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May 2015
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Biking in Central PA: good exercise By: MARK HIGGINS higgins3270@hotmail.com
and a good way to support local charities
If you’ve been reading the news esig- lately, you may have noticed articles Penn about the benefits of exercise for hat’s people middle-aged and older. pist, Multiple scientific studies show that ay to regular exercise adds many years to your life, yet few people exercise ■ regularly. ts of The most popular exercise in ram America is walking. The second most itive popular exercise is biking, which is moon good for you and fun. Biking works out most of your body and is also an excellent exercise for weight loss. How can you get into cycling? For someone just starting out and wanting to ease in slowly, State College Cycling has a “slow and easy” group that rides on Thursdays, June through August. This group is open to mountain and town-style bikes. As you progress, State College Cycling helps train cyclists to safely and courteously share the roads with auto traffic. The group sponsors regular rides on Tuesday nights at four different spots around town. Once you are comfortable riding on the roads, a fun new activity beckons – the charity ride. Cyclists are community-minded and work with local charitable groups to raise money through charity rides. An easy one is the Rock Hill School “Linden Loop” ride in Linden Hall. This annual charity ride is held the first Sunday in May (May 3 this year) and includes a five-mile ride and a 28-mile ride. (Details at http://bit.ly/ lindenloop2015.) The Bestwick Foundation, whose mission is to help “local families and individuals who are struggling to fight CES cancer and other hardships,” holds zy. charity rides in the spring and fall with options from about 30 to nearly 70 miles. “Our mission is to create a charitable event that is fun for both cyclists and non-cyclists alike” said event coordinator Chuck Morrison. “There’s a lot of support for cycling locally. We really want to tap into that and to grab the community’s interest, especially of the youth here in Centre County.” The Bestwick Foundation spring ride will be held on May 31, and will start from Kelly’s Steak & Seafood in Boalsburg. (Details at facebook.com/ events/430695097115180/.) A charity ride with options for
Photo by Tianle Chen
Penn State alumns Sam Summers and Carren Stika at the Penn State Cyclists Lead Race. everyone is the Center Volunteers in Medicine (CVIM) ride. The Seventh Annual Cycling for Care bike ride will be held on Saturday, June 27, and is a non-competitive ride through picturesque Central Pennsylvania. Last year, more than 100 riders came out to raise funds for CVIM. Again this year there will be an 8.3 mile Fun Loop as well as the Metric Century Loop (62 miles) and HalfMetric Century Loop (31 miles). New this year is a Full Century (100 miles). (More information at cvim.net/ events/.) More difficult charity rides are available for the experienced cyclist. The Multiple Sclerosis Keystone Country 150 ride will be held July 18 - 19, covering 150 miles over two days. Along with more than 600 other cyclists, you can follow a stunning course between Hollidaysburg and State College. The first day is usually 78 miles, and the second day is 72 miles. This ride is fully supported with three to four food and comfort stops. (Details at bikepax.nationalmssociety. org) There are many more charity rides in the area, including multiple mountain bike rides. For competitive racers, this year, the Penn State Cycling Club is proud to announce the first-ever Nittany Stage Race to be held the weekend
of August 1 – 2, with a $12,000 prize purse. The format of a stage race allows for participants to pay one flat fee for all three races. An “open” category time trial will also be held for cyclists who don’t want to register for all three races, but would still like to test their fitness on the very exciting and spectator friendly course. This event will include a road race in Black Moshannon State Park on Saturday, a time trial on campus and College Avenue, and a criterium (short race of less than 1 mile) near Memorial Field. A “family fun” ride will also be held during the criterium for families wishing to ride the same closed course as the racers. This ride will be free to any registered person who brings a bicycle and helmet. The money raised from the Nittany Stage race will benefit the Bestwick Foundation. (Registration for the stage race and time trial opened on Monday, March 30 at bikereg.com/ the-nittany-stage-race.) Cycling can open up a whole new world for you. Give it a try.■ Mark Higgins is a managed services specialist and has thirty years of experience in business turnarounds. He is also VicePresident of State College Cycling
(groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ statecollegecycling/info).
May 22 - 24, 2015 Concerts • Workshops • Master Classes Singing • Coaching • Jamming • Dancing For all instruments and levels
Hosted by Simple Gifts PLUS:
Joe Mabus • Natalie Haas The Barefoot Movement Eleanor Ellis • Red Tail Ring Yann Falquet • AppalAsia Changeling • Laurie Hart Jamie O’Brien • and more A fun & friendly weekend of Folk Music Held in Huntingdon, PA at Juniata College Just 30 miles from State College
Concerts: Friday & Saturday, 7pm Tickets Available at the Door, $15
Huntingdon County Arts Council 814-643-6220
w w w. f olk c olle g e . c om