Christmas Ride on Nevis
Merry Holidays, Ride-Strong readers!
Just a quick report from the island of Nevis, where I’m spending the holidays both relaxing, training, and volunteering with the St. Kitts and Nevis cycling federation. Many of you have offered donations to the program, and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. Please keep them coming or get in touch with me to find out more (ESPNOlympian@aol.com). We had over twenty youths come ride with us last week, and it was the biggest group yet. Good things are happening!
For those of you who are seasoned riders, I’ve got to put in a plug for the training here. Nevis, which is the smaller island of the St. Kitts and Nevis Caribbean nation, has one paved road that encircles the entire island. It’s about 23 miles around. Uphill both ways. 
Or so it feels! The wind here is fierce, and the steep, volcanic topography make for some excellent climbing terrain. Steep rollers, blustery headwinds, and hot Caribbean sun/humidity are a foce to be reconed with—and well worth the effort. While there are a few stretches of potholes, the majority of the single lane road is good. After you master riding on the left-hand side of the road and become accustomed to the monkeys, goats, sheep, donkeys, and crabs that skitter across the road, Nevis may just be the best kept strength-training secret. And the volcanic hot springs in the center of town? Not a bad way to rejuvenate the muscles post-climb. If you’d like to test your strength here, come on down!
National Road Race Championships on June 20th, 2009
Or, if you’re into triathlon and open water swimming…
March 15 Carino Health Olympic Distance and Sprint Triathlon
March 29 Cross Channel Nevis to St.Kitts 2 mile Swim
Early November (TBA) Off road triathlon
For more information, check out www.neviscycleclub.com.
Wishing you all a happy holidays from the heart of Nevis,
Kathryn Bertine
http://www.ride-strong.com/nevis-cycling-club/
Popularity: 2% [?]
Tags: Carino Health Olympic Distance and Sprint Triathlon, Christmas Ride on Nevis, espn, Kathryn Bertine, National Road Race Championships
_20110623040903.gif)
_20110617142159.gif)
January 15th, 2009 at 12:43 am
Our ride began with a walk past Ft. Ashby, the first fort on the island built in 1600s, leading us to one of the many secluded beaches on Nevis. Along the way, we pass Nelson’s Spring, a beautiful lagoon where clipper ships once filled up with fresh drinking water….It was just awesome to see all those things along with the Nevis Equestrian Centre…