In light of Lance Armstrong’s recent admission of guilt, we want to pose this question to you; what if your blood were naturally ‘doped’? What if you were told that you had the capacity to run marathons, bike hundreds of miles, hike Mount Everest- that in fact you had to exert yourself for hours a day because your health depended on it? Well, we know a guy who can.

Ted White, a customer of Anderson Bicycle, was told a few years ago by a German doctor that he had what would be the equivalent to “300 horsepower blood”. Basically he was designed to be an Olympic athlete, what we consider to be a Greek God among men. You might be saying, “Yea great, another workout nut that’s addicted to running, I get it” But that’s not the case. If Ted doesn’t put to work his high octane-blood and expend his unusual energy, a whole slew of health problems would result.

Luckily for us, he decided that riding his bicycle was the perfect outlet for his boundless energy. So he took to the roads of Germany, and wound up in Barcelona. Then he went to Boston, and wound up in San Diego. His next adventure begins in Buenos Aires, and on the great South American continent he rides still. So that’s where we leave off so you can continue reading for yourself…

He chronicles his tales in this great blog, 300ps. It will provide you with at least 2 hours of solid, procrastination at work. You’re welcome:)

It’s been a long, hot and beautiful summer. Here we find ourselves in September, watching the leaves change and the kids go back to school. And while you may be thinking to yourself that its time to say goodbye to warm weather and outdoor adventures, well you may have just missed the mark.

Fall is a very exciting time for the Cycling industry for a few reasons. First, next week kicks off Interbike 2012. Hosted in Las Vegas, NV, this year will feature more than 750 companies; manufacturers and distributors of all things bike. More than 1200 brands will be represented; we’re talking everything from bikes to helmets to Gu (your favorite energy supplement). There you will find the newest, the bestest, and lets face it, the badest in the industry.

Every bicycle store in the country that wants to introduce and continue relationships with their suppliers will be there. You better believe that Anderson Bicycle will be there; scouring every booth in the convention center to bring back the coolest, most unique and highest quality parts and products to Quincy’s cycling community.  

So that’s reason number one that Fall rocks.

Reason number two? Well let’s face it, we are organic creatures and weather plays a huge role in our daily activities and overall happiness. Thus, for any lover of the great outdoors, and any New England native, the fall is often looked forward to with great anticipation after a long, hot, sticky summer.

Now liberated from the dense heat and humidity so characteristic of July and August in Massachusetts, we can do things like walk outside at dawn to enjoy a sweet morning dew. We can watch the sunset on the beach, wrapped in a cozy sweatshirt. We can ride our bikes under canopies of trees, caught on fire with the colors of fall. The winding country roads of New England, especially around Boston, display their charm most vividly in the fall. Brilliant reds, yellows and oranges sparkle in the afternoon sun. The last warm rays of summer are balanced with a cool and gentle breeze- giving you, the lucky rider, the perfect fall day to experience the joy of your bike ride.

For your viewing pleasure, below are a few beautiful New England vistas you might be enjoying from the saddle this Fall…

Inspired yet?

Take advantage of these beautiful days, with a high of 75 and not a cloud in the sky. There’s no better high than breezing down a hill at the end of a long ride, the smell of barbeque coming from one direction and brush fire from another. Get out, get healthy, and Fall in Love with your bike this season! 

**Writer/Editor’s Note**
I write this entry remotely, from the wild and wonderful island of Nantucket! I have spent more time on my bike this summer than any other time in my life, exploring the island and soaking in every sight and smell via the saddle. Ruby and I (that’s my bike- she’s a Specialized Ruby) have had quite the love affair. We’ve uncovered hidden beaches together, blazed trails through back roads and packed dirt paths, visited one tip of the island to the other in the same day, watched sunrises and sunsets.

Living on Nantucket for the summer, I had the forsight to forego my car and opted for a more environmentally friendly, healthful way of transportation on the island. It turned out to be the best decision I could have made (other than deciding to live and work here). So here are some of the vistas I got to experience this summer via my own saddle…
Brandt Point Lighthouse

Island Lagoon

Madaket Sunset

Nantucket Harbor Sunrise

And finally…

My favorite beach- Miacomet.

So enjoy your bike to the fullest this Fall. Take advantage of this beautiful part of the country we live in. And if you find yourself distracted or distraught, forget your worries and simply think to yourself, “I’m just here to watch the seasons change…”

So Summer 2012 is kicking off to be a pretty athletic one. To begin, we have the Summer Olympics just around the corner, 24 days and counting!

The beauty and grace with which these athletes perform is not to be underestimated.

They give the world a new standard of ‘fit’ as we strive to better our own athleticism, stamina and form.

Endurance:

Strength:

Flexibility:

You name it, they achieve it. Setting the bar high for us regular Johns and Janes who simply want to stay fit and live long enough to live to see our grandkids off to college.

Then there’s the Tour de France that just kicked off just a few days ago. Launching from Provence de Liege, France and ending at the Champs-Elysees in Paris, these cyclists will peddle over the French Alps…

Impressed yet?

The route will cover a total of 3,497 kilometers (2,173 miles) in 20 stages. These athletes are spinning anywhere from 25-35 MPH on average- refer to image above for awe factor… Incredible! 

Let these world class athletic competitions inspire you to get out there while the weather’s hot, and get fit. Whether you run, bike, swim, climb, jump rope, jump trains, jump borders? You get the point, just do something! Get inspired to get healthy.

May the games begin!

What do you do when you find a cause you believe in? You make an advocacy group of course.

Quincy’s Bicycle Advocacy Group was recently created by some like minded, cycling enthusiasts. Composed of two city Councillors, a representative from the Quincy Planning Department, the Chair of the Milton Bike Committee, and a few concerned residents of Quincy to round off the group. Anderson Bicycle supports the groups every endeavor.

The group met in May and Anderson Bicycle was invited to attend- to both observe and consult. Another meeting is planned for June.

Inspired by a desire to build a thriving cycling community in such a beautiful and historical area; the group will meet regularly until they successfully transform Quincy to a more biker friendly city. Thus far, the city has yet to tap the potential of the growing bicycle population on the road ways. This group’s intent is to improve road conditions for alternative forms of transportation (i.e. bikes!).

The group is gaining community support and simultaneously, political influence. The representative from the Quincy Planning Department (Kristina Johnson) will serve as a liaison for the group with the Quincy City Council. The plan is to develop two groups within the City Council; an official bike committee will play a more diplomatic role in this movement. The second will be a citizen committee that can be more outspoken and free to voice any opinions that the committees have.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council supports the group’s mission as well. MAPC (appropriately named) will help the group by mapping potential bicycle routes through the city. Presenting these maps to the DPW as a viable means of city planning will be essential in moving forward the group’s primary objective- to make roadways safer and more accessible to cyclists. MAPC has been approved by the Quincy City Council. It is the key liaison for the group to be involved with city planning. MAPC will give voice to the Bicycle Advocacy Group as the city plans to make changes and improvements to infrastructure.

The group is currently looking to gain exposure through different avenues like Facebook. For more information about the next meeting or how you can get involved, stop in and visit us!

Now this is a cause we can rally behind.

To making it count… A string of rambling thoughts and useful advice…

What do you do to reflect? Where do you go? Sometimes the best medicine, is fresh air. Get out, get centered. Nature has a way of renewing, rejuvenating, and refreshing your perspective.

Do you find your days flying past in the blink of an eye? Slow down. It’s that simple. Do you life close enough to ride your bike to work? Instead of hopping on the highway or on the subway, find an alternative route. LIterally, slow down.

What do you do every day? Well you work, you eat, you sleep. But what do you really do? Do you wake up every morning and set an intention for your day? Just one small thing that you would like to accomplish. Start small, baby steps. The big dreams will come. A mountain is created from millions of pieces of dust.

Do something every day that nourishes you. Forget Eleanor, life is scary enough without making it even more so. Take care of yourself. Ask your body what it really needs. And do it.

Forget your financial troubles. Just let them go. This guy says it better than we can.

And for gosh sakes, hop on your bicycle and go for a ride. Be light, be free, be a kid again. Go and play, and live in joy.

Spring has most certainly sprung. For all of you living under a rock, perhaps you missed the bout with summer time a few weeks ago. 80 degrees in March! You can bet that did wonders for the cycling business. So you can probably understand the delay in this post. But we are back! And as always, with something very important to say. Is this mic on?

Ahem.

We continue to battle for cyclists rights here in the quaint city of Quincy, and creating cycling culture has proven to be an inviting challenge. These historic streets and neighborhoods are just waiting to be taken advantage of. Furthermore, in a city this densely populated, where the average errand can be accomplished within a 5 miles radius, we have taken it upon ourselves to capitalize upon bikes as transportation.

Yet here we are, in the age of green living, health foods stores, and an obnoxious inundation of yoga studios, still arguing over allowing cyclists to run the roadways. While there is a superb collection of off-road bike paths, this does not contribute to the push towards cycling as a way of life. What we want, what we need, is a paradigm shift.

Take The Netherlands, the number one most friendly company towards cyclists in the world. 85% of the countries citizens own at least one bicycle. AT LEAST. This means that there are more bicycles in Holland than there are people. Neat.

Now let’s zoom in. Boston ranks 26th in the United States for friendliest cities towards cyclists according to this article in Bicycling Magazine. Of course this is taken with a grain of salt; seeing as Charleston, SC is ranked 29. And as seasoned vacationers to Charleston, we at Anderson Bicycle can strongly attest to this. Quincy isn’t even on the map.

What we are getting at, what we are really working towards, is to improve our health, our lifestyle, and our city. No need to reiterate the numerous benefits of cycling for health, economy, sustainability. But picture this, tree lined streets, clean fresh air, and a gentle summer breeze at your back as you glide by Marina Bay. And instead of the incessant hum of traffic, all you hear are the chirps of bicycle bells and the steady whirr of bicycle tires on pavement.

A bright outlook, and certainly something very dear to work towards.

If you had a theme song, every time you got on your bike, what would it be? Would it always be the same? Or would it change with your moods? The Long and Winding Road for those grey, gloomy days, or a little Red Hot Chili Peppers for a sunny scoot to the seashore?

Maybe you ride to the falsetto pace of Queen’s Bicycle Race?

Or perhaps you entertain more classic tastes. A Bicycle Built for Two, composed in 1892, might be best for you.

And if there is ever a doubt about theme music for riding with your playful pooch, boy do the Japanese know pick a playlist.

If a more mellow melody is what appeals to your keener senses, add a third wheel to that two wheeler and enjoy this terrific Tricycle tune.

Of course these are just suggestions. The only way to really discover your bicycle theme song is to get on the bike, and listen to that song that plays incessantly with the steady rhythm of your breath. It might take some maddening inward reflection, a 2 hour ride with the same song on repeat can be a trying experience. But it’s well worth it when you at last decide on a tune that will turn your gears.

Idea. Valentine’s day may be past but love is certainly in the air. Spring has sprung (rumor has it 50 degrees and climbing this week) and there are many ways to enjoy being in love. One such way, is to take a tandem bicycle ride!

To give you an idea…

But this could be you!

This happy couple evidently decided that riding face to face was the perfect way to fan the flames of their love. While it is a cute idea, we aren’t quite sure how it would work on a tour…

Sidenote, for a comical list of ‘Do’s and Don’t's‘ while touring on a tandem with your sweetie…

Anywho, we digress. Just imagine, you and your honey could be pedalling happily away from your wedding reception…

Okay maybe we are getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. But the point is to encourage you to do something different. No longer for Euro-hipsters, let’s bring tandem bicycles back!