Truly Spokin'

We'll be providing Watermelon at this Saturday's ride, also remember that we now have refrigerated LMNT sports drinks for sale in the shop. Come in and check out the flavors we've selected!
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LMNT hydration now available in store. Powders and cold cans!

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You might not feel it, but every time you clip in and ride, your body is doing some quiet work on your brain. 🧠

We've long known cycling keeps the heart strong and the legs powerful. The newer research points somewhere more interesting. When you ride, your muscles release a hormone called irisin that crosses into the brain, helps spark the growth of new neurons, and appears to push back against some of the processes behind Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers at Harvard's Stem Cell Institute have helped confirm what a lot of us already suspected. Movement isn't only good for the body. It does something for the mind too.

Here's the mechanism, as best the science understands it so far.

As your legs turn the pedals, your muscle fibers make a protein called FNDC5. That protein gets cleaved into irisin, which enters the bloodstream and crosses the blood-brain barrier. Once inside, irisin goes to work in the hippocampus, the region tied to learning and memory.

In animal studies, irisin boosted brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF. BDNF acts a bit like fertilizer for the brain: it encourages new neurons, strengthens the connections between them, and helps protect the cells already there.

The cause-and-effect experiments are the striking part. When scientists blocked irisin in mice, the cognitive benefits of exercise disappeared. When they raised irisin in mice with Alzheimer's-like symptoms, memory improved and brain inflammation dropped. In those models, the hormone wasn't just linked to better brain health. It drove it.

Human evidence is earlier and thinner, but it lines up. Post-mortem studies show people with Alzheimer's tend to have lower irisin levels than healthy people. In small trials, regular exercisers showed measurable rises in circulating irisin alongside better cognitive scores. It's promising, not settled, and worth saying plainly: most of the hard causal work is still in mice.

Which is a good reason to ride, not a small one.

We're not only riding to stay fit. We're riding to stay sharp. To keep remembering our grandkids' names and hold onto our independence as we get older.

And unlike an experimental drug or some supplement of the month, this one is free and most of us are already doing it. No prescription, no lab. Just a bike and the habit of getting on it.

The evidence also suggests consistency matters more than intensity. Whether you're hammering intervals or spinning easy through the countryside, your muscles are making irisin either way. The trick is to keep showing up, because the protective effects seem to build over time.

So next time someone asks why you spend so many hours on the bike, you've got an answer. You're not just chasing fitness or burning calories. You're looking after decades of clear thinking and sharp memory, and the ability to keep living on your own terms.

Every pedal stroke is a small deposit in your cognitive future. That might be one of the best reasons there is to ride.



Studies referenced:

- Wrann, C.D., et al. (2013). "Exercise induces hippocampal BDNF through a PGC-1a/FNDC5 pathway." Cell Metabolism, 18(5), 649-659.

- Lourenco, M.V., et al. (2019). "Exercise-linked FNDC5/irisin rescues synaptic plasticity and memory defects in Alzheimer's models." Nature Medicine, 25(1), 165-175.

- Islam, M.R., et al. (2021). "Exercise hormone irisin is a critical regulator of cognitive function." Nature Metabolism, 3(8), 1058-1070.

- Chen, K., Wang, K., & Wang, T. (2022). "Protective effect of irisin against Alzheimer's disease." Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 967683.



Studies referenced:

• Wrann, C.D., et al. (2013). "Exercise induces hippocampal BDNF through a PGC-1α/FNDC5 pathway." Cell Metabolism, 18(5), 649-659.

• Lourenco, M.V., et al. (2019). "Exercise-linked FNDC5/irisin rescues synaptic plasticity and memory defects in Alzheimer's models." Nature Medicine, 25(1), 165-175.

• Islam, M.R., et al. (2021). "Exercise hormone irisin is a critical regulator of cognitive function." Nature Metabolism, 3(8), 1058-1070.

• Belviranli, M., & Okudan, N. (2022). "Exercise-induced hormone irisin protects against neuronal injury via activation of Akt and ERK1/2 signaling pathways in Alzheimer's disease." Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 967683.

We are opening orders for anyone who missed out last time! Bringing back the 3 originals and adding 2 new designs to the roster! Contact us at the shop to get your name on the list! All jerseys are available in a road or mtb cut, as well as short and long sleeve. Dont miss out on round 2 of ordering, this opportunity won’t last long!

Exciting news!

Santa Rosa County is studying the feasibility of having a BMX track built as a way of giving its sports tourism industry a shot in the arm. See link below ⬇️

📸 \nTRIBUNE FILE PHOTO/RION SANDERS\n

Where are you watching the Tour on this 4th of July?