Pan exercise. Why? Because cycling is a car- diovascular, impact-free workout from which people of all shapes, sizes and ages may benefit. It is a good entry-level physical activity that tones and strengthens the large muscles in the legs with little or no stress on the joints, in comparison to run- ning or aerobic exercises. And that is what convinced local cyclist Trevor Mellish — who now confesses he is addicted to the sport — to trade in his running shoes for wheels. “‘Et's (cycling) something thai as you start getting into it, it takes over,’’ says Mellish. You Start setting mew goals and that gives you the desire to reach for other new goals.’’ Now an amateur racer, the 24-year-old North Vancouver native has competed for three Get a grip on cycling BICYCLING IN Vancouver is a terrific way to get around and have fun all year long. RecCentre Lonsdale has sever- al new programs to help get a gtip on the how, what and where of cycling. Cycling Knowhow, a general knowledge course on cycling, will begin tomorrow evening, Feb. 2. Topics such as equipment selec- tion, maintenance, riding tech- nique and safety wil] be covered. The program is aimed at pro- viding the knowledge necessary to be a self-sufficient and safe street cyclist. Six one-and-a-half hour lec- tures are offered for $25. There are many kinds of bicy- cles and equipment to choose from. Buy the Right Bike, a one-day workshop on March I, will take some of the mystery out of making the right purchase. Participants will examine the various types of bikes and equipment availatle For more information on the cycling courses, phone recCentre Lonsdale at 988-6166. Cycling Knowhow begins at 7:30 and runs until 9 p.m. Late joiners aiso welcome. For registration phone 987-PLAY. By EVELYN JACOB years in B.C., and Washington state in the U.S. This year, Mellish has turned his gaze to the Canadian National Road cham- pionships. A former long-distance runner, Mellish says he switched to cycl- ing after discovering he could push himself harder with fewer injuries on a bicycle. However, he admits that most serious cyclists, himself included, are “always neurotic’’ about whether they’re training too much or not enough. His own schedule includes 18 hours a week of road cycling in addition to running, and lots of. mountain-biking before the rac- ing season begins in March. “I do anything where I can keep active and have fun.’’ Most days Mellish can be seen riding up and down the steep hills of North and West Vancouver as part of his regular training routine. For endurance rides a 120 kilometre cycle is not unusual, usually from the North Shore to Pitt Meadows. “The idea is to gradually build up your heart rate,’’ he says. A good way to pace yourself is with the aid of a Reart-monitor, which Mellish himself uses religiously. Something often overlooked by cyclists-in-training, Mellish says, is maintenance of a healthy diet. “One of the biggest mistakes cyclists make is that they don’t eat or drink enough. If they don’t they may experience ‘bonk,’ a term used to describe energy depletion.”’ When it comes to food, cyclists can’t afford to skimp. For Mellish, an average breakfast usually includes a bowl of hearty cereal, granola or muslix, a cup of skim milk and two pieces of toast, which keeps him going for about two hours. And to maintain energy while cycling, Mellish takes along dried fruit and a water and sugar mix- ture, — grapes are perfect because of their high water con- tent. But before a race a high energy sports diet — complex car- bohydrates like rice, pasta, potatoes bread and rice — fuels muscles better. Cycling is serious bus for North Shore athlete BIKE SALES in Canada have skyrocketed in the last de- cade as seasoned fitness buffs and beginning exercisers turn to cycling as a complementary or alternative form of g i i i Ha Shebetadsee SBR asine 13 - Wednesday, February 1, 1989 - North Shore News Planner steps down PAGE 33 Tan are ae eae ness TREVOR MELLISH is one of thousands of Canadians who enjoys cycling. Gearing up for the spring season, Mellish offers advice to cyclists and would-be racers. NEWS photo Nell Lucente Alpine series mixes racing with recreation THE BRAINCHILD of Crazy Canuck Dave Murray and Don McQuaid, the Molson Canadian Masters Aipine Skiing Series started off as a six-race series in B.C. five years apo. Today, with over 80 races, 25 three-day camps and 22 one-day training clinics from Vancouver Island to Nova Scotia, Masters Skiing is quickly becoming a household name. “It just kind of took off,” said McQuaid, national director of the Molson Canadian Masters. The Masters comes to Mt. Seymour on Feb. 4 and 5, and to Grouse Mountain for the provin- cial finals on March 4 and 5. The program combines the excitement of ski racing with the fun of recre- ation skiing. “It’s a fun series,"’ says Mc- Quaid. ‘‘People can participate in one or several races and have a chance to win prizes and ac- cumulate points like in the World Cup.”’ The top scorers of the race have the chance to compete in the Molson Canadian Masters Worid Championships from April 3 to 9 at Whistler. Participants also get to ski with the Crazy Canucks — Nancy Greene, Steve Podborski, to name just 2 couple. The provincial finals will deter- mine who the best skiers are in dif- ferent age categories, and which province lias the best skiers. “And we drink the odd beer in between ali of this,” jokes Mc- Quaid. Anyone over the age of 19 is eligible to enter the races. The grand prize is use of a fully equip- ped 4WD Toyota Corolla for a year. For more information phone Jane Mitchell at 737-3075.