The sun was out for last January’s Polar Bear Ride on North Main Street Davidson. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

The Rocky River Road Club will host its 15th annual Polar Bear Metric Century (100k) and Half Century (50k) rides on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013. The rides depart at 10am from Ingersoll Rand, 800 Beaty St Davidson. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson. Read the full story

Team Summit rode 200 miles to the beach for the MS Society.

Team Summit, from Davidson’s Summit Coffee, had a great weekend ride on Sept. 22-23, covering 200-miles from Monroe to Sunset Beach, N.C. We raised more than $5,500 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

The eight-person team ranged in age from 19 to 62, with experience from novice to veteran. Members were Will Roberts and Derek May, Davidson students Haley Sanner and Alex Taylor, Summit barista Jonathan Head, and Tom, Tim and Brian Helfrich. Read the full story

The writer is an 8-year-old Davidson resident who is in treatment for cancer. She wrote this at our request, to talk about why she wanted to join the annual 24 Hours of Booty ride, which raised money for cancer research. See our July 12 article, “For 8-year-old Allie, 24 Hours of Booty is a personal cause.”

Allie Sadoff of Davidson rode a portion of the 24 Hours of Booty ride for cancer last weekend. She is in treatment for cancer herself.

By ALLIE SADOFF

My name is Allie Sadoff and I rode in the 24 Hours of Booty. It is a bike ride that raises money for the fight against cancer. I am eight years old and I found out I had cancer in November of 2011. I wanted to do the booty ride because my Granddad did it last year. I raised over $5,700 to hopefully help other people fight cancer. With my friends and family we raised $600.35 selling snow cones at the Davidson Farmer’s Market. Team Allie Gator raised a total of over $20,000! Read the full story

J. Sadoff, 12, and Allie Sadoff, 8, will ride in 24 Hours of Booty this month to raise money for cancer, and to celebrate the end of Allie’s cancer treatments. (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Eight-year-old Allie Sadoff of Davidson was inspired last year when her grandfather rode in Charlotte’s 24 Hours of Booty bicycle fundraiser for cancer research. So she began making plans to join this year’s ride. Then last fall she was diagnosed with cancer herself, a tumor in her cheek. With her treatment nearly done, she’s still planning to ride two weeks from now – but as both a cyclist and a patient. Read the full story

MOORESVILLE – The 6th annual Lake Norman Excursion will take place on Saturday, July 14, beginning from the Lowe’s Corp. headquarters in Mooresville. The popular 5K and bicycle community fundraiser benefits the American Red Cross and draws nearly 1,000 people every year. Events this year will include: Read the full story

A triathlete crosses the line in a Lake Norman Triathlon. (File photo)

I know even the word triathlon can be intimidating to people who have never tried it. But in reality, triathlon is a great sport for all levels – beginners included!

Over the years, triathlon has become synonymous with healthy lifestyle and there are a lot of good reasons why. First of all, preparing for a triathlon involves cross training, which builds a balanced physique and leads to fewer over-training injuries than training for one sport alone. Training for a triathlon also lets spend your summers like you did when you were a kid; swimming, biking and running with your friends. What could be better for your well being? Read the full story

Helmets and safety come first, but family rides can be fun.

I love my bikes – all four of them – and I need very little encouragement to get out and ride at any time. My bike rides are all about speed and distance – and they are my very favorite way to workout.

My kids love their bikes too, but in a very different way. They love to set up complicated obstacle courses and to ride back and forth on the muddy, hilly paths around their friends’ houses. And of course, they like to ride fast– sometimes with little thought for what might be on the path ahead or coming up along the road. Read the full story

Runners have a variety of theories about winter training, such as the idea that you burn more calories in cold weather or it’s easy to get dehydrated. Triathlete magazine interviewed John Castellani, a physiologist at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, Mass., so help separate the truths from the lies.

LINK: “Does Winter Running Burn More Calories?”

Chris Magryta

By Dr. CHRIS MAGRYTA

I remember lecturing to my fellow residents back in 1997 about the timing of post-exercise nutrition and the need for sports drinks. In those days we knew little about optimal nutrition, but we knew that sports beverages were not necessary for most athletes.

High-endurance athletes – marathoners, triathletes and cyclists – can make a case for needing some electrolytes during intense training (greater than 3 hours). Johnny in Little League or Susie in gymnastics have no case for a sugar-laden beverage and should avoid them. Read the full story

Cyclists ride through Antiquity. (Chip Dawson / DavidsonNews.net)

By CHIP DAWSON
DavidsonNews.net

This is bike country. The weather and the open road become a siren call for many of us year around.
You can have a nice outing exploring the trails and neighborhoods of Cornelius and Davidson. If you’re a more serious biker, try the county and state roads to the north and east or head west on Catawba and explore all the residential neighborhoods along the lake. A ride down Jetton and through all its side roads can net you well over 30 miles.

SAFETY – THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

While it provides great exercise and good times, bicycling is also a job. You must be serious about the condition of your bike, your equipment and your skills. According to the CDC, more than 500,000 people in the U.S. are treated in emergency departments, and more than 700 people die as a result of bicycle-related injuries each year. One study showed that one third of the injuries are significant head injuries. Read the full story