Halloween Weekend

Halloween is a very busy weekend in Orlando and this year was no exception.

The Halloween Critical Mass ride on Friday night was a good showing and had several riders that dressed in costumes. The ride was without any altercations with police, even though they were parked at several locations along the route to make sure that everything was orderly. The ride was large enough that we took up all three lanes on Orange Avenue. It always feels good to take back the streets and draw attention to cyclists and alert automobiles about bikes being on the road.

Saturday was a typical Lakemont group ride. We got an update on Marty Katz, the Lakemont rider who was struck by a car a little before dawn on Tuesday, October 12, while stopped at a light on Horatio Avenue in Maitland. You can keep tabs on his progress - go here ->  http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/martykatzrecovery and register - you’ll then get daily reports from Team Marty.  Marty is still in very serious condition but some good things have been happening this week. He is OFF THE VENT and breathing on his own and speaking through the trach.  He wants a beer, he wants his coffee, he wants to get up and walk, he wants out of there!  And, as soon as a bed is available, he will be moved out of ICU.  These are positive steps, but no one should be fooled: Marty’s got a long road ahead of him with several surgeries to go.Show your support, register at the caringbridge.com site and let the family know you’re a cyclist and you’re following Marty’s recovery.
 
Saturday night was downtown Orlando's Halloween celebration, and this year I went as a doping cyclist, but I abandoned my blood transfusion gear to be more comfortable amongst the mass of people. Many people just assumed that I was Lance Armstrong, since I had a Radio Shack jersey on. Either way, it was pretty fun just walking around in a full kit and having people know who/what I was.

Update on Marty Katz

For those of you that have been asking about the status of Marty, he's still in the hospital but progressing. Marty Katz is the Lakemont rider who was struck by a car a little before dawn on Tuesday, October 12, while stopped at a light on Horatio Avenue in Maitland.  His family has started a web page, so you can keep tabs on his progress - go here -> : http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/martykatzrecovery and register - you’ll then get daily reports from Team Marty. 

Marty is still in very serious condition.  When in surgery, Marty’s doctors stopped after placing a pin (a very long pin) in Marty’s femur.  They did not attempt fixing anything else due to lung complications.  Marty’s ventilator use has been as high as full-time but now is at 50%.  I can’t pretend to understand the medical details but Marty is in a serious and long fight.

Day of Rememberance On Lakemont Ride

Tuesday morning, Marty Katz, a regular rider in the “third group” at Lakemont was on his way to meet a morning group in Maitland.  Stopped at a red light, in the left turn lane, on Horatio Avenue, he was hit by a car. His injuries are extensive and he’s in ICU at Orlando Regional Medical Center. He sustained 8 or 9 broken ribs, a fractured femur, hip, pelvis and clavicle.  The vehicle was being driven by a high school who had several girls with her in the car heading to school.

Marty underwent surgery on Wednesday, but is breathing now only with the aid of a ventilator.  He is listed in critical condition and the family has requested that there be no visitors but earnestly seeks prayers. A brief prayer vigil was held Thursday night at Lakemont Elementary and before we headed out this morning we had a brief moment of silence and talked about safety issues. Even though Marty had lights on his bike, we were reminded how important visibility is for a cyclist on the road. Being made fun of for looking like a Christmas tree or ambulance may not be a bad thing considering the alternative.

Today was also a reminder of the Ride 2 Recovery ride that is happening tomorrow morning. When I rolled up this morning there were 2 veterans in their Ride 2 Recovery kits on and seeing them out on bikes was a great inspiration. One of the soldiers was missing a left arm and leg and was riding with prosthetic limbs. Nothing can inspire you more than seeing someone that has sacrificed for our country andthen is out riding with the heart of a champion. Absolutely amazing.

You too can honor America’s recovering veterans with a bicycle ride through Seminole County tomorrow, October 17. Ride 2 Recovery of Florida is an advocacy group that promotes cycling as a vehicle to assist in the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded military veterans.  The “Seminole Cyclefest” is a ride designed to raise the awareness of the physical and psychological rehabilitative values of cycling among the civilian, military, and wounded warrior communities.  All monies raised by this event will be used to assist in the recovery of injured veterans.  For more information about Ride 2 Recovery of Florida refer to: www.ride2recoveryflorida.com.

 

Join this group of cycling advocates as they casually ride through Seminole County with the escort of the Seminole County Sheriff. The ride is open to the public by registration at www.Active.com.  “Seminole Cyclefest”. The “Seminole Cyclefest” will start and finish at David’s World Cycles, 1201 South International Parkway, Lake Mary, Florida.  The ride will start promptly at 8:30 AM on Sunday, October 17, 2010.  Riders will select either a 24 mile or 58 mile course through the picturesque townships and lakes of Seminole County.  The ride will be completely supported with rest stations placed approximately 15 miles apart.  All participants receive the official Ride 2 Recovery tee shirt.  Ride packets can be picked up at David’s World Cycle starting at 7:00 AM on the day of the ride.  Same day registration will also begin at 7:00 AM on October 17 at David’s World Cycles.

HB 971 Goes Into Affect and Lakemont Group Gets Pulled Over

The Lakemont, group B ride, was having a lovely Saturday ride this morning. We were running a nice pace of 25mph and had just turned off of 434 onto Tuskawilla and had about 15 miles left in the ride. As we rounded a slight hill, we saw the flashing blue lights of one of Winter Spring's finest. A code enforcement officer waved the 90 riders off the road at a driveway entrance and gave us the riot act for breaking the new House Bill 971 Law. We tried to explain that we had just made a turn and to get everyone through the light, we could not ride 2 abreast and get us all through in one cycle.

If you recall, House Bill 971 had language in it that required cyclists to ride in the bike lane if it was present and to not ride more than 2 abreast. I know that many of us called and wrote the governor to try and convince him to veto this bill and have the language regarding bike lanes removed, but it wasn't enough and it was signed.The law isn't supposed to go into enforcement until September 1, but I guess the code enforcement officers feel that since the governor signed it, they are ready to enforce it.

I haven't heard of any other rides being pulled over, but I am sure that this is going to become common. The officer tried to tell us that he was going to sit out there and write us all up, but I think that when he realized that it would take longer than an hour and was getting into the mid 90s in temperature, so he let us go with a warning.

This is just a good example of why bike lanes and laws on 4 lane roads out in the county, can become a problem in certain situations. Hopefully this law will be reconsidered and have changes amended to it. In the mean time, keep riding out there, and if you are in a group ride, try to follow the laws and stay safe.

Road Racing Hitting Its Stride

It is May 16th and another beautiful day in Florida. I rode the Lakemont Ride yesterday, which has added a 4th group to it, so there are even more riders coming out. The D Group is being led by Billy Hattaway, a past co-worker with me and a really good guy. The ride is 40 miles with a stop halfway and a pace that is a consistent 18-20mph, with no drops. I encourage any of my rider friends that may have been intimidated by the other groups, because of their speed and intensity, to try out this ride and get into the Lakemont experience.

The other great parts of it being May 16, is the Giro d'Italia is on stage 8, the Tour of California starts this afternoon, and Bike Month is halfway finished. The Giro d'Italia is always a tricky race and this year has been no different. Several of the big name riders (Armstrong and the Radioshack team, Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia), Andy Schleck and Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank), Tom Danielson (Garmin-Transitions), Tom Boonen (Quick Step), and Lars Boom (Rabobank), Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo Test Team) and US Champion George Hincapie (BMC Racing)) are not there because they are riding in the Tour of California this week. The World Champion from Australia, Cadel Evans (BMC), is currently leading in the Giro and the race has been full of crashes, beautiful Italian scenery, and typical race antics. The Tour of California is a good primer for the Tour de France and many riders are choosing to ride it instead of the Giro, because it isn't as long and taxing and they can go all out for just 8 stages and make adjustments for the Tour de France.

Tomorrow stats the official Bike Week, so I am hoping for many new cyclists out on the road. Coordinate riding to work with friends and co-workers and try to ride on days other than your city's Bike to Work Day. Give commuting by bike a chance for a week and I promise that you will see how easy it can be and you might get hooked.

Fuel Up for This Weekend's Rides

A few weeks ago I wrote a post that described the huge benefits of eating properly during a long ride. Many cyclists consider sports bars and gels to be handy pre-ride snacks and a good source of calories during rides. These energy sources help provide ample carbohydrates, with minimal amounts of fat and protein.

When cyclists forgo meals or don't eat the right things, their blood glucose drops and you're more likely to get the "bonk" on a ride. Eating a high-carbohydrate sports bar an hour or so before cycling will help to maintain your blood glucose levels so that you can perform optimally.

Researchers at Ohio State University found that performance was improved by 12.5 percent when carbohydrate was consumed an hour before exercise. They advised to consume 40 to 75 grams of carbohydrate in the hour before your workout. The energy boost you get from eating a sports bar or gel before or during exercise comes primarily from the carbohydrate in the bars (about 25 to 47 grams) and gels (about 20 grams to 25 grams), which elevates your blood glucose to provide energy to your cycling muscles.

There's nothing special about the carbohydrate that sports bars and gels supply. You can get the same results from traditional high-carbohydrate snacks such as Fig Newtons, bananas, low-fat granola bars or breakfast bars are also good, less expensive alternatives to sports bars or gels. Sports bars and gels also are an accessible energy source during your time on the bike. Consuming carbohydrate during rides lasting an hour or longer enables you to ride longer and harder by providing glucose for your muscles when they begin to run out of glycogen (glycogen is stored carbohydrate in the muscle).

Filling Up

High-carbohydrate foods such as sports bars, Fig Newtons, and bananas provide a feeling of "fullness" that you won't get from drinking fluids or sucking down gels. Sports bars and gels purposely have a very low water content so that they can be compact and easily carried. Concentrated carbs are definitely the way to go.

To get the amount of carbohydrate supplied by one Clif Bar (40 to 45 grams), you'd have to eat 1.5 bananas (45 grams). One gel packet supplies only slightly less carbohydrate (25 grams) than one banana (25 to 30 grams).

The low water content of sports bars and gels also has a disadvantage. You should consume about 6 to 8 ounces of water when you eat a sports bar or carbohydrate gel before or during exercise. Otherwise the product will settle poorly and you may feel nauseated because of the slow digestion. In addition to aiding your digestion, drinking water after consuming the bar or gel encourages you to hydrate adequately.

The bottom line on sports bars and gels is that they're a convenient way to help meet your carbohydrate requirements before and during cycling.

Below is a recipe that I found online of a "homemade goop".

Homebrew Power Goop

• 7 and 1/3 tablespoons of honey
• 3/4 teaspoons of blackstrap molasses
• 1/10 teaspoons (just shy of 1/8 tsp) of table salt

Be sure to mix everything together well. It should make enough to fill a five-serving GU flask.

The honey in the recipe provides a bunch of good carbohydrates and vitamins. Honey alone is nutritionally very close to power goop, but it lacks a bit of sodium and potassium. Molasses has a ton of potassium, and if you can find blackstrap molasses, it has even more! As for the sodium, just add some salt.

Try these tips out and ride longer and ride farther! The main thing is to get out there and ride!!!

Hitting the Road

This weekend's weather has been too beautiful to be sitting inside updating the blog. The Saturday morning Lakemont Ride had about 200 riders overall, and at least 100 alone in the B ride that I participate in. I felt better than ever in the saddle and had plenty of juice to keep up with the pack.

I do have 2 lessons learned from Saturday. The first one is something that most people know, but I have just now become a believer in. The Lakemont Ride is only 2 hours, so I haven't been taking any food/energy supplements, but I have been feeling drained on the past few weeks when we picked up the pace and felt that a few extra calories couldn't hurt. I packed a small peanut butter sandwich and it hit the spot. I could only eat a bite at a time, but that helped ration it out throughout the whole ride. My advice: If you are riding over an hour, pack a small snack or energy supplement. This will give you the boost you need to get you down the road.

The second lesson came from a friend of mine, but I have personal experience in this too. My friend got some new SPD pedals and even though she clipped in and out a few times on Friday night, during her ride in Clermont, she fell 2 times. She didn't fall because of the clips being too tight or not functioning properly, but because she didn't realize which foot she instinctively put down on the ground first. I had this same experience with my toe in clipless pedals, but I just fell over and hurt my pride. She actually received some nasty road burn and a few bruises. She is good now, but I recommend clipping in and out along a fence or wall for practice, and the support if you can't get out of your pedals.

Ride on and ride safe!

Weekend Riding

Days like today proves that all of the cold weather training pays off. I rode in the Lakemont B group this morning and with the temperatures reaching into the mid to upper 70s, the races were feeling it. We had a great group of about 70 riders and with no wind to deal with, the pack held together fairly well. It seemed that every time I glanced down at my cyclometer, we were churning at least 25+ mph and several times were topping 30 on flat stretches. Great day to be on the road!

Tomorrow morning out at UCF, the Orange County Council of PTAs are inviting everyone to participate in a world record bicycle parade. Registration begins at 9:30am and staging begins at 10:30. The route is 2.5 miles and should be a free, fun, event with a purpose!

Typical Saturday

The weather in Florida is in the 70s now, and is perfect riding conditions. Rode with the Lakemont group for the usual 50 miles of spandex clad fun.

We heard a grizzly story from last week's C group. With the temperatures starting out in the 50s when we get started, people are wearing base layers, arm warmers, etc. Apparently a guy was removing a jacket while riding at about 20mph and the wind caught it and sent it into his rear wheel. Needless to say it immediately wrapped into his spokes and chain and stopped the bike abruptly. This sent the rider head first over the bike and he struck his head hard enough that he was knocked out for a few seconds.

It was a good reminder that everyone needed to be careful when riding out there, and we needed to keep our eyes peeled for what the people around us may be trying to do. Just because people do it on the professional races, doesn't mean that we can do it too. Especially since that type of motion isn't something that we deal with on a ride to ride basis.

Ride on, and ride safe!

Spring Is Springing

After one of Florida's coldest winters in history, the temperatures are getting back up into the 70s and the sun is starting to shine! This is bringing the cyclists and runners out of their winter slumber and the roads are being repopulated by bikes. I am not sue if I am just seeing more because I am looking for them, or if there actually are more bikes on the street than last year.

I rode in yesterday's Lakemont ride and have convinced myself that I am addicted to speed. At 8 miles in we were riding 4 wide through UCF's campus and I thought to myself, "Man it feels like we are flying", but I was scared to look down for fear that something would happen around me and I would cause a pileup. I couldn't resist and caught a glimpse of the number 30 on my cyclometer and my assumption was confirmed. Yes we were flying.

The wind ended up helping/hurting yesterday's road ride. It helped by slowing the pace down on the final 15 miles of the ride. It hurt because when it was my turn to pull on the front it felt like you were being pulled from behind. Mind you, we were still going about 20mph, but that was in stretches where we were typically rolling 25-30. The wind just kept you alert about where you were in the pack and kept you away from the back and in the protected middle. With gusts of 20+ hitting you in the face, it wouldn't take much to blow you off the back and riding the rest of the ride alone.

Today is going to be another beautiful day. My volunteer team and I are heading back out for another leg of the No Excuse Zone Orlando project. Look for an update on the progress soon.

This afternoon there is a tour of local, independently-owned restaurant/bars that choose to carry American-owned craft beers. The Tour begins at 2 pm at The Virgin Olive (807 N. Orange Ave, just North of 50), continues on to Cavanaughs in College Park, then on to The Imperial at Washburn Imports, and then rolls on to Bikes, Beans, and Bordeaux which is celebrating their 2 year anniversary this week! The final stop will be Colonial Lanes, plenty of everything there for the finale . . . The tour is being called Beer Bomb Bike Tour, so check it out if you are looking for an excuse to get out and enjoy the beautiful Florida spring weather.

Headwind Full of Hurt

This morning's Lakemont ride was full of interesting drama. The weather was a cool 60 degrees and I think the group was trying to keep heart rates up to stay warm. I rode in the B group and we gave the A group our typical 5 minute head start, but we caught them by mile 8. That was when the speed and the fun really started.

The wind had been calm up to that point and maybe even a little bit to our tails, but that just meant that we were rolling at 25-30+mph and our hearts were beating out of our chests. This continued with both groups combined until about mile 20, and that's when things started to go awry. One of the local high schools was having a fundraiser 5K and we slowed slightly as we passed groups of runners, and I got distracted watching the crowds instead of focusing on the riders in front of me. Next thing I know the guy in front of me waves me up to pull and to my dismay, the main group was about 50 feet away from us. The rider apologized and just said "Sorry, I thought I could catch them back." I was full of anger and the sinking feeling of having to ride out of the main pack for the last 30 miles.

Luckily the group had been riding so fast that we had shed about half of the starting riders and they had grouped themselves into small packs of 5-10 riders. I decided that it was better to try to work together and finish, than attempt to catch the main group and blow myself up.

This turned out to be a great choice since around the next curve we hit a headwind of 15-20mph that crushed us for the remaining 30 miles. It wasn't a complete loss. I tried to look at it as an opportunity to get more training in, since I was required to do my portion of the pulling and didn't get the luxury of sitting back in the peloton and shield myself from the wind. It's days like today that I envy the smaller riders and I feel like my chest and shoulders are acting like a sail and pulling me back like I have a parachute around my waist.

Like I always say though, any day in the saddle is always better than the alternative, no matter the conditions. Ride on!

Hipsters to Spandex

There is a wide range of different types of cyclists and many times these typologies overlap one another. Many names have been coined for different types of riders; hipster, commuter, spandex, parents and kids, etc. Within the past 24 hours I have gotten to ride with several of these..

Last night was the monthly Critical Mass ride in Orlando, and in over 300 cities around the world. Critical Mass is a group ride, which was over 200 riders last night, that rides at a slow to moderate pace through the main arterial streets of the city.  The ride is intended to show bicycle awareness and to protest that bicycles are just as important as any other vehicle on the road.

It was pretty cool that I had a woman come up to me and ask me if I ride on Livingston every morning. I said yes, but that I hadn't remembered seeing her out there commuting in. She said that she was driving to work each day and that she drove a big van with dog paw prints painted on it. I actually recall that vehicle, since at 15mph you actually take in most of your surroundings and the dog paw prints are a pretty rare detail.

This morning I did my typical Saturday "Lakemont" ride. I cut through neighborhoods and ride 5 miles to get to the group start location, and the rising sun is the last peaceful moments for the next 2 hours. We had a good group of about 100 riders, ready to scorch the pavement.

The ride itself is 40 miles in 1.5 hours and there is no stopping or waiting for people to catch up. As we rode this morning I heard rumblings in the pack that a group of 6 or 7 were going to break off and attack at mile 30, and that is never good. When a breakaway occurs, the riders go off the front in a line and the pack responds and tries to catch them and pull them back in. It takes a ride that is a fast 25mph into a wild sprint that surpasses 30mph and splinters the pack.

Well the attackers kept their word at mile 30 and we finally caught them after riding at 32mph for about 2 miles. We finished the ride and ended with only about 30 riders (people get dropped and finish the ride alone or in small groups, or they end and head home early).

I love it because it sets up a great Saturday when you are home by 10am and feel like you already accomplished something and don't have to worry about doing anything but relaxing the rest of the day.