Category Archives: The Right Side of the Road

Articles to encourage you and the non-cycling community to be safe and have fun

Riding the Chief Ladiga/Silver Comet Trail

I made my way to Anniston, Alabama to attempt an adventure billed as “The 2018 Summer Solstice Chief Ladiga Silver Comet 2 Hundy Ride.” For a nominal fee of a twenty dollar donation to battle MS you could attempt to do your longest ride on the longest day of the year. I had never done much more than a century so I was nervous as I approached the trail head that morning and as expected there was a small turnout of 45-50 riders. Gladly, I ran into a Strava friend and her husband, and we quickly put together 6 riders who wanted a more relaxed pace. This was my first extensive ride on a rail trail, and it was great not having to worry about vehicular traffic for 95 percent of the ride. The trails surface was smooth with only twigs, pine cones and puddles from a storm the day before to navigate. In the unpopulated sections of the trail there were a few Continue reading

Summer Cycling Tips

The combo of heat and humidity here in middle TN can make summer cycling a bit challenging. We generally log most of our miles in the summer and with all this riding, we need to be sure to protect ourselves from the nasty things the heat brings on…dehydration, leg cramps, sunburn, saddle sores…to name a few.

Most of the nuisances of heat are preventable with a bit of preparation. For instance, ride early in the day or later in the day to avoid the hottest temperatures, hydrate before, during and after a ride, protect your skin with sunscreen and protective clothing, acclimate to the heat gradually, use chamois cream and wash your shorts right after you ride, replace electrolytes… Continue reading

May is Bike Month

May is National Bike Month, sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists and celebrated in communities from coast to coast. Established in 1956, National Bike Month is a chance to showcase the many benefits of bicycling — and encourage more folks to give biking a try.

To celebrate in Tullahoma, HRBike will host the Ride of Silence once again. (2017 ride pictured above) The ride happens world-wide on Wednesday, May 16 at 7 pm. HRBike Vice-Pres. Hunter Norris is coordinating the event in Tullahoma. Please make plans to attend and invite those you know who ride a bike. This is a great opportunity to promote cycling, to honor those hurt or killed while cycling, and to teach about sharing the road. Continue reading