Yes, a very happy new gear to all!
Did Santa bring you a new bicycle last month? Spectacular! Send me a picture of you and your new ride—landscape is preferred over portrait—and I’ll try to feature it in a future column.
Have you signed up for the spring rides? Check out Save the Dates and consider taking part in some of these vernal classics. Yes, you may have to travel a bit to get to them, but think of the amazing new roads you’ll get to explore.
I was looking back on some of my past January columns (dating back to the beginning of the pandemic) and I noticed a pattern. In pretty much all of them, I shared my proven Cycle Guy’s 5-Step Guide to Weight Loss in the New Year:
1. Get professional help with managing caloric input (your health plan, Weight Watchers, et al.), but avoid gimmicks and miracle fixes.
2. Employ a low-impact, calorie-burning, fun form of exercise (hint: your bicycle).
3. Ask a friend to join you, even if it’s just to ride. Keep each other honest.
4. Stay flexible, honest and keep riding.
5. Never underestimate the power of prayer.
After sharing the aforementioned steps, I’d go on to share that I, too, had resolved to lose my Covid-gained weight in the new year. Unfortunately, another January has come, and that still hasn’t happened. The first months always seem to go well, but then I slip back into bad habits. This year, I resolve to share my weight-loss journey with you.
And I’ll pray for you if you pray for me.
Save the Dates
• Various: santacruzrandonneurs.org
• Feb. 24: Pedaling Paths to Independence, Linden, pedalingpaths.com
• March 2: Blossom Bike Ride, Reedley, blossombikeride.com
• April 13: Tierra Bella, Gilroy, tierrabella.org
• April 21: Primavera Century, Fremont, ffbc.org
Curt “Cycle Guy” Hentschke is a cyclist, seeker, song farmer and scribe. Send your cycle celebrations and cerebration to [email protected].
