Spring and we kick off the official bike season. I've made a few bike-related discoveries that I've found valuable, and I'd like to share them.
Woe is Me
We live in an age where the average person can measure an astonishing amount of data about their body: power, heart rate, REM sleep, speed, elevation gain, and much more. With that wealth of information I watched myself degrade. I expected my maximum heart rate to decrease by a beat a year, but I was hoping the other stats would decrease imperceptibly, if inevitably. Ah, not so. I got weak fast: FTP slumped, free weights decreased, I got slow. I did not feel bad, just weaker. I assumed that was the payback for lots (and lots) of good years.
Based on the elegant foreshadowing of the last paragraph you are correct to assume I counted myself out too soon. The culprit was likely a lack of protein in my diet. I learned that as we age we metabolize protein less efficiently. After 65, an active person needs at least 1.2 grams of protein per kilo of weight. I weigh about 70 kilos and therefore need about 84 grams of protein a day. That’s a lot! After a week of increasing my protein intake, I skate skied further and faster than I had all season.
Here is how I changed my diet. I used an app called My Fitness Pal to help me catalog my daily nutrients and calories. I used it for 2 months until I found the process of cataloging my foods too tedious. I started adding whey protein to my breakfast cereal for an extra 20g of protein. I also added salmon, turkey, or chicken to my typical lunch salad. It takes some forethought, but I feel better and that makes the hassle worthwhile.
Physics
I always find it easy to spend money to make cycling more fun. After some research and experimenting on a friend’s bike, I decided to install shorter cranks on my gravel bike. As we age, we lose flexibility. A longer crank is akin to performing a deeper squat with each pedal stroke. Cranks typically are sized 170mm for a small bike, 172mm for a medium sized bike, and 175 for a large bike. I went to 160mm on my gravel bike and liked it so much that I got shorter cranks for my mountain bike and road bike, too. If you Google “short cranks for a bike” you will see studies showing that shorter cranks typically help in riding comfort without a loss of power. And if you ride off-road you get the benefit of fewer rock hits. If you have a small gravel bike, short cranks can also help with tire/toe overlap.
Accessorizing
By now everyone should have a GPS head unit attached to their handlebars. Whether it is a Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead, or other they help you not get lost. They also can provide an indication of a car behind you. That’s right, with the magic of a radar unit blinking on the rear of your bike, it can inform you that there are 1 or more (up to 5) cars rapidly catching you. I have the Garmin Varia RTL515. If I am on a road where there might be a vehicle, I wouldn’t ride without one.
Those are my tips for riders of a certain age. Feel free to let me know of your ageless finds while remaining active.
An incredible job by ODOT on the repaving of the East side of McKenzie Pass this past season. As you know and with the expected snow, Mckenzie pass is closed for the season. It allows ODOT to focus their attention on the much more accessible Santiam Pass during the Winter season. Some rumors, reports, conspiracies are circulating that cyclists, skiers are not allowed, while closed. Please read the article by Central Oregon Daily regarding ODOT's ruling on a closed Mckenzie pass. Article was forwarded by fellow COW member Tod Feuerman. Thank you Tod! Yes, Tod will be backcountry nordic skiing up there this Winter and we will be posting rides once the snow is cleared next Spring.
COWs Meeting Minutes 3.21.24
COWs Meeting Minutes 11.2.23
COW's Meeting Minutes 7.27.23
COW's Meeting Minutes 6.8.23
COW's Meeting Minutes 3.7.23
Click here for ODOT site. It was indicated that construction will not get started until the snow is clear. With the huge amount of February snow, it is going to be a long time before they can start the project.
Dear Central Oregon Wheelers,
Excited to bring you all information regarding ROAD ID. We have worked out a 20% discount for all Central Oregon Wheelers for one year!
Thanks to Amy Barkee and Audrey Murray for helping to secure this valuable product! We will also place this link on our website under News section.
Ride ON!
Brian Staiger
Pro cyclist Serena Gordon races and rides bikes for Liv Global and the Giant Factory Off-road Team. She also works as a cycling coach and writer in Bend.
What should everyone know before jumping aboard a bike in Bend? Here’s what she had to say…
https://www.visitbend.com/blog/2020/08/19/pro-cyclist-serena-gordon-shares-everything-you-need-to-know-about-biking-in-bend/
My suggestion:
1) Prepare an email with the registered riders email addresses the evening before the ride, save it as a draft. You can also tell people the day before the ride that you aren't riding, but if others want to go on the ride as a leaderless event that's fine too. Your choice.
2) A couple hours before the ride, check Purple Air (I use the EPA 2.5 data layer, with the LRAPA conversion) or whatever AQI source you're comfortable with.
3) If the AQI is above your threshold email registrants that the ride is cancelled.
4) If the ride is cancelled, inform Brian. He'll turn the ride registration off, and put the word "Cancelled" in front of the ride title on the post. He'll also add any other info you'd like, for example, the ride will be rescheduled when smoke allows.
Wish I could think of a positive quip, but I can't.
The Kickoff using Zoom Webinar, while not a socially enjoyable beer pub, worked OK. If you are interested in the club or wish to help your friends understand what COWs is about, below are two useful links. The first link is to the slides (like PowerPoint, but using Google Slides). The second link is to the YouTube upload of the actual KickOff event with the slides in the foreground and me in a little square, describing the slides. There is a good Q&A at the end, with the audience typing questions, and me verbally responding. I look forward to having the Kickoff at a fun pub in 2022. - Sam
Slides
KickOff Event
2/15/21 COWs Digest
“What a long strange trip it’s been.” Jerry Garcia’s words seem especially poignant in early 2021. Normalcy is looking pretty good about now. To that end, we, the COWs board, are planning on rebooting the Club this spring. The good news is that the Club is in fine shape. We have $6,000 in the bank, about the same as when the pandemic started. We have 154 current members, down from our 225 peak. But many members wrote to tell me that they were hibernating until the Club started again.
I hope everyone is fit and healthy. We are lucky that we live in Central Oregon with easy access to outdoor activities, low population density, AND a major hospital, in the state with the 4th lowest rate of infection. I do feel fortunate.
While things can change, and things will change, we are planning 2021 activities based on the assumption that most members will be vaccinated by mid-summer. But we also hope to have group rides and other activities this spring. Here are some of our early planning thoughts.
A Webinar Kickoff in mid-April
We will likely use Zoom and have availability for 100 guests. We’ll: 1) discuss how the pandemic will reshape the COWs (hint: more gravel, mountain, Zwift rides), 2) take real-time polls, 3) get everyone excited about riding. Watch the Club Calendar page for time and date.
TLC Tweed Road in April/May
Early in the pandemic the COWs adopted Tweed Road. We were given some nice signage on Tweed for the promise of removing litter from this beautiful two mile stretch of country road. Club members looking for some outdoor time and do-good time will socially distance/mask and pick up litter. The County’s webpage on this program is https://www.deschutes.org/road/page/adopt-road. Event information will be on the Club Calendar page.
Ride Ideas
Until we are all vaccinated, we will adhere to Oregon guidelines. No rides will have more than 8 people and ride leaders can set whatever size limit they wish below 8. We’ll have a fairly lengthy do and don’t list available weeks before the first ride.
One fun idea is something called a corral ride. We can meet at an outdoor location, like Discovery Park Pavillion (the corral). When 6 people show up or 20 minutes has elapsed from the first to arrive, we take off on the predefined course. Then the next group forms and they take off. Etc.
Additionally, we could have larger group rides for those that are fully vaccinated.
Finally we have Zwift rides if you have the apparatus. They are fun and the technology allows different paced riders to hang together. There is even a communal voice channel that allows us to talk to each other.
Staying in Touch
Many COW members are using Strava to keep tabs on what fellow members are doing for exercise. Others are members of ZwiftCows. Lots of people are following the Cows Facebook page.
Bike Maintenance
February is a great month to bring your bike into a local shop for a tune-up. Even if you only rode it minimally in 2020, a professional check of your tires, brake pads, chain, and other important parts is prudent. Also bike parts are in short supply, order them now.
Merchandise
Hoo-Rags. We have Hoo-Rags with the COWs logo, available for $15 each on COWs website > Merch. I’ve been using mine as an impromptu mask for skiing, hiking, and biking (see below). If these sell out we can order more.
COW jersey, shorts, and bibs - We plan to open orders on April 1 and close new orders on April 30. This order period is when you can get the color and sizes you want. We’ll get our orders shipped mid-June. If you miss the ordering window, Peak 1 usually has extra inventory to sell in limited sizes and colors.
Closing
If you know of any hibernating members let them know to check our website for the dates of the kickoff event, the Tweed Clean-up, and the back on the saddle dates. Wish us luck!
Sam Handelman, Prez in Brief
- It's fine to cycle alone - Don't take risks: don't tackle something at the edge of your limits on your road or mountain bike. Any kind of incident that puts you in the ER right now is bad for two reasons: you consume supplies that will very soon be needed for C-19 patients and you run the risk of becoming infected because that's where all the sickest people will be. (Thanks Colin)
Read: https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/coronavirus-qa-it-safe-cycle
Central Oregon Wheelers is a 501(c)7 non-profit organization.
