Cycling-visiting family & friends

[shootingstar]

Well, I only suggest a bike ride in our area if I know already the person is reasonably active. And i would consider a person who walks several times a wk. to do stuff or for pleasure...

So this who has cycled with us when they visited us ..:

*an around the world Dutch cyclist visited us. Of course, we cycled around the city. Most of it in the downtown core of the city. It was rainy, winter season at the time.

*a sister (1 yr. younger than I) who does have her bike but I think she only bikes a couple times a yr. We took her around a 15 kms. route that included part of Stanley park, plus a picnic sushi supper and gelato.

*a close friend who rented a bike while we both were in Whistler, BC for 1.5 days. I don't think she had been on a bike for over 20 yrs. She does walk every evening for half an hr., in her little town in Ontario where she lives. We did around 10 kms. I think she had enough but grateful we saw stuff. Then a few hrs. later we went for an easy hike after going up the mountain gondola.

*another sister (10 yrs. younger) who I saw for first time after she lost 50 lbs. We did bike for 30 kms. in our city. The route we took had some hills. Then later we did some more biking on part of Kettle Valley Bike trail in Okanagan Valley where we went vacationing. We did around 20 kms. I think she had enough of cycling by then. But each day she also did go jogging on her own for about 5 kms. --her first sport love.

*a sister (5 years younger) she is coming this weekend. Her email was: "I assume we are doing cycling. should I bring my helmet?" She does cycle abit, but more of a jogger. She might be doing it more now that her 3 little children can and do all bike as play. I'm planning for simple short rides..easy in our area. It is possible we might do more since awhile ago she, her hubby and some friends, we all went for group ride for 3 days that covered over 300 kms. north of Toronto into the Muskoka Lakes area.

All along, I've always had an extra helmet around for guests.

For friends and family members who live far away and they only visit every few years or abit more frequently, what was the cycling experience like for them when they biked with you?

[shootingstar]

I feel like a masochist...if no one else on this forum asks their visitors if they want a little local bike ride(s).

[Eden]

masochists hurt like to hurt themselves (or have others hurt them)... you're more of a sadist

I'm not sure we've ever had a visitor who would agree to biking.... we did take my mother in law on a no car vacation. We walked and took the train all around Italy.

[berkeley]

A cycling family member was visiting and I planned out a route for us to take while he was here.

Unfortunately, he came from the 'land of flat rides' and I just about killed him since it's pretty hilly around here.

I did ask him what his normal ride length was, I just forgot to ask about elevation change. Oops.

[Tokie]

We have 2 beach cruisers and like to tour family and friends around our little town on them. (in town is very flat) Our regular rides go on 1.the freeway between the traffic and the ocean. 2. two lane rural highway, where people drive like it's the freeway, and 3. the local foothills where the past tour of California ride goes, but kind of steep and narrow. So we just ride around town, it's probably more than most visitors do in a month of exercise at home, and it's a fun way to see what the layout is here.I think it make people remember what a simple pleasure it is to ride your bike and feel like a child again. We have extra helmets too,they are mandatory when you ride with me! I've been know to take guests with me to the gym (fun if they've never been and want to see what they could do at one) and on beach walks too. Tokie

[Grog]

I did take my parents - who cycle moderately, especially my mother - around Vancouver on as-flat-a-ride-as-it-gets-around-here. The basement is full of bikes so it was easy to outfit them. We even have spare helmets.

There is a German visiting professor in my department for a few months and she said something about someone promising to outfit her with a bike, but she hadn't heard back. "Really?" I said. I'm delivering her a bike tomorrow.

Perhaps we should open a bike rental service...!

[shootingstar]

That's great, Grog. I can't imagine any of my parents doing any biking at all. That's not their type of activity. Walking alot, housework is about the only exercise I associate with them...plus running after their kids when we were younger.

I did have another friend from Toronto, visit me early spring...who is actually a cyclist (she was a bike courier after finishing university, now a govn't transportation analyst) but she didn't bring her bike nor did she want to borrow any of mine. Instead we walked for 12 kms. round trip to the market which is scenic route from a walking perspective.

And yea, Eden..a cycling sadist. Sounds exotic. I really have to learn to slow down for others who don't cycle much at all...when I'm a cycling slug myself.

And Tokie, I reminded the sister about to visit us, that our building does have a fitness centre with weight machines, rowing machine, elliptical runner. Maybe I should ask her to show me some strength training exercises. She does do some in her busy schedule somewhere as a working mom. somehow I feel she might just want to chill out at our place after we range around town...

[Crankin]

About 5 years ago, my sil came for a graduation. She is fairly active (A level tennis player, some mtb), but had gained some weight. We put her on the Voodoo, with slicks and I went out with her for a 13 mile ride.
It was torture for me. I remember I was getting over bronchitis and I still had to stop and wait for her every 5 minutes. But, we did it.

[tulip]

I always ride with my brother when I visit him or he visits me. We are in business together, so we bring our bikes to sites and go for rides after the meetings. My mother is a bike commuter and she likes to ride when she visits me, and we also go for rides at her house. I don't get to see them very often because they live a good 6-hour drive away, but there's always an extra bike and helmet around.

[limewave]

We never have visitors.

[chicagogal]

I took my mom and her SO on a bike ride when they came into town last month. They are both pretty active. She swims and walks, he used to be a runner, now bikes a little and walks. Neither of them has any extra weight. They said that they wanted to do "outdoor things" on their visit in order to "see the city". To me, this meant a bike ride. I asked them and they agreed enthusiastically (after I promised them that there are no hills in chicago). I regularly ride on the chicago lakefront path. This is a 36mi ride and usually takes me 2.5 hours. I figured that would be difficult for them, so decided for a truncated version of that route would be 20miles total with a stop for lunch in the middle.

Note that I was a little worried going into it when the morning of the ride my mom's SO suggested that I eat more than a banana before such a "long ride". Umm, I can handle 10mi at a slow pace before stopping for food . . .

I think our average speed for the first half of the ride was 7-8mph and when we stopped for luch after 10mi, they complained that their legs were too sore to climb the stairs into the restaurant we had chosen. On the 2nd half of our ride (the return trip) we probably averaged 5mp. We stopped 5 times along the way, I traded bikes with my mom because she thought mine was easier to ride, and even had to wait as my mom got off her bike to push it up a "hill". And by "hill" we are talking about climbing a few feet over 0.1miles.

Her SO "couldn't" wait for my mom when she started to hurt (and slow down), because his knee was bothering him so much that all he could think about was getting home.

While he have something to laugh about now, I don't think that I would do it again :-)

[PamNY]

Not cycling, but I always keep a loaner Xootr for guests. Lots of adults are embarrassed/afraid to ride at all, but if they try it they love it.

I'm currently trying to rebuild three ancient Xootrs into one good one -- I have stuck deck screws (probably fixable) and snapped-off collar screws (probably not fixable) to contend with. But I'm committed to having a loaner because when it "takes" it is so much fun. Plus I hate having to walk.

Pam

[shootingstar]

Yesterday I learned that 2 nephews (10 yrs. & 8) cycled 50 kms. on the MS ride with their parents. It's always so cool to hear cycling stories.

As for the visiting sister now, we plan to take easy on flat short route..for her, she is having a neck problem where she needs to be vigilant of how she moves. THis sister is quite active --one of the jogging sisters.

Good thing my bikes to loan, put a person more upright. We'll see.

A now, I learn that another sister and her hubby bought and use folding bikes. THey both already had bikes..which they rode occasionally (he more frequently since he biked to the research lab where he works that's not too far from home). They wanted the convenience of biking for trips plus taking their kayaks for times out of the water.

Also heard last night of another person who we know, has done several bike touring trips, has also bought a folding bike to enable him to transport his bike more freely for his European trips.