Month: December 2018

1,826 Days (5 Years) of Daily Yoga: A Demi-Decade of A Downward A Dude

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 3 Comments

It’s another awesome milestone for A Dude Abikes, five years of consecutive bendy-ness!  Simultaneously remarkable and by now, just another day on the mat, it’s too momentous on occasion to not write about, even though this is predominantly a blog about bicycling.  It’s also about my health journey, and yoga is an important part of that.  A new blogger and follower who is curiously named uptightprettygirl said she found me by searching for blogs about yoga.  That and my yogaversary made me realize that one reason I keep writing about my practice is to keep inspiring myself.  Another is to inspire people who also do not fit the mold of a skinny, muscled, super-bendy young man or woman (aka fathlete) but whose bodies can definitely benefit from yoga.  Inside this post you will find a few pearls of wisdom about yoga and how it can help you  Or maybe those are crumbs.  Yes, definitely crumbs of some useful information.   Continue reading →

4,000 Miles Biked This Year! + 3,000 Miles Total on Sophie the Fairdale

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 9 Comments

Well, I did it!  I met my revised goal of 4,000 miles, and I did it 28 days early.  I went into statistics a good bit in my recent post, My November Strava Stats; One Month to Go on My 2018 Goals.  But this number is icing on the cake.  (Which I stopped eating this year along with all kinds of processed grains, and it hasn’t mattered one lick for my weight.  That’s for another post.)  Anyway, as a fellow rider who is much stronger (and younger) than A Dude commented that he “loves milestone days.”  They are pretty special.  If the goal involves a number, and you hit or pass it, it’s sort of like a big weight has been lifted off your shoulders.  And if you’re wondering, 4,000 miles is like riding from Austin, Texas to La Paz, Bolivia and then a bit.  Or, from West Glacier, Montana (a place I’ve been), to the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border.  It’s ok, you may allow yourself to be impressed.  I know I am, and I’m the one who did it!  So let’s explore this YOOGE accomplishment a bit.

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Paul Sherwen, One Half of the Iconic Voices of the Tour de France, Has Died

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 6 Comments

I’m sitting here at my computer in Austin, Texas on a Monday night, staring at the title I just wrote, and now, the blinking cursor.  It’s taunting me to sum up in 500 words (usually many more, in my case), the life, times and relevance of Paul Sherwen.  He died at his home in Kampala, Uganda last night at the still relatively young age of 62, cause unknown.  The simple fact is that no one’s life can be summed up so tidily.  But in all the years I watched the Tour de France, it was his voice, along with that of Phil Liggett, that provided the narration to that epic race and many others.  He did it with style, grace and panache, and forever won the hearts of legions of pro bicycling fans.  He was also a racer himself, finishing five of the seven Tours he entered, and winning the British road racing championship twice.  Born in Kenya, but living in Uganda, he was a staunch advocate of African cycling, and a humanitarian to boot.  All I can do from my tiny corner of the internet is shine a little light on his life if you haven’t heard of him and to chime in. Continue reading →