Cycling and Hypertension

Me on a ride in Putrajaya

A Dahon folding bike ride who is based in China once said: "Cycling improved my issues with hypertension..."
And I tought he was pulling my leg.
Its been nearly six months since Michelle and I had made it a point to cycle our Dahon bikes which was gathering dust in our living room.
We started with Pulau Ketam and found it fun to bring the bikes for a short distance ride.
Later, we linked up with a bunch of folding bike riders and ever since, we've been riding almost every week.
Now, here's the best part: veteran folding bike cyclist Bil Choy suggested a weekend training ride in Hulu Langat.
He had organised four rides and it turned out okay.
Since I joined the rides in series 2 through 5, I found that my level of fitness has improved.
I am able to cycle a fixed distance along hills and steep gradient in Hulu Langat.
And each time I do so, I set a target: get to the checkpoints faster without tiring myself.
Since then, I had no regrets on attending the training rides as it is great for stamina building and improving my cardio-vascular movements.
Today, I went to my physician who took my blood pressure.
It checked out okay as I gave a 130/80 reading.
I told him that I have been regulary exercising and had set a target to shed some of my puppy fat by the middle of this year.
The more I cycle, the more I burn the fat and if I can achieve a 5kg reduction in six months, I may be able to reduce my depency on hypertension medication.
I can also look forward to longer rides and achieve great distance.

Small bikes in a big world

My boss on her Dahon Curve D3

Hitting the road with my Dahon Speed P8

When you invest on a folding bicycle, there are two sides of the coin.
You must know what you are getting into and if you are ignorant to the specifications of the bike, you might just end up purchasing a lemon.
To give you a better perspective, there are many variants of the folding bike with prices ranging from RM400 (cheap Le Run bike which you can never find off the shelves) to RM20K (high-end super-duper foldie).
In that respect, Michelle and I are owners of a basic (Dahon Curve D3) and medium range (Dahon Speed P8) bikes.
Over a course of one year and twelve months, I learned that there were plenty of shortcomings when I wounded up with an 8-speed bike.
The Speed P8 is excellen for short commutes and a leisure ride.
Now, here's the best part: Michelle and her 3-speed Dahon Curve D3 had proven than even sceptics can be wrong.
Her bike is a 16" foldie with an internal hub gear.
At the top end, she could go as fast as 15km an hour. That's it.
Our bikes can give distance, but not speed.
And when it comes to tackling hills, you've got to have legs of steel to pedal non-stop.
I learned this when we rode in Putrajaya.
Since I rode my Speed P8 more frequently, I noticed that my stamina has improved.
With the distance thrown in, the only aspect that we are looking at would be endurance training.
Not an issue if we ride regularly in areas with hills.
As for Michelle, I have plenty of admiration for her sheer spirit for riding the 3-speed bike in a series of long-haul events.
She proved to the larger bike riders that foldies can go literally 'anywhere'.