The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society        February, 2019 Volume 37, Issue #2

Presidents Report

February 1, 2020

Old Bikes Made Like New

This month at our board meeting we approved another request for using the CCCTS Legacy Funds. Legacy funds have been in the Club coffers for many years, having started out from donations and lottery proceeds, and were previously called the Education Fund, but only the interest was distributed. In 2017 the Club received notice that we would be receiving another $50,000 from the estate of a previous member. Since that time the Club has been carefully spending some of the funds, while supporting good causes for the club or the community. Several of the Chapters have great projects that qualify. Here is an example of a worthwhile project your club is supporting.

Helping with Bikes is an Ottawa based group that restores bicycles and distributes them to families and individuals requiring assistance. It was started and is led by Chris Taylor, a CCCTS member.

Helping with Bikes, (HWB), receives donated bikes and refurbishes them for families and individuals that are making new beginnings in the community, such as refugees, families fleeing abuse, recovering addicts, people impacted by fire or other disasters. HWB is part of “Helping with Furniture”, which has helped re-establish more than 2,000 households in Ottawa over the last 12 years. HWB has been operating for about 5 years and has completed over 1000 bike refurbishments. HWB’s 100% volunteer team believes that “bicycles change lives, and are a simple solution to some of the world’s most complicated problems”.

From its modest workshop and a small team of about 6 dedicated volunteer mechanics, HWB provides more than 200 fully refurbished bikes per year to clients of Helping with Furniture. The repair work typically includes restoring bearings, cables, brakes, and drivetrains. Bikes are donated from various sources. Used bicycle parts are salvaged from some of the donated bicycles but some new tires, tubes, chains, tools, etc. are purchased.

Chris Taylor realized early on in the program that a gift of a bicycle without a helmet could lead to persons riding unprotected and being injured, and without a lock the bikes could easily go missing. Janet Whitehead, the CCCTS Director responsible for the Legacy Portfolio met in Chris in Ottawa in 2017, and learned of his project and brought it to the attention of the Board. The helmet and locks program was initiated in 2017 and was supported by a $2,000 grant from the CCCTS Legacy Fund, (as well as $1,500 for operations). Rick Cousins, another Ottawa club member, took on the task of sourcing new helmets and locks from suppliers at wholesale prices. The program has been a huge success. The CCCTS grant was instrumental in getting the program off the ground. To date, over 200 helmets and locks have been distributed.

Thanks to that initial contribution, and the hard work of HWB volunteers, other contributors stepped forward as well. The Ontario Trial Lawyers Association donated over 100 additional helmets to the program. Soup Ottawa also awarded HWB over $1,000 to the helmet and lock program. The volunteer team also carried out several fundraising events during the year. The annual budget for HWB is approximately $12,000: $6,000 for rental of workshop and storage space; $2500 for shop supplies, and $3,500 for helmet and locks.

CCCTS have agreed to provide another $3,500 this year for continued support to HWB. We are happy to be promoting cycling, and helping those in need. The recipients, who are often close to homeless status, often break into huge smiles and sometimes tears upon receiving brand new helmets and locks for themselves and their children, along with their fully refurbished bicycles. And 200 bikes per year are kept out of the landfill.

There are other similar examples of great projects run by CCCTS Chapters that benefit their members and communities, and are supported by the Legacy Program. These will be featured in future issues of the newsletter.

Bruce Daykin

President

How Cycling Makes You Smarter and Happier

How you can maximize the mental benefits of a good ride

By selene yeager

Mar 31, 2014

 

 

 

Every morning Canadian neuroscientist Brian Christie, PhD, gives his brain an extra boost. We’re not talking about tossing back multiple strong shots of espresso or playing one of those mind-training games advertised all over Facebook. “I hop on my bike, go to the gym for 45 minutes, then ride the rest of the way to work,” says Christie. “When I get to my desk, my brain is at peak activity for a few hours.” After his mental focus sputters to a halt later in the day, he jump-starts it with another short spin to run errands.

Ride, work, ride, repeat. It’s a scientifically proven system that unleashes some unexpected benefits of cycling. In a recent study in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, scientists found that people scored higher on tests of memory, reasoning, and planning after 30 minutes of spinning on a stationary bike than they did before they rode. They also completed the tests faster after pedaling.

 

Grow Your Mind
Exercise is like fertilizer for your brain. All those hours spent turning your cranks create rich capillary beds not only in your quads and glutes, but also in your gray matter. More blood vessels in your brain and muscles mean more oxygen and nutrients to help them work, says Christie.

When you pedal, you also force more nerve cells to fire. As these neurons light up, they intensify the creation of proteins like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and a compound called noggin (yes, really), which promote the formation of new brain cells. The result: You double or triple the production of neurons—literally building your brain, says Christie. You also release neurotransmitters (the messengers between your brain cells) so all those cells, new and old, can communicate with each other for better, faster functioning. That’s a pretty profound benefit to cyclists.

This kind of growth is especially important with each passing birthday, because as we age, our brains shrink and those connections weaken. Exercise restores and protects the organ, says Arthur Kramer, PhD, a neuroscientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Our research finds that after only three months, people who exercised had the brain volume of those three years younger,” says Kramer, referring to a study that examined the brains of 59 sedentary volunteers between the ages of 60 and 79 who either did an exercise program or were inactive for six months.

A bigger, more connected brain simply works better. “Adults who exercise display sharper memory skills, higher concentration levels, more fluid thinking, and greater problem-solving ability than those who are sedentary,” says Kramer.

Ride Your Way Smarter
So if a little exercise boosts your mental acumen, will going longer and harder earn you Mensa membership? Not so much, says Christie. More isn’t always better, especially in the short term, he says. The same study that reported brain benefits from a short exercise session also revealed that more intense efforts can temporarily compromise memory and information processing, something Christie has seen firsthand.

Christie’s teenage daughter also starts her day with exercise—specifically rowing practice, usually with searing interval sets. But instead of leaving her brain firing on all cylinders, the workout leaves her a little stalled out when she arrives at school. “Short term, you’re on a U-shaped curve for exercise and mental benefits,” says Christie. “Too little and your brain doesn’t get what it needs to work optimally. Too much and your body has sapped the glucose and other resources it needs, so it’s hindered until it recovers.” The sweet spot for sharp mental acuity right after exercise is about 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic riding at roughly 75 percent of your maximum heart rate, or an effort of 7 on a scale of 1 (standing still) to 10 (going all out).

Positive Spin
Of course, there’s a lot more to mental fitness than just improving your smarts. Plenty of science backs the idea that a good ride can also have emotional benefits. Cycling can elevate your mood, relieve anxiety, increase stress resistance, and even banish the blues.

“Exercise works as well as psychotherapy and antidepressants in the treatment of depression, maybe better,” says James Blumenthal, PhD, professor of behavioral medicine in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. A recent study analyzing 26 years of research finds that even just some exercise—as little as 20 to 30 minutes a day—can prevent depression over the long term.

At the moment, scientists don’t completely understand the exact mechanisms, but they do know that one of the benefits of cycling is that it boosts the production of feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. “As soon as our lab rats start running on their wheels, they get a 100 to 200 percent increase in serotonin levels,” says J. David Glass, PhD, a brain-chemistry researcher at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

 

As you pedal past the 20-to 30-minute mark, other mood-lifting chemicals like endorphins and cannabinoids (which, as the name suggests, are in the same family of chemicals that give pot smokers their high) kick in. When researchers asked 24 men to either run or pedal at a moderate intensity or sit for about 50 minutes, they found high blood levels of anandamide, a natural cannabinoid, in the exercisers, but not in sedentary volunteers.

Even better, regularly riding your bike helps keep hormones like adrenaline and cortisol in check, which means you’ll feel less stressed and you’ll bounce back from anxiety-filled situations more easily.

The sweet spot for sharpening mental acuity right after exercise is about 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic riding at roughly 75 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Remember: Although it’s healthy, exercise itself is a stress, especially when you’re just getting started or back into riding. When you first begin to exert yourself, your body releases cortisol to raise your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels, says Monika Fleshner, PhD, a professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. As you get fitter, it takes a longer, harder ride to trigger that same response. “For people who are active, it takes a greater crisis to trigger the cortisol response as compared with sedentary people,” says Fleshner. “So now you can go into a stressful environment and be okay. You can endure a lot more before you kick off a stress response.”

What’s the cycling prescription for happiness? The authors of a recent review study on exercise and depression came up with the following guidelines to ward off the blues with aerobic exercise: Do three to five sessions a week. Each session should be 45 to 60 minutes long and keep your heart rate between 50 and 85 percent of your max. Of course, that’s just a minimum recommendation aimed at the general public. You can go ahead and ride to your heart’s—and mind’s—content.

Chapter News

This from our friends in Ottawa.

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT THE CYCLING

 

We, in the National Capital Chapter, have to do whatever it takes to enjoy the winter.  We cross country ski, downhill ski, snow bike, and snowshoe.

 

And once over the winter, two of our members, Marg Hurley and Marion Cousins, organize a skating evening at the Governor General’s outdoor rink at Rideau Hall.

 

This year, the late afternoon skate attracted over 30 enthusiastic and adventurous skaters commencing with the Grand March followed by the Serpentine and some fun skating.

 

The event was followed by dinner at the Clocktower Brew Pub where the fun continued over a meal, drinks and chatter.

 

 

Video Corner

Check out the link for some Electric Bike Info

How Bafang Electric Motors are Made

Upcoming Hub and Spokes

• May 2020 Chilliwack Hub & Spoke
  Status: Registration closed
  Dates: Mon, 25 May 2020 ‐‐ Fri, 29 May 2020

  Explore the lesser-known eastern half of the Lower Fraser Valley with both short and long rides: to Harrison Hot Springs, the amazing Quintette Tunnels at Othello (remote start), Chilliwack wet lands, Clayburn Village, Bridal Veil Falls, Silver Lake in Whatcom County (bring passport/Nexus) and more. We’ll have likely four rides per day, led by cyclists to be selected from the group of participants. The event will feature a welcoming dinner (not included in fee) on Monday, three full riding days Tuesday through Thursday, each with a happy hour social gathering, and a short ride on Friday morning.

• 2020 Bromont Hub & Spoke
  Status: Ride is full, wait list only.
  Dates: Sun, 24 May 2020 ‐‐ Sat, 30 May 2020

  Welcome to Bromont in the beautiful Eastern Townships of Quebec, where the National Capital Region Chapter is planning a H&S from May 24, 2020 until May 30, 2020. Bromont is well known for winter sport activities as well as summer time activities. It is home to the Bromont Velodrome, a 250 meter outdoor cycling track, as well as the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park.

• 2020 Victoria Hub & Spoke
  Status: No registration limit
  Dates: Mon, 14 Sep 2020 ‐‐ Fri, 18 Sep 2020

  Greater Victoria offers something for everyone. The four days of rides vary widely in distance, difficulty and diversity and are sure to satisfy all. Each day will offer distances from fewer than 40 km to perhaps 100 km. Each ride will have a leader & a sweep. Day rides will include the famous Galloping Goose and Lochside Trails plus others, as well as mostly low-traffic roads with good shoulders. Along the way, there will be water vistas and accesses, forests & fields, historical and contemporary points of interest.

• 2020 May Shuswap Hub & Spoke
  Status: Registration closed
  Dates: Mon, 18 May 2020 ‐‐ Fri, 22 May 2020

  Welcome to the beautiful and diverse landscapes of the Shuswap – North Okanagan! Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature as you explore on your bike some of over 1500 kilometers of paved back roads in the area. Along each day’s cycling route we can enjoy short walks, visits to local wineries, swimming beaches, bird watching “hot spots”, scenic view points and cycle-friendly local cafes. Our hub for the week’s rides will be at Sorrento Centre on Shuswap Lake, 35K northwest of Salmon Arm via Highway 1.

• 2020 Oceanside 2 Hub and Spoke
  Status: Completed

  This 7-day hub and spoke is centered in the Southern California City of Oceanside, approximately 35 miles north of San Diego. Oceanside offers many bike routes north (into Orange County), east, and south (San Diego County). We will explore all these directions. We will do out and back rides, loops, and 1-ways using public transportation (commuter trains/light rail). Seniors can purchase inexpensive ½ price tickets. We will split into 2 groups each day to facilitate better group control and sometimes to accommodate public transit.  Each group will have a Ride Leader and a Ride Sweep. Rides will include coffee and lunch stops. You can buy or bring your lunch.

• 2020 June Shuswap – North Okanagan Hub & Spoke
  Status: Ride is full, wait list only.
  Dates: Mon, 22 Jun 2020 ‐‐ Fri, 26 Jun 2020

  Welcome to the beautiful and diverse landscapes of the Shuswap – North Okanagan! Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of nature as you explore on your bike some of over 1500 kilometers of paved back roads in the area. Along each day’s cycling route we can enjoy short walks, visits to local wineries, swimming beaches, bird watching “hot spots”, scenic view points and cycle-friendly local cafes. Our hub for the week’s rides will be at Sorrento Centre on Shuswap Lake, 35K northwest of Salmon Arm via Highway 1.

• 2020 Chilliwack Hub & Spoke
  Status: Ride is full, wait list only.
  Dates: Mon, 1 Jun 2020 ‐‐ Fri, 5 Jun 2020

  Explore the less-ridden, eastern half of the lower Fraser Valley: specifically Harrison Hot Springs, the amazing, little-known Quintette Tunnels at Othello (remote start), upper Chilliwack River, Chilliwack marshes along the Fraser, historic Clayburn Village, Bridal Veil Falls and more.

• 2020 B.C. Southern Gulf Islands Hub & Spoke
  Status: Ride is full, wait list only.
  Dates: Mon, 31 Aug 2020 ‐‐ Thu, 3 Sep 2020

  The Southern Gulf Islands are perhaps best known for their artists, wineries, fromageries and farms, as well as for their natural beauty. The islands and surrounding ocean are rich with ecologically diverse plants and sea life including Garry oaks, wild lilies, kelp beds and Orcas. We’ll explore Pender Island (our hub), Mayne Island and Galiano Island: cycling and walking “on island time”.

• 2020 Oceanside Hub & Spoke
  Status: Completed

  This 7-day hub and spoke is centered in the Southern California City of Oceanside, approximately 35 miles north of San Diego. Oceanside offers many bike routes north (into Orange County), east, and south (San Diego County). We will explore all these directions. We will do out and back rides, loops, and 1-ways using public transportation (commuter trains/light rail). Seniors can purchase inexpensive ½ price tickets. We will split into 2 groups each day to facilitate better group control and sometimes to accommodate public transit. Rides will include coffee and lunch stops. You can buy or bring your lunch.

New Members

Published at least ten times a year by The Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society, a non – profit organization for retired people and others who enjoy recreational cycling. 

Items for the NEWSBRIEF must be received by the 28th of the month. The Editor reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity and suitability of publication. The views expressed in the “NEWSBRIEF” are not necessarily those of the CCCTS or the Editor.

Submissions for NEWSBRIEF should be emailed to alaird212@gmail.com

Please be sure to notify the office of any changes in your personal contact information; be it address, phone or e-mail.