Submitted by Kristin Eagle of http://www.velohut.com
There’s a new website from some Northern Colorado locals that is dedicated to the community spirit of cycling and cyclists all around the world. From riding chronicles, how-to’s to bike maintenance and nutrition, VeloHut aims to help cyclists of all levels to start out, rediscover their passion for cycling or share knowledge from advanced riders. VeloHut also is proud to be helping to get the word out for some amazing bike related charities. Check out this article shared to Your Group Ride from Kris Eagle at VeloHut. She’s a local rider from the Loveland/Fort Collins area and proud to be part of a welcoming cycling community.
I consider myself very lucky that I’ve gotten into cycling in the Northern Colorado area. More specifically Loveland/Fort Collins area. The experiences have been amazing and the support, quite staggering. The cycling community here has been very welcoming and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to get started.
When I look back, I think about other hobbies or sports I’d taken up in the past in various different communities and nothing has compared to the cycling community as a whole and that of my local fellow cyclists. Even if I ride solo, which I often do, I don’t feel alone out there. There is a lot of kindness and helpfulness that makes me feel honored that I’ve joined this community and grateful for knowing they are out there. There’s a sense of looking out for each other regardless of whether you know one another or not.
So now that I’ve entered this community spirit, I often wonder what I can do to spread my good feeling and appreciation. There are so many ways to help out but I needed to find “my” way that would make me happy and feel productive.
The cycling community has given me so much, so I wanted a way to show my appreciation somehow and also to help others start out or long experienced riders get a good laugh at my fumbling through stories and experiences. After all, even if we think we’ve learned it all, there’s still likely something new to pick up or an opportunity to resolve some old habits we’ve developed over the years.
I decided that everything I’ve learned, and continue to learn, can be useful to new and old alike. I know some of you have gotten a good chuckle from comments I’ve made and think I’ve much to learn, but I also know that plenty who think they’ve learned it all, have picked up a thing or two from some of my observations. Sometimes it’s just a case of seeing things from another perspective and in a new light.
So, things I’ve jotted down as notes over time started to build up on my computer. Videos of how-to’s that I’ve collected to remind myself, and suggestions from local or twitter cyclists that have made statements that I thought were very helpful. Many random observations that I’d jotted down for myself almost as a diary were just sitting there.
I decided one day that I would organize all of this stuff and put it on a website. I figured, why not? I know how to run a site, I’ve been doing it on US-Parks.com for nearly 13 years now, why not put this gathered information into my other passion, cycling.
So here it is, the makings of a new cycling website of everything from my thoughts, how-to’s, what I’m learning about food, to even some analysis tools for riding. There’s so much in the works for this site but I’m looking forward to continuing to learn from my fellow local and twitter cyclists.
I thank all of you that have helped guide me, felt they could share suggestions with me both local and from afar. This is a community that I have come to admire and respect at so many levels. No matter what our beliefs are in the world, we all have something in common. We like bikes.
If there’s one thing that has built up so strongly in me now, it’s that I’d like to see more and more people riding. I hope that over the years, I can convince people to dust off their old bikes and start showing them some love. They weren’t meant to be purchased and stored in the garage or in a shed to become home to spiders. They were meant to help us explore the outdoors, enjoy a fun way to stay fit and to help us be less reliant on our vehicles for transportation.
Everyone has a story or two about their cycling adventures, I’d be honored to share them on this site for other cyclists to enjoy and learn from. Every experience is a learning experience for someone. While I thought many of my topics were silly or menial, and I was afraid to post them, I was quickly rewarded with thanks or amused comments. Even if my learning experiences are silly and the laugh is on me, I’m happy if it helps someone else. I’m especially happy if it gives someone the courage to try.
I plan to spread the word about cycling, the knowledge I’ve developed and I hope you will join me. I’d like to build this site around my appreciation of you, my fellow cyclists, and our bikes.
Kris Eagle @ velohut.com
