Have a merry bicycle Christmas!

As you may have noticed, here at Sherlock we are a happy bunch of bike enthusiasts! The other day we were drinking coffees all together and we started thinking about one of the best periods of the year: Christmas! Which is wonderful for greeting people you love and for receiving gifts (let’s be honest, we all love to receive them) BUT it is awful for our weight in most cases.

As Italians, in this period we enjoy spending our time eating all sorts of sweets and super-fat foods with families and friends. The probability of gaining weight and feeling tired (yet, happy!) is very high.

Get on a bike could be a good remedy for these problems.

In the Internet, there is a wide literature about the benefits of cycling, both for us and for the environment.

Let’s start with some links, mainly focused on the health benefits of our two-wheels:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/bicycle-fitness

http://www.mensfitness.com/weight-loss/burn-fat-fast/10-reasons-to-get-on-a-bike (my favourite: For your sense of freedom and above all, for fun.)

http://www.adultbicycling.com/component/content/article/9-bicycling-basics/37-health-benefits-of-cycling-ii.html

Additionally, I found out a number of benefits coming from cycling with friends or family:

http://www.bikeroar.com/articles/the-benefits-of-cycling-together-or-alone (Pushing limits, improving skills!)

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/change-your-travel/children-and-families/cycling-kids/benefits-family-cycling (if you have a family, it would be great to teach the kids how to ride a bike, and then spend a lot of healthy time together)

In a wider perspective, bikes will help us also with the bikenomics (a.k.a. cycling economy), which, according to “The Guardian” has created 650.000 jobs, all over Europe. Point of attention (and hope!): the cycling industry employs more people than mining and quarrying.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/12/europes-cycling-economy-has-created-650000-jobs

The topic of bikenomics was also discussed in September 2014, during the bike pride event in Turin, during which our talented Matteo was interviewed and spoke about Sherlock.

http://www.redattoresociale.it/Notiziario/Articolo/468514/Dagli-accessori-allo-street-food-ecco-il-mondo-della-bikenomics

So, the Sherlock team advices for the Christmas 2014 are:

–         – Take a ride alone or with friends, to take a breath of fresh air and burn some calories

–         – Think about a bike-related present for your friends: this will help the bikenomics, which of course is green and ecologic, to grow and spread its principles to the whole community.

Have wonderful holidays!

The Sherlock folks