Steve's Cycling Blog
In the 1990s, I started cycling semi-seriously as a mountain biker. I got my first "real" mountain bike in 1992 (an Iron Horse). In 2002 I got my first full-suspension bike (a Kona) and started to enter races. So my cycling roots are in mountain biking. In recent years however, I've found myself cycling more … Continue reading Mountain Biking at Turkey Point
On many of my bike rides in warmer weather, I've observed that I sweat a lot more than the average person. In extreme heat (>30 degrees Celsius plus humidity), I can't keep enough fluids in me to keep up with the sweat. This has prompted me to do a little research into the physiology of exercising … Continue reading Cycling in Summer Heat
A few months ago, I blogged about some of the Strava Apps I use. Since I'm an engineer, I like to play with numbers (and maps), so I've spent some time scouring the internet for more cycling tools. Here are a few more: Padvark: This website connects to your Strava account and summarizes the data. … Continue reading More cool Strava Apps
Last spring, I took a tour of some local trails the day after a huge rain event just north of here. The result was a cycling route that had a lot of turn-arounds because some trails were flooded. As some of my Waterloo Cycling Club friends will attest, I've been known to ride across fast-flowing … Continue reading Frozen water everywhere!
2017 was a good year. I surpassed 4000 km outdoor kilometres for the year, and although this wasn't my best year (I've had about 5000 km before), I still deem 2017 to be a success given the slow start I had because of my concussion recovery. The year ended on December 31 with a traditional … Continue reading 2018: A New Beginning
As I've stated previously: I'm a numbers guy. Now that 2017 is (nearly) done, I am going to summarize my cycling year in numbers: Total outdoor cycling distance: 4005 km Longest Ride: September 14, 2017, Day 2 of COLT 122 km Best Month: September 712 km Total Moving Time: 210 hours (8 days, 18 hours) … Continue reading 2017 Cycling Year in Review
I know the year's not over yet, but 2017 has been a good year for me. I started slowly, since I was recovering from a concussion, but my mileage (kilometerage?) slowly increased as the year went on. I thought I'd post some of my favourite photos from the year: In January, I joined Team Colin … Continue reading 2017 Year in Cycling Photos
I was recently asked about the difference between different bicycles and what each type of bike is best suited for. When I thought about these questions, I considered my own selection of bicycles and the specific purpose of each bike that I ride. I also thought about the question: If I only had one bicycle, … Continue reading What kind of bicycle(s) do you need?
Most cyclists I know use Strava to track their cycling activities. Prior to joining Strava in 2012, I kept a record of all my rides in a spreadsheet (dating back as far as 2002!), so when I found out about Strava, I bought a GPS and had it do the work for me. I'm a … Continue reading Strava Tools and Apps
First, a bit of history: I started cycling in the 1990s as a mountain biker (discounting rides around the neighbourhood as a kid). I used to ride once a week in Dundas Valley before mountain biking was popular. When I joined the Waterloo Cycling Club in 2002, I bought a used road bike and joined … Continue reading The Simple Pleasures of Cycling on Gravel Roads
