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Shana Lydon rides her bike four or five days a week.
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It is no exaggeration to say that bicycling changed Shana Lydon's life.
Since she bought a bike 18 months ago, Lydon has switched jobs, returned to school and lost 30 pounds. It all began two years ago when her spin class instructor encouraged the stationary bikers to try the real thing.
"I borrowed a bike to do a charity ride," Lydon says. "It was so much fun, I had to get my own bike."
She went to the Full Moon Vista Bike and Sport store in downtown Rochester. While waiting for her bike to be built, she chatted with the owner, Scott Page. They clicked, and he offered her a part-time job. Lydon eventually took him up on the offer—she left her job as a technical writer at Paychex Inc. to become the manager/bookkeeper at Full Moon.
Biking also led Lydon in a new career direction: She enrolled at the State University of New York at Brockport, where she is now working toward a physical education degree.
Lydon is a member of the Genesee Valley Cycling Club. She leads rides and competes in races.
Lydon, 31, rides four-to-five days a week. As a member of the Genesee Valley Cycling Club, she leads rides and competes in races.
"I like the challenge," she says. "It's such a great stress reliever. And it's interesting to see how much you can push yourself. I've gone farther than I ever thought I could."
Cycling is a great form of exercise because it is low impact, yet provides an excellent cardiovascular workout, says Dr. Stephanie Siegrist, an orthopedic surgeon who practices in Brighton.
"The important thing for riders to keep in mind is that (biking) doesn't work on flexibility, only strength and endurance," she says. For this reason, Siegrist recommends cyclists also do yoga or some type of stretching program that works the quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles.
Some riders develop numbness in their hands, but this can be prevented by making sure your bike is properly adjusted and fits your body type, Siegrist says.
Georgena Terry, chief executive officer of Terry Precision Cycling for Women in Macedon, pioneered the design and manufacture of bikes built to fit women. Terry, who has an MBA from The Wharton School and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, founded Terry Precision in 1985 in the basement of her Rochester apartment. She now runs an $8 million internationally known company with 23 employees.
"They didn't make women's bikes, saddles or clothing until we got started," Terry says, adding that she built her bikes differently because women are built differently. "The average woman is 5 foot, 4 inches tall," she notes. "Typically, bikes are built to fit men."
Jeanne Mogauro, 40, got "bitten" by the biking bug about a year ago.
"I love the freedom of it. It's very peaceful," says the Pittsford mother of three, the oldest of whom is seven. "It just makes me happy."
Mogauro, who ran for 20 years before biking, took a part-time job to afford her new $2,800 road bike. At 5:30 a.m. she meets a few other women to work out. They run two miles, ride 10 miles and then run another mile.
"I never thought I'd be doing what I'm doing at this age," says Mogauro, who is a member of the local chapter of Moms in Motion, a national women's health and fitness program. "I absolutely have to make the time. It's my therapy. It makes me a nicer mommy."
