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Ride a Bike and Save the Universe! … Well Sort-Of
You might ride to save the planet but you’re also saving your brain cells, improving family relations while expanding lung capacity, and increasing your ‘happy hormones’ as you tick off the kilometres.
Here are some of the reasons why everyone should get on their bike…
You’ll probably get there faster
Commuting by bike in some of our South African cities might seem suicidal at the moment, but if traffic congestion increases at current rates, cycling is bound to grow in popularity.
Commute by bike in the big cities and you’ll get there in half the time of cars, research by Citroën shows. You can drive for an hour in peak traffic in London, but you’ll spend more than 30 of those minutes going absolutely nowhere and average just 10km per hour, compared to averaging 20 – 25kph while cycling.
Toyota did not build the Prius to appeal to Hollywood’s bleeding hearts (although the beautiful people have done very well for the brand) – they noted that cars in several cities in the East spend 40% of the average journey idling away precious fuel.
Edinburgh’s transport leader, Andrew Bums, has predicted that a modem-day 20-minute car journey in the city could take an hour by 2026, while cycling journeys may get shorter if infrastructure improves.
More riders on the roads also doesn’t necessarily mean more cyclists getting killed by cars. Research in the Scandinavian countries found more cyclists made more aware motorists, and UK Department of Transport figures show that cycling increased by 12 per cent (measured in total kilometres cycled) in 2008, but there was a fall in cycling deaths, from 136 down to 115 – the second lowest level ever. That’s still 115 deaths too many, but maybe there really is safety in numbers.
Get better at any sport
Whether you want to keep in prime shape or just improve your weekly tennis or golf game, a stint in the saddle is the way to begin. A recent medical study from Norway carried the title Aerobic Endurance Training Improves Soccer Performance, which makes it pretty clear that the knock-on benefits to other sports and activities are immense.
Cycle away from the big C
There’s plenty of evidence that any exercise is useful in warding off cancer, but some studies have shown that cycling is specifically good for keeping your cells in working order. One long-term study carried out by Finnish researchers found that men who exercised at a moderate level for at least 30 minutes a day were half as likely to develop cancer as those who didn’t. And one of the moderate forms of exercise they cited? Cycling to work. Other studies have found that women who cycle frequently reduce their risk of breast cancer by 34 per cent.
Sleep more deeply
An early morning ride might tire you out in the short term, but it’ll also help you catch some quality shut-eye when you get back to your pillow. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers asked sedentary insomnia sufferers to cycle for 20-30 minutes every other day. The result? The time required for the insomniacs to fall asleep was reduced by half, and sleep time increased by almost an hour. “Exercising outside exposes you to daylight,” explains Professor Jim Home from Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre, “this helps to keep your circadian rhythm in synch, and also rids your body of Cortisol, the stress hormone that can prevent deep, regenerative sleep.”
Look younger
Scientists at Stanford University have found that cycling regularly can protect your skin against the harmful effects of UV radiation and reduce the signs of ageing. As dermatologist Dr Christopher Rowland Payne explains: “Increased circulation through exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells more effectively, while flushing harmful toxins out.
“Exercise also creates an ideal environment within the body to optimise collagen production, helping reduce the appearance of wrinkles and speed up the healing process.” Don’t forget to slap on the factor 30 before you head out, though… these researchers were not monitoring subjects exposed to the levels of UV radiation we face (pardon the pun) in South Africa!
It’s a status symbol!
Forget that car marque badge, your two-wheeled ride is a far better sign of your class. Such research is hard to come by in South Africa, but surveys carried out in affluent societies such as Sweden, and the bike-friendly parts of the United States support the findings of Britain’s National Travel survey, carried out by the Department of Transport. This shows that the richer people become, the further they cycle. The top fifth of UK earners pedal on average two and a half times as far in a year as the bottom fifth. The London Cycling Campaign suggests this might be because people on higher incomes tend to be better educated about the health benefits of cycling.
Boost your bowels
According to experts from Bristol University, the benefits of cycling extend deep into your core. “Physical activity helps decrease the time it takes food to move through the large intestine, limiting the amount of water absorbed back into your body and leaving you with softer stools, which are easier to pass,” explains gastroenterologist Dr Ana Raimundo.In addition, aerobic exercise accelerates your breathing and heart rate, which helps to stimulate the contraction of intestinal muscles. “As well as preventing you from feeling bloated, this helps protect you against bowel cancer,” Dr Raimundo says.
Increase your brain power
Need your grey matter to sparkle? Then get pedalling… especially if you are over the age of 30. Researchers from Illinois University found that a five per cent improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness from cycling led to an improvement of up to 15 per cent in mental tests. That’s because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus – the region responsible for memory, which deteriorates from the age of 30. “It boosts blood flow and oxygen to the brain, which fires and regenerates receptors, explaining how exercise helps ward off Alzheimer’s,” says the study’s author, Professor Arthur Kramer.
Live longer
King’s College London compared over 2 400 identical twins, and found those who did the equivalent of just three 45-minute rides a week were nine years ‘biologically younger’ even after discounting other influences, such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking. “Those who exercise regularly are at significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type two diabetes, all types of cancer, high blood pressure and obesity,” says Dr Lynne Cherkas, who conducted the research. “The body becomes much more efficient at defending itself and regenerating cells.”
It’s good for the family to-be
A ‘bun in the oven’ could benefit from your riding as much as you. According to research from Michigan University in the US, mums-to-be who regularly exercise during pregnancy have an easier, less complicated labour, recover faster and enjoy better overall mood throughout the nine months. Your pride and joy also has a 50 per cent lower chance of becoming obese and enjoys better in-utero neurodevelopment. “There’s no doubt that moderate exercise such as cycling during pregnancy helps condition the mother and protect the foetus,” says Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Enjoy healthy family time
Cycling is an activity the whole family can do together. The smallest child can glide along in a bike seat or tow-along buggy, and because it’s kind on your joints, there’s nothing to stop grandparents joining in too. Moreover, your riding habit could be sowing the seeds for the next Burry Stander! Studies have found that, unsurprisingly, kids are influenced by their parents’ exercise choices. Put simply, if your kids see you riding regularly, they think it’s normal and will want to follow your example. Don’t be surprised, though, if they object to your Lycra when they become teenagers.
Save the planet
Twenty bicycles can be parked in the same space as one car. It takes around five per cent of the materials and energy used to make a car to build a bike, and a bike produces zero pollution. Bikes are efficient, too – you travel around three times as fast as walking for the same amount of energy and, taking into account the ‘fuel’ you put in your ‘engine’, you do the equivalent of 1035km to the litre. Even if you are no race snake, you have your weight ratio to thank: you might be six times heavier than your fancy, expensive carbon fibre bike, but a car is 20 times heavier than you!
Your boss will love you
No, we don’t mean your Lycra-clad buttocks will be an asset to your career, but they might appreciate what cycling does for your usefulness to the company. A study of 200 people carried out by the University of Bristol found that employees who exercised before work or at lunchtime improved their time and workload management, and it boosted their motivation and their ability to deal with stress. The study also reported that workers who exercised felt their interpersonal performance was better, they took fewer breaks and found it easier to finish work on time. Sadly, the study didn’t find a direct link between cycling and getting a promotion…
Lose weight in the saddle
Jogging is often the first activity that comes to mind for would-be slimmers, but while running does burn a ton of fat, it’s not kind to your body; particularly if you’re a little larger than you’d like to be. Think about it – two to three times your body weight goes crashing through your body when your foot strikes the ground. If you weigh 100kg, that’s a lot of force! Because the water helps to carry your body weight, swimming solves that problem, but getting to a pool and learning to swim well enough to benefit are further obstacles to overcome. Instead, start out on a bike – most of your weight is taken by the saddle, so your skeleton doesn’t take such a battering, and you can ride almost anywhere. Running and swimming can wait…
Avoid pollution
… bus, taxi and car passengers are exposed to more than 100 000 ultrafine particles which can settle in the lungs and damage cells. Cyclists are exposed to just 8 000.
You’d think a city cyclist would suck up much more pollution than the drivers and passengers in the vehicles chucking out the noxious gases. Not so, according to a study carried out by Imperial College, London. Researchers found that passengers in buses, taxis and cars inhaled substantially more pollution than cyclists and pedestrians. On average, taxi passengers were exposed to more than 100 000 ultrafine particles – which can settle in the lungs and damage cells – per cubic centimetre. Bus passengers sucked up just under 100 000 and people in cars inhaled about 40 000. Cyclists, meanwhile, were exposed to just 8 000 ultrafine particles per cubic centimetre.
It’s thought that cyclists breathe in fewer fumes because we tend to ride at the edge of the road or lane and, unlike drivers, aren’t directly in line with the exhaust smoke of vehicles ahead.
Boost your bellows
No prizes for guessing that the lungs work considerably harder than usual when you ride. An adult cycling generally uses 10 times the oxygen they’d need to sit in front of the TV for the same period. Even better, regular cycling will help strengthen your cardiovascular system over time, enabling your heart and lungs to work more efficiently and getting more oxygen where it’s needed, quicker. This means you can do more exercise for less effort. How good does that sound?
You’re helping others
Many cyclists turn their health, fitness and determination into fund-raising efforts for the less fortunate. Initiatives like the Fast and the Featherless raise money for their conservation cause through cycling as one of a number of avenues, while events like the Medcheme Tour de Tuli, Computershare Change a Life Cycle, and Liberty Ride for Sight are wholly dedicated to raising funds for charitable causes, and nearly every cycling event on our calendar now seems to offer a platform for riders to raise funds for their favourite charities or benefit good causes in some way.
Get (a legal) high
Once a thing of myth, the infamous ‘runner’s high’ has been proven beyond doubt by German scientists. Yet despite the name, their high is applicable to all endurance athletes. University of Bonn neurologists tracked endorphins in the brains of 10 volunteers before and after a two-hour cardio session using a technique called positive emission tomography (PET). Comparing the pre- and post-run scans, they found evidence of more opiate binding of the happy hormone in the frontal and limbic regions of the brain – areas known to be involved in emotional processing and dealing with stress. “There’s a direct link between feelings of well-being and exercise, and for the first time this study proves the physiological mechanism behind that,” explains , study coordinator Professor Henning Boecker.
Spend quality time with your partner
It doesn’t matter if your paces aren’t perfectly matched – just slow down and enjoy each other’s company. Many couples make one or two riding ‘dates’ every week. And it makes sense: exercise helps release feel good hormones, so after a ride you’ll have a warm feeling towards each other even if he leaves the toilet seat up and her hair is blocking the plughole again. A ride is also a good opportunity to talk.
It’s not weather dependent
Rain, sun, wind – forget the forecast. In Scotland, where it rains 300 days of the year they have a saying: “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” If you have the right protective clothing, you can ride in almost any weather. Just strip off or layer up and see it as a challenge. Cycling’s an activity bespoke-made for the changeable weather patterns we’ve been experiencing. El niño, el niña… pah!
Text by Matthew Barbour. Photos by Cor Vos and Wayne Hayward. This shortened article was taken from Ride magazine from the February 2010 edition.
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