Wednesday, September 11, 2019 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Loscutoff
Columnist
E-bikes: A good
fitness tool
Electric-assisted
bicycles are new to the
American market after
being popularized in
Europe in the last five to 10
years. When someone hears
electric-assisted bicycle it
may conjure up a lot of mis-
conceptions. Many <biome-
chanic= cyclists disdain the
idea of someone <cheat-
ing= with an electric motor.
Perhaps the John Muirs of
the world dislike nature and
tranquility being disturbed
by buzzing electric motors.
However, from a health
and fitness perspective, an
e-bike may be appropriate
as a tool.
The biggest myth of
e-bikes is that a person with
no fitness or ability can hop
on an electric motor and go
about with ease. This is not
true. An e-bike only assists
the pedaling that is already
happening. These bikes
have limited battery supply,
and on eco mode only make
cycling marginally easier.
Another myth is that
e-bike riders are lazily
skipping all the years of
base fitness real cyclists
all would like to think
they possess. This also
isn9t true. According to
Transportation Research,
most e-bike owners are also
<analog= bike riders as well.
Even so, it takes pedaling
and skill to ride an e-bike,
just as it does a regular
bicycle.
Now here are the statis-
tics that may surprise: The
Transportation Research
Group reports that e-bike
riders ride longer, and get
more exercise than regu-
lar cyclists. How can this
be? They examined the
metabolic cost of riding a
bike and extrapolated it to
the amount of riding being
done. While e-bikes had
a lower intensity of exer-
cise, the minutes of riding
exceeded standard enough
so that the total MET9s
(metabolic equivalent mea-
sure) were higher for the
e-bikes. (4,463 met/week
vs. 4,085/week) .
The average trip distance
was around eight kilome-
ters (five miles) vs. five
km (three miles) in favor of
e-bikes as well. This likely
points to the commuter
or grocery store runs that
would be so much easier on
an e-bike. Consider Sisters
Country: Who wants to
cross town in a car in sum-
mer? Wouldn9t an e-bike be
a joy?
While just catching on,
e-bikes provide a fitness
opportunity for those who
might not be able to access
it otherwise. It opens doors
to put less cars on the roads.
These machines are not
rocket ships; they9re heavy
and slow. They aren9t any
noisier than a conventional
bike. While it is embarrass-
ing as an avid cyclist to be
passed by one, it9s not the
end of the world. An e-biker
is likely a fellow biome-
chanical rider who respects
mileage under the legs and
muscles rather than motor.
Give a look to an e-bike
if commuting, errands, or
getting back into fitness is
something interesting. All
major manufacturers have
good options and the bike
shops in town are keen on
the technology and how
to get the right bike for
anyone.
23
SPRD to hit trails with local youth
Sisters Park & Recreation
District (SPRD) is expand-
ing its its mountain-biking
program. By working with a
local mountain biking pro-
fessional, the district has
been able to provide a high-
quality experience for riders
and expand program offer-
ings to include third- and
fourth-graders. SPRD9s new
mountain biking program,
designed specifically for
third- and fourth-graders,
starts September 19.
Zach Hooley, Sisters Park
& Recreation District moun-
tain-biking professional, has
been biking since the age of
4. He started cross-country
mountain-bike racing when
he was 15 years old and has
won dozens of local race
medals, was named the Idaho
State Champion in both
cross-country and down-
hill, and was a silver medal-
ist at the 2005 USA Cycle
Championships.
<I love seeing the next
generation smiling, laugh-
ing, and bonding while riding
bikes in the great outdoors
right here in our backyard,=
Quality Truck-mounted
CARPET CLEANING
he said. <A big thank-you
to Blazin Saddles, who both
generously supported our
cause by tuning up the kids9
bikes and helping with some
damaged ones. I9m thrilled
to see five of our current 10
riders choose to invest their
hard-earned chore money
in new mountain-bikes this
summer. With so many
options, that shows their pri-
ority for good old-fashioned
outdoor adventure, which
only increases my passion to
keep going!=
The mountain-biking
program has visited many
local trails over the past
few months including the
Peterson Ridge Trail system,
Phil9s Famous Trail Network
in Bend and the Green Ridge
Trail near the Metolius River.
Kelley Moen, a parent
of a mountain-biking pro-
gram participant, said, <The
SPRD mountain-biking pro-
gram this summer has been
such a great experience for
our middle-schooler. Charlie
had a ton of fun on the trails
and was inspired by the tal-
ented and ultra-enthusiastic
leadership of Zach Hooley.
Zach9s energy and positiv-
ity are boundless! Charlie
learned about bike main-
tenance, trail-riding tech-
niques and new adventur-
ous routes around our home.
In fact, the kids have been
teaching us parents some
new riding skills! Thanks
to the mountain-biking pro-
gram, Charlie9s found his
newest favorite mountain
sport.=
Charlie Moen said,
<My favorite trail was the
McKenzie River trail. It9s a
little hard in some places. I
liked the challenge!=
The expansion of the
mountain-biking program
is thanks in part to the local
option levy that voters passed
in May 2018. Thanks to the
additional funds made avail-
able, the District has been
able to increase recreational
opportunities for local youth.
For more information
about the mountain-biking
or other programs offered
by Sisters Park & Recreation
District, visit www.sisters
recreation.com.
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