?Riding a bike cross-country wasn?t of interest to me. It wasn?t on my bucket list, you know?" recounts Joe. ?My motivation for riding the TransAm with Adventure Cycling was to set a goal so I would train and get in shape." Joe was pre-diabetic and on medication to control the disease before his TransAm trip. But all that training to ride cross-country and the tour itself dramatically reduced his chances of becoming diabetic. He lost weight, and his doctors told him
that he didn't have to resume the meds.
While Joe's TransAm trip was provoked by a desire to improve health, a new love sprung from it. "I did it for my fitness, but the joy of the trip made me a dedicated cyclist," he says. "Seeing the country at 12 miles per hour is like nothing else. I just want to relive it again and again. That?s why I?m doing the Sierra Cascades next year.? (There's still room on the Sierra Cascades self-contained tour too. Sign up now.)
Joe's story is just another example of how our member support helps us change lives. Without it, we could not create and maintain the 40,000-mile-plus route network that thousands of cyclists use annually; we could not provide the expert advice and inspiration received through Adventure Cyclist magazine, our blog, BikeOvernights.org, and BicycleTravelBloggers.org; and we could not advocate for safe conditions for cyclists. It's contributions, small and large, from members that make it all possible.
Please consider helping us meet our $50,000 match challenge* by donating today.
One more thing! If you make an online donation of $10 or more between now and midnight PST on November 30th, you'll be automatically entered into a raffle to win an Adventure Cycling gift basket. Help us meet the match and win great prizes at the same time!
*Two generous donors who strongly support our work have challenged our members, donors, and supporters to raise $50,000, which they will match for a total of $100,000! To do this, they have agreed to match all gifts 1:1. If you are a member, check your email tomorrow about a special 2:1 match opportunity.
Top photo courtesy of Joe Goldman. Bottom photo by Amanda Lipsey.
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AMANDA LIPSEY is Adventure Cycling's development director.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2011/11/2011-holiday-campaign-second-edition.html
When I got back into cycling 3 years ago it never crossed my mind that I will have to pay a small fortune to keep my bike maintained and running in good order. The cost of servcing a bike seems to vary as a basic service could cost as little as �30 to a full service for around �120.00 this is excluding any parts that may be required. 
In the last few years, more and more people are starting to realise that we really need to think about changing the ways we get around, so that they are a lot more "green". The electric car seems to be the vehicle really being pushed, but for those of us that know that the majority of electricity is produced from burning fossil fuels, it is a sub-standard idea and the bike still remains best (I don't know if I have to claim the bike is best on a cycling blog, but never mind). If you live inner city like I do, you'll probably know that bikes can get stolen quite regularly. So what are our options, when it comes to the question 'where do we keep our bikes?' Obviously, indoors is the first place I would keep my bike, but I live in a house in which the front door enters straight into the living room and it can very annoying and often messy (during the wetter and muddier months) to store my bike indoors, especially when the three other people I live with, like the place clean and junk free, which for some reason, regardless of my opinions, includes my bike. So I have been pressured into leaving my bike outdoors, which is the last thing I want to do. Not only because of the possibility it could be stolen, but also because it cost me quite a lot of money (for a recent graduate) and I wouldn't like it to seize up due to rust and other conditions caused by the weather. 
Over the last few years cycling as a sport and leisure activity has boomed in the UK and Ireland and indeed across the world. Cycling is said to be the fastest growing participant sport and families are getting out on their bikes and enjoying some quality time together whilst many other people are hitting the trail centers across the UK and there seems to be an abundance of Sportive to enter too. Whilst a growing number of people are enjoying their bikes and riding at home, many have still to experience the challenges and thrills of riding their bikes abroad. Europe has many great cycling destinations and Andaluc�a in southern Spain has a great year round climate for riding. A little over 2 hours 30 minutes from most UK and Ireland airports and you can be landing at Malaga airport on the Costa del Sol. Spain is a familiar destination of many travelers but what most cyclists don?t realize is that it also has some of the best riding Europe has to offer. Whether you are new to the sport, male or female, young or old, novice or mega fit experienced rider, a mountain biker, road cyclist, tri-athlete, familys or leisure riders.
