am looking for is some practical training tips from people with real-life experience in training and competing in duathlons.  If you like writing and want to put together  a blog post I am open to that as well.  If you do choose to blog I will throw in a Cyclist Dad t-shirt for your trouble.

I look forward to your comments.

Love, live, and ride (and maybe even run too!).

Dean

 

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Tip of the Day – Use Nimbulist

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Dean| 1 Comment

One of my missions in beginning  this blog was to provide Cyclist Dads with brief and valuable exercise, nutritional, and practical advice that would allow them to spend more time with their families and on the bike.

Yesterday’s Tip of the Day was centered on productivity and using the application Evernote to help you get some time back during your day.

Evernote, as I mentioned yesterday, allows you to take notes on just about any device and sync it seamlessly with all of your other devices.  One feature that unfortunately does not exist in Evernote is the ability to collect all of the tasks from your various meetings into a single consolidated task list.

Here is where Nimbulist comes in.  Nimbulist is an iPhone/iPad application that will collect all of the tasks from your various notes and compile them into a master task list.

Best of all, there is very little in the way of configuration that needs to be done to enable this functionality:
1. Download and install Nimbulist from the App Store..
2. Within your note use the check box tool to list your tasks.
3. Put the keyword “Nimbulist” in the tag field of your note.
4. Nimbulist does the rest.

Hopefully you will find this application as useful as I did.

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

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Tip of the Day – Take a Note!

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

In my day job, I meet with customers several times a week.  I used to jot my notes into a notebook and over the years had amassed quite a collection of them.  The problem is, I could never find what I was looking for when I needed it.

Enter, from stage left, Evernote and my iPad.  Everyone knows what an iPad is but how many know what Evernote is?

Evernote is a note-taking application that can be used on Windows, Mac, Apple IOS, Android, Blackberry, and Web OS devices. It supports audio recording as well as using images from your camera roll or capturing them with the camera on your smart device.  Evernote will even sync all of your devices, through the magic of the cloud, so that you always have access to your information no matter where you are.

I actually burned all of my notebooks this winter and cut down on my heating bill substantially.  Well, maybe not.

You can find more information about Evernote at www.evernote.com.

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

 

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Poll: Are You Just a Rider?

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

What Category of Cyclist Are You?

Feel free to check out all of my surveys under the survey category at the top of the page!

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Check Your Tires

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Dean| 1 Comment

Thanks to my friend John W. for this post:

When is the last time you had a flat tire?  During the early part of the cycling season, at least in the North, people are much more prone to flat tires due to road debris and pot holes.  You can help avoid a flat by doing a few basic things before you ride:

  • Check your tires for embedded objects such as glass.  If you find glass you can use a small pointed device, such as a needle, to dig it out.
  • Check for deep cuts or excessive wear and change the tire if necessary.
  • Be sure to check for proper inflation to avoid the dreaded “pinch flat”.

For the inexperienced riders changing a tire, or tube, is really quite easy.  See the following link for a great video:  Changing a Flat Tire

If you need a good lesson on how NOT to change a flat see an entertaining blog post here by The Fat Cyclist.

Remember, the more time you spend fixing your bike, the less time you are actually riding it!

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

 

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The Ideal Ride

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

Today was sunny and almost 80 degrees in southeastern Wisconsin.  The perfect day to get out for a ride.

Most cyclists I know tend to be very focused on training and riding hard, all the time.  I am very competitive as well but today I decided to mix training with a ride with my wife and my 8 year-old son.

We decided to ride on a bike trail that was about 13 miles from my house and I came up with a perfect way to get my riding in and spend some time with the family.  I loaded up the SUV with my wife’s and son’s bikes and asked my wife to give me a 30 minute head start.  This allowed me to get in a hard 13 miles, unfortunately against the wind, and then meet them for a family ride.

When we met we took off and rode a pretty leisurely 5.22 miles to be exact.  This was the longest ride my son has ever been on and he did very well.  It was a great chance to teach him stuff about riding like: how to ride safely, how to shift when going up hills, where to ride, and how to be courteous to other people on the trail.  Both my son and wife really enjoyed the time together.  I am pretty sure, though, that as we were passed by hard-core cyclists they were probably wondering what I was doing dressed in a full kit to ride with my family at 10 mph.  I guess I really didn’t care and it probably gave them a good laugh.

After we finished riding I loaded the SUV back up and sent them on their way back home.  I then took off for home for the second leg of my training ride.

All in all it was an excellent way to spend time with the family and get some training in.  My plan is to do a lot more of this over the summer.  On our next ride we are going to shoot for 10 miles!  If the weather holds up that could very well be next weekend.  It could not have been a better day.

The quote a local bike shop:  ”Life Is Short, Enjoy Your Ride”  I really did today!

Don’t be afraid to share a little bit about your perfect ride.

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

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Show Me Your Kits!

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

Almost every time I get out on a ride I run across a kit or three that I have never seen before.

Do you have a favorite?  If so, email a picture of it to me at:  dean@cyclistdad.com

I will display the pictures I get in a followup post and maybe put together a vote for the best kit.

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

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The Bear Has Awoken

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Dean| Leave a comment

Well, this week in Wisconsin is supposed to be beautiful with temperatures in the  high 50′s / low 60′s.  Today I went out for a ride and put in about 26 miles in a pretty brisk wind.  I finally feel like Spring is actually here and I feel like a black bear waking up from hibernation.  I, though, unlike the bear, did not gorge myself on everything I could find before my long nap.  Well, maybe a little bit…

During the winter I have had some limited  success with losing weight, working out here and there, and doing some stretching, but I have to admit I have not been as diligent as I had hoped or expected.  The very things that possessed me to start this blog still continue to get in my way.

My plan this week is to change that.  Along with my ride this morning of 26  miles,  and the rides I am scheduled to ride for the rest of the week, I think I am going to be able to get at least 100 miles in this week.  It has been some time since I have been able to get 100 miles in so I am pretty stoked about.  I’ll let you know how the week turns out.

Oh, and the topping on the cake today was another two miles after dinner with my wife and 8-year old son.

I hope you are getting your riding in.  I look forward to seeing on the road this summer.

Love, live, and ride.

Dean

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Wearing the Yellow Jersey As a Husband and Father

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Dean| 2 Comments

This is a re-post of one of my most popular posts.  Please forward it on to others if you like.

No matter how good of a rider you want to be, you will never reach the podium, and wear the yellow jersey, unless you train.  The same holds true with fatherhood and marriage only in this case the result of a loss can be far more devastating.

The number of divorces today is skyrocketing.  I personally know of at least four couples that are going through issues in their marriage today which is why this topic is very heavy on my heart.

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