Boomers on Bicycles

Riding for a Reason (photo/rfar)

Tis the season for riding your trusty bicycle and enjoying being able to do so. It’s also high season for charity rides of all kinds. All kinds of organizations have been sponsoring rides to raise money for their group. Cancer research, Parkinson’s, ALS, Leukemia, MLS, Arthritis, Epilepsy, stroke and many, many others, all have a ride of some kind, probably in your area, or close enough to it for you to go.

These rides are typically just that: rides. They are not races. They are meant to bring together the bicycling community to do something for the common good, while doing something that they do all the time anyway. The rides cover a specified course, either an out and back or loop, and are designed to accommodate all kinds of riders, on all kinds of bicycles, with all ranges of abilities. Each charges an entry fee, and most come with some sort of raffle embedded in the day.

Take a look around your area and you’re bound to find one. The entry fees aren’t so high that you have to choose between it and dinner. Most have food somewhere on the course, either a breakfast table, or a lunch, provided by one of the sponsors. The sponsors will be local businesses, perhaps even your own business.

It is good to take a look at the financial statements of the group putting on the event. There should be a very small percentage going to putting on the event, with clear majority of the money going to the intended charity or research organizations. These kinds of rides are possible because of the large contingent of volunteers who come out to help make things work. You may even be one of them. If you are unable to actually ride in the event, most have a way for you to donate to the cause anyway.

One of the best examples of this kind of ride is the Ride For A Reason event, held in California. On the website of RFAR you will find all the information that you need to satisfy yourself that your hard earned dollars are going to where you want them to go. They have a pie chart that simply shows where the funds go. If you find that an event has very high overhead costs, and not much going to the organization of charity the event is being held for, find a different event. We are all old enough to have had a hitch or two in our get-a-longs, some much more serious than others. I want to know for certain that when I participate in an event that says the money is going to cancer research, that most of the money does indeed go there (American Cancer Society, Livestrong, etc).

If there isn’t a ride in your area that supports a charity or research organization, start one. You’ll find an ample amount of help from those who have started them. Partner with a national organization to get something going. It will take a bit of time and energy, but it should be worth the effort when it does happen.

We ride anyway, so it makes sense to double up on the benefits of doing so: your health and the health of other. Ride on.

Andy Schleck tour leader (AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski)

The Tour de France hit day 12 today, and things are heating up. Literally. The Tour rode in 100 degree temperatures on the route yesterday and  today. Yesterdays stage was won by Sergio Paulinho of team Radio Shack. It was Paulinho’s first stage win in a Tour de France. Wednesday was also Bastille Day in France, but the the lone French rider in the breakaway just couldn’t quite keep up.

The ride yesterday featured a flat start that then went into the mountains. The last climb was a 5.3% grade, a catergory 2 climb. There were no serious disruptions today, as the peloton played it safe and let the breakaways stay out in front. There was no need for the peloton to catch anyone, as the standing weren’t likely to change unless there was a time consuming crash involving a lot of riders. There wasn’t, and the ride today, though hard fought at the end, was relatively uneventful.

Tuedays stage may have had something to with it, as it was a brutal day in the mountains, with the last climb being a long beyond category (HC) climb. The climb up was very difficult, and the descent was perilous as well.

Today’s stage 11 was won by HTC-Columbia’s Mark Cavendish, giving him 13 overall stage wins during his many Tours. Mark Renshaw, HTC-Columbia, Cavendish’s lead-out man, was disqualified from the tour. He had to bump Julian Dean out of the way as Dean leaned in on him, and then seemingly impeded Tyler Farrar as they headed for the line. Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin’s comment on that was that it seemed a bit harsh, but perhaps was a warning to the rest of the riders to play nice. Saxobank’s Andy Schleck retains the yellow jersey as tour leader.

If you have been following the Tour, and wonder what it’s like to ride up a mountain, you’re likely not alone. Your immediate area may not have anything to test your climbing ability. Look around and find something relatively close by that has some decent climbs. Anywhere in the mountains, if you have them, could do just fine. Foothill areas ofter offer some decent climbs as well.

The easiest place to test your climbing legs is on any of the routes that have mostly uphill all the way, with a couple of not so steep sections and a couple of downhills after the top of some of the climbs.

Get your road bike ready, or rent one from your local bike shop. Head up to your chosen spot, then start looking for a place to park.

You will need enough water for the day. One bottle will not suffice. You will need something to eat along the way, just like the pros on the Tour. Sunscreen is a very good thing to slather on, as there is little or no shade along the way. Take an extra tube or two and a patch kit, along with a pump. Take your cell phone with you.

When you begin your ride, take it easy. Take a buddy or two with you to share the load. Riding it by yourself will put you in the same frame of mind as the lone breakaway rider on any stage of the tour. You really will be on your own. Ride at a steady pace, hydrating constantly along the way.

To really get the feel of what the boys on the Tour do, when you are a few hundred meters from the top of any climb, get off the saddle and start dancing on the pedals to pull yourself over the top. At the  last climb take a breath and enjoy the top.

What goes up must come down. Catch your breath, drink, and eat something. Take 10-15 minutes to catch your breath, then start riding. Any longer than 15 minutes and your legs may begin to cramp. The way back is probably a steady downhill with some climbs thrown in. Maybe there are even a couple of pretty good curves to negotiate.With luck, the  traffic will be  light. If you get into trouble, flag someone down. It’s a long walk back.

You may pick up a pretty good head of steam on some of the sections as you head back. Go only as fast as you are willing to fall. Road rash out there could be really, really ugly.

When you get back to your car, drink, and eat a bit more. You have just had a little bit of the experience of what some of the climbs on the Tour are. You and your buddies deserve a pat on the back. There’s no podium here, so that will have to do.

Stay tuned, as there are more mountains to climb, both on the Tour, and in your own back yard. Remember to get out there and ride.

Stage 3 winner Thor Hushovd

The Tour launched on Saturday with a prologue in Holland, then moved into Belgium for Stage 1. It was a bit of a crash fest. Stage 2, Monday in Belgium, was ridden in the rain, with everything drying out in the later part of the stage. It was another crash fest, so much so that the peloton, having been bested by Sylvain Chavenal, who also took the yellow jersey for the next stage, rode en-masse across the finish line, in apparent protest of the route, the conditions, or both. This has been done only once before in the history of the Tour, and that time, in 1967, was in respect for a rider who died on the course. Paul Sherwin and Phil Liggett, who along with Bob Role are the voices of the tour, pointed out that the route was known for a year, the teams had scouted out and probably ridden most of the route, and it was, after all, a bike race. Fabian Cancellera, who was wearing the yellow jersey at the time, clearly was in control of the peloton and it was he who apparently lead the peloton to cross the finish as a group. It was an interesting day on the Tour.

Today’s Stage 3 also had a batch of crashes, one of which took out Frank Schleck, who along with his brother Andy, rides for Saxobank. He took a hard spill on the cobblestones, and broke his collar bone. It is a definite blow to the team. Other riders crashed on the cobblestones as well. One stretch of the cobbles is part of the same section that is ridden in the Paris-Roubaix race. Inherent in any road race are crashes, and one of the dangers of being in the peloton is being involved in one. When riders go down in front, those following have to scramble to stay upright. Sometimes it just doesn’t work. The Tour is now in France for the rest of the race.

As of now, Fabian Cancellara is back in yellow as the Tour leader. Lance Armstrong, stung by a flat tire as he chased the lead group down, dropped to 18th, with Alberto Contrador in 9th place. So far, the Tour has been very interesting to watch and follow. Tomorrow’s stage 4 starts in Cambrai and finishes in Reims, home to many of the great champagne houses. It is a relatively short stage and should prove to be a fast paced ride. The entire tour will consume 2, 235 miles before it is over.

The pageantry, the team strategies, the individual efforts and challenges always make the tour a great spectacle to watch. Stay tuned.

Cycling fans have a busy summer coming up. This is the time for quite a few national road race championships and grand tours. For Boomers, it’s a great time to see how the less mature are carrying on. Here is an update on the Webcor Builders Womens Pro Team, and a bit of news from Lance Armstrong:

The Canadian National Championships, in Edmunton, Alberta, Canada, was a great race, especially at the end. With attacks, counter attacks, and several breakways, the womens teams  got it down to a 4 person lead out, which finally resulted in two of the women in a head-to-head sprint to the finish. Webcor took the win, with Canadian Joelle Numainville of Webcor standing at the top of the podium, as the Canadian National Champion. Webcor sent two of the team to the Canadian race, Joelle and Erinne Wilcox, both Canadians, and with a fine example of teamwork, took the win. Joelle put an all out 250 meter sprint to the finish to beat BC rider Allison Testeroete.

In Austria, Webcor rider Andrea Graus, after some flight delays, and much too long on a plane, reached Austria 2 days prior to the Austrian Road Championships. Andrea describes a difficult race: 2000 meters (6,000+ feet) in altitude differences over 3 laps of 38 km (22.8 miles) each. 1kilometer (.6 miles) before the finish featured a steep 500 meter (1500 feet) climb. Andrea put her head down, got a few extra turns on her pedals, and finished 2 seconds in front. Andrea rode with the Austrian Radteam NO.

Webcor now has two national womens road race champions riding for them. This is a team to watch. Go Green!

The big one, Le Tour, the Tour de France, starts in Belgium this Saturday. Lance Armstrong sent a tweet out yesterday. This, he says, is his last Tour. Armstrong is arguably one of the best known names on the Tour, and a 7 time winner of the Tour. He has quite a few other interests, is getting older, and maybe, just maybe, this will be his last ride in le Tour. Time will tell. His performance at this year’s tour will most likely be like his other Tours: ridden well, strategically on top of it, and with everything he and the Radio Shack team can put together.

The Amgen Tour of California, by switching to May, is going    head-to-head with major European tours. The line up at the TOC is impressive. Several team riders have chosen to ride the TOC instead of the European  Giro d’ Italia.

Amgen announced the 16 teams that were invited to participate in the tour. It is an impressive group, and should make for an impressive peloton, a great tour, and wonderful opportunities for locals along the route, to watch a world class event. Invitations to Americas top stage race are eagerly sought by pro teams around the globe.

Team Radio Shack, whose riders include Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer, will be there. Other pro tour teams include HTC-Columbia, Quick Step, Saxo Bank, Garmin-Transitions, Rabobank, and Liquigas-Dolmo. Professional Continental teams Cervelo TestTeam and BMC racing will also participate.

U.S. based Continental teams Bissell Pro Cycling, UnitedHealthcare p/b Maxxis, Jelly Belly p/b Kenda, SpiderTech p/b Planet Energy, Fly V Australia, Team Type 1 and Kelly Benefit Strategies are expected to ride as well.

This makes for the strongest group of riders and teams the TOC has experienced. The addition of the North American based Continental teams makes for a great match-up with the worlds great riders.

HTC-Columbia’s  Mark Cavendish, known as the Missle, along with Michael Rodgers will skip the Giro to ride the TOC this year. Tom Boonen (Quick Step), Dave Zibriiskie (Garming-Transitions), Vicenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Dolmo), Andy Schleck and Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) are among the Europeans who have decided to ride the TOC.

As of this writing, the full rosters of who will be riding for each team isn’t known. The Pro Tour teams have to make strategic decisions about who will ride where, and when. Not long after the TOC is over, the Tour de France will be contested. It looks to be a great riding season. If you are a retired Boomer, a trip to California to see the assembled pro’s race down the California coast could be a great vacation.

Autumn rides, just about perfect

Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer will ride in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California. The Tour will begin in Nevada City this year, and will cover 16 cities in 8 days. It should be quite a ride this year. It will be in May, and the weather probably will be better than the previous February starts.

Closer to home, it’s time to get out and ride. While there isn’t really a bad time of year to ride (although riding in the snow isn’t on my list of things to do), autumn seems to be a particularly nice time of year to ride. The weather, most of the time, is just about perfect, and the chorus of colors that the trees and bushes put on is just about the best you can ask for. When you do head out for a ride, take your camera with you.

I love the chaos of fall, the sound of my bike tires crunching through the leaves, and riding through leaves that are falling from the trees. The smell of autumn, and the sure bet that a good cup of coffee and tasty crumpet of some kind are waiting for me when I’m done is simply irresistible. Get out there and ride!

One of the things that is not a mystery about Lance Armstrong’s success is that he works at it, every day. Most of us are not professional bike riders. We have everyday commitments that take up most of our time. Life just simply demands that we do other things. Lance gets to ride. So, what do you do? If riding your bike is a major source of enjoyment for you, you find time in your week to get a few rides in. There are days that I come home from work–teaching Kindergarten–feeling like I’ve been run over by a large truck. These are the days that I am most likely to go straight out and ride. I always feel better after doing so. My energy is up, my head is in a better place, and I appreciate being able to do it. I make a point of riding as much as I can. It’s just plain enjoyable.

In these very trying times, perhaps a good ride, what ever you ride, will go a long way towards making things a bit better for you. We may not end up being able to keep up with Lance, or any of the other pros, but at least we’re out there. I like to think that Lance would appreciate that.