SM: What's the longest ride you have ever taken?
BH: The longest ride I’ve done was what’s known as a “Century Ride.” It is what it sounds like, a ride that was just over 100 miles long. Professionals routinely race and ride that long in a single day, but I’m no professional so it was a bigger deal and an all-day experience.
SM: What kind of bike do you use and/or recommend?
BH: My bike is an above “entry level” racing road bike. It’s not professional level, but it’s above what a beginner would typically have. To the casual rider there are lots of options of styles of bikes out there, so it all depends on what you’re looking to do with it. If someone were looking to get exercise and ride anything more than 8-10 miles at a time, I’d definitely recommend a road bike. There are lots of non-racing road bikes out there and you’re going to get more bang-for-your-buck with that. If you’re looking for a little more versatility and the ability to ride wherever you want (meaning on dirt trails, off-road, in the grass, etc) a mountain or cross bike is the way to go.
SM: How do you stay in shape?
BH: Cycling is a great way to stay in shape for a lot of reasons. It’s non-impact, so if you have bad joints or knees, it’s going to be a lot easier on you than running or other activities. It’s a great cardio workout. I personally will usually do about an hour on the bike at home, followed by doing moderate weights and a variation of the P90x ab workout. I started the P90x program a few years ago and I really enjoyed it, but I found that if I got sick or didn’t have an hour or more EACH day to devote to it, it was very difficult to get back into the routine. So I’ve taken a number of the workouts from that, and made my own variation of them, condensing them to about 20 minutes that I can do after my training ride. That way I’m getting a great cardio workout and adding just the right amount of weight training at the end of my workout. That way if I can only ride 30 minutes, I’m still doing a pretty full workout in under an hour.
SM: Best memory? Family life now? Wife? Work?
BH: It’s hard to narrow down a best memory because I have a number of them in a number of different areas of my life. The Colorado rides with my Dad are of course at the top of my cycling memories. My wedding day and subsequent trip to Jamaica is at the top of that aspect of my life. Working at the Discovery Center/Camp Jurassic and closing day at Disaster! Studios are at the top of my Universal memories for various reasons. Right now it’s just my wife and I with our dog Penny as far as family life in Florida. I don’t have any other direct family in Florida anymore (My Dad’s father and step-mother lived in Tampa before they passed), so it’s just us in our own little pack right now. I’m a huge dog person and so is my wife, so we have the beginnings of our ideal family unit. My wife works at the Four Seasons Orlando Resort so we both have a bit of a commute from our suburban setting in Clermont, but it’s worth the drive to get away from the city and tourist areas at the end of the night.
SM: Words of wisdom?
BH: Ask my friends if I have any words of wisdom and they’d say I could write a novel with my “dad” advice. The best overall words of wisdom I could give is a mix of what my father told me when my family dropped me off at college and my own personal core value: “Be Bold. Be Better.” Essentially, live life with passion, but always strive to take advantage of opportunities and challenges to improve you in everything you do.
40