On the Shape of Things to Come:

The Solstice Celebration Night Ride was a lot of fun, and gathered a lot of positive commentary, so…  We’re gonna do something like that again!  How about a Mid-Summer’s Eve Celebration Ride?  We’d go on Monday, 2 August.  The format will be very similar to the Solstice Ride, but a different route.  I’m thinking of a loop or an out-and-back to the south.  Start/Finish at the amphitheater again.  It’s very likely we’d leave a bit earlier.  What say?  I’d like to hear commentary on this.

Tour to Bike MS:  I’ve written about this before.  I’m going to do this.

Sept 10 thru Sept 13.  We’ll ride to Pine Mountain on Friday, do the street fair and party, do the Bike MS rides on Saturday and Sunday, and then ride back home, via the mountain, Warm Springs and Gay route, with “bonus miles” on the Concord, Digby, Brooks route, or more direct home via Harralson, Alvaton, Senoia.

The idea is a semi-self supported tour style, to and from the Bike MS event.  This could be a great training ride for those of you planning an even longer event in the fall.

Watch this space for details on Start/finish points, times, and requirements.

Late Summer Ramble?  I really want to do a multi-day tour this year.  I’ve pretty much shelved some of the more ambitious projects (Blue Ridge Parkway, Natchez Trace).  It’s been one tough year, and it is just not possible to do it all.  That said, I would still like to do a weekend, or possibly long weekend tour in late September, or Early October.  Who’s interested?

Friday Follies ~~ One of the best rides ever

Back in the last century, in the early Spring of ’96, we were all pretty excited around here.  The Olympics were coming.  No secret there.  We’d known it, for sure, since ’90.  But it was a buzz.  Things were happening.  The venues were getting built.  Come Summer, we would be hosting the world for the big games.  Of course that didn’t mean a lot to most of us on a daily basis.

I lived just outside Woolsey, GA, in the then still largely rural southern end of Fayette County.  I had a rare day off of work, and better yet, the weather was unusually mild for the early part of Spring, so (naturally) I geared up and went for a bike ride.  I was out on one of my favorite routes, settled into just rolling along and enjoying the day.

Off in the distance, I spotted a cyclist or two, on the opposite side of the road.  That vision quickly resolved into paceline coming toward me.  First impression, these guys are orderly, and seem to know what they are doing.  Second impression, they seem to be (mostly) kitted out the same, and the kits don’t look new.  Third impression, they are really moving!  Fourth impression, they all seem pretty young as they fly past in the other direction.

At that time and place, most of these impressions were fairly unusual.  We didn’t have that many road cyclists in the area.  The “Lance Effect” was still in the future.  To see a group that obviously knew what it was doing, fit, and fast, was more than unusual.  “Must be some kind of team,”  I thought.

That group blew past me, heading in the other direction.  I waved and called out a greeting as they did.  I could hear some conversation among them, but couldn’t make out what was said.  I had just filed the extremely brief incident under the mental heading of “Neat Stuff That Happens,” when I became aware of something really odd.  That entire group was doing a turnaround, back there behind me.

Now consider this.  I was on a good road, with a light wind.  I was fresh.  I was motoring along, somewhere above 20 mph.  It can be assumed that the paceline was going at least that fast as we passed each other.  The paceline turned, in order, like a line of ducklings.  So there was a pretty big gap between me and them.

I was just getting to the point of wondering what in blazes they intended when…  They accelerated.  They did it effortlessly, and closed on me in startlingly little time.

Cyclists do play games with each other.  I was wondering just what this game was going to be, when their lead rider came abreast of me, the paceline slowed and matched my speed.  The leader looked over at me and spoke.  In French.  I was lost after his, “Bonjour”.  My French is lousy to non-existent, but he really seemed to want to convey something to me, and it didn’t seem to be hostile or challenging.  So I replied,  “Bonjour.  Non parlait Francais.  Anglais, s’ il vous plait?”

That started a discussion among them.  In French, I think.  By then I was noticing things.  There were seven or eight of them.  One was talking on a cell phone, and the discussion seemed to be fairly intense.  At the same time, the group seemed to reach a consensus, and they accelerated slightly, until one of the men in mid-group was opposite me.

“Allo!”  he said,  “I am Johann.”  He continued, in accented English, saying words to the effect of,  “We are hoping you may give us help?  We have become confused about the way.  We do not have home here.”

I’d pretty much figured that out.  First off the jerseys they were wearing were alike, and there wasn’t a word of English on them.  But they did feature a flag with stripes in black, yellow, and red, and I recognized the “Lion of Flanders” in one of the designs.  I suddenly had goose bumps, and not from the air temp.

A little conversation with my new-found acquaintance gained more information.  They were a cycling team.  They were lost.  Their coach was in the team van, with the mechanic, and he didn’t know where he was.  Could I help them?  They all looked very worried.

That worry is understandable.  At that time the U.S. was getting some pretty terrible press about the way we treated foreign visitors.  A young Japanese tourist had recently been shot for walking up to a house in Louisiana and asking directions.  These guys were, to say the least nervous.

I said that I would be happy to help.  Yes, I would talk with their coach on the phone.  I suggested that we move ahead down the road to a spot where we could safely stop while I had that conversation.  There was a little talk among the group.  A decision was reached, and magic happened.

Up to that point, these young men had been riding beside me.  They had respected my space on the road, and stayed out in the middle, giving me complete freedom to move around, while they easily matched pace with me.  At the moment that the group reached their consensus, and knew that I was willing to help, one of their number shouted out a couple of commands, and…

They reformed, around me, incorporating me into the center of the group.  We moved smoothly ahead, at a somewhat faster pace, until I indicated that here was a good spot to stop.  We pulled off of the road, and I was handed the cell phone.

The man on the other end spoke excellent, if accented, English.  He was one of the coaches of the team.  He and the mechanic were in the team van.  They had stopped to deal with a mechanical on one rider’s bike.  The team, continuing their training ride, must have missed a turn, while the van was stopped.  Now the team did not know where they were, and neither did the support crew in the van.  Could I help them?

Okay!  I knew where I was.  So job one was to figure out where the van was.  The coach did not know.  I had him drive for a while, asking him for road signs, and descriptions of landmarks.  It took about ten minutes for me to get him located.  He was then, about 20 miles away from my location.  I was able to give him easy to follow directions to the town of Brooks.  That would cut the distance between us to about 15 miles.  We would ride there to meet him.

What happened next was pure magic.  These kids were in their late teens and early twenties.  They were athletes in superb condition, future Olympians.  I was reasonably fit, but in my mid 40s.  They formed up around me, and we were off.  Suddenly I was in that wonderful, fabled, and dreamed of position, that of the team captain, or the specialist of the day, the rider that the whole team works to advance and protect.  Me!

They surrounded me.  There were two in front, side-by-side, taking the wind away from me.  There was one each to my left and right, blocking sidewinds.  There were two more tight behind me, and one or two behind them.  They rotated around me, without speaking, never holding any position for more than 15 to 20 seconds.  My water bottles and pack were taken from me as we rode.  When I needed a drink, a bottle was handed to me.  When they thought I needed a drink, a bottle was shoved into my hand.  (Rather more often than I would have chosen.)  If I faltered in the slightest, a hand reached out and steadied me. When I started to lag on a hill a pair of hands, one from each side, pressed firmly against my lower back, lifting me up.  We owned the road.  It didn’t happen, but I suspect that if a semi had challenged us, they would have ridden it down and shouldered it off the road.

I was not allowed to take a lead pull. I know they were slowed and limited by my capabilities.  None of them were even breathing hard.

I was far too busy to look at my cyclecomputer.  I did later.  My max speed for the entire ride was well over 35 mph, and there were no significant descents on the route!

In well under 45 minutes, we pulled into Brooks, Georgia.  The rental van was parked at the US Post Office.  The coach got out of the van, smiling.  He spoke briefly to his team, and then came to me and shook my hand firmly.  He expressed his gratitude and relief.  He thanked me for going out of the way to help his team.  Could he give me a ride home?

I declined the offer, pointing to my bike.  That would be no problem, the van had the racks to carry bicycles.  I thanked him again, and said I would prefer to ride home.  “I understand completely,”  the coach said.  “How far is it to this home of yours?  Could you show it to me on this map?”

I was a little confused by that request, but he continued, saying that, if I would not accept a ride, then the least he and his team could do was to support me in the rest of my ride.  And they did.  They formed up around me, and kept me in the protected position in their group as I rode the 15 or so miles to my lane.  I indicated that this was my turn, and magically my own bottles appeared in my cages, and my pack was settled on my shoulders, all without slowing or breaking formation.  They waved to me as I pulled off to the side and they continued on their way.

That was how I rode with the Belgian cycling team.  They were here, doing some scouting and training in preparation for the coming Olympics.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ A little Housekeeping

Summer Maintenance:  Computers, Bikes, and Lights

Computers:  I’ve always thought that the beginning of Summer is a good time to replace computer batteries.  In modern cyclecomputers, the batteries tend to last two to three years.  (Less, if it’s a wireless device.  Grrr)  Since cyclecomputers are useful for keeping training data, and maintenance information, we don’t want the battery to go dead, and thus lose all our data.  Batteries are cheap, and the time it takes is minimal.

A quick and important note:  Before attempting to replace the battery in your bike computer, record all of your data!

Bikes:  This relates to the computer item above.  Do you keep a training log?  How about a Maintenance Log for your bike?  I like to record the mileage, and date, of each and every maintenance operation performed on each bike.  This doesn’t have to be too involved.  (I use an Excel Worksheet.)

Every time a component is replaced (chain, cable, cassette, bar tape, etc.), and every time the bike receives any work (lube, clean, adjust a brake, etc.) I note it.  For most of you, you will find that your mechanic will appreciate knowing the answer to the question,  “When did you _____ ?”  Oddly, this is really rare.  I can think of only two customers of mine who maintain such records.  They get really good wear from their bikes, and really good service from me.

Lights:  With the Solstice Night ride over, it’s a really good bet that most of you are pretty much through with your lights for the next three to four months.  Would you like them to be ready for you, the next time you want them?  Would you like that to cost?  The way to accomplish this is to store you r lights correctly.

The critical item in a lighting system, is the battery.  How you handle storage of your lights depends on the battery type. 

Disposable battery type lights:  Remove the batteries at once.  If this is not done, there is a very good chance that the batteries will fully discharge and “cook off,” leaking lots of goey acid loaded gunk.  Usually this situation destroys the light.  So store this type of light without batteries installed.

Rechargeable battery type lights:  Rechargeable batteries “like” to have regular attention.  They should be stored with a full charge.  More, they should be exercised at least once every month.  This means you should use them for an hour or two, and then recharge them again.

If you don’t plan to ride at night, here are two strategies for exercising those lights.  1)  Active burn:  Go ahead and use them for an hour or two in the day time.

2)  Passive burn:  This is a bit trickier.  Light systems make heat, and they don’t like to be too hot.  If you want to burn your lights without riding them, set them up so that they are in the path of a good strong fan.  Then run them for that one or two hours, before recharging and then returning to storage.

I’d say do it now, while you are thinking  of it.

Summer Solstice Celebration Night Ride: A Ride Report

Monday night was when we went out to ride around the perimeter of our fair city, in celebration of the coming of Summer.

Let’s do the details first.  Present for this one were, in no particular order, Bob and Judy, Teresa, Anastasia, Amanda, Amy, Chris, Dan, and your faithful correspondent.

We went 39.1 miles, in 2:57.  We were stopped (intersections and a couple of quick organizational stops) for a total of 8 minutes 26 seconds.

Rolling Average Speed:  14.0 mph

Overall Average Speed:  13.25 mph

Weather is always a factor in this climate.  Monday night was no exception.  We had outstanding weather.  It was warm as we left “The Fred”, but as the sun sank it quickly cooled to a delightfully pleasant evening. 

We all lit our taillights at ride time, to save trouble later.  It was still daylight, with a sinking sun, as we pushed off.  We were treated to a spectacular sunset as we advanced into the evening.  The big red sinking sun over the lake on the way into Senoia was not to be missed.  There were amazing skyscapes as the waning day backlit the few large cloud formations.

Amy vs. the Wildlife:  We did encounter a few deer, and had to deal with one absolutely enormous and stubbornly pesky horsefly.  The fly seemed determined to take Amy off the bike, and drag her home to feed the family.

General tone:  What can I say?  There was a lot of laughter, a lot of joking and some occasional hilarity.  At the same time, group riding discipline was good, and safety issues were generally well observed.  (Read, nobody scared me at any time during the trip.)  This was a fun group to be out with, and I enjoyed it tremendously.

Highlights:  Minix Road, two miles of sand and no pavement.  “Where did the road go?”  The Tyrone Police out doing what they do best, stopping speeders on GA-74.  A big fat moon rising over us.  Evening star Venus tracking us along the way.  Distant lightening, flashing in the night sky.  Absolutely ripping down the last long descent inside Peachtree City.  Friends laughing.  The quiet of our town as we returned.  Ending the ride, tired and happy.

Can we do it again?  I was gratified to hear that question.  I would say a qualified yes.  I’m not really up for leading a regular, weekly (or even monthly) summer night ride, but I see no reason why we could not have another one.  Let’s see.  Why not keep the Celtic theme going?  How does a “Mid-Summer’s Eve Ride Sound?  Monday night, 2 August.  We’d do a similar format, but with a totally different route, and possibly a different start/finish venue.  Who’s in?

How to Ride in the Heat:

(See tomorrow’s post for a ride report on last night’s Solstice Celebration Night Ride.  It’s late, and I already have this column “on the spike.”)

It’s warm now.  If I’m reading the tealeaves correctly, it’s going to get warmer.  A lot warmer.  That El Nino thing has about disappeared.  That was the system that gave us such a long spell of cooler and wetter.  My best guess is, it’s gonna be a hot one.

I like heat, but there are some reservations, and precautions.

Adapt:  Give yourself time to become fully acclimated to the increased temps.  In our climate, the changes seem to come abruptly.  This can catch us by surprise.  Be aware of the changes, and allow for them.  Slow down a bit until you have had a week to two weeks to become accustomed to a given range.

Expect the Changes:  Heat stress hits you in multiple ways.  First, your body is working harder.  It takes effort to deal with the temperature alone.  You have to process a lot of moisture, and the heat itself applies loads to you.  A big caution:  Do not go as hard.  Increased athletic effort causes the body to supply less blood to the digestive system.  Guess what?  You need the digestive system to process the water that you had better be drinking.

Less Oxygen:  Honest, it’s true.  There is less air in the air.  The phenomenon is one that pilots are familiar with.  It’s called density altitude.  Two things affect this,  Temperature and Humidity.  As both increase the density altitude increases.  In our area we can see density altitudes of around 5,000 feet.  That means that it’s like riding your bike on a hot day, a mile above sea level.  So you are getting about half the charge of oxygen for each lungful of air.  So you’re working harder.

Optional discussion of density altitude:  (It’s okay to skip this section and go to the next.  This is here for those with inquiring minds.)  As air heats, it becomes less dense.  This is because it expands.  Humidity also decreases the density of air.  Each water molecule in the air displaces one molecule of oxygen or nitrogen.  A water molecule is a lot less dense (and less useful for breathing) than an oxygen molecule.  So the effect is that there is less oxygen available to support effort.  It’s exactly as if you were at a higher altitiude.  And remember, half the atmosphere is below 5,000 feet.

High Heat = Slow Down!!:  When the temp rises into the high 90s, or higher, you simply must decrease effort.  Attempting a PR at these temps is a fast way to end up in the emergency room.  At this point, it can still be a lot of fun, and good exercise to go out and ride, but stay within yourself.  Do not overexert.  Remember, as soon as you begin to go harder, your core temp starts to rise.  Likely, your cooling systems are already working hard.  Back down and live until it gets cooler.

Incidentally, it’s not a bad idea.  On the hottest days, avoid the hottest hours.  Ride in the morning, or evening.  If you find yourself stuck out on the road, seek shelter and water during the period between 2:00 P.M. and 4:00 P.M.  (This is, typically the hottest time of day here in the Atlanta area.)

The practical techniques:

Start hydrating before you get on the bike.  If you are a bit dry before you start to exercise, you are going to be in trouble sooner.  Begin drinking regularly at least eight hours before riding.

Carry more water.  You’re going to need it.  You should be drinking one to two liters (bottles) every hour.  You will need to reserve one bottle for dousing.

Douse yourself.  The equivalent of a half mouthful of water, squirted through the front vents of your helmet, can have an incredible cooling effect.  Do this every ten to fifteen minutes.

Bring a bandana or two.  A dampened bandana, draped around your neck, will help drop your temperature.

Remember the sunscreen.  Skin that has just started to sunburn, is skin that has lost over half of its ability to cool you.  Apply a good strong (SPF 30 or higher) sun-block before you ride.  Put it on thick.   Reapply regularly.

With a little caution and savvy, it’s possible to ride through the Summer here, and have a blast doing it.  Good luck, and sunny days!

It’s SUMMER!!!!

In praise of the longest day of the year:

At 07:28 EDT, the our Star, Sol, will appear to be at it’s farthest northern point.  In fact this is the moment when our north pole is pointed most toward the sun.  This is the “longest day of the year.”  We have the most daylight time on the Solstice.

As a kid, I didn’t know what this meant, really, or why it happened, I just knew that it was the “longest day.”  School was out, and a distant (and mostly unpleasant) memory.  But June 21 was the day!  I looked forward to it.  I planned for it.  I wanted to take the maximum advantage of this “longest day.”

I would jump on my bike as soon as I possibly could, and go out and travel.  I’d use this long day to great advantage.  I’d go somewhere far away.  Of course, in my world, this didn’t mean much, as I still had to do chores before I left, and had to be home in time for dinner.  But to me, this was exciting.  It was the longest day!  It needed to be observed.

In point of fact, I could have made those trips on almost any day, but there was something special about it being the longest day, and the beginning of Summer.

Tonight, a bunch of us will be marking this day by doing a ride that will start at 8:00 PM.  We’ll ride into the night, traveling around the outer limits of our city.

It’s good to mark these days, the arrival of the seasons, the turning of the globe.  It’s good to re-visit the boundaries of our home.  It’s good to go out and ride with friends.  And a warm and pleasant night ride almost doesn’t need an excuse.

Friday Follies ~~ Time for a Chilling Tale

I can tell this one now.  It’s warm enough outside for a story like this.

I lived in north Texas for a while.  I was in the Town of Lewisville, which is a bit north of Dallas.  At the time I was riding the old Schwinn Iron Eagle, a road bike of no particular note.  Its principle virtues were reliability, and extreme weight.  It was a twelve speed with crappy brakes, but it worked well in that part of Texas.  Most of north Texas is prairie land.  It’s flat.  I mean flat as the floor flat.  On the other hand, the wind is almost always blowing, and there is no place to hide from it.

I’d done a fair amount of riding, managed to get thoroughly lost several times, and had explored enough to have several favorite rides and routes.  When work, and other obligations permitted, I liked to do one of several long rides.

One other piece of background info.  September is a summer month, but north Texas weather is…  shall we say …variable.

I got up early, on a Saturday morning.  It was not yet light out when I started.  The overnight temps had dropped into an almost chilly range, but the forecast was for a warm day.  I was wearing a light jacket, over summer riding clothes.  Shortly after dawn I took the jacket off.  The day was warming, and the wind was out of the south, warm and humid.  There was a high haze that did nothing to cut the bite out of the sun.  At least it was a mostly tailwind.  I made good time.  Two hours into the ride, I was a good 35 miles along.  This was my water stop.  I needed it.

That tailwind was moving me right along, but it was getting warm, and I was using water.  Another hour and I realized I was going to need to make an additional water stop.  That didn’t bother me.  I was making good time.

My goal was to get up to Late Texoma, on the Texas-Oklahoma border.  That would be about 75 miles for an outbound leg.  There was a nice park at my turn around, right on the water.  I would be able to eat my lunch in the park, take it easy for a while, and then do the trip back.  I even took a nap.  My plan was to do most of the return trip after the heat of the day passed.  That worked out amazingly.

I was filling my bottles, getting ready for my return ride, when I noticed a nice, cooling breeze, coming in off the lake.  Hey!  Off the lake was good.  That meant the wind had shifted around and was now coming from the north.  Then I noticed that the clouds and that high haze were moving off to the south, and doing so rather quickly.

The air actually felt almost pleasant, nicely cooler than it had been.  “Deliberate haste,”  I told myself.  “Seventy five miles to home.  Not going to do it in a rush.”  But I didn’t waste any time pulling myself together and getting on the bike.  Another half hour, and the temperature had dropped to an extremely pleasant mid-70s, and the wind had picked up.  By then the sky was a severe clear, and extremely deep blue in color.  The increasing tailwind was helping me.  I was making good time, but I expected I’d need it.  I have to admit I was having fun, even though I had forebodings.

Two hours into the return trip, and I had gone over 40 miles.  The wind was definitely pushing me along, but the temp was still dropping.  I didn’t need the store clerk to say what he did.

“Yep.  Looks like we’re in for a blue norther.”

I had already been thinking that.  I hadn’t wanted to hear it.

A “Blue Norther” is a Texas thing.  Seems like they can happen at almost any time of the year, but late Summer through mid Spring is the most likely.    The wind swings around and comes out of the north.  The temperature drops sharply, and the wind builds up.  And up!  Temperature swings of 40 degrees in an hour are not unheard of.  In six hours the mercury can drop from 85 degrees down into the 20s.  Or lower.

As I walked out of the store, the wind was gusting and beginning to be sharp.  At least it was going to be a tailwind.  I was shivering as I mounted the bike.  I stopped and pulled on my jacket.  It helped.

An hour later, I had stopped again and bought an early edition Sunday paper.  I’d distributed it across my back, under my jacket, and in tubes inside the sleeves.  That helped too.  I’d also bought a lousy stocking cap, and a pair of work gloves.  Those helped a bit more.  In retrospect, I’m really glad that the “mushroom hat” helmets of that day were poorly ventilated.

The last twenty miles of my ride were an exercise in misery.  I was moving.  Moving fast.  But I was on the ragged border of serious hypothermia.  I was shivering so hard that controlling the bike was difficult.  If cell phones had existed, I would have swallowed my pride and called for a ride.  They didn’t.  By the time I was in Lewisville, I was only a few more miles away from home.  It didn’t seem worthwhile to stop and make a call.  I toughed it out for another ten minutes.

It was just after 4:00 P.M.  I had made outstanding time on that return leg.  I’d averaged over 20 mph, including the stops!  But the radio was announcing a temperature in the upper 30s, and I was chilled to the bone.  That was one of those rides.  It was one where this rider was just incredibly glad to reach the end.

A long, hot shower, and about 300 cups of coffee and 1,000 calories later, I was starting to feel almost human again.

I should add this.  Eighteen weeks later, on New Year’s Day, a group of us did the same route.  We had almost exactly opposite results.  We started out into a nasty, misty day, with the wind in our faces.  As the day wore on, the drizzle stopped, the clouds lifted, and right after we reached the lake, the wind swung around to come out of the south.  By the time we finished, the temp was in the high 70s.  Of course, we’d had a headwind in both directions, but…  When I heard the others griping about that, I just smiled and said,  “Believe me, you want it that way.”

Adventure Defined:  Someone else, having a really bad time of it, a long way from here.

Adventures are a whole lot more fun when you aren’t having them.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ What about…?

A quick review of History:

First there was the Stone Age.  Hobbes said it all.  "Life was nasty, brutish, and short."  It wasn’t much fun.

Then came the age of the Early Civilizations.  This was more fun, if you were one of the folks at the top of the heap.

Next came Rome.  Huge Empire.  Big Wars.  Couldn’t keep it together.  Fell apart.

The Dark Ages:  No fun at all.

The Medieval Age:  Things were getting back together.

Along came the Renaissance.  Wow!  We discovered we had brains.  (And Leonardo drew plans for a bicycle.)

The Renaissance led to the Age of Reason.  Now we had brains and we started to use them!

Next came the Age of Enlightenment.  We have brains, we can use them, and we can use them in an organized fashion!  (The first Velocipedes appear.)

That gave way to the Industrial Revolution.  (Real bicycles are invented.)

The Industrial Revolution led to the Computer Revolution, which brings us to now. 

We’re right in the middle of the Age that R.A. Heinlein called “The Crazy Years.”

I’m thinking we’re in need of a new “Age.”  We need an “Age of Acting Like We’re Not Complete Idiots!”

How would this age be different?  We’d pay attention.  We’d hang up and drive!  We’d quit ganging up on each other, unless it was absolutely necessary.  We’d get our noses out of each other’s business, except in cases of force, fraud, or coercion.  We’d all eat a reasonable amount of good food, and get plenty of exercise.  We’d ride our bikes a lot more.

On that last one, ride your bike more.  Get others to try it too.  I can think of no other activity which is more likely to develop insanity, and cure it at the same time.

How to take a S**t in the woods:

I’ve said it before, and often, “Ride long enough and everything happens to you, good or bad.”

Necessary Parental Discretion Alert:  The topic of this post is somewhat delicate in nature.  This is biology, folks.  Readers inclined to queasiness about natural bodily functions may wish to skip this post.

This one came up as a request while we were standing around waiting for a ride to start last week.  There was a general interest in the topic, so here it is.

First of let me deliver a very important and pertinent note.  I’m not kidding about this, and it is potentially serious.  WARNING!  If you are caught peeing in the bushes, in the State of Georgia, you will be charged as a Sex Offender!  This could be a serious problem!  Use extreme discretion!

If you ride long enough, you are going to be confronted with a delicate problem.  Sooner or later you are going to have to face a situation in which you must answer “nature’s call,” and there will not be a handy little private room available.  In the absence of a societally sanctioned porcelain defecatorium, what is a poor (and desperate) cyclist to do?  Sometimes it’s a simple case of overcrowding. .  I’ve found myself stuck without TP in a port-a-potty, at some pretty large events.  Bad.  I’ve also had the occasion where I found that I was one of approximately 1,987,254 riders waiting to use the only portable toilet.

Be prepared!  1)  Carry toilet paper.  2)  Carry soap/hand sanitizer.

For longer rides, whether solo, sanctioned events, supported charity events, or whatever, carry toilet paper.  I’ve found that things can happen.  In this area, it’s wise to be able to be self-reliant.  Incidentally, it’s nice if the toilet paper you are carrying is bio-degradable.  Cottonelle is one reliable brand.  It is available in almost any large retail grocery.  It is reasonably soft and strong.

How to carry it:  Slowly roll two or three yards off of the roll.  Roll this length of TP into a small cylinder.  Now place the cylinder of re-rolled TP into a zip lock sandwich bag.  Now place the package into another zip lock bag.  Honest you want this stuff to be sealed up.  You do not want it getting wet from rain or sweat!  There.  You have a nice, small, light package, ready to carry with you for those roadside emergencies.

Cleanliness:  Mix an equal amount of liquid hand soap, and hand sanitizer.  Place the resulting mixture in either a small, seal-able plastic container, or inside a zip lock baggie.  Two to three ounces is enough to last you a long time, and has other uses beyond the scope of this discussion.  (Consider: You may want to handle food after you’ve changed a tire.)

The Approach:  Safety first!

You have decided that an informal, outdoor nature call is unavoidable.  First, find a more rural and deserted area.  Do not perform any of these functions in someone’s front yard!!!!  It is best if you can find a wooded area, with a relatively flat shoulder between you and the road.  Try to select a site that will not require climbing a fence.

Be cautious about traffic (for multiple reasons!) ride to the side of the road and stop.  Dismount.  Carry, or push your bike to the edge of the woods.  (Really.  Don’t ride off the road and across the shoulder.  Crashes and flats only add more stress to an already bad situation.)

If you have riding partners, they can hold your bike.  Otherwise, it’s probably a good idea to push it just inside the woods.  It won’t signal your presence, and is liable to be there when you are finished.

Move carefully deep enough into the brush to be discretely screened from sight of passing motorists.  Trust me on this!  A car will come by, even on the most deserted of roads.  More, it will come by at the most inconvenient moment.

Site Selection:  This is somewhat dependent on who you are, and what you have to do.  Generally, watch where you are stepping.  Learn to identify poison plants, such as poison ivy, poison sumac, and trumpet vine.   (See yesterday’s post on this.)  Don’t step on snakes.  Look for a clear spot with no vegetation on it.  Look in all directions first.  Can you see anyone?  Are you going to be visible to a casual observer?

Select a spot that is not covered with foliage.  Use the heel of your riding shoe or boot to kick leafy debris off of your site, and to gouge a small hole.

Now comes the delicate part.  Drop your shorts to mid thigh, and squat down over your target.  Complete your business, and then…

Now do you understand the part about carrying toilet paper and sanitizer.  Use your toilet paper sparingly.  Drop the used paper in the hole, and then kick the dirt and top debris back over it.  Now a few drops of sanitizer/soap on the hands, and scrub.  Use water from your bottle to rinse.

Additional Caution about plant life.  Do not, under any circumstances, use plant leaves to wipe yourself or clean up.  Any plant used in this fashion will turn out to be poison ivy.  Trust me on this one.  Further, if it has rained recently, be especially careful about brushing plant against plants.  The blister agents in most of these things can transfer very well in water.  If you think you have contacted any of the poison plants, wash the site of contact immediately.

Hopefully you won’t have to use this advice, but if you do, be careful, and keep it clean.  Safe and happy riding to you all.

Identifying some Hazards:

We aren’t always on the bike.  As cyclists, we sometimes get off the bike and wander in the woods.  (See tomorrow’s post for more on this topic.  Grins)

It’s good to know some of these.  A close encounter with any of these types of foliage could mess up a good weekend, and a sizable fraction of the Summer.

Notice, the trumpet vine is a surprise to a lot of folks.  It has, like the others, the ability to deliver contact rash producing chemicals.  Don’t handle it!  It’s blooming now.  Go look for some, and notice the distinctive leaf pattern.  That’s how you will identify it later on.  The stuff is common around our area, and after bloom time ends, the leaf arrangement is the only way you will be able to recognize it.

Poison Oak Leaves

Poison Ivy

Poison Sumac

Trumpet Vine

Avoid these, and you will have a much happier summer.  Ride safe out there!

Solstice Ride And Beyond:

One week from tonight is the Summer Solstice Celebration Night Ride.  Are you planning to go?  Have you checked out your lights, and charged them?  What about finding your reflective gear.  Likely, it’s been a while since most of you have used this stuff.  With one week to go, now is a good time to find it, test it, get it laid out and ready.

Honest, you are going to need the night riding equipment.  We’ll be leaving the Frederick Brown Amphitheater parking lot at 8:00 PM (sharp).  It will still be daylight then.  But…

On Solstice Day, Local Sunset is 8:51 PM and, Civil Twilight ends at 9:20 PM.  After that it will be dark.  We won’t get much help from the Moon either.  It will be a waxing crescent, only 13% illuminated, and it will be low in the western sky.  Moonset should occur while we are riding.

One other cautionary note:  We’re going!  Rain or shine, we ride.  This time of year, an evening “pop-up” T-shower can never be ruled out.  So plan on it.  Bring your rain shell, your helmet cover, and a cap to wear under your helmet.  Just in case.

This one isn’t about hammering and setting PRs.  Rather, it’s a ride as an excuse to go out at night, enjoy the cool (relatively) night air, share company, and just plain have some fun.

I’m going to suggest (rather strongly) that the group stay together for safety and fun sake.  Besides, I won’t have time to generate and print cue sheets.

What in blazes are we doing?  We’re going to ride around the outer boundaries of our fair city.  That means we’ll be well outside of it most of the time.  We’ll be checking to see if things are still there, and we’re riding to welcome in the start of Summer.

What’s the route like?  To begin with, it’s in this area.  So we’ll have some hills to climb...  (Incidentally, uphills aren’t as steep at night.)  …and to descend.  (Downhills are steeper at night.)  We’ll even see some flat roads.  We’ll be going in a big circle, and we’ll cover close to 45 miles.  We’ll stay (mostly) away from traffic.  We’ll go around Peachtree City, in a sort of, clockwise direction.  We will return to “The Fred” somewhere between 11:00 PM and midnight.  We can expect to see wildlife.  We can expect some kind of excitement, and some long quiet stretches. 

Should I bring food?  Definitely!  And water too!

What kind of bike should I ride?  I’d recommend a road bike.  Fixies and singles are okay if you are brave enough to do 45 miles on one.  Sure, you can ride a mountain bike, but I would not recommend it.

Requirements:  Helmets.  Good head lights, taillights, reflective vest or sash, and reflective ankle bands.  We’ll do this one rain or shine!

BTW:  This one is posted on the South Side Cycling Club’s website, but as of this writing, no one has signed up to go.  Does that mean I’m gonna do this solo?

You said “beyond.”  What’s that mean?  It means that I’m itching to get out on the road with friends and go places.  Keep watching this space.  I want to do some touring.  This has already been one tough year, and it’s hard to schedule things.  I’ve had to scrap (for now) the plans for the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour.  We could do a reprise of last year’s Cheaha Challenge and Adventure.  I am certain that I am going to include a bit of touring, to and from the Cox Bike MS ride in Pine Mountain.  So stay tuned, stay on the bike, and stay safe!

Friday Follies ~~ How many bikes do you have?

I get asked that one fairly frequently.  The answer is not a simple one.  You see, there are these things in my shop.  (I maintain my own personal shop at home, not to be confused with the Tech Dept at the bike store.)  The things are bins, boxes, hooks, shelves of bike parts.  There are things that are not bicycles now, but once were.  Some of those things have become bikes again.  My FrankenFixie is a prime example of this.  That bike started out as a mountain bike.  It has become a bare frame (not a bicycle) on several occasions, and come back to life differently each time.

I have been known to attack a project to build a bike.  There was a specific concept that I had in mind at the beginning.  But…  Before the dust settled, two existing bikes became something else, and the inventory had increased by two bicycles

Then too, some of the bikes on hand are, at any given point, becoming “donors,” surrendering part to other projects.  At some point, these are no longer bicycles.

“Well, how many bikes do you have that are actually rideable?”  I am sometimes asked.  Then I have to think.  Do I include the totally complete bike that needs a new chain, rear wheel work, and a new front tire?  I suppose it could be rideable, given an hour’s work.

But then there’s the Projects.  You see, I’m an inveterate tinkerer.  I get these ideas.  And then a Project starts.  Sometimes, these projects have been started because I stumbled on a cool new wheelset.  Sometimes, it’s a frame that could become something neat and different.  I started one project (now gone) with a saddle and a nifty handlebar.  Should I include any projects I have underway?  They will be bicycles soon.

“How about just an estimate?” my questioner might ask.  Okay.  Well, there’s the two fixies, the singlespeed, and the two road bikes I ride fairly regularly.  That’s five.  Then there’s my daughter’s first road bike and the tandem.  I should add the go-fast super road bike.  I don’t know, nine or ten.  But I have an idea for this travel bike see, and…

Thursday Thoughts: Up or Down?

Only a brief thought today, but one worth pondering.

The building is called life.  It is full of choices.  Every choice defines us.

In the lobby, there is an elevator.  It only has one button, and the arrow over the door points down.  There is no “Up” arrow.  The sign over the elevator says “Stupid.”

There is no ground floor under Stupid.  The elevator just keeps going down.

On the other side of the lobby is another elevator.  This one goes up only.  It is marked, “Brilliance.”

If you are inside the Brilliance elevator, you will notice that the control panel is rather odd.  There is one “Up” button.  But there is another, that is marked,  “Transfer to Stupid.”  It’s very easy to get off of the Brilliance elevator, and start going down to Stupid.

I am often prompted to think of this image at intersections.

Consider this.  Collisions require, at a minimum, two participants.  It’s always a group effort.  It’s not “narrow roads,” or the lack of shoulders and bike lanes.  Yes, good roads make it a bit easier to ride with brilliance.  But the feat can be pulled off on a cow path.  On the other hand, it is possible to hit the “Stupid Button” on any kind of road.  On any kind of bike.  On any day.  At any time.  And there is no ground floor under Stupid.

One Extremely Powerful Training Tip:

This one could increase your performance on the bike, and at work, and greatly improve your health and life expectancy.  Are you ready?

Get more sleep.

That’s it.  Get more sleep.  Really.

Here’s the how it works.  Training is a stimulus.  The body responds to this stimulus by repairing and overcompensating.  But the body can only do this while you are resting.  Of course you should take one or two rest days in each training week, but if you are sleep deprived, you are not getting enough rest, and the full response to your training is seriously limited.  Besides, you’ll feel a lot better, be more alert, be more resistant to infection, miss fewer days of training and work, and be a happier person.

How much sleep is enough?  Most adults (over 25 years) can pretty well “get by” on 6 to 7 hours of sleep per night.  But the truth is that 8 hours would be about the minimum for good health.  Training increases this need.  Heavy training increases it significantly.

If you are training for between 8 and 10 hours per week, your nightly sleep time should be close to 9 hours per night.  If you are going through a period of 15 hours (or more) of training per week, the sleep requirement is closer to 10 hours per night.

Where do I find that kind of time?  I don’t have all the answers to that.  But I do have one great suggestion.  Turn the TV off, and limit internet time.  Really.  Various studies show different results for how much TV people watch, but it’s pretty clear that the typical American adult watches something like 4 to 5 hours of TV every day.  Could you possibly take two hours of that and use it better by sleeping?

Personal Disclosure:  I have been “television free” for over 15 years.  I haven’t missed it.  Somehow I manage to stay abreast of news, events, and important information.  But I have no idea who is on America’s Idolatrous Funny Dancing Stars, or for that matter, who shot JR.  Really, turn the one eyed monster off, and you will sleep more and better, and perform better athletically.

Now (ironically) here’s some ride info…

Night Ride Anyone?

We’re gonna do it.  We are going to go out, and ride around our city, marking out the “bounds.”  We’ll do this on the night of the Summer Solstice.  That’s June 21, 2010.

What’s the idea?  Well, basically, it’s an excuse to go out and ride our bikes, in a group, at night, and have some fun along the way.

In ancient times, folks would go out and “beat the bounds.”  That is, the leading people in the city would march out and around the extremities of the city holdings, checking out the conditions and sort of blessing the borders of the city.

What are we going to do, exactly?  We’ll meet up and go riding.  The ride will start in daylight, but it will continue into the darkness.  We will ride a big loop all the way around Peachtree City.  We’re starting at 8:00 PM, and we should be back between 11:00 PM and midnight.  Look for the route to be about 45 miles long.  This is intended to be a fun group ride.  The group should stick together.

Orphan:

Interesting and amazing things can happen in the bike shop.

Below are a few pictures of the “Orphan.”

This is a Schwinn cruiser.  I’m not sure how old it is.  It goes at least back into the mid 50s.  The current owner brought it to me.  He doesn’t intend to fix it, but he knows that this is a piece of history.  He’d like me to find it a home, and maybe get him some cash for it.  He isn’t expecting much.

This bike could be made into a working bike for a very small investment.  On the other hand, a true restoration, while possible, would be quite expensive.

So the thing is, this bike can go to a good home, one that intends to do something good with it, for $50.00.  Don’t contact me if you just want to trash the thing.  But if you intend to either get it ride-worthy, or do a restoration, and will treat it with respect, please do drop me a note, at The.Road.Dragon@gmail.com

Restoration Discussed:

First off, let me stress a couple things.  Restoring a bicycle absolutely must be a labor of love.  It takes a lot of money, and time to do this right.  There is research and a lot of correspondence.  Finding correct replacements for some of the parts is incredibly time consuming.

Restoring a bike is not a profitable activity.  When it’s done, it’s a thing of beauty, but it isn’t worth anywhere near what must be spent.

There’s more.  Your local bike shop is not going to do a restoration for you.  Or, if they do, it will cost you a ton.  You’ll have to pay for the research time, the disassembly, the shipping of parts (both ways), the cost of the new parts, and the reassembly.  It will take a lot of time.  It can easily cost several thousand dollars to bring one back to full life, and there is no earthly way the bike can be sold for that amount of money.

Okay.  I’ve done my due diligence.  If you want to make this bike live again, as a repaired rider, or as a re-painted and re-shod one, or even as a full project, drop me a line. The cost of admission is $50.00.  I really hope someone takes this one on.