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Posts Tagged ‘Cycling’

January 19th, 2023

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Igniting an Effort to Make Roads Safer For All

Going from darkly dressed to brightly dressed helps drivers see and drive safely around us road athletes/enthusiasts

As I mentioned in a recent post, part of what makes us who and what we are, in addition to what we eat and how we manage our thoughts and spirit, is how we regularly and rigorously we move our bodies.

For me, though I start my day with stretching and strengthening indoors, by far most of my exercise comes from riding a bike on the road everyday. The big problem for all of us who share that same passion for the road is that US traffic related cyclist and pedestrian injuries and deaths are only increasing year-to-year as shown in the two images below.

The reasons for the above:

o Visibility – drivers not seeing cyclists, runners, pedestrians
o Motor vehicle speed
o Increased number of people getting outdoors on foot and/or bikes
o Distracted driving
o Inadequate infrastructure

Yes, effecting real change to make roads safer for all is a long, steep climb. But the alternative, doing nothing, is unacceptable. We can make a difference only if we road athletes, enthusiasts, retailers and advocacy organizations unite our efforts, lead by example both on and off the road and advocate in growing numbers for coherent, consistent change community-by-community and state-by-state.

As a contributing member to a team effort, my Breitz! “Be bright, be seen!” performance wear brand is actively making a difference by igniting a “make roads safer for all” movement that includes:

o getting bright, bold performance driver-respectful wear on as many road athlete/enthusiasts as possible
o actively advocating for standardizing social distancing inspired 6-feet separation between motorized and non-motorized traffic by:
– working with local town and county government, police, DPW and Dept. of Transportation
– connecting with state legislative transportation committees
– working with national and state safety organizations (People for Bikes, League of American Bicyclists, MassBike, BikeWalkNC, and more)
o ensuring the Breitz! road safety message is relevant through daily cycling, running, walking and annual coast-to-coast cross-country road trips (since 2021 -with a bike in the back seat)…

…

…to experience and assess:
o local road conditions state-by-state, community-by-community
o accommodations for cyclist, pedestrian and motorized traffic
o motorized and non-motorized traffic behavior

Yes, like I mentioned above, the climb is steep, but It’s a labor of love with purpose – and a big smile moving the needle forward!

As a terrific friend of mine would say, you don’t have to buy the idea. Just rent it for a while and consider joining the effort.

Thanks & ride/run on!

October 31st, 2019

Blog, Cycling, Education, Mind Food

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The Magic of the Unexpected Abounds

Way too long since I said I’d laid down part 3 to the Cycling Unexpected Magic series I started in September. And here it is, Halloween, an evening that abounds with magic.

But magic abounds everywhere. You bet, I felt it when I hopped on a rocket cool packed dirt trail from Concord to Bedford that my road bike and I managed more than just fine – and with a big smile. No doubt my biggest smile was seeing families, kids with moms and dads, riding the trail.

And then there’s magic of a totally different kind but just as – or even more – powerful, and that has to do with the second picture in the title banner above.

I don’t belong to or promote any traditional faith or religion. I believe in a collective consciousness and making the most of living in the present. But not too long ago, I think because of my membership as an elected representative to our town’s Westborough Diversity and Inclusion Committee, I was asked to check out an interfaith organization that was just getting off the ground. That group became the Central Massachusetts Connections in Faith (CMACIF) committee, a terrifically energetic collection of diverse people of diverse faiths and opinions focused, entirely positively, on building bridges & friendships across cultures.

To do that, we facilitate events featuring individual faith groups and what and how they practice their faith followed by round table discussions with all those who attend. Our next event is an afternoon/evening with a movie, “Free Trip to Egypt”, that airs at 4 PM this Saturday, Nov. 2, to be followed by a discussion and dinner all at the Worcester Islamic Center in Worcester, MA, as shown below.

If you’re local to Worcester, CMACIF and I most heartedly invite you to attend. If you’re not local to Worcester and Central Massachusetts, think of the magic an event like the one we’ll have this Saturday could have where you live – and I’m glad to lend a hand (bruce@gotta-eat.com/508-446-7790).

September 17th, 2019

Blog, Cycling, Cycling Food

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Cycling and Magic of the Unexpected, Part 2: Concord Cheese Shop

Stopping at The Cheese Shop in Concord is really part 1 of this story for a couple of good reasons. First, they’re the ones who recommended Hutchin’s Farm when I asked for a local farm stand that sells fresh basil. Second, I stopped at the cheese shop on the way to Hutchin’s last Saturday to provide feedback on Mimolette cheese I’d recently bought that wasn’t nearly as flavorful as the same name of cheese I’d bought a while back.

Mimolette cheese

There’s a story to the cheese. Years ago, around 2013, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) determined that Mimolette cheese had too many microscopic mites in the cheese rind when brought to market. The FDA’s concern: those mites could cause allergic reactions among consumers. Now, the reason for cheesemakers introducing artisan mites to Mimolette cheese is that the mites eat molds on that cheese rind to impart a distinct flavor to the cheese as it ages. And though those mites are vacuumed or air and hand blasted off the rind when the cheese is prepared for sale, some of microscopic mites inherently remain on the rind.

When the cheese industry asked the FDA for a ruling on a tolerable number of mites, they were told at first that the FDA didn’t really know. The FDA then came up a number; the cheese had to have fewer than 6 mites per square inch on the rind. Again these are microscopic mites. I’d love not to be the person counting those bad boys.

Fortunately, after quite a bit of back and forth, the cheese is back on the US market. The only problem for me after looking so much forward to tasting the cheese after years of it not being available was flavor. And when I expressed that to one of the Cheese Shop managers, Steve, he told me that the real flavor difference in the cheese comes from aging. The cheese I’d bought recently had probably only aged 12 months, whereas the cheese I’d had years ago was probably aged 24 months. Those added 12 months make a big difference

I appreciated that information. Steve said he’d contact me when he had the longer aged cheese in stock. I gave him my business card and told him about this website geared entirely to enable people to empower themselves in the kitchen no matter how little cooking experience they have. Steve liked the idea and said maybe we could collaborate sometime. I’d love to! Again, a totally unexpected experience – all while on the bike.

Next post: The Unexpected Thrill of Trail Riding from Concord to Lexington

August 24th, 2019

Blog, Cycling, Cycling Food, Running Food

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Cycling and Magic of the Unexpected, Part One: Hutchin’s Farm

Open road; spinning legs; sights, sounds, smells, air temps that change on the fly: they’re all a big part of the thrill of cycling for me. And then there’s the magic of the unexpected.

Aside from the pure joy of spending most of the day on the road bike, my purpose last Saturday was to ride to Concord to make whole for an accidental $6 underpayment of fresh basil at Hutchin’s Farm just up the road from the historic Old North Bridge. (I only paid for 2 bunches and then realized when I got home that I was kindly, but unknown to me and the person who handed me the basil, given 2 clusters of 2 fresh bunches each when I visited the farm stand weeks ago.)

As soon as I hopped off the bike, after a gorgeous ride from Westborough to Concord, I explained to Brain Daubenspeck, one of the farm managers pictured below, what had happened and why I was there. The story gave him a smile. He insisted we were all square, and asked only that I tell people about the farm. Telling about the all organic farm, which I then visited the next day by car to buy – and pay correctly – for their incredibly fresh and flavorful produce, including another fresh bunch of basil, it is exactly what I’m doing here. Thanks very much, Brian. and thanks, Hutchin’s Farm! You bet, I’ll be back again soon.

Next post – Part 2: Concord Wine & Cheese Shop and Mimolette Cheese

November 26th, 2017

Anti-Inflammatory Foods, Anti-inflammatory Recipes, Blog, Breakfast, Cycling, Cycling Food, Drinks, Fruit, Lunch, Special Recipes

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Gorgeous November Bike Rip Followed by Breakfast for Lunch

Out for a gorgeous late morning, late fall rip on the bike that featured a good look at one of my favorite cycling sights: Silverwood Organic Farm on Western Rd. in Sherbourne, MA. Sky was cloudy, wind snappy, temp. about 45 – perfect for November – and it all felt great under the Breitz! “Breeze Blaster” windbreaker over layered shirts.

Then home by noon to the full-on flavorful sweet and savory lunch shown below – fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, fresh almond butter, dried fruit, kefir and honey Read more »