#25milesforjustice

May 30, 2020 by Mike Cohen in Causes

Before I went on my ride today, I purchased a shirt from @crit.whit - has a rad YouTube channel, a fellow cyclist, lives and rides in SD and is in the US Navy. supporting his cause (#25milesforjustice). Once I started riding, I was thinking how 25 miles is a bit of a stretch right now. Right now I’ve been focusing on building speed and power. So most of my recent rides have been intervals and speed/power focused workouts (5-20-ish miles). Then I started thinking about the recent events, and I was constantly shaking my head, just in constant disbelief that all of this has to ever happen. I decided I wanted to do more.

I will be riding 25 miles daily to support Garnett’s cause (#25milesforjustice), for the next 25 days. So here’s the deal: I’m going to be riding 25+ miles per day for the next 25 days to support the 25 miles for justice. Combining cycling, running, walking, swimming, etc for anyone interested in participating. The miles can be inside or outside. All money raised will be donated to Garnett’s cause (NAACP - Legal Defense and Educational Fund. I just want to help and do something about this injustice. Not just staying silent, maybe we can make a difference.

#cycling #cyclingforacause #naacp #socialjustice #nojusticenopeace #mikecohen

Health in numbers

April 17, 2020 by Mike Cohen in Health

I like numbers. I am terrible at math though. Since I was walking around with the LVAD, I had to always know my blood pressure, my heart rate, my blood thinner counts, etc. With the heart transplant, I needed to always keep an eye on my blood pressure and heart rate. As time has passed, being on the bike, HRV (heart rate variability), calories, time elapsed, distance, temperature, UV index, grade percentage, have been numbers that I always keep an eye on.

Today’s ride, yielded numbers that I haven’t seen in a while. My last ride was Feb 10 so today, I was just looking to get the tree trunks moving and the heart pumping. Riding in Escondido, there are a lot of inconsistencies in the riding. One stretch could be flat, the next couple be a hidden climb. I actually love it. You really can’t be lazy on any part of the ride. I felt strong and was pretty easy in my recovery. Good amount of cross winds and a bit of a headwind towards the end of my ride.

So grateful for my health and my bike -

#cycling #cyclingforhealth #hearthealth #hearttransplant #cancersurvivor #mikecohen

Paused dreams

April 16, 2020 by Mike Cohen in Van life

It usually takes about 5 minutes for me to get out of bed. I shift my body over the air mattress and Lincoln posted up right on my chest. He doesn’t move until he rolls off. When he rolls off, is prime opportunity for him to get a good morning belly rub. After that, I get on my iPad or my MacBook Pro and do some writing. Constantly checking on the weather in Ojai, to make sure my camper isn’t washed away. My dream is paused.

My dream exactly was this: living in the camper, bouncing around from RV park to National Park from town to town, city to city. Once they lift these restrictions, I will be able to return to this plan.

Until then, I am figuring out how to upgrade my bike situation. I currently have a 2019 Trek Domane SL 6 Disc. This beauty will forever be a part of my quiver. Not selling it but going to strip the parts off and transfer them to a gravel set up. I don’t ride gravel, but I would love to have some options of on and off road use.

I’ve been saving and i’m very close to pulling the trigger. Once I get this baby in my hands… I am positive the creative and adventure juices flowing.

Until then, here’s some dope photos:

#vanlife #quarantinelife #cycling #mikecohen #cyclingacrosscountry