YOUR AD HERE »

New technology provides more dynamic riding experience

Forrest HuismanSpoke n' Word

Riding bikes is one of my favorite pastimes, and in years past, like-minded friends and I would ride endless adventures, making unforgettable memories on some of the best roadways and singletrack in the Western U.S. During those years, and until just recently, bike computers were prevalent but provided minimal information, such as elapsed time, speed and distance we had traveled, relying primarily on calibration and tire rotation.Fortunately, with todayandamp;#8217;s technology and brilliant social applications, tracking and measuring our ride progress has improved tenfold. Free apps for Android and iPhone now allow us to not only record our time, speed and distance, but track altitude, ascent rates and our said path, which integrates crisply into Google Maps. In addition, Garmin GPS devices can gather ANT+ enabled power output, calories burned, cadence, ambient temperature and heart rate for an ultimate data overload of your workout activities.So now, if we canandamp;#8217;t all coordinate for a group ride, strava.com serves as a powerful social network, allowing us to upload, store, share and research this diverse database. Clearly displayed within interactive maps and graphs, we can now record rides, miles logged and total vertical feet climbed. Keeping it fun and challenging, Strava automatically categorizes climbs along the way, determining andamp;#8220;King of the Mountainandamp;#8221; on any given andamp;#8220;segmentandamp;#8221; and awarding position and championship titles accordingly. By providing such milestones and challenges, Strava keeps the spirit alive and provides a dynamic riding experience even when your friends are away or unable to ride.Local mountain bike rides by Truckee Trails Foundation can be found at http://www.truckeetrails.org/trails-bikeways/dirt-trails.Also check out the data shared by Conrad Snover on Strava.com from the Downieville Classic cross-country race, at http://app.strava.com/rides/913950#13598905, as well as the Donner Summit climb by Matt Chappell, at http://app.strava.com/rides/219787#3226249.andamp;#8212; Team rider Forrest Huisman is the author of this weekandamp;#8217;s Marc Pro-Strava Racing column, Spoke nandamp;#8217; Word. For more information, results and upcoming events from the team, visit http://marcpro-strava.com.


Support Local Journalism

 

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and beyond make the Sierra Sun's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.