Is Bikes Blues & Bayous “essential”?

2020 Bikes Blues & Bayous

With 2020 being the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the answer is up for debate. Or, is it? Certainly there was outspoken opposition to the August 1st event and dire predictions of the COVID case surge in the “4 to 10 days” following the event. But, we (the organizers) continued our efforts to hold the bicycle ride for all those who, knowing the risks, chose to attend. And, we worked doubly hard to hold the event in as safe an environment as humanly possible for riders and volunteers alike.

Source: Mississippi Dept. of Health website

With the event behind us, it is now the right time to review the results and express my personal thoughts about the essential aspect of Bikes Blues & Bayous, or any other athletic/fitness event. First, I am more than pleased to note that in the “4 to 10 days” since the August 1st BBB ride, the number of COVID-19 cases has unmistakably declined. The forecasted surge has NOT taken place! In fact, Leflore County reported its lowest number of new cases of the last 5 weeks in that “4 to 10 days” period after the ride, as shown in the chart at right.

Second, I view bicycle events like BBB and running competitions like 300 Oaks from a much different perspective than someone who is a non-participant. Those events are most definitely “essential” events to me and I intend to say that as emphatically as possible. Why “essential”? Because they are a crucial component of the healthy lifestyle I’ve followed for the last 40+ years. By “healthy lifestyle”, I refer to maintaining a high level of fitness through an exercise regimen which, by necessity, evolves over decades of time. Anyone who has attempted to stay fit throughout their adult life knows that your exercise routine is not a static object without change.

My first 5k running event. 1981 in Nashville, TN.

Personally, I started out during the “running boom of the 1970’s” with 5k and 10k competitions that served as periodic highlights in my year-round running calendar. That training morphed into longer distances when my sights shifted to marathons. Alongside running, I played in summer softball leagues and took up racquetball in a fit of obsession that carried me into tournament play. Sprinkled in through the years have been stints of weight training, Yoga and Tai Chi. Cycling came into my regimen as the primary aerobic exercise when running became less interesting. Nowadays, cycling competes with my interest in Pickleball and Rock Steady Boxing for exercise time.

So, the only life-long fitness routine I’ve seen that works is one that holds your interest over decades. But, how to keep it interesting? Cycling has been my primary cardio workout since the late 1990’s ONLY because I’ve punctuated my training with bike events like BBB. Those ride events are what I train for, and look forward to, especially when working out requires extra motivation.

Me and Dr. Jay Alberts at 2019 RAGBRAI in Iowa.

And, cycling events are more “essential” to maintaining my health today. Since 2014, when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, exercise has ceased to be an optional activity. Exercise is now as vital to my health and well-being as any PD medication prescribed by my neurologist. That’s a science-based fact I learned in-person from Dr. Jay Alberts, the Cleveland Clinic researcher who clinically proved cycling’s efficacy as PD treatment.

Lastly, the running boom of the 1970s and 10k events ignited a passion in me to maintain my fitness. It is my sincere hope that cycling events like Bikes Blues & Bayous will inspire others to pursue a similar health-related goal. That’s what makes them “essential”.

Richard Beattie

August 13, 2020

Greenwood, Mississippi