Safe Habits for Cycling in a Post-Pandemic World

July 9, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed the ways in which we exercise and travel. Whereas there was never before a real need to overthink your next cycling outing, the emergence of the coronavirus has forced avid cyclists to prepare extensively prior to taking to the road. Although lockdown regulations have been eased in most parts of the USA, the highly-contagious virus continues to pose an immense threat. For this reason, very strict health and safety precautions need to be adhered to by all cyclists for the foreseeable future.

Stay on top of your personal hygiene

Although the coronavirus is not spread through perspiration, items touched by an infected person could post a risk according to scientists at Johns Hopkins University. Upon your return home from your ride, be sure to wash your cycling apparel, bicycles, and other cycling accessories thoroughly. Also, remember to wash your hair when you have a shower and disinfect the soles of your shoes before entering your home. While these precautions may seem somewhat over the top it is always better to be over-cautious than reckless. The National Institute of Health (NIH) does, after all, also warn that the Covid-19 virus can live for more than 3 days on certain materials including fabric, plastic, and metal.

Keep your premises clean

It is not only your personal hygiene that should be a priority when cycling amidst the pandemic. If you make use of short-term bike rentals, it is imperative to ensure that you only make use of a trusted rental agency. Disinfection is crucial in slowing down the spread of the virus and it is well within your rights to enquire whether a business has all the necessary precautionary measures in place. Apart from regular disinfection, general cleaning should continue on a daily basis to improve the overall cleanliness of the premises. Even if you are happy with the effort being made to keep the premises virus-free, be sure to carry disinfectant wipes with you to wipe down bike parts including the handlebars, seat, brakes, and other areas of the bike you may come into contact with. Remember to wash your hands right after your ride and follow the standard protocol upon returning home.

Be kind to your immune system

If you want to keep safe and healthy while cycling it is important to ensure that your immune system is as robust as possible. While the physical exercise associated with cycling is undoubtedly good for you, it is important to note that your immune system may not be functioning at its best after a hard ride. During this time, when your body’s defenses are not operating at their best, you may be increasingly at risk to contract an illness. While it is necessary to remain physically active, it is not worth risking your health by over-exerting yourself and falling ill. Instead, opt for shorter, less-intense rides and make sure you fuel your body with plenty of immune-boosting nutrients.

Although it has been months since the first Covid-19 case was reported in the USA, there is no indication of how long the pandemic will continue. For now, the best any avid cyclist can do is adhere to all the necessary safety precautions while continuing to engage in their sport of choice.

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Unmotivated? Stressed? How to Maintain Cycling Fitness During COVID 19 

May 28, 2020

The weather is warm and inviting. The days are longer. It’s almost June – the beginning of another season of cycling along the Front Range.

Yet, do you find yourself lacking the motivation to ride? Could it be you miss your riding buddies? Or that the trails are packed with people making it hard to ride and ride with social distancing in place?  

No doubt these unprecedented times have taken their toll on motivation to get out and ride. Without races and events and group rides to inspire training, it makes it a little harder to reach that upper range in high-intensity workouts. Even if you are getting out for rides, maybe you’re cutting them short or worse, beating yourself up for losing fitness.  

The aim during these challenging times is to find a healthy balance between riding and managing other factors like stress and anxieties of the day. So, how do you find that balance?  A good first step is to give up beating yourself up for missed rides.  The post, Missing training – Adjusting the plan, suggest a few options for recalibrating your weekly training schedule.  The big take away is the mindset. “Often remind yourself of the big picture. It’s easy to beat yourself up over missed training, but if you have been steady with training, give yourself a break. Gaining fitness doesn’t happen in one or two days and losing fitness doesn’t happen in one or two days. It takes months of steady training to gain good fitness. A few days missed or logging a few less hours than planned for a week is a small blip on the radar.”  

Another piece of encouragement comes from the post, Will I Lose Fitness During Quarantine? which emphasizes that doing something is infinitely better than doing nothing and that while many athletes have been facing limitations on their training, your fitness might not be as dire as you think.  That’s encouraging, right?

A way to spark that hope and re-ignite your motivation for riding might be to Experiment With Different Bike Parts to Keep Training Motivation High. Mix up your routine and ride different bikes on different days. Mondays might be your mountain bike. Tuesdays your cross bike. Wednesdays you ride your road bike and so on.  Experiment with new bike parts. Swap out your saddle or add some new grips. If experimentation isn’t your thing, then at least replace worn out bike parts or catch deals on bike close-outs, bike parts and components. Or, maybe training just isn’t in the cards for you right now.  That’s okay. You can still ride! Swap your car ride for an easy bike commute. Any of these activities help to extend the fitness gains you’ve made and will also help reduce the anxieties and stress accompanied by the pandemic.  

Given all that is occurring in our world right now, it’s natural to feel frustrated, anxious, confused, and even well. What’s not needed is more self-imposed judgment for not riding or not riding as frequently as you would like. Let that go. Instead, use this time to reconnect with your bikes and the love of cycling that you have. Let that fuel your motivation for training and hopefully soon we’ll all be able to ride together and cherish more profoundly our cycling events and races and group rides.  

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We’re Open. We’re Here to Help You. Find Out How.

April 2, 2020

While we all face the uncertainties and challenges of our current circumstances, there are a few things to be grateful for. One point of gratitude is that Colorado has not shut down bike shops over COVID-19. Because bicycle shops are listed as a critical business, we are able to remain open and provide quality service to you. Here’s how to take advantage of our offerings while still respecting social distancing and your health and wellbeing. 

Yes – We Really Are Open
In-store: In our Peak Cycles bike shop in Golden, Colorado we continue to perform bike repairs and sales. Due to COVID-19, we are not allowing any customers into the shop at this time. We have a table and bike stands in front of the shop so we can bring products and/or bikes to you outside for purchase. Our service department is also performing pick-up and drop-off of repair bikes outside. We offer Standard Bike Tunes starting at $90. If you’re unsure of what your bike needs, estimates are always free. You can check out our full list of services and pricing and schedule ahead for any potential bike parts you may need in addition to the service. Regarding rentals, we are not allowing any bike rentals or demos at this time.  Stay tuned for updates on bike rentals and demo use.  

Online: For online customers, BikeParts.com is running at normal capacity as are our shipping companies USPS and FedEx. We have experienced very few delays for most of our US customers. For local online customers, you can pick up your will-call orders at Peak Cycles. Call ahead for curbside pickup or come to the front door and we will grab your order for you.

Take advantage of our sales! You’ll be inspired to ride, relieve stress, and boost your immune system.

With all these great sales, if you STILL haven’t found what you are looking for, then check out our catalog of over 45,000 bike parts and cycling accessories.  No doubt, we have all the cycling components, tools, and cycling accessories you need.  And, it all comes with an extra bonus. Get FREE Shipping on orders over $75.

Together we’ll make it through these unprecedented times. At Peak Cycles Bicycle Shop, we are committed to slowing the spread of COVID-19, and to keep our customers, employees, and communities safe. We hope that this situation ends soon and in the meantime, know that we are here for you. Take care of yourself, your family, your two-wheeled friends and be well both mentally and physically. Ride your bike for stress release and relieve your pocketbook by taking advantage of our sale items. You’ll be inspired to ride as it helps with stress and anxiety during these difficult times. Be well friends! 

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Posted by staffwriter8