Hello COWs. My name is Sam. Many of you know me as the sometime bike ride leader. I enjoy writing, and since I'm an old guy I also enjoy giving people my opinion. Win, win! My intent is to make this a regular post that’s available at irregular intervals (I’m retired, schedules are near impossible to keep). 

Brian (COWs President) was kind enough to allow me to take up some disk space with this blog. I hope to provide you with ideas to make your riding more enjoyable. I’ll talk about bikes, accessories, tires, vacations, health, and the virtues of getting old. 

It’s mid-March -  Pi day to be exact. The weather is getting clearer and warmer, and you're probably thinking about riding outdoors. You might have some extra cash to burn. Here are Sam’s-Nearly-Spring-Cash-Burning recommendations:

1. Visit a Physical Therapist. You know that back/neck/scapula/knee/hand… pain. It isn’t going to get better by ignoring it.  Bikes are getting faster, more comfortable, more fun - but you are not.  There is no lack of great PTs in Bend

2. Make Yoga part of your training regiment. Don’t like wearing tight stretchy clothes in public? Don’t want to do poses in a group setting? Try YouTube videos on ‘Yoga for cyclists’. I’m a big fan of Sandy LeBlanc - Yoga for Cyclists - 10 minute post ride yoga stretchand Yoga for Cyclists - Deep hip opening. Flexibility is critical to riding longer. If you hate yoga that means you really need to do it. 

3. Now for something that doesn’t require you to do anything rigorous.  Invest in a bike radar unit if you are riding on the road or on gravel. You probably don’t need one for mountain biking. Radar units sit on your seatpost and let you know when a car is behind you. As we age, we lose hearing, so we can’t hear the car coming, and we lose balance, so we ride two abreast 6 feet apart, and our necks don’t turn well. Add to that the general increase in Central Oregon car traffic and there is a need to be more aware of the cars behind you. I own a Garmin Varia RTL515. It tells me when there is a car, or multiple cars, back so I don’t pull out after the first one passes me. On noisy gravel roads it lets me know that there’s a pick-up truck coming. As a bonus, the 515 has a bright flashy light! 

4. Plan a trip. Make it local, or make it supported, or make it European. Just make it. Having a bike adventure scheduled gives you a goal for the season. A reason to ride. And then you have an adventure.