Find your perfect path to a great outdoor sport

RIDE ALONG

Hello, spring!

While the winter was pretty mild in Shreveport-Bossier City, I’m sure we are all welcoming spring 2016 with open arms. springtime in our community means crawfish boils, patio dining, and – you guessed it – cycling!

If you still haven’t found yourself enjoying life on two wheels just yet, don’t worry, you still have time. In fact, if it was on your list of New Year’s resolutions for the year, who says you can’t start during the second quarter of the year?

(Side note: Eight percent of Americans actually keep their New Year’s resolutions, according to Statisticbrain.com. Thirty-eight percent never even make one.)

So, it’s a new season, new quarter and after your spring-cleaning, I’ll assume there’s a new space in the garage for the bike you’ve owned or plan to buy.

Ask anyone you know in town if they ride a bicycle. If the answer is, “yes,” follow it up with, “Why?” The investigative journalist in you will quickly learn the answer is always the same: It makes you feel good. Discovery News links cycling to improved mental health, among six other benefits, including it being good for your waistline. Is it not time to start thinking summer swimsuit shopping?

Your heart also benefits from bicycling (there’s a decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease), along with your muscles, lifespan, immune system and coordination. There has basically been no scientific evidence for disadvantages of hopping on a bike.

Now that I’ve convinced you to try the most efficient mode of human locomotion, where will you ride to in SBC?

“Consider using roads you never drive on,” said Bike Shreveport founder Stephen Pederson. “Chances are, most people don’t use them either, making them safer.”

My personal route to Rhino Coffee (the locally-owned coffee shop offers discounts for bike riders. Yeah!) includes weaving through South Highlands and waving hello to the R. W. Norton Art Gallery before I grab my cup of coffee.

Pederson also suggests using the new sidewalk on Fern Avenue between East 70th Street and Southfield Road in Shreveport. This path will give you good practice for when Whole Foods opens later this year.

Or, head to the riverfront on either side of the water to enjoy a ride along a parkway.

Want to ride with a group? Join Bike Shreveport on their monthly rides: Every last Friday of the month is the “Bike Shreveport Slow Roll” (formerly known as Critical Mass), which begins at 6:30 p.m. at Columbia Park in Shreveport’s Highland Neighborhood.

Bike Shreveport will also host BikeFest Vol. 3 on May 21 at Great Raft Brewing (1251 Dalzell St. in Shreveport). Grab a beer and talk shop with local bicycle enthusiasts. I can’t emphasize this enough: I’ve found Bike Shreveport is the friendliest group of people in town.

Other resources for your biking questions are the local bike shops. Check out The Bike Peddler (8039 Line Ave. in Shreveport); Scooter’s Bike Shop (1314 Shreveport Barksdale Highway, Shreveport); Bikes, Etc. (3723 E. Texas St., Bossier City); River City Cycling (3787 Youree Drive, Shreveport) or Roadrunner Bike Shop (1614 N. Market St., Shreveport).

Now you know everything there is to know about biking in Shreveport-Bossier. Just kidding, there’s a lot more, including joining cycling groups (Shreveport Bicycle Club and riding groups within the shops I just mentioned, for instance).

There’s so much to enjoy about biking, from the health aspects to the social interaction, and I encourage you to give it a try during this beautiful spring weather.

Don’t forget safety first, and wear a helmet. You only have one brain, as a friend of mine once reminded me. Protect it!

Karen E. Wissing works in Shreveport-Bossier City and loves her community.

Email your questions, comments or suggestions to editor@theforumnews.com.