Everybody needs a GPS !

We have the Garmin range of GPS systems coming into stock this week and always one for the gadgets I have set my sights on an Edge 705  with h/r and cadence (€399) for myself . The functions are similar to the edge 305 (€249) but with the addition of the colour mapping screen I had to go for that one .

Garmin edge 705

Garmin edge 305

They sure do look good , and with current National Champion Daniel Martin riding for the Garmin Chipotle team it even feels patriotic to use one . ( any excuse for a new gadget )

On the recent Sean Kelly Tour as I was changing tubes etc. I noticed that quite a number of the riders were using the Garmins . Cycling in Ireland is growing rapidly . The largest area of growth is the Leisure side . Why , you may ask , well here’s my theory ;

Would you sit into a car and just drive ? , maybe on a Sunday  but not normally .

Most people when they sit into a car have a fixed destination in mind . This is one reason for the popularity of GPS systems . People want to know the quickest way to get where they want to go . Many businesses in the UK and on the continent now include their GPS settings along with their address .

This is a simple form of Goal setting and this is why events like the Sean Kelly tour are so popular . If you are riding a 160 km hilly event in late August you have something to train all summer long for . If you begin cycling for fitness and become fit , what next ? you still need something to aim for .

We have noticed recently a number of people who have replaced their 600 euro gym membership with 600 euro bikes . Their logic being that if they don’t use the bike this year they still have it for next year . The annual gym membership money is gone . One guy deduced that his visits to the gym had cost him almost two hundred euro per hour as he had only gone twice during the year .

The other side is the fitness side . When you go from twenty kg overweight down to fighting weight what next ? Maintenance fitness in a gym can be very boring . Whereas on the bike , once you get fit there is always something else to aim for . And this is the secret to the growth of cycling in Ireland at present .

Everybody needs a goal to aim for , cycling is full of never ending levels of goals . When you reach one , reset your internal GPS and go for another one , and then another one after that . Keep going , adjust your goals to suit your age and circumstance but always have something that you are aiming at . This is what gets you out of bed on a cold wet winter’s morning and these are the spins that give the greatest sense of achievement .

What’s the alternative ? , get unfit , get fat , get a belly , get lazy and get old .

What’s also good is a bit of a Forrest Gump attitude when it comes to goals . Keep going untill you get there , stop , look around ,enjoy , reset to another goal and keep on going .

And of course , any bit of modern technology that helps keep you entertained along the way can only be a good thing .

Barry

www.worldwidecycles.com