Lately, I've been telling people that biking in the country will soon reach a tipping point, in the same way running did. I can't exactly figure out how but I've been asking bike store clerks and they say that sales have been good lately, particularly for mountain bikes. Now, trail riding in Antipolo or in Sta. Rosa, Laguna is a legitimate barkada getaway.
I've also been seeing more BMXs now. There nights when I see young people riding their brakeless BMXs in New Manila or in San Pedro, Laguna. They are usually configured with smaller cranksets and low seatposts. I've actually seen some bikes with no saddle at all.
Have you seen one of these around the Metro lately?
Folding bikes are also getting more attention now. For starters, there are a couple of groups that are dedicated to cyclists who ride foldies. And yesterday, folding bikes were featured in ABS-CBN's morning program Umagang Kay Ganda. TV features like this help educate the public that folding bikes are not for kids and are as reliable as full bike. Marketing biking as a convenient and fun way of transportation will definitely help achieve that biking tipping point.
Since coming back from the back to back dragon boat races in the latter parts of April, I haven't been able to do much biking. The main culprit is the change in weather in Metro Manila.
For the past few days, it has either been cloudy or rainy. So far, I've been apprehensive of biking to work on wet days. My biking attire has always been leather shoes, my office slacks, and either a button down or a dry-fit shirt. When I get to the office, I just change into my usual polo barong. If I ride through a downpour, I'd have to bike wearing shorts, slippers, and a raincoat. This would make the convenience factor of biking to work lower compared to commuting to work. Definitely, rainy days make me envy those who live in not-so-tropical climates.
Last night, I couldn't find anything good on television. HBO was showing some Universal Soldier iteration that starred Goldberg. So I flipped the remote to EuroSports, and I was pleasantly surprised that they were showing a bike race. It was the 2012 edition of the La Fleche Wallone.
I'm not a big cycle racing fan but I watch whenever I catch one on television. Aside from the Schleck brothers, I'm not too familiar with the teams and riders in the Fleche Wallone. If I remember correctly, I tuned in with 45KM to go 'til the finish line. The riders were going uphill in the town of Huy (Belgium). I didn't know the cyclists who were in the breakaway pack nor those leading the peloton. But it's alright, bike races are entertaining. My favorite part is the sprint towards the finish line. Most of the time, the first one to cross the finish line isn't part of the break. Cyclists in teams have different roles - climbers, sprinters, domestiques, and all-rounders, to name a few. Usually, the sprinters are the ones that crosses finish line first for the teams. In last night's Fleche Wallone, the finish line was atop a climb. Actually, the last couple of kilometers (as seen below) of the race is uphill. The winner, Joaquim Rodriguez, is a climber and you'll see him pull away from the two leaders (Nordhaug and Hesjedal) at the 3:10 mark of the video.
It was an awesome finish for Rodriguez. I'm a big fan of sprinters (Mark Cavendish, most especially). But this big win by Rodriguez shows the impressive role climbing specialists have in any cyclist team on tour.
----
If you're interested in knowing why I'm a fan of the Manx Missile, below are a couple of features on him.
There 2 distances - 40KM Fun Ride and 100KM Pro/Exec. The race is open for bike types other than roadies/racers, so mountain bikes and BMXs are welcome. I'll join the 40KM Fun Ride with my 16" folding bike. I have a racer but it would be difficult for me to commute to Clark with my road bike so I opted for the compact foldie instead.
The sheer number of 711 stores makes the registration very convenient
Now all I need to do is log more kilometers on the weeks leading to May 13. I'm also planning on changing my bike's brakes and to replace my grips with those from Ergon.
It's common to find out that your friends don't know how to ride a bike. Biking is not just for kids so it's never too late to learn how to ride a bike. Below is a video of a practical way to teach an adult to ride a bicycle.
Learning how to bike in a road (or a field) with a slight slope really accelerated the process, that's how I learned when I was young. The method shown in the video above uses the idea of a balance bike to teach adults how to ride a bicycle. I've tested the method a few weeks before when I (re)taught Pau how to ride a bicycle.
