BY CHRISTOPHER KAZARIAN
Sweat Studio on Main Street in Falmouth
Thanks to more than 550 miles of pristine coastline and 114 miles of bike paths, Cape Cod offers countless opportunities to get outside and connect with nature. It’s the ideal location for adventurers of all ages and abilities, whether they love to walk, hike, bike or run.
Amid this backdrop, you’ll find inspiration this holiday season to get the athlete in your life a gift that allows them to explore the beauty of the region while taking steps to improve their health.
It may also improve their outlook on life. As Jim Ballantyne’s email signature reads, “You are only one bike ride away from a better mood.”
Having co-owned Buzzards Bay Bikes on Main Street with his wife, Pam Ballantyne, for the past 24 years, Mr. Ballantyne has long known that there may be nothing better than getting on a bicycle.
“I’m dealing with people who are always in a good mood because they just went for a bike ride,” he said. “It’s a nice job. I can’t think of anything better. Nobody ever really gets upset after a bike ride. Even if it’s raining out, it’s still a wonderful situation.”
Sweat Studio on Main Street in Falmouth
Translation? You can’t go wrong with a bicycle as a gift, especially on the Cape. “Biking here is fantastic. We have some of the best mountain biking anywhere, and we have many, many miles of paved bike paths,” Mr. Ballantyne said.
Before you head to Buzzards Bay Bikes and purchase one, make sure to follow Mr. Ballantyne’s advice: “A bicycle is the kind of gift that you have to touch it and feel it. It’s like buying a guitar. You have to go in the store and feel it, touch it, sit with it, and say, ‘This is the one.’ It’s the same with bikes.”
The few times that his store sells bikes as gifts, he said, is “when parents are buying them for their kids.”
The best place to start, he said, is understanding what type of bicycle your loved one wants and what they will be using it for. Are they going to be riding on the Cape Cod Canal, using it for fishing or as a means of getting to get to and from work?
“It is really hard unless you know who you’re buying for and what their needs are,” he said. “It is the kind of gift that is really personal.”
Because of that, a gift certificate to his store may be the wisest choice this holiday season. This will allow your loved one to find the bike that meets their needs.
At Buzzards Bay Bikes, they have a wide range of options, from mountain bikes to electric bikes to road bikes to hybrid bikes. The best-selling ones, Mr. Ballantyne said, are electric bikes.
“Money-wise, it is the mountain bike which can go from $6,000 to $8,000,” he said.
The store also sells a variety of accessories including helmets, jackets, shorts, fisherman’s baskets and lights, all of which are possibilities if you’re shopping for someone who already has a bike.
Cape Cod Kayak in Pocasset
Shopping For Kayaks
The Cape is not only a great place for land sports but for water ones as well. It’s something Kimberly Fernandes has known since 1995 when she first opened Cape Cod Kayak in Pocasset.
“I love kayaking,” she said. “I like teaching people. I like paddleboarding and being outdoors on the water. This is the perfect job for me.”
As with a bicycle, purchasing a kayak is not a simple process.
“It’s like a pair of shoes. You want to try them out first before you buy them. There’s so many different types, different widths, different lengths and different styles. There are a lot of considerations,” Ms. Fernandes said. “If you don’t know 100 percent what type of kayak the person you’re shopping for wants, you may want to purchase a gift card. That’s usually a great idea, and we have a lot of post-holiday sales so people can get a brand-new kayak at a discounted price.”
She also sells accessories that can serve as great gifts for someone who already owns a kayak. These include car racks, outerwear, water shoes, floating dry bags, life jackets, kayak earrings and holiday ornaments. The shop also sells a waterproof dry bag stocked with several safety items including a bilge pump, whistle, signaling device, paddle leash, compass and signal light.
Other popular items include a gift card for a kayak or paddleboarding lesson; a gift card to rent a high-end luxury kayak for a day or weekend; and purchasing a Cape Cod Kayak tour for the entire family.
“We do a lot of outings during the summer that involve the whole family,” Ms. Fernandes said. “It creates a special family memory and is an experience the whole family can enjoy.”
Gift A Gym Membership
When you’re shopping this holiday season, Jennifer Mincone offered this piece of advice: “The best gift you can give is one of health. It’s an investment that always leads to happiness.”
A fitness trainer who has owned Sweat Studio on Main Street in Falmouth, for the past four years, she should know. Her state-of-the-art gym is complete with a boxing room with 24 heavy bags; a boot camp room that is also used for pole fitness classes during the evenings; 10 Peleton bikes and two Peleton treadmills; and showers and locker rooms.
A daily, weekly or monthly pass to a gym like hers is a gift that can help someone either get on the road to a healthier lifestyle or stay on it.
“One client gave her sister six personal training sessions as a gift and she’s been continuing on and lost over 40 pounds with me,” Ms. Mincone said. “Most of the training she does virtually. She comes in once a week and does virtual training three times a week.”
Studios like hers offer something that can be difficult to achieve working out alone—accountability.
“That’s one of the top reasons people come to Sweat Studio. Once people make an appointment and have a plan to come, they are accountable to be there,” she said. “It can be challenging to keep yourself accountable. And the other reason people come is consistency. To reach your goals, you have to be consistent.”
There are many things Ms. Mincone loves about her job, but at the top of the list is that she’s helping people, using fitness as the catalyst.
“I love the fact that I can bring a group of people in at 6 in the morning. Some people may feel sad about one thing or another, but they feel way better when they leave,” she said. “I love that people feel better, mentally and physically, when they leave. I love helping people, and my goal is to have people feel better than when they walked in. We are all working for our own benefit, but we’re all here for the same reason—to feel better.”