At our Ride leader meeting this morning it was decided by consensus to tweak the Pace Chart slightly.  A (Fastest) is now 18+ mph, While our D pace was moved up slightly to 12.5-14 mph.  This in turned bumped our C and B pace up by 1 mph.  Our Social Pace is now 12 mph and below. Click here to see the new Pace Chart.

Here is a funny article about the obsessive compulsive behavior of Bend mountain bikers. 

https://thatoregonlife.com/2025/05/bend-man-mountain-bikes/

 2.18.25-COWs Board Minutes

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.

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! 

1. Click this LINK to receive your COW's discount of 20%. 
2. Once you have clicked the Link it will take you to the ROAD ID website. 
3. You will be prompted to put in your email and group name. 
4. Our group name is Central Oregon Wheelers.  
5. You will receive a code and be ready to shop. 

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/

The inability to forecast smoke and AQI levels adds a new and annoying kink to leading rides.

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