A Giant Heart for the Humanities
Indoor cycling
 
Indoor cycling is a good way to stay fit during the winter months.  To create an indoor cycling area, a rider needs a space in the home or office at least as large as a yoga mat.   A table for a television or computer for playing movies, documentaries, books on CD, or music will help to nourish the mind and motivate the spirit.  The new nook for reading books can be placed creatively on the handlebars of a bike too.
 
The major equipment for an indoor cycling station is an exercise mat such as the yoga mat made by Gaiam, a cycling trainer machine, blocks to raise the front wheel, and a bike of course.  Gaiam has a variety of colors to welcome riders to indoor cycling each day.  A variety of trainer machines are available. Some are automatic and some are manual.  High quality trainers are made by CycleOps and Giant Bicycles.  CycleOps also provides blocks that can be stacked to simulate climbing hills.  Young children can cycle indoors too with a CycleOps block and products that safely hold the training wheels.  A pump and chain fluid like White Lightening and shop towels will finish your indoor cycling station.
 
This is simple, but for those new to cycling, especially indoors, here is some encouragement: investing in indoor fitness products is a wise decision.  The specific products can be found at Buck’s Bikes in Austin and Round Rock.  Gaiam products are found at Target and Barnes & Noble.
 
So, here is your list to start:
1. A space in your home or office.
2. A table.
3. Media equipment.
4. Yoga mat.
5. Trainer machine.
6. Blocks.
7. Pump.
8. Chain fluid.
9. Shop Towels.
10. Bike.
 
Some other important factors to consider when putting together an indoor cycling station are these: fit and special orders. The bike must fit your body type to be efficient. Giant Bicycles has stickers on their bikes that show the appropriate height of the rider for each bike, and women specific bikes are available. Special orders such as for trainer machines could take up to 5 to 10 business days to arrive at the bike shop. Special orders for bikes could take up to an additional three days for assembly and possibly longer as the end of November approaches.
 
Cycling clothes, shoes, and helmet are necessary too. Quality cycling clothing such as Sugoi will serve your body well.  A quality pair of running shoes with appropriate arch support is another wise decision, or clipless pedal cycling shoes and clipless pedals are another option.  A helmet, always, even indoors, is wise.  Some additional exercise clothing such as Champion is found at Target and Academy and will prove to be helpful.  Cycling gloves provide additional comfort.
 
Next is nutrition products and stretching . . . .

Clipless pedals
 
Clipless pedals are cycling pedals that provide an opening within the pedal itself for a matching piece to fit into from a cycling shoe.  The matching piece is screwed into the cycling shoe.  A clip for a pedal is similar to a clip for papers, so a running shoe slides into it like paper while the pedal is a platform for the bottom of the shoe.
 
Clipless pedals require practice as do pedals with clips.  Falling sideways at first is common.  Holding the handlebars firmly and equally on both sides is the beginning of stability on the bike.  One good way to do well with clipless pedals is to always mount the bike with the strongest leg.  If a rider’s strongest leg is her left leg, she can begin her practices by locking the matching piece of the left cycling shoe into the opening of the left pedal.  Simple alignment and pressure on the pedal result in success.  Next, the rider should begin pedaling with the strongest leg and then finish the mount by sitting on the seat and locking the other shoe into the opening of the other pedal. During events such as triathlon, some riders run to the mount line in their clipless pedal shoes while many other riders have their shoes already locked into their pedals as they run to the mount line.
 
To avoid falling on the dismount, a rider should plan for the dismount and then remove the weakest leg from the pedal first.  With the weakest leg out first, a rider can maintain better stability on the bike by balancing on her strongest leg.  The way to unlock a clipless pedal is to push the heel of the foot away from the bike.  Holding the handlebars firmly and equally on both sides also creates better stability for the dismount of the bike.  In a racing situation, checking for approaching riders from behind is wise while planning for a dismount.
 
The purpose of clipless pedals is to aid the rider in flat riding and climbs because the lock allows for more speed in a pulling up motion and prevents a rider from slipping off the pedals. Clipless pedals can wear out over time and should be checked periodically for cracks.  However, when speed is the goal, clipless pedals are a step up in the sport of cycling.

Summer cycling in Leander on Bagdad Road
 
From house to horses and back again, Bagdad Road (aka County Road 279) in Leander, Texas is an enjoyable summer outdoor bike ride for a fit woman or man with biking experience.  Round trip from Osage Road at Bagdad to through Liberty Hill to 29 can be completed in about an hour and a half for those riders who are comfortable with 18 mph or more.  The shoulder of the road, when present, is a comfortable width for one rider.
 
The first intersection at Crystal Falls Parkway is easy. FM 2234 is the start of countryside and beyond it is the skate park with a large playing field and dirt trail.  A pasture with two horses is across the road.  Further past the skate park, a rider will find herself in the country with fields on both sides, yet one housing subdivision is seen on the right.  Next is a curve.  At Shady Groves Stables on the right, a variety of horses decorate the ride.  Yellow, pink, and purple colors provide enjoyment from the wildflowers on the ground and from the flowers on some of the trees.
 
The ride from Leander has mild climbs and speed filled declines.  Passing over the bridge above the river is exciting and going through Liberty Hill is a quiet maneuver.  Beyond the elementary school, countryside with houses continues.  As Bagdad reaches 29, a field with horses is on the left.  On the return to Leander, one or a group of domesticated dogs have and might pop out of the brush and begin chasing as a rider reaches the top of one of the climbs, but preparation with an increase in speed will overcome them easily.  Vehicle traffic is mild.  The sun reaches and warms the skin on this ride, but sunscreen or additional fabric to cover the skin is advisable for some riders.