COW’s Thursday Night TT:  Week 3- June 6, 2019

Skyliners brought out the elements last night for four very tough competitors!!

Temperatures in the 40’s and a headwind on the Ascend. Shelby Jones was quoted upon completion “Was it snowing up top?” Despite the brutal weather Ken Brinich knocked off 35 seconds from his previous best for a time of 36:18.  

Overall winner Colin DuPlantis set PR’s in the Ascend and Descend (according to Strava), and as a result has the the fastest time of the season for our Thursday Night Time Trial of 32:01. Great effort everyone! See you at the next one on June 20th!  I am putting in for temps in the 70’s and a tailwind for both the Ascend and Descend :)

Last night’s results

Name	Overall Time
DuPlantis, Colin	0:32:01
Staiger, Brian	0:33:51
Brinich, Ken	0:36:18
Jones, Shelby	0:41:57

Overall Best times

Name	Best time
DuPlantis, Colin	0:32:01
Sailors, David	0:33:33
Staiger, Brian	0:33:51
Wolfe, Patti	0:34:54
Staiger, Therese	0:35:19
Brinich, Ken	0:36:18
Robbins, Ken	0:36:29
Shaeffer, John	0:37:13
Jones, Shelby	0:39:59

COW’s Thursday Night TT:  Week 2- May 23, 2019

Another very pleasant Thursday evening at Skyliners.  Newcomer Shelby Jones was our sole competitor (I brought my bike up early to ride, only to have left my helmet and shoes at home!!).  Shelby recently moved to Bend originally from North Carolina and most recently Chicago. Welcome Shelby and great effort tonight!! Come join us on our next TT on June 6th. - Brian Staiger (Organizer)

Overall Place	Name	Overall Time
1	Jones, Shelby	0:39:59

COW’s Thursday Night TT:  Week 1

Brilliant sunshine, mid 60’s with occasional tailwinds on the ascent was the setting for the first COW’s TT.  As newcomer John Schaeffer stated, “this is a great test to mark our progress.”

Kudos to all riders many of which have never participated in a TT, including our TT KOM of the evening David Sailors!  It was evident that everything was left out on the course as each rider flew across the finish line! Many riders then casually rode down to town to meet at Good Life for $4.00 pints!  How sweet our Bend Life is! Come join us on our next TT on May 23rd. - Brian Staiger (Organizer)

Overall Place	Name	Overall Time
1	Sailors, David	0:33:33
2	Wolfe, Patti	0:34:54
3	Staiger, Therese	0:35:19
4	Robbins, Ken	0:36:29
5	Brinich, Ken	0:36:53
6	Shaeffer, John	0:37:13

We are starting a contest to get more photos and more people in COW jerseys.  "Where's Your COWs Jersey Been?" Submit a photo wearing a COW jersey in a rad location. Contest ends the week before the 2019 Holiday Party.

It was a great KO meeting. Thanks all that were able to attend. If you want to see the presentation click on this link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KmY9U0mcuz7slmX-8opEJbNM5h7-nONjycUYplS4eTU/edit?usp=sharing

Order your Cow logo jerseys and shorts before May 10 to ensure your size is available. New this year are non-logo socks, arm and leg warmers, jackets, and more at really good prices. https://www.peak1bikestore.com/central-oregon-wheelers/ 

Logo orders to arrive around June 25.

Here is a COWs-only special from Sunnyside Sports! Their $75 Signature Tune-up is only $55 now through May 30. Get that bike in pristine shape for 2019! More on what the Signature Tune-Up entails at 

https://www.sunnysidesports.com/bike-services-new/. 

Anyone interested in how to make roadways better for everyone, should download a copy of this guide. The University of Oregon has published a new design guide to “make it easier for cities to design complete streets that accommodate efficient, sustainable, everyday forms of micromobility like bicycles.”  It's free and the Bike Myth section alone is worth the price!

The document can be downloaded here:

https://sci.uoregon.edu/just-published-rethinking-streets-bikes

Wish you could get a quick email for just the ride pace you are interested in? And do you further wish you could register for that event from the email? Well now you can!

We still publish the newsletter and there is always the calendar, but now if there is a D-Ride posted,  you will immediately get an email by checking the "D-Rides" group participation in your profile.  We have an option that allows you to get an an email for winter activities, social activities, gravel, mountain bike, and board meetings too. Getting too many? -  You can remove yourself from these emails just as easy!

Here is the how. Make sure you are logged, then click on your name in the upper right, then click on Edit profile button, and start checking those little radio buttons under "Group participation".  Finally click Save, located near the top.

Here are some photos from the event! Feel free to post yours on the Photo page.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jin36PfMbo1QX6sD6

The Wheelers contributed $99 to assist with The Cascade Cycling Classic Youth Foundation’s CXMas Party, a fundraising effort geared toward sending local kids to the Cyclocross National Championships, held this year in Louisville, Kentucky, December 11-16, 2018.

Hosted by Bowen Sports Performance since 2012, the CXMas Party recipients have won the U-23 National Championships, and raced professionally on the global cyclocross circuit. Also Bend Endurance Academy has created one of the top junior development team's in the nation.

Thank you, Wheelers, for helping kids with their bike dreams this Holiday season!

Guest Column, Susan Conners, Owner Sunnyside Sports

At Sunnyside we spend a lot of time talking to people about comfort on road bikes. Trek and other manufacturers have made huge strides in frame compliance and comfort, but your first line of suspension was, is, and will remain, your bike’s tires. Here’s the skinny:

Lower pressures/wider tires= faster and more comfortable

The days of maxing-out your pressure on 700x23c tires are over. It’s not as comfortable, and it’s not faster, either. Because our paved surfaces aren’t perfectly smooth, a rock-hard tire doesn’t stay engaged with the surface—Rather, it micro-bounces, and those bounces absorb energy and speed. A wider tire at lower pressure will roll faster in real-world circumstances—Don’t be afraid to go wider—700x25-28c is recommended on most road bikes. Your legs and your back will thank you.

Pressure-wise, don’t lock into the “Max PSI” number or your tire sidewall. Because the sidewall will hold that pressure doesn’t mean that it is optimal. Your optimal tire pressure is a function of your weight, the road surface, tire width, and whether you’re running it front or rear. Most riders should be using 80-100 PSI , more if you’re heavier, less if you’re lighter. Because the rear tire supports most of your weight, you may want to run a little higher pressure—maybe 5 lbs-- there than on the front.

Tubes or tubeless?

If your bike’s wheels are tubeless-ready, you have the option of adding a tubeless tire, rim strip, sealant, and valve. While you still need to run pressures of around 80 PSI, you will get a smoother ride-feel, and no risk of pinch-flats when you run tubeless. But be warned: the tight fit on a tubeless road tire makes it very difficult for most riders to fix flats on the road, and for that reason, we don’t consider them a default. Manufacturers are working hard to address this issue—Watch for friendlier road tubeless options in the near future.

For more information:

The internet is packed with tire width/pressure science. Google-up Lennard Zinn tire pressure if you’re looking to spend some screen-time learning more. Or go the old-fashioned way and stop by the shop and talk to Don.