Team Girls Gone Riding #1 Newsletter

Hello Ladies: First off...welcome to new teammates....Patti, Lisette, and Tami. We are up to 22 team members! Way to go...

Take a moment to read through this and keep it as dates etc. are in it. I am also going to recap what was discussed this past weekend at our first meeting so that those who could not make it can catch up. Thanks to all who came out. I am very excited about the months ahead.
PR+GGR+FOX-TV

BEFORE I do that..though...Those of you who can be available at 8:25 a.m. on Wednesday, February 4, at the FOX-TV parking lot located

511 W Adams StreetPhoenix, AZ 85003
should come out and join us for a segment on Team Girls Gone Riding.
Wear your The Ladies jerseys or the 2008 Bike ms Round-Up Ride jersey. Bring your bike and helmet. If you need to borrow a jersey...let me know. The feature will be about the movement of getting more women to ride, The All-Women Girls Gone Riding Ride on Feb. 21st and of course, Bike ms Round-Up Ride on March 28-29. Please consider joining us if you can get away that morning.

Girls Gone Riding Ride - February 21

We discussed the All-Women's Ride scheduled for February 21st. Any teammates who either want to ride or volunteer, may. Those teammates who contribute by doing either will receive their division of whatever the ride produces financially. We officially have three riders who have paid and registered. I have attached the registration form once again.

We also need volunteers--men for rest stops and anyone to help haul supplies. I have also attached a volunteer form and waiver. Anecdotally, I have been told by many that they plan on riding so I suspect we will have peope show up that day. I just want to be prepared so that we can give a decent and safe experience.

Another meeting to finalize this ride is scheduled for Wednesday, February 11, so that we have some idea where we are with help. I am also inviting volunteers to come. I will be sending.

I have attached a request letter for businesses for those of you who would like to help solicit for gifts to be sold in our silent auction at the BBQ.

Fundraising:

We are attempting to raise most of our funds through two events. However, I encourage you to send emails to your friends and family to give to the society on your behalf. However, if you want to do something on your own to raise money, please do consider doing so. Today, I held a chili lunch for employees where I made some chili and brought it in. Everyone was invited to eat and donate to our team. Everyone said they would contribute and already I received more than $75 in donations from just three people. It was fun and everyone enjoyed sharing lunch.

Training:
We are riding every Saturday with LaVerne's group, Sunday with the MS Training group and of course,other times during the week. Rider Loren Locher and I will be leading a short beginner ride on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 9 a.m. from Ahwatukee. Please email me if you would like to join us. Details about starting location etc. will be sent this week. Here's my email sheryl@girlsgoneriding.org

Hope to see you all on the road soon!

March Ride info:
We will have a team tent in March at the MS ride. It's a gathering spot, a place where goodies are offered to us and some folks will even sleep in it. I will also have an RV at the site. Please let me know if you intend to camp in the tent or if you would like to reserve a spot in the RV. You will be asked to commit by the end of February.

Important Dates:

February 8, Laveen Country Challenge ride, benefits Laveen Lion's Club (Reg form attached) FUN RIDE!
Feb. 11, GGR All-Women's Ride meeting, NMSS Office, 6 p.m. (Reg Form attached)
Feb. 28, Bike ms Kick-Off, Ride, Food and Fun! Discount Tire Headquarters, Scottsdale
March 14, Cabernet, Blues and BBQ BARBICURE, Sheryl's house.

Women's Cycling Clinic

I attended a women's cycling clinic last weekend at Tribe Multi-Sport in Scottsdale.  It was hosted by the Tribe Women's Racing Team and the information that they shared with us was unending!!  I was so impressed by the quality of the information that I wanted to share it with your ladies.  It would be impossible to blog on every subject they covered in one post so I'll be blogging over several days in order to share this helpful information. 

The clinic was Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 to 4:00 both days.  There was a questionnaire to fill out when I registered, asking how long you had been riding, how many days and miles per week you ride, your age etc.  This would place you in the appropriate riding group for Saturday's ride.  We did the normal Saturday morning Tribe ride which is challenging but very doable.  I ended up riding with a faster group that they had originally placed me, but that was fine by them.  It was a hard group to keep up with but you know what they say, "If you wanna get faster, ride with faster people".  I can't say that I want to be necessarily faster but I do want to be a stronger rider and stronger translated to faster...

After lunch, Michael Sasek, owner of "Motivate Fitness Refined" shared information on the importance of resistance training for cyclists, which I have found over the last several months t be incredibly helpful in my stamina.  Resistance training also plays a very important role in injury prevention.  Just some leg press and a few squats or lunges every week will give you a little extra strength to tap into when you're power starts running low.  Motivate Fitness Refined offers sport specific personal training and kettle ball classes.  You can find these at www.azmotivate.com.

One of the other points I found particularly helpful was the stretching class.  Cyclists use the hamstrings, calves and hip flexors more than any other muscles.  Stretching each of these muscles after ever ride will help reduce soreness and fatigue.  After cycling and working out for an entire year with little to no post ride stretching I only wish I had been given this information early on in my training.  I would have gladly lived without the soreness and hobbling around for several days after an intense ride.  STRETCH GIRLS!!  It's well worth the few minutes that it takes...

On day two we did a pedal stroke analysis, a bone density test, a "bioimpedance" analysis, (body mass index, basal metabolic rate, lean body mass/fat mass, etc.), a nutrition class, worked on riding in a pace line and a rotating pace line, a core strengthening class and basic and advanced bike maintenance.  So much to share...

Group Rides

Group rides are kind of like bowling leagues. I remember when I was a kid, every Tuesday either my grandmother came over or another babysitter and my parents would go out together for the evening to their bowling league. I can make this comparison because occasionally, the babysitter cancelled and I would have to go with them. Of course, bowling was kind of incidental since most of the evening was about talking, eating snack bar food, laughing and gossiping. Sure, someone took score, but clearly it was a social gathering. In fact, the name of the league was The Good-timers. Oh, I am certain there was the serious bowler among them—probably a frustrated man who got irritated when a woman missed her time at the lane because she was busy finishing a story about a racy neighbor or how her son’s teacher’s skirt was too short etc. I am sure, too, that some bowlers spent an inordinate amount of time and money shopping and buying the best balls, shoes, bags etc., even reading about new technology and gloves that will help them improve their game.

To me, other than the activity being different and a moving target, group bike rides are a great comparison. Like the bowler who thinks she is one step away from pro, there are serious cyclists who grow weary of the chatting riders who slow down because conversation has become juicy. There is always a great deal of chatter, laughter, eating and, shall we say, ‘sharing’ that happens on these rides. There are the cyclists who get every new bicycle gadget as soon as its available and will talk forever about materials and apparel that they have studied in all of the scores of catalogs that are never-ending in one’s mailbox. Of course, some group rides are more serious than others, but any of them still offer a social outlet that I, for one, really look forward to.

The First-Ever, All-Woman, Girls Gone Riding Ride

Although cycling has become far more to me than just being the way I choose to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, I love being able to combine my love for riding with fundraising and my desire to introduce more women to the activity of riding. I am the team captain for a women’s team for the annual Bike MS: Round-Up Ride. This is the second year I am forming this team and I am hopeful to grow to my goal of 24 women this year. Together, we will raise money to help create a world free of MS AND havE THE TIME OF OUR LIVES THE WEEKEND OF mARCH 28-29, 2009.

Our team will be doing a couple of ‘events’ to raise money. One of the events is an ALL WOMAN Ride on Saturday, Feb. 21. The ride will begin at Safeway at Alma School and Chandler Blvd. The cost for the ride is $20 if you register before the ride and $25 if your register that day. Girls Gone Riding jerseys also will be available for purchase that day for $75.

There will be a 35-mile route and a metric century as well. Coffee and bagels will be available at the start, fully-supported rest stops and a lunch will be available at the end. Women of all ages, sizes and ability are invited to register for this fun morning. All rest stops will be staffed by men.

If you are interested in riding, contact me via email at Sheryl@girlsgoneriding.org.

I hope to make this ride an annual event that all women can look forward to.

More info to come!

Top 10 Things Bicyclists Can Be Thankful For

If you read this post and comment below with your favorite tip (bike shops, places to ride, clothing pieces or training ride leaders) you will be entered into a drawing on Monday, November 17, for a pair of free arm warmers. Make sure to leave your name and email, even if you log in as anonymous.

I have read many books about the benefits of positive thinking—it’s a healthy perspective to have that bolsters our spirits. Yet many of us spend far too much time focusing on what is wrong with things and the balance of that time telling others all of the flaws what we have found. We can always think of things to say about how things could be better, but at least at this time of year, the holiday of Thanksgiving tends to steer us toward thinking of things to be thankful for.

With that in mind and in the spirit of the ‘season’ I thought I would list of the top ten things Bicyclists Can Be Thankful for:

10. Moisture-wicking material, especially in the colder months, to help keep us dry and comfortable.

9. The invention of the Camelback water backpack to help us stay hydrated, especially in the desert.

8. Drivers who are mindful, watchful and considerate of cyclists. They DO exist.

7. A tiny fringe benefit for bike commuters according to the recently passed ‘Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008’. A $240 annual benefit can help fund bikes, tires, lights, locks etc.!

6. Friendly cyclists who can change a tire in less than the 60 minutes it takes me. I can not say how many times I have been changing my tire when a tire-changing, savvy, bike-mechanic-like person stopped and threw the tube in faster than I could get the valve cover unscrewed.

5. Arizona fall cycling weather. Enough said.

4. Life-saving blinkie lights for that smoky dawn or dusky twilight safe ride.

3. Helpful bike shop staff people who will give you sound advice, treat you with dignity regardless of your cycling ability and give you tips to save money and time.

2. Training ride and group ride leaders. If you ride with a group to train or for pleasure, you know these dedicated, bike-loving people who are reliable and helpful in teaching road rules, pushing some up steep hills and cheerfully planning out a route. Hooray for these folks!

AND the number one thing Bicyclists Can Be Thankful For…

1. Quality, padded or gel chamois bike shorts!

If you read this post and comment below with your favorite tip (bike shops, places to ride, clothing pieces or training ride leaders) you will be entered into a drawing on Monday, November 17, for a pair of free arm warmers. Make sure to leave your name and email, even if you log in as anonymous.

It's October and a PERFECT Time to Ride

It’s October. It’s cool. It’s PERFECT riding weather. Gone are the days of 105 degrees, feeling like a raisin—all baked and dried out and feeling the pouring sweat at each red light. What isn’t gone, though, is the need to continue to be mindful of some safety precautions. First, while the air feels cool, the Arizona sun is still as volatile to your skin as ever. Don’t forget the sunscreen. Water is still essentially important to your body’s ability to produce. Just because the weather doesn’t feel like the Sahara desert when you ride, it doesn’t mean that water is any less important. Be sure to continue to hydrate the night before a long ride and remember to bring two quarts of water and refill when you stop. One more thing, forgive my stating the obvious, but if you were riding before work during the week at 5;30 or 6 a.m. there was plenty of sparkling sunshine to light your path. That, too, has slipped away with the mercury falling. Be sure to wear flashers behind you and a light in front of you. You may be able to see just fine, but commuters rushing to work may not. Be safe and be lighted!

After a bout of my usual fall allergy-induced case of sinus infection and bronchitis, I was worried about having lost three weeks of quality riding. It was heartbreaking to see my riding buddies take off for a weekend of the Bay To Bay Bike MS ride in southern California without me. It’s funny how sometimes, a person can’t tell how poor one feels until you start to feel well. I had no idea I was walking around with 1/10^th of my breathing capacity until I downed a few doses of prednisone and could breathe more normally. I digress though, because although I feel a bit weaker, when I got back on my bike, it felt like slipping on a comfortable pair of slippers that you haven’t worn in a while. Once again, I felt I came home!

Have you noticed the sunrises lately, simply spectacular! I can’t decide which I am more in awe of, last spring’s wildflower display as seen from a bike or the fall sunrise and sunset colors from above the handlebars. It doesn’t last forever though, folks, so don’t let these amazing weather mornings pass you by. I can usually get in about 18 miles and still make it to work by 8:30, showered and commuted. Some of my favorite morning rides are:

San Juan Road at South Mountain Park. Park in the parking lot near the visitor center and ride out the end of San Juan . It’s only about 14 miles, but you get some hill work in and the reward is the view of Phoenix at the ramada at the end.

Ahwatukee/Pecos Road. Park at the Park and Ride at 40^th street just north of Pecos and ride all the way to the end of Pecos Road and turn right to end in the neighborhood and turn around. Again, only about 14 miles but beautiful views and not too aggressive traffic until the ride east on Pecos .

Freestone Park in Gilbert. Park at Freestone Park and ride north on Lindsay Road . Bike lanes are present in both north and south directions.

What’s your favorite morning valley of the sun ride of 14-20 miles? Let me know and I will post here.

Warm Up

It doesn’t matter how ready I think I am to ride, how limber I feel, when I get on the bike to ride, I feel kind of like I am peddling uphill for the first 30 minutes, even when riding on a completely flat surface. It’s aggravating because if I am riding a short ride before work by the time I am warmed up, the ride is nearly over. It’s those days that I usually hop right on my bike within minute of dragging myself out of bed. Like most people, I am ‘fitting in’ a ride here and there because my schedule is so tight with work and family commitments. I find myself envying the few people I ride with who are retired and leisurely enjoying a bagel and coffee after a weekday morning ride. Sigh.

ANYWAY, the best way to feel your very best and to prevent soreness later is to stretch and warm up a little before a ride. Everyone has their list of things that they KNOW are good for them, yet they avoid like the plaque: green beans; eight hours of sleep; teeth cleanings every six months; and good record-keeping for tax time. When it comes to riding a bike or any kind of exercise, a brief session of stretching can mean the difference between an enjoyable experience of riding and one that causes pain from injury.

When you spend a few minutes lengthening your muscles with a few good stretches, the elasticity of the tissue that your muscles are made of and the tissue that connects your muscles to your bones, improves. Stretching is so important that studies have revealed that young athletes, those in their pre-teens, who stretched before an activity experienced far fewer incidence of osteoarthritis or the arthritis caused by overuse when in their 20s. It’s that important.

One place to find great stretching examples is www.sparkpeople.com. It’s also a great site to commune with other folks who are learning to become active, learning about foods and nutrition and ultimately weight loss and also a place to find out about how to exercise safely.

Here’s a couple of stretching examples from Sparkpeople.com along with some articles further touting the benefits of stretching.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/stretching_quick.asp

Girl Parts and Saddles

At first, every woman riding a bike wonders how in the world anyone could spend more than 15 minutes on a triangular, hard stub that evokes medieval thoughts of torture just by looking at it. I have to laugh when I see that there are actually different kinds of seats depending on how you expect to ride: touring; performance; recreation or all-around. I mean seriously, isn't it ALL supposed to be RECREATION!

Anyway, I digress. The worst mistake uneducated newbies do is look for the the most cushy, wide, fluffy seat. One word: FRICTION. If one expects to be on a seat for any length of time. If you are going to load up Fluffy, your Shih Tzu and ride to the candy store, by all means, rest your tush on a comfy, scalloped seat that feels like the family couch. If you are going to ride for 15 or more miles with the hope of riding around town, look for a stream-lined all purpose seat that has as little surface touching your sweet cheeks as possible. While this may seem counter-intuitive, it really isn't. Less surface to rub on your bottom means less friction which means more comfort.

Does this mean you will feel comfort the first time you ride. Mais NON! In fact, the first time you ride, your soup bones will ache after the first five miles. You will be amazed that when you stop to use the rest room, just how amazing it feels to be OFF of the seat. What's more, you will be surprised at how much it hurts when you get back on 8 minutes after the trip to the potty.

Time in the saddle will eventually lead to the ultimate: NUMBNESS. I am convinced that repeated training rides with gradually increasing distance and length of time in the saddle kills some of the nerves in your bottom. However, whatever it is that makes it possible, regularly increasing your length of rides will render your bottom conditioned for that long ride.

Some great seat options are:

Terry’s Liberator X saddle

The key word is ‘gel’. Gel helps to absorb shock and and cushions a little without creating too much friction. Gel is also a good choice when choosing bike shorts, and riding gloves. But that’s another entry…

This saddle is $85 which is a fairly moderate cost considering you could buy Brooks for hundreds and look like you are riding a Mercedes instead of a Mustang. Terry’s website is www.terrybicycles.com.

Here’s one that’s a little less expensive, however, you are not getting the magic ‘gel’—though still a great option.

This is the Forte Women’s Contour Saddle and it runs about $49.99 although at www.performancebicycles.com there are MAD sales and a club that gives you 10% back on every dollar you spend. It is $20 to join the club each year.