off season training

During the winter months, you can stay in shape by cross training. Taking spinning classes is fine twice a week, however, you should also focus on strength training and core conditioning. I suggest things like yoga, Pilates, TRX, weights plus other cardio activities like swimming and rowing. If we train the same way all year, our bodies will actually get weaker vs. stronger and we'll build imbalances which can lead to injuries.

cold weather riding

Yep...it's coming up on cold weather riding season. Don't let this hold you back! You can ride year round with the right bike and equipment. Here are some tips:
1) Dress in layers (synthetic is best) but don't overdress...your first few miles should be chilly.
2) Hydrate! You may not want to drink fluids when it's cold but you'll stay warmer because your blood won't become "sludgy" and you'll keep your energy up.
3) Eat some fat. We all need healthy fat in our diet and it will help keep you warmer in cold weather.
4) Do some warm up exercises before heading out on the bike.
5) Invest in leg/arm warmers, shoe covers, good mitts and a skull cap or ear warmer.
6) Wear a wind shell over your shirt or jersey.
Riding year round is fun and can keep off those winter pounds. Enjoy!

Ride the Drive

On August 29th the second Ride the Drive will take place on downtown Madison streets! This event is absolutely amazing if you haven't done it yet. It's a great time to explore Madison on by bike, foot, inline skates or roller skis and feel safe. It all starts at 10am and ends at 4pm. You can enter the route at any place and go around as many times as you wish (6 mile course). On top of the ride itself, there are musicians along the route, kid's activities and bike polo! Come out and enjoy this great Madison event. For maps or more information, go to www.cityofmadison.com or the bicycle federation of wisconsin website. See you there!

Next year

I can't believe it's already August! It may sound crazy, but plans are already under way to better the club for next year. Looks like it will take on a different form. #1 It will be FREE!!! #2 We'll be even more connected to Uphill Grind! #3The club will be open to everyone (members and non-members alike #4 Rides will still be on Saturday mornings but two a month will lead from Harbor and two will lead from Uphill Grind to give more choices on ride routes.
I'm really excited about these new changes and hope we'll get even more bike enthusiats out on rides.
-Kierstin

Staying healthy in the heat

When riding in the heat it's extremely important to follow some tips to stay happy and healthy.
1) Stay hydrated! Take sips of water every 10 minutes instead of gulping it every half hour. Have one bottle water and another an electrolite mix to help you absorb your water and utilize it.
2) Eat only ealisy digestable foods (gels, bananas, etc). It takes too much energy for the body to digest bars/sandwiches (the exception is a ride over 60 miles).
3) Wear light colored clothing.
4) Pick a shady route if possible.
5) Dump water over your head and neck if you start to feel exhausted and then rest in a shady spot.
6) Ride early or late. The heat of the day is between 2-6pm.

Riding tip

Well, it looks like "chip seal" season is in full swing. When riding on roads that have been recently sealed, try to stay in the wheel tracks that cars have made. Hold your line, slow down and brake slowly. Remember that cars will spray gravel when they pass you. If you hear a car coming up behind, slow down and move off to the side until they pass. Corners often have piles of gravel so take extra caution turning. Finally, "scrub" your tires when you get onto a clear road to help prevent flats if gravel has stuck to your tires.

Cycling tip

Osteoporosis in cyclists
There have been studies that have shown that cycling alone without some sort of cross-training can cause low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue over time. This is because cycling is considered a low impact sport. One study compared the bone densities of cyclists, runners and weight lifters, and found the cyclists had the lowest. I personally know of a couple riders from our area who in the past have been evaluated with brittle bone disease. Of course this can come as a surprise to a rider that logs at least 5,000 mi. per year. Consider doing some sort of weight training, at least in the off season, and increasing your calcium intake to at least 800 mg daily, and women about 1,200 mg. Vitamin D is also essential to bone health, and while sunshine is an excellent source, wise use of sunscreen can block vitamin D production. Many multivitamins contain anywhere from the daily value of 400 International Units (IU) up to more likely effective and appropriate dose of 800-1,000 IU daily.

Tips

Hello all! From time to time I'll be posting some tips on the blog. Remember that all cue sheets for our Saturday rides will be sent via e-mail not blog.
Tip#1
Avoiding serious injury in a crash
Even though your natural tendency is to put your hands out to catch yourself during a fall, try to remember to keep them tucked in close to your body. Some coaches suggest keeping your hands on the bars during a crash. You have just a split second to react in this situation, but it could make a difference between being off the bike for 4-6 wks. and being able to ride away.

Upcoming ride

Next Saturdays ride is a hilly loop from Harbor heading West to Spring Valley. I sent out cue sheets via e-mail. I won't be using Map My Ride anymore since they make so many mistakes on their cue sheets. I'll be sending all cue sheets via e-mail from this point on. Please keep them since we'll do ride repeats throughout the summer (I've got about 10 rides mapped out). Thanks and happy spinning!

Ride update

We'll be meeting for our first Saturday morning ride at 7:30am near the Harbor entrance (outside). We'll be doing the Waunakee #1 loop (easy ride with a few rolling hills). Be sure to have a map, spare tube/patch kit, pump and water bottle. Might be cold that morning so dress in layers. Hope to see you there!

Waunakee ride (ride #1)

Hill Clinic (ride #2)

May 15th ride

Here's the info. for our first Saturday ride on May 15th at 7:30am (meet in Harbor parking lot near entrance). Remember that if winds are nearing 25mph we will not ride (not safe) and if it's forcasting rain during our ride time there will be no ride.
Start at HAC
L/West on Century Av
R/North on Pheasant Branch Rd (cross K and resume on Pheasant Branch going North)
L/West on Meffert
R/North on Kingsley
L/West on 19
R/North on Wipperfurth
L/West on Kopp
R/North on Hyslop
R/East on Stevensen
R/South on Ripp
L/East on Cuba Valley
R/South on North Madison
L/East on 19
R/South on Division
R/West on Woodland
L/South on Kingsley
L/East on Meffert
R/South on Pheasant Branch
L/East on Century back to Harbor
This ride is rolling with 2 larger hills. One of the easier rides in Western Dane Co. Hope to see you there!

Just a few things

Thought everyone might like to know that Ride the Drive will be held two days this summer. Over 6 miles of downtown roads will be closed on June 6th and August 29th for cycling, walking, inline skating. It's a great event! You can find more information on the Wisconsin Bicycle Fed website. Also, this Sunday is the Paris-Roubaix bike race. It will be shown on Versus. 150 km (75 of which are cobblestone) which makes it fun to watch. Happy spring riding!

JERSEYS

Jerseys are in!!! Here's the scoop on how to get them. They are behind the front desk in the closet so you'll have to ask a desk staff member to get it for you. Make sure they check off your name and get the size you signed up for (check to make sure it's women's or men's). You may only take what you signed up for. Thanks to everyone for your patience...they're here just in time for the upcoming warm weather! If you didn't sign up before the cutoff, there are a few extra but please hold off until everyone that did sign up gets theirs and then you can pay the $60 and get one.

Rides

Thanks to all of you that showed up for the meet and greet! It was great meeting you and I look forward to riding with you! Here is Kevin's e-mail address to get on his list for cue sheets and ride locations for Thursday eve rides: kevinapo@gmail.com
Also, Michael Osborne will be leading out rides from Uphill Grind on Sundays starting in April. You can find information about the rides on his website www.uphillgrind.net or by "friending" him on facebook. My rides (Saturday mornings) will start May 15th at 8am (will change to 7:30 in June). Happy spring everyone and enjoy the great weather.
-Kierstin

E-mails

Please hold on to e-mails if possible. I've been getting 4-5 daily and am having a hard time keeping up. I'll let everyone know when the jerseys are here through e-mail and blog plus will keep you updated on rides. We'll find out when rides start with Uphill Grind tomorrow and with Kevin in the next week. My Saturday rides won't start until May 15th due to a trip I need to take to Seattle. I'm shooting for a ride time of 8am in May, hopefully 7:30am by mid June. When jerseys arrive, you can pick them up at the front desk. You'll give them your name and you'll get the size you signed up for. Hopefully this information helps. I'll add posts once in awhile for training tips etc. Happy spring!
-Kierstin

Power Meters

Ride smarter, not harder. Because we are sponsored by Saris/Cyclops, you will be able to get 40-45% off of power meters (as well as racks)! If you tend to fall into the trap of overtraining or not training hard enough, these little computers can really help. They measure your wattage and by using them with your heart rate monitor, you can make the most of your training time. Kevin uses wattage as a tool in his indoor cycling classes and every pro racer has one glued to his/her bike. For more info, check out www.saris.com.

More spots opening in club!!!

Good news! We have put in another order of jerseys and they will be in late May. We'll have the sign up sheet out when the jerseys come in. Feel free to come to our meet and greet on March 16th 5:30-6:30 for more info.

Ridges Sanctuary Century

Hey all! There's an amazing century on June 19th in Door County! All proceeds go to Ridges Nature Sanctuary and it follows a fairly flat route. I'll be doing it with several folks and it should be a great time. If you couldn't get into the horribly hilly (or didn't want to) here's your chance to do an early century! You can find more info. at www.ridefornature.com