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Cycling Taking On New Meanings
December 9th, 2009 by Damian Papworth, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
For most of us, cycling is a distant, even obscure sport. We know very little, if anything, about it. While a bicycle is a familiar object, one we learn to ride as children and continue to enjoy time on as adults, it is not often one we associate with athletic activity. Super athlete Lance Armstrong has brought some attention to the sport in recent years with his superior performance at the Tour de France and other cycling events. Nevertheless, it remains low on the radar of most sports fans around the world.
This lack of attention, however, is not due to lack of importance or lack of benefit. In fact, cycling is an extremely interesting sport to follow and a very healthy sport to practice.
The bicycle – the tool used for the sport of cycling – is primarily a means of transportation. Largely used for getting from one place to another and for recreation, it is also used in sport and athletics.
The earliest races took place in the 19th century, with large races becoming popular in the 1890s curing the “Golden Age of Cycling” in Europe. In fact, cycling was a quite popular sport until the mid-20th century. Today, cycling is largely known for the Tour de France, which started in 1903. It is featured in the Olympics, giving viewers another chance to experience it. Beyond these two events, however, it is a minority sport.
There are various racing formats for cycling. Road races, for example, involve both teams and individuals and are contested in a number of ways. They may last just one day or include several stages. Track racing is lesser known but also takes place throughout the year in Velodromes. In recent years, mountain bike racing has become increasingly popular and is now an Olympic sport.
Nowadays, cycling is moving beyond the world of professional racers and becoming popular among a wide array of amateur athletes and sports enthusiasts. It is an excellent way to spice up a cardio work-out.
The sport offers tons of benefits, just like most physical activity. It is linked to improved physical and mental health.
An excellent way to improve cardiovascular fitness, cycling is easier on the joints than impact sports such as running. This renders it a great option for those with arthritis or with past sports injuries. Though cycling’s main benefits work in the leg muscles, it is also beneficial to the buttocks and abdomen. Considering increasing problems with obesity and weight-related illness all over the world, it is a fantastic work-out option within reach of all.
This sport can be practiced both indoors in gyms and in increasingly popular spinning classes. Outside, the options are endless. Cycling is a relaxing and beneficial activity ideal for a weekend afternoon.
If you have not yet tried out cycling (watching or practicing), it is time to get started. This great sport will not be going away any time soon, and the benefits of it are truly endless.
Damian Papworth loves cycling, both as a leisure past-time and in weekend competition. He knows how crucial hydration in cycling is so he launched the Cycling Water Bottle website. You can visit it at http://cyclingwaterbottleshop.com
From Grande Soy Lattes to Cafe con Dulce de Leche: Coffee Culture Around the World
October 21st, 2009 by Damian Papworth, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Clueless about the best way to meet people and get to know a new city? There’s a simple way to figure out where the best spot to go later in the evening is, or better yet, to understand how things work. Just head to a local cafe, and get the best insight on how the country you’re in operates. Learn if people are leisurely or rushed just by watching them drink some coffee.
The caf? lifestyle varies greatly from country to country. The Europeans of the world wouldn’t think twice about spending a couple of hours sitting in a restaurant or cafe, drinking only coffee. You see, it’s possible to even sip a single espresso for a long time, have a couple of cookies, and enjoy free time. And with some of the finest coffee in the world in Italy, why wouldn’t you enjoy the fine art of beverage making? Most of the cafes will have an espresso machine that’s older than the United States are, and that will make the drink taste that much better. But more than just the taste, it’s about the idea that it’s okay to relax, in public, drinking a coffee.
That might be news to someone from The United States, who, outside of a few big cities, would never see such a thing except amongst unemployed teenagers. Coffee in the Unites States, if you’re not in a fancy restaurant, is more about getting caffeine in your body to go work a job. Most spots that are serving coffee aren’t serving anything that’s particularly good, and the extent to which the caf? lifestyle exists in most American cities amongst average people is the fact that you can now get something called espresso at a Dunkin Donuts in Boston.
Of course, hop across the pond to The United States, and you’re going to find that things are a little different. People actually go to drive-through windows at Starbucks because they don’t have the extra couple of minutes to get out of the car on the way to work, and even places like McDonald’s have taken to serving Newman’s Organic coffee because somehow Americans have learned that they like the taste of better coffee, but they don’t really understand that the taste is only half of the experience. So while you can get a decent cup of coffee even at a rest stop in New Jersey now, it doesn’t mean it comes with remotely the same ambiance as a country where the caf? lifestyle actually matters.
It’s pretty obvious how things work in The States when you realize that all your coffee comes with is a napkin or a dairy creamer. In other places, where you’re encouraged to sit and stay awhile, there’s practically a small spread presented with even the most regular cup of joe. In Buenos Aires, cookies, crackers, and some soda water come along, too. In Italy, at least a cookie is expected. In Holland, at least a couple of cookies come, too. And in Paris, if you’re going to a cafe to enjoy a coffee, you might actually save money by ordering it with some pastry or croissant item.
And that’s the thing about the caf? lifestyle: if you’re from a more rushed country, there’s something so amazingly freeing about having the time to just hang out and relax and observe somewhere else. Because if you’re used to coffee in a cardboard cup that doesn’t taste particularly great, it’s pretty amazing not just to taste genuinely coffee, but to actually change the pace of your life, even if it’s just for a vacation.
But as the world gets even smaller, countries influence one another even quicker, and the far-flung traditions become something more tangible. When Starbucks opened up in Buenos Aires, they made sure to include a latte with dulce de leche, the tasty local treat that’s a version of caramel. So now that Starbucks knows that is a popular item down in Argentina, they might be bringing it to the United States as a flavor, just like pumpkin or hazelnut.
If you’re traveling for business, visiting a different city for a little while, or relocating abroad, the best possible thing to do is to head to a popular local coffee spot. In just an afternoon, you’ll learn more about a country by watching its citizens drink coffee and talk than you would from a whole stack of Lonely Planet guidebooks.
Damian Papworth loves coffee. So he created the One Cup Coffee Makers website. On this sitee you can read up on your 1 cup coffee maker