Cycling is the new running,” Toby Claudio beamed as he ushered me to Trek. Yes, you read it right. Trek, the world’s largest bicycle brand, is now in the Philippines with its first store at Two Parkade in Bonifacio Global City.
In a recent study conducted by Appalachian State University of North Carolina in its Human Performance Laboratory, cycling was proclaimed better than running. According to the principal researcher, Professor David Nieman, long-distance runners experienced more muscle damage, soreness, and inflammation after a period of intense workouts.
The study analyzed blood samples of cyclists and runners from 19 to 45 who regularly compete in races. These athletes were made to exercise 2-1/2 hours a day for three days in the lab at 70% VO2max. The results showed that cycling allows the body to exercise longer because it causes less damage to the body.
“Runners just can’t put the same volume of exercise as cyclists without experiencing more inflammation, soreness, and muscle damage,” Nieman explained. Hence, he recommended cycling over running for beginners as a way to get fit.
Now, let’s go back to Trek.
It was on a $6,500-carbon fiber Model 5500 bike built by Trek that Lance Armstrong won his first Tour de France in 1999. He became the first American to win the Tour on an American Team (United States Postal Service Pro Cycling Team) riding an American-made bicycle. This was the first of his seven straight Tour titles, all on Trek bikes.
“With that, Trek became the first American bike company to win the Tour and the first to build a carbon-fiber bike that won the Tour,” John Bradley, a senior editor and the cycling expert at Outside magazine, said. Racing bikes should be light but stiff. Before the use of carbon fiber, which has the best stiffness-to-weight ratio, bikes were made of steel, titanium or aluminum.
Trek is raced to win. Its professional racers are its most demanding customers, and the company has learned from each and every one of them, allowing the company to improve Trek products in the process.
Another one of its elite athletes is German Jens Voigt who on September 18, 2014, took his last race to the track in Grenchen, Switzerland. Voigt rode 51.115 kilometers to shatter the standing Hour Record (snatched a month later by an American cyclist). He is still part of Trek, helping inspire and train cyclists.
Born in a Wisconsin barn nearly 40 years ago, Trek was started by two partners who shared a dream of building the best bikes in the world.
Built to last, Trek bikes are warrantied for life.
What’s global is now local.?
Trek has a full-service bicycle store in BGC with an extensive product line for all cycling enthusiasts (road, mountain, triathlon, women’s, kids, and city bikes abound) plus accessories and apparel to match (courtesy of Trek’s very own Bontrager brand).
The Trek Bicycle Store is owned and operated by Revolution Cyclery, a subsidiary of The Quorum Group of Companies, the same conglomerate responsible for sports retail specialists Toby’s and Runnr, among others. Through the Trek Bicycle Store and Revolution Cyclery, The Quorum Group brings its retail expertise and brand-building philosophy to the cycling industry.
“Trek’s Project One customization program allows visitors to design their bespoke Trek bike. From paint schemes, which vary from mild to wild, to parts selection, Project One puts your dream bike just a click away,” Toby Claudio excitedly said.
“To help customers select a bike that fits them best, be it a production model or from Project One, the store offers Trek’s Precision Fit service, a proprietary bike-fit system that not only measures riders’ dimensions but also evaluates their efficiency as they pedal on a stationary, computerized bicycle,” he added.
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Post me a note at mylenedayrit@gmail.com or mylene@goldsgym.com.ph.