About Upcoming Events

I understand Johann did his usual masterful job of filling in for me yesterday.  (I’ll get to read his post later.)

As the title suggests, we are going to spend a little time on a couple of upcoming events.

Tour to Bike MS & Bike MS:  This one is on!  Perhaps you have made other arrangements.  But I’d like to invite anyone who wishes to come along.  Please join us.  We plan to leave Peachtree City on the morning of Friday, 10 September, at 09:00.  We will ride to the town of Pine mountain.

As of this writing, there are four of us.  Two plan to ride pulling utility trailers with everything we need for the weekend.  The other two are having their gear carried down by a friend.

Our plan is to ride to Pine Mountain, relax a bit, then check into our lodgings, and then ride over to the big Bike MS street party.

We are all riding in the Bike MS weekend.  After the weekend, we will ride back to Peachtree City on Monday morning.

With two of us hauling our gear behind us, you can expect the pace to be fairly mild.  It’s about a 65 mile trip, over rolling hills.  Should be fun.

Why trailers?  That is one good question.  The answer lies in our plans for the weekend.  We two (and yes, I’m one of them!) are fully capable of doing a loaded tourist bit.  But we wanted to have light, fast bikes available for the weekend’s riding.  The trailers are the answer to that.  Once we uncouple the load carriers, our bikes are light, fast, and agile.

Autumn Equinox Night Ride:  This one is coming up, right on the heels of the Bike MS weekend.  Here are the particulars.

Date:  Monday, 20 September 2010

Start Time:  7:30 PM (sharp)

Location:  Fredrick Brown Amphitheater Parking Lot, Peachtree City, GA

Distance:  Approx 45 miles

Pace:  Relaxed touring.  (Expect to be out about three hours)

Requirements:  Helmets (of course), Good headlights, good strong tail lights, reflective vest or sash, reflective ankles bands.  Dress for the weather.

Conditions:  We go rain or shine, at any temp above 20 degrees F

Why?  Because it’s fun!!  It’s a serious blast riding at night.  We’re celebrating!  Celebrating what?  Why the change of the seasons.  Why not?

But isn’t it really dangerous to be out riding on the road at night?  Actually, with proper gear and technique, no it’s not.  A bike and rider, with lights and reflectors, is much more visible at night.  A group of such riders is astonishingly visible.  More, motorists don’t know what we are, so they slow down and pass with caution.  Besides, there’s a lot less traffic out in the evening hours.

Questions or concerns?  If you have them, please post them as comments to this blog.  I’ll answer as soon as I am able.

Another Country Heard From…

Johan Here.  I am speaking for the Road Dragon today.  He was lazy this weekend.  He went to the mountains for recreation.  I think he is riding his bicycle while he is there.

Zo.  I am writing post for this day.

Here is what I have to say.  You should all go out for a bike ride.  Ride hard.  Even if it rains, you should be riding.  So what is rain?  If a little rain scares you, what are you going to do in Winter?  Hah?

I am saying something else.  I see many of you riding.  You ride like little persons.  You all have many many excuses.  “There are dogs,”  you say.  “What if it rains?”  you say.  “I don’t want to get my nice bike dirty,”  you say.

I say this.  Dogs are for sprinting practice.  Rain is good for you.  Dirt roads and pave’ make you strong and brave.  First you ride.  Then you clean the bike!  This is not a problem.

I tell you.  Be happy when you have problems.  Problems make you strong.  Problems give you a strong brain.  A strong brain makes a strong rider.

This is Johan.  Have a goot day.  Goodbye.

Friday Follies ~~ Lanterne Rouge

In the late nineteenth century cycling swept over Europe.  It was suddenly a huge craze.  Everyone was doing it.  And some were doing it more vigorously than most.  The term “scorcher” was coined.  It applied to individuals who rode their machines at a fast and furious pace.  And there were large groups of these characters.  The Tuesday Night Ride was born.  It was then, as it is now, a “race without rules.”  All Tuesday Night Rides are the same.  Everywhere, and at all times.  Even if they happen on Thursday.

Generally, cyclists don’t get along well with horses.  Horses are prey animals.  To them, a bike mimics a predator.  It is large, silent, and comes in fast.

Upset horses and startled pedestrians resulted in chaos in the streets.  Laws were enacted.  Groups of cyclists were required to announce their presence.  In the daytime the leader and the last rider were required to ring bells.  At night the leader was to have a bright lantern affixed to his bike.  The last rider in the group was required to have a red lantern attached to the back of the bike.  These measures let the other road users, carriages, wagons, pedestrians, and such, know that a group of cyclists was coming, or was ahead.

Some years ago, I participated in organized, sanctioned, bicycle racing.  I am a rather large individual, and I lived in a mountainous region.  Races are won by climbers.  “Big climber” is an oxymoron.  I have never been an exceptional climber.  Usually, I was struggling to stay with the very back of the pack.  Frequently, I was dropped completely.  I was accustomed to being the lanterne rouge in mountain races.

One such race took place near Roanoke, Virginia.  I was unfamiliar with the area.  The route was on backcountry roads, as is proper.  It involved climbing.  A lot of climbing.

I was, at that time, a Cat 4.  The Cat 4 race started late in the day, a bit after 2:00 P.M.  It was late in the season, a fall race.  (All of this has bearing.)

We started, and immediately hit a vicious climb.  I hung on desperately.  Two more wicked hills later, I was off the back.  Twenty minutes into the race, I could not even see another rider.  I soldiered on.  As Churchill says, “Never, never, never give up!”  Besides, I needed to finish in order to get home.

For a while, it wasn’t too bad.  I’d come to an intersection, and there would be a race marshal with a flag.  Then I stopped seeing those guys.  They had gone home.  It was, after all, the last race of the day, and they hadn’t seen a racer in a while.

I came to a cross roads, way out in the middle of nowhere.  I had no idea what to do, so I decided to turn, and stay on paved roads.  (I would later learn that the organizers had deliberately run the race through an unpaved section.)

An hour later I knew I was lost.  I wandered around out in the country.  Every intersection looked the same.  I worked at getting unlost by a simple expedient.  At any intersection, I chose the road that looked more maintained, wider, more trafficked.

It was getting on toward dusk, and I was going through an area that looked kind of promising.  At least there were houses, and they where starting to show up more frequently.

It was almost dark when a large car pulled up beside me.  It was an older Cadillac, a bit shabby, but still running strong, and mostly shiny.  The passenger window rolled down, and the driver, an older woman, called out,  “You need help, honey?”

I replied that I was “kind of lost.”  The lady asked me where I was trying to go.  I explained my situation, and described the school where the race had started, where my truck was parked.

“Why sugar!”  she said,  “That’s over 50 miles from here, and it’s almost dark.  Let me give you a ride!”

“We go right past my place,”  the lady said once we were under way.  (My bike had fit handily in the huge car’s trunk.)  “I should stop there for a short bit, and you look like you could use something to eat.  Would you like that?  Actually, that sounded wonderful.

In short order, we pulled up at a large old house, located in a sort of run down neighborhood.  The lady led me in through the back door, into a large kitchen.

“I have the house subdivided,”  she said.  “I take in borders, but my apartment is up those stairs.  Please go up and help yourself to the shower.  I will lay out a robe for you.”  And there was just no refusing her.

The robe she had hung, just outside the bath door, was a large terrycloth thing.  It covered me decently.  I padded downstairs again, following fabulous smells, into the big kitchen.

She insisted that I eat with her, at the large kitchen table.  And dinner was, excellent.  Pure southern comfort food.  While we were eating, my hostess got up to answer the phone several times.  She apologized to me after about the fifth occurance, and said,  some of my borders are having a party this evening.  I’m afraid I am required to officiate.  May I make a suggestion?”  I nodded and she said,  “I have a small spare room in the back.  Why don’t you stay the night?  I will drive you back to your car in the morning.  You look like you are sleepy.  Please be my guest.”

I was tired.  So I accepted.  And yes, it did sound like a party was developing in the front parts of the house.  The lady led me back upstairs, and let me into a small plain bedroom, opposite the door to her apartment.  “Sleep well, Shugar,” she said as she turned to go back downstairs.

I did sleep well.  I could hear the sounds of a rollicking party in the distance, but I was more than tired enough to drop off, undisturbed by that.

The next morning, I woke, feeling well rested and hungry.  I realized what had awakened me.  There was a soft knock at the door.  It was the lady again, asking if I would like some breakfast, or would I rather just be driven to my destination?

Breakfast was ready in the kitchen.  We ate quickly, in near silence.  Then she waited while I went back upstairs and changed back into my riding clothing.  (It was all I had with me.)

As we pulled around the house, and toward the street, I noticed that the porch light was still on.  It was quite visible in the murky light of almost-dawn.

My benefactress drove me to the school where I’d parked my truck.  I unloaded my bike, and thanked her.  I offered to pay her for her kindness, but she refused, seeming on the verge of being insulted.  “Hon,”  she said,  “this is Christian kindness, not business!”

As we parted company, she gave me a business card, saying,  “If you ever get back in town, do look me up.”  Then she drove away.  I was staring at that amazing card as she vanished.  It explained a lot.  The card said,

Millicent La Blanc

Escorts  Refined Entertainment

Parties Welcome

It explained the red glow of the porch light, I’d seen, and the oddly subdivided house.  As I loaded my bike up, I reflected that there was more than one meaning to a Lanterne Rouge.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ Tipping Points

Folks, this one is somewhat political.  Now relax.  I don’t mean Democan/Republicrat political, or Libative/Conservaral political either.  I mean, it’s political in the sense that we live in a society.  Our society is composed of groups.  Those groups have interests, and when those interests come into conflict, it gets political.

I’m addressing those of us who are cyclists.  We have certain interests.  We are interested in access to the road, to facilites, to land.  This bring us into certain friction with other groups.  Who?  Think about motorists and golfers.

Let me take you back a bit.  I started riding in this area a bit more than 25 years ago.  Back then a grown man, on a bicycle, in tight clothing, was not a common sight.  I got buzzed occasionally.  I suffered some horn honking, pretty regularly.  And on about one ride in four, I’d end up talking with a deputy, who wanted to know what I was doing.  Things have changed.

Now here comes the political part.  We, road cyclists, are becoming fairly numerous in these parts.  We’re starting to get ourselves organized.  (See Southside Cycling Club)  As such, we start becoming ever more noticeable to our motoring brethren.

Most motorists see us as a problem.  The general perception is that we are “slow and in the way.”  I’ve heard the complaint,  “Those bicyclers are always running through stop signs and lights, and they ride way out in the road, and you can’t get around them, and they get mad and flip you off if you try to.”

We are just now starting to get enough of us, organized enough, to have some real political clout.  But!!!  (And it’s a big “BUT”)  We are also starting to become a bit more of a topic in the public consciousness.  And we are precieved as an irritant.  Generally, when minority interest groups do that, they tend to get stomped flat.

Think about it.  We now enjoy a certain privilege.  In Georgia, we are considered to be operators of vehicles.  That means we are entitled to use most of the roads in the state, and are guaranteed the same protections and privileges as other vehicular users.  This could change in an instant!

Imagine this:  What if we were suddenly restricted.  If we could only use certain secondary roads?  What if we could only ride during certain hours of the day?  What if we were restricted to groups of five or less?  What if we were completely banned from riding on public roads?  Every one of these things has happened, or is happening, in some places in this country.  And yes, it can happen here!

There is a certain “Catch 22” to all this.  The rigorous statement of that law is,  “They can do anything to you that you can’t stop them from doing.”  Do you begin to see where we are going with this?  In a society, any time a visible minority interest group gets big enough, and becomes annoying enough, the majority interests tend to stomp on them.  The only thing that restrains this is for the minority group to become organized enough, and numerous enough to have sufficient political power to defend themselves.

North Georgia Cyclists!  We are almost there.  Both “theres.”  We are really starting to upset a lot of folks who are not among us, and we are almost organized and numerous enough to stand up for ourselves.  We could lose it!  There is a very narrow window we must pass through.  If we succeed it will be by some very right action in the next year.

What must YOU do?

• Be cool.  Do not annoy the motorists!  Ride with courtesy.  Respect the Law.  Keep that middle finger folded around the bar.  Return courtesy and kindness for insult.  Remember, there are more of them than there are of us.  At this point in time, they have the money, the voices, and the votes.
• Join South Side Cycling Club.
• Get every rider you know to join South Side Cycling Club.
• Recruit as many riders as possible, get these folks out on bikes.
• Attend an Effective Cycling Class.  Become a more competent and confident road cyclist.  Learn how to ride on the road, safely, and intelligently.
• Get as many riders any rider you know to sign up for Effective Cycling Classes.

A few words on recruiting:

Do you enjoy riding?  Why do you ride?  Has cycling been good to you?  (I say good.  The sport is often unkind, but that usually happens when we need it.)  Would it be fair to say that you owe something to the sport?

Here’s one absolutely excellent way to pay the sport back, and to pay our planet and our society forward.  Recruit more cyclists.

Now, if I may, I’d like to make some suggestions about how to go about that.  I’ve found, through long experience, that there are several Do’s and Don’ts to the process.

Do:

• Be positive and cheerful.  You catch a lot more flies with honey.  New riders are hesitant.  They fear (as everyone does) looking stupid.  They fear being ridiculed.  They fear failure.  This is not the time to get into tales of your most wretched death march.  Smile, and explain that everyone has those fears, and that, everyone “starts where they are.” 
• Invite and offer.  Offer to take your friend out for a ride.  Invite them to an easy ride and go along with them. 
• Ride with the newbie several times, alone.  Your friend trusts you.  Others may bring distractions.  Your friend is looking for encouragement, and they are looking to you for guidance.  Give them your complete attention for two or three rides.  It will pay dividends.
• Stay with them!  Be prepared to ride slow and easy.  Sure, you may miss out on the big town limit sprint, but you can do that once and it won’t kill you.  Take the time it takes to bring your friend along.
• Keep it short.  It’s difficult to remember just how limited you were when you got into the sport.  Even a fairly fit individual will be “feeling it,” after the first hour on the bike.  You want to stop the experience while it is still fun.
• Pick a less threatening place to ride.  You may be a fearless road warrior, but your new friend is scared to death of traffic, other riders, the side of the road, squirrels, dogs, horses, turtles, bugs, birds, and…  You get the idea.  Pick a place and time that is non-threatening.  Among these are, empty church or school parking lots, deserted paved paths, quiet rural neighborhood streets.  Stay out of the public eye, and away from challenges at first.  And always remember, the new rider is scared of everything!  That means climbing, descending, turning, or going straight, fast or slow.  It’s all a challenge to the newbie.  Keep it simple, safe, and gentle.
• Put them on an appropriate bike.  Help them pick out a bike, or arrange a suitable “loaner” for that new rider to try it out on.  Make sure the bike is right for the type of riding, and make sure it fits and works.  Comfort is paramount, with ease of operation a close second.  Putting your friend on a wreck that is too small or too big is a pretty good way to make sure you’ve seen the last of them.
• Be patient.  Expect everything to take two to five times longer with the new rider.  Be ready for it, and don’t rush things.
• Emphasize the good stuff.  Explain how the sport has benefitted you, and explain that this took time.  But definitely do talk up the things that make this a wonderful and positive activity.
• Bring them to the pros.  When your friend is showing signs of “catching the bug,” take them to your trusted shop.  It’s a good idea to tip the shop off first.  Take them there.  Go with them.  Let a shop employee fit them on a decent bike, and help them with gear selections.  Let the pros do the bike fitting.  Shop folks have seen a lot more new riders than you have, and are more likely to have good answers to specific questions and objections.

Don’t:

• Brag.  Yes, you are justifiably proud of your accomplishments.  Talking about them is sure way to turn your prospect off.  Yes, you’ve saved and scrimped to buy your “bike of all dreams,” and it is a marvel of science and technology.  But experienced riders tend to scare the bejayzus out of prospects.  One of the prime “deal breakers” for a newbie is the perception that cycling must cost a fortune.  In fact entry level is very modest.  And it’s called entry level for a reason.  It’s where the new rider starts!
• Focus on you.  An offhand remark about something that you think is insignificant, can sound like an insurmountable obstacle to a new rider.  You mention, offhandedly, that you ride to work, ten miles away.  To you, this is a short and relaxing ride.  To an outsider, this sounds like a death march.  Sure, it’s an ego-boo for you, but it puts prospects off.
• Drop them.  I will never understand this one.  Somebody brings a friend to a ride, and then hammers them into the ground, leaving them in the dust, alone and afraid.  Do we really expect this person to return?  What is accomplished with this?
• Push them.  Remember, “Enough is enough.”  Stop while it’s still fun.  Don’t encourage a new rider to go too far, and hurt.
• Be critical.  You may think it’s advice, but it can be hurtful.  Statements like,  “Keep your butt back on the saddle!”  sound like personal attacks.  New riders need to be treated gently and with a lot of tact.  I’ve actually heard someone say to a newbie,  “you know, you’ll have a lot more fun at this once you lose 30 pounds.”  That may be true, but it’s hurtful.  Keep it to yourself.
• Throw them to the wolves.  Don’t take your newbie friend to the local “hammer party” too soon.  There is a definite “fresh meat” mentality among some groups of riders.  “Wow!  We really dropped the snot out of that new guy!”  Do you really want that said of a brand new prospective rider?  Do you really expect them to get into it, after being punished for just daring to show up?
• Show that you are being patient.  You are being patient, but a comment like,  “You know, ordinarily we’d be 20 miles farther along by now,” can be really hard to take.  Newbies are afraid of being the hold up.  Do not let them feel that!
• Laugh or poke fun.  It’s amazing how sensitive folks can be.  Stuff that seems innocuous can be pretty off-putting.  Keep your smiles at their puppy antics to yourself.  Comments like,  “Boy!  You sure are having a hard time starting!  I can’t remember seeing a more clumsy beginner!”  should be swallowed.  There may come a time (years later) when you can share them.

Bringing kids into the sport.  It takes a lot of patience to bring your kids along.  It’s worth it!  The benefits and rewards you will both reap are astonishing.  Ride with your kids.  As slow and painful as it may be at times, do it!  They are the future of our sport, and we are not bringing nearly enough young riders along.

The family:  Family outings on bicycles can seem like mounting the D-Day Invasion.  The logistics are tremendous.  The interpersonal issues can be daunting.  Start with smaller parts of the family whole, and gradually work up.  I see big families riding together as teams.  It’s a blast.  They are having so much fun, and it beats the ever lovin’ snot out of the X-Box.

The significant other:  Want to know the fastest way to keep your wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend from ever joining you again?  Put them on a crappy bike, and beat them up.  It’s that simple.  I’m absolutely amazed at how many times a customer comes into the shop, looks around, and then announces,  “I’m looking for a bike for my (fill in appropriate sig oth).  It doesn’t have to be much.  They’re new, and I don’t think they’re gonna be very good.”   Talk about self-fulfilling prophecy!

If you want that important other person to get into the sport, and ride with you, then put them on the better bike!  And be prepared to bring them along as slowly as it takes.  Honest, it’s worth the effort!

The bottom line:  We need more cyclists!  We need to recruit everyone we can.  We need to bring kids into the sport.  We need to bring our friends, coworkers, and family in.  Think about how you got into it.  Wasn’t there someone encouraging and inviting you?  Didn’t you receive help, and advice, and support at critical points along the way?  Consider, if each and every one of us brought only two others to the bike in one year, the size of the sport would triple.  The triathletes, for as much as I poke fun at them, are doing a terrific job of recruiting.  Bless them!  Now lets do our part.

Shedding the “Seasonal Rider” category: Fit and ready for LIFE

Last week, we spoke a bit about “seasonal riders.”  (see Thursday Thoughts ~~ Crash Season)  The pattern described there is an all too common one.  Sadly, it tends to lead folks to a point where they leave the sport.  The jokes abound.  There’s the “Old Guys Who Get Fat in Winter Racing Team.”  There are references to “MAMILs.”  (Middle Aged Men In Lycra)  But truly, it’s not funny.

The consequence of being a “Seasonal Rider” is that there is another nasty pattern.  It’s called “The Aging Process.”

When we are kids, in our teens and twenties, we can come back from almost anything, and do it quickly.  To a lesser extent, this ability persists into the thirties.  But Old Mom Nature plays a dirty trick on us, and throws a switch, somewhere around age 35.  Suddenly, recovering lost fitness is harder, and it hurts more.  Suddenly weight goes on a lot easier, and comes off a lot harder.  It takes longer, and requires more suffering to “get back into shape,” each Spring.  Allowing oneself to “go slack” during the colder months has greater penalties with each passing year.

Now some folks have figured this thing out.  They play other sports, do more gym work, go mountain biking, go skiing, swim indoors, or such during the cold and dark times.  If you are among those happy individuals, then you can skip the rest of this post.  Have a good and happy life.

Still with me?  Here’s one guaranteed way to break that Winter loss of fitness cycle.

Ready?

The secret is simple.

It consists of doing two things.

1)  ENTER SOMETHING!!

2)  WRITE A CHECK!!

Really.  Pick an event.  Preferably it should be some challenging event, and it must happen early in the year.  Commit to entering it.  Write the check.

Once the check is written, the event becomes real.  Now you have a “Damocles Sword” (look it up) hanging over you.  You must train throughout the Winter.  If you don’t, you’re gonna regret it, and the money you spent will be a waste.  You will not let that happen.

Honest.  It’s that simple.  And the rewards?  Well, to begin with, you will derive tremendous satisfaction from doing something that most folks are not in condition 

Changing a Tire

Here we go.  This is a visual primer.  Follow these steps and take your time, and you will be able to replace the tube in a bicycle tire.  I strongly suggest you buy about a half a dozen tubes, and practice this multiple times.  (Get that many tubes because you need to carry a couple of spares, and you are going to puncture several as you learn.)  With just a bit of practice, you will be good enough to get yourself out of a lfat tire situation in a few minutes.

These are tire levers.  Do NOT use a screw driver.  And yes, you do need three of them.

Begin at the valve and press the bead of the tire away from the rim, toward the inside.  Get both sides of the tire.  Work from the valve, in both directions, all the way around the tire.  This will give you more room to lever the tire off the rim.

Now start by inserting the tire levers between the tire and the rim.  The scoop shaped part of the lever goes inward, just as if you were dishing ice cream.

Notice how we've hooked two levers around spokes.  This holds the tire out from the rim while we instert the next lever.  In this fashion, work "hand over hand" gradually advancing two levers around the rim, and working away from the valve.

Once you have one side of the tire completely off the rim, go back to the valve.  Lift the tire out of the way, and ease the valve up out of the wheel.  Then ease the tube out of the tire, working in both directions, away from the valve.

Once you have the tube out, inflate it until is stretched out like a big sausage.  Now inspect it carefully.  Find the hole.  That tells you where to look on the tire.  Check the tire to be certain that the offending thorn, piece of glass, or sharp metal bit is out.  You really don't want to have to do this again, do you?

Now, inflate the new tube until it has just enough air in it to give it some shape.

Insert the valve into the wheel.  

Begin placing the tube up inside the tire, again working in both directions, away from the valve.

Now use your thumbs and fingers to begin rolling the tire bead back inside the wheel.  Be careful not to pinch the tube between the tire and the rim.

As you approach the point opposite the valve, it's going to get a bit more tricky.  Keep tucking the tube up inside the tire.

Getting close.  Time to reach for the tire levers.

Use the lever, in the reverse direction (scoop facing the wheel), to slip the lever under the edge of the tire.  You can then lever the lift the tire over the edge of the rim.  Keep checking to be sure you are not pinching the tube.

Now, inflate the tire, but only give it a bit of air.  About 20 to 30 pounds.  Check to make sure the bead is seating all the way around on both sides, and that there is no inner tube pinched.  If you pass that, you are ready to continue inflating.  take it up to ride pressure, install the wheel in the bike, pick up your trash, and continue to ride.

Friday Follies ~~ First Mountain Bike Race

So after getting my first real mountain bike, I about tore it and me to pieces.  I gradually learned to ride well off road.  Actually “well” is a bit of an exaggeration.  Let’s say I learned how to stay upright, and to clear some of the easier obstacles without embarrassing myself too badly.

The state of the art improved.  A new bike was the thing.  And soon, I added a fork!  I mean a suspension fork.  Early Turner part.  Elastomer.  I thought it was pretty nifty.  A whole inch and a half of travel.

At the same time, I’d replaced my daughter’s wretched lead sled with a real mountain bike.  It was an entry level brute, but with some modification, it was not too bad.

In those days it came to pass that we heard of a real mountain bike race.  And it was to be nearby.  Way cool.  We both decided to enter.

And then we decided that going to the race site and riding the course would be a good idea.  So we did.

This was one tough course.  Honest to goodness single-track, with a lot of terrain.  We did one lap of the course, about eight miles.  And then decided to go for another pass.  Naturally, it started raining when we were about halfway around the loop.  I don’t just mean a light shower either.  It thundered.  It roared.  It poured.  By the time we got back to the trailhead, we were both cold and drowned rat wet.  I got the car started and running to get the heater going.  Then we manhandled both bikes onto the trunk mounted rack.

When we got into the car, the windows were all steamed up.  I put the thing into reverse to back out.  My intention was to get us to food and warm dryness as fast as possible.  I backed up, and…  THUMP!  I hit something.  With the back of the car.  The part where the bikes were.

Oh (dirty word expurgated)!!

A quick examination revealed that the only damage was to my bike’s rear wheel.  It was taco city.

On the way home, I stopped at the only local bike shop in the area.  They had a rim and spokes in stock.  I bought them.

That night, instead of getting a good night’s rest before the race, I stayed up rebuilding the wheel.  By one A.M. it was true, taught, and ready.  (Incidentally, it rained all night.)

Race day.  We had our first disappointment.  My daughter was extremely annoyed.  The organizers had a “kiddy course” set up for the youngsters.  She was too young to be allowed to race on the real single track.  She was not amused.

We watched the younger racers finishing their event.  They were coming off the course covered in mud.  I managed to talk with a couple of young guys I knew.  They said the course was a slippery, slick disaster.  One grinned and said it was “Fun!”

I looked around at the competition, as I lined up with the other masters.  This was not going to be pretty.  Most of them looked very lean and very fit.  The starter said, “Go!”  And I was dropped to the back of the pack in moments.  The rock garden section didn’t help my standing any.

I made up some distance in the long, tricky descent sections, but the climbing just about killed me.  I got to the top of the ridgeline alone.

Honestly, I thought I knew which way I was going.  At any rate, I took a trail.  Suddenly I was facing a bunch of the leaders, and they were coming right at me.  I’d jumped off of the course and was now ahead and going the wrong way.  I waited until the leaders passed me, and then followed them.  I wasn’t racing any more.  I was just trying to get out of the woods.

It took me a while after that fiasco to realize this.  I don’t like mountain bike racing.  I mean I like it okay…  for other people.  I just don’t want to do it.  I have way too much fun riding in the woods, with friends, or alone.  But I have no need to race.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ Crash Season

This is a somewhat grim thought.  It’s crash season again.  This happens every year.  Several factors come together, and a lot of riders, way too many, have crashes, of one kind or another, at this time of the year.

The contributing factors:

Seasonal “Burnout”

Annual Schedule Change

Seasonal Burnout:  Let’s face it; the majority of cyclists are seasonal riders.  See if this doesn’t sound like you.

• Early Fall:  You feel great.  You’ve had a pretty good year.  It started kind of slow, but you’ve been in good condition since early Summer.  You’ve had some great rides.  You’ve lost some weight, and gained some strength.  You feel really good, and you swear you are not going to lose condition this year.
• Late Fall:  It has gotten darker out.  It’s hard to find the time to ride, and when you do it’s either dark, or kind of cold, or both.  You aren’t riding as much, and the holidays are approaching.  You vow you will do better, “when the rush is over.”
• Early Winter:  You’ve gained 10 pounds.  It’s cold out.  The weather usually stinks.  You’re tired from all the holiday “stuff.”  You think you’ll go for a ride, but when you try, your bike has a flat, and it isn’t shifting right.  By the time you get it all together, the weather has changed, and you have some other chores to do.
• Winter:  It is too stinkin’ cold to go out!  You can’t remember exactly when you last rode.  You’re thinking about joining the gym.
• Spring:  The weather is improving.  You’ve been feeling guilty.  You get the bike tuned.  You go out for a couple of rides.  It hurts.  You’re out of shape, short of breath, and overweight.  You know what to do, and you start doing it…  but only somewhat regularly.
• Late Spring:  You’ve gotten serious about your training and riding.  You’re doing a lot, the weather is great, lots of folks are out riding, and you’re starting to think you will recover some of your “form.”
• Early Summer:  You are feeling pretty good.  You’ve lost some of the “Winter weight,” and your speed and stamina are returning.  You catch up to that faster group on the weekly rides.
• Mid-Summer:  You have been riding…  A LOT… and you are feeling strong.  The heat is coming on, so you back off a bit, but you still ride regularly.  And when you ride, you go out hard.
• Late Summer:  You’re feeling a bit tired on a pretty regular basis.  You don’t know it, but you are burning out.  Your reaction and response are not as quick.  It’s hard to see this, because everyone you ride with is in the same boat.  Nothing bad has happened to you this year, so you are feeling kind of complacent and cocky regarding your skills.  Sometimes, you’d kind of like to just skip the weekly ride.  After all, you’ve been good, there’s a lot to do, and you feel a bit whipped this week.

Does this sound familiar?  If it does, you are fairly typical, and you are starting to burn out.  (We’ll talk more about Burnout and what to do about it, in the near future.)

Annual Schedule Change:  Several things have happened, and are happening now.  School is back in session.  The buses, and “Mom Taxis” are rolling.  Traffic patterns have shifted, and no one is used to the new rules and routes.  Regular drivers, and utility vehicles are changing their patterns in response to the sudden shift to “school schedule.”  They are moving earlier, later, and in the middle of the day, to avoid the arrival and dismissal rushes.  Cyclists haven’t adapted to the new patterns yet.  We’ve become used to having the roads, and suddenly there is more traffic, at unexpected times and places.

This combination of circumstances presents a much greater chance for a mishap!  I may be wrong about some of the causes, but it’s a fact, cycling accidents “spike” at this time of year.  We tend to tangle with each other, and with motorists more.  Sometimes, the results of these altercations are pretty bad.

What to do?  Ease up for a week or two.  Ride a bit less, and at a more relaxed pace.  Allow yourself to recover your “edge.”  And when you do ride, do so with more caution and more attention.  (NOTE:  If you are thinking, “That isn’t me,” then you are a prime case, and very close to becoming another statistic.)

Let’s all look out for each other, and for our motoring brethren.  It’s a thoug

It's busy again!!

What with the Triathlon coming up this weekend, we're working like one-armed paper hangers.

Have a good day.  Go for a ride.  Stay off Robinson road, it's a traffic jam of practicing sprint triathletes.

See you tomorrow.

Weather Riding: Summer Considerations

There seem to be two things that stop people from riding in the Summer, Heat and Rain.  Let us look at each of these for a bit.

Before we go farther, there is one fundamental that applies to both of these, and to most cycling challenges.  The rule is:  Don’t meet the challenge for the first time on an event.  In other words, seek out the conditions that challenge you.  Practice in them.  Learn to deal with them.  Do this in controlled and limited fashion, and you will be ready if (and when) you meet them in an event.

Heat Stress:  The problem is that the body generates heat.  It must be able to shed this heat, to cool.  There are two controlling variables.  How fast does the body generate excess heat, and how fast can the body shed this heat into the environment.  If we are making excess heat (from exercise) faster than we can dump it into our environment, then our core temperature will start to rise.

Humans generally have a core temperature of 98.6 degrees F.  An athletic human, in good physical condition, can tolerate a rise in core of one to two degrees without too much problem.  If this occurs, we feel hot and overheated, we sweat a lot, and we look for ways to cool down.  But if the core temp rises much above 100 degrees F, then we are heading for trouble.

With a rapid rise in core temp, the body starts kicking in some heavy defense mechanisms.  We really start to sweat.  We often feel nausea, and weakness, trembling, and even chills.  If relief is not found soon, we will be in serious trouble.  Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke.

You will often hear experience cyclists give the advice,  “Ride inside yourself.”  This means, slow down and stay inside of your tolerance range.  Don’t let others push you to exceed your ranges.  But to be able to do this, one must be able to recognize the symptoms, and to take appropriate actions to remedy them.

Heat Tolerance Training:  Back in the Spring, I advocated the first part of this.  That is, ride as close to the heat of the day as you reasonably can.  Become accustomed to the heat slowly, as the season gets warmer.

Johan speaking.  I say wear all the heavy clothing when it gets warm.  Don’t be a weakling.  Hot is goot!

Be tough!

Eat horse!  You want to be fast?  Eat fast animal.  Eat horse.  It will make you strong and fast.

There is a second technique.  Go out and ride in the really hot parts of the day.  But do it in a controlled fashion.  The idea is, you go out for a one or two hour ride, in really high heat, and full sunlight.  Take it easy and slow.  Drink a lot.  Pour water through your helmet.  Don’t get too far from home.  If things are really starting to go wrong, you can bail, and try again another day.  (And by the way, use sunscreen!  Use LOTS of sunscreen.  It will keep you cooler.)

When you are able to tolerate riding for a couple of hours, increase your time.  Do so gradually, in half hour increments.  Build your knowledge of your body’s reactions to heat.  Learn what to do to stay inside that upper cooling limit.  In fairly short order, you will be able to start at around 11:00 A.M. and ride until 4:00 P.M. without undue stress.  At that point, you are ready to take on a full day ride in Summer conditions. 

Really, you don’t want to meet the unrelenting blast of a southern summer day, for the first time, on an event.  And by the way, pray for rain and clouds.

Rain Riding:  I am constantly amazed by the number of cyclists who tell me that they won’t ride in rain.  I can understand this if the temperature is low.  (I think the most miserable a person can be, is outside, in the rain, at 40 degrees F.)  I hear some fears expressed.  Fear is a powerful deterrent.  But it can be overcome with reason and knowledge.  The most common worries I hear are,  “Those skinny tires aren’t safe in rain,”  and,  “I’m afraid of lightening!”  Oddly, I seldom hear folks talk about the trouble with being visible in heavy rain.

Skinny (road bike) tires:  Let’s get real.  It is possible to hydroplane on a road bike, but one must hit deep water, at high speeds to accomplish this.  (six inches or more, and 50 mph or more!)  While it is possible to encouter more than six inches of water on our roads, I don’t see too many of you riding faster than 50 mph.  There are many reasons for the design of modern road bikes, but the most important reason for the shape and size of the thing is…  It works!  Those skinny, high pressure tires cut through rain, and really adhere to the the road.

There are risks of slipping in rain.  Larger tires won’t help.  Look for and avoid the following:  Road paint.  It’s often very slippery.  Don’t ride on lines, etc.  Sand and dirt washes.  If water is washing dirt down off of exposed ground, the slick it causes can be very slippery.  Avoid, or slow way down and ride straight through it.  Hidden obstacles.  Standing water can hide “wheel eater” potholes and other obstacles.  Don’t ride through it, or slow way down first.

A special word about flash floods.  Sometimes we get sudden, very heavy rains.  This can cause streams to rise and fast runoffs to occur.  If you see water flowing across the road, stop and walk.  Be extremely cautious.  A fast current of six to eight inch deep water can sweep a person off their feet and carry them away.  Don’t ride into flooding.

Lightening:  Admittedly, no one wants to be hit by lightening.  However, this is not a serious problem.  Honestly, have you ever heard of anyone being hit by lightening on a bicycle?  There are a couple of common sense things to avoid.  Don’t be the highest object around.  Stay off of ridgelines and other high places.  Don’t take shelter under the only tree around.  Tall, individual trees are lightening rods.  Stay out of large open areas.  (Golfers take note!)  And don’t carry and raise an umbrella.

Visibility (see and be seen):  A very real concern about rain riding is vision.  For obvious reasons we want to be seen.  It is also good to be able to see.  Being seen means being visible.  Wear bright clothing.  Carry reflective gear and wear it at the first hint of rain.  And mount and use a bright flashing rear light.  This last greatly increases your visibility to motorists.  Use it!

In cases of torrential rainfall, it’s probably best to just get off the road.  Let’s face it, you’re already soaked, getting run over won’t help.  Seriously heavy downpours usually last only a few minutes.  It’s best to get off the roadway for a few and let the intensity diminish.

Being able to see, on the other hand, is also pretty important.  Most of us wear sunglasses during the daytime.  I’d recommend a pair that has multiple lenses.  Switch to a clear lens when it’s raining.  Or carry a second pair of glasses with a clear lens.  Another great help is to have a cap with a bill on it.  Wear this under your helmet.  It won’t keep your head any drier, but it stops the downflow and a lot of the splash.  Your glasses stay clearer, and you can see better.  NOTE:  On hot days, I’d keep the cap in a jersey pocket.  You want your head open to airflow for cooling.  Put the cap on, under the helmet, after it starts to rain.

The Argument for rain riding:  This is where both of today’s topics come together.  In the Summer, it gets hot.  Rain cools you off.  It can actually be quite pleasant to be out in the rain on a warm Summer day.  I’m sure most of us did this as kids.  It’s still fun.

Just like hot weather riding, it’s best to start out by riding close to home, on short rides.  But do go out and try it.  The hardest part of a rain ride, is swinging your leg over the bike.

Century Wrap Up:

If you’ve been hiding under a rock, Saturday was the annual Tour of Faith Ride.  Lots of stuff going on.  I was a bit disappointed in the turnout.  I think the threat of weather was the primary reason we had fewer riders this year.  The forecast promised, and then threatened  rain.  This dissuades a lot of folks.  (I’ll treat that tomorrow.)  On the other hand, we had a strong showing, and a lot of folks rode the shorter routes, especially the “60 mile loop.”  (Just in case anyone was wondering, the “60” is, by very deliberate design, almost exactly 100 kilometers.)

The morning was cloudy, overcast, and a bit misty.  It was very humid, but not especially hot.  In other words, very good riding conditions were available.

Around 11:00, the overcast lightened up, and the heat came on.  I was sad to see several riders abandon due to heat stress.  It cheered me that they were in good spirits overall, but I feel for folks who have to withdraw, for any reason.  Oddly, thanks to the afternoon rain, heat stress wasn’t a problem after about 1:00 P.M.

I must say, the rest stop folks were awesome, cheering the riders, holding bikes, feeding, and just pampering riders.  Wonderful job all.  I’d like to extend a special thanks to the New Hope Baptist Crew, who stood huddled in the pouring rain, to be absolutely certain that no rider was left untended on the course.

Those who rode seemed to have a grand time.  I received a lot of compliments, and just about no complaints.  Also, I did not have to chase down a single “lost” or off course rider.

I’m also very impressed by the “press on regardless” fortitude displayed by the 100 mile riders.  Good job, Folks!

And listen, if you haven’t tried a 100 mile ride, this is the one to start with.  You must pay due regard to the temperature, but this is the flattest 100 mile course in the Atlanta area, and a really good route to go for your “first 100.”  Come and join us next year!

Now it’s time to pack it up, and put it away for another year.  Time to focus on a lot of upcoming stuff.

Soon:  The Tri-Peachtree City Sprint Triathlon, the Tour to Bike MS, and the Fall Equinox Night Ride.

Friday Follies ~~ The Long Road

I’ve done a lot of century (and longer) rides.  All are memorable, but some much more than others.  I’ve met people out on the road, and become friends with them.  Some of those friendships have endured for years.  Others lasted only until the end of the ride.

A partial list would include:

The “First Adult Century” (recounted elsewhere)

The first mountain century

The first truly flat century

My first century with my daughter

The first century on a single speed bike

The first century on a fixed gear

The first attempt at a double century (a disaster)

The Mount Mitchel Stupidity

The unforgettable, “Is that Snow!?” ride

The first successful double century (victory snatched from the jaws of defeat)

The “Oh Susana” ride (It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry!)

The “Done by One” ride (Done in under five hours)

The “I’m back” 100 (done on the Wilson 100, six months to the day after surgery)

The “What am I doing here” 100  (It’s a long story)

The first “Penance Ride”

The unintended “Let’s see where this goes” 105

The “always let Greg pull, but never let him navigate” 200K

And, of course, a mixed bag of “Death Marches” and “Rolling Parties”

I’m hoping that many of you will be adding tomorrow to your list of memorable rides.  Come on out and do the Tour of Faith tomorrow.  Make some memories of your own.

Thursday Thoughts ~~ Traffic Tickets

Hallo.  This is Johan.  Road Dragon is out putting paint on the roads for people who can not read simple directions.  This is nice of him.  He is leaving this post for me to write, today.

You are noticing, maybe that economy is very hard in this time?  I am not happy about this.  You are not happy about this.  But other people are very much not happy about this.  I speak of the people in the governments.  Not the big government in your Washington District of Columbia.  I am meaning the people in the governments of the cities and the states.  These people are not wanting to stop spending the money.  But they are needing to find the money to spend.  What are they to do?

Some of these people in the small governments are very clever.  They look around and ask themselves what they can do to get more money.  Soon, some of these people notice that there are these police standing around.  “Ah ha!” they say.  “The police can make us a lot of money.”  How can they do this?  It is very simple.  They do it by arresting people and giving them tickets.  Lots and lots of tickets.

I am thinking this is a good thing.  Maybe it makes some crazy drivers not be so crazy.  Go too fast, and get a big ticket.  It is also a good thing for the bicycle riders.  Go through stop sign?  Get a big ticket.  Maybe soon everybody does what they should do.

I am telling you this.  You have been warned now.  Do right, and you don’t pay out lots of money for tickets.  No more stupids running through stop signs.  I think this could happen.  It would be nice.