Upcoming Community Classes

It's hard to believe that come April 7th we'll have been on our Seattle to Portland mission for a year!  What better way to celebrate our almost anniversary than with some links to some area community classes?

Boise Area REI Classes 

(Register for classes on the website here.)

April 7, 2010 7:00 p.m.
Road Cycling Routes in Boise

April 14, 2010 7:00 p.m.
Mountain Biking Basics

April 21, 2010 7:00 p.m.
Basics of Supported Bike Touring

Locate your local REI store here and find out what classes they have for you!

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Boise State University Sixth Annual Community Bicycle Congress

http://www.boisestate.edu/bicyclecongress/

This workshop is a great chance to share your experiences as a commuter or to learn tips for commuting via bicycle. I had a chance to attend the workshop on March 24 and it was a great conversation on commuting. (More to come from this seminar this weekend.) Below is a description from Boise State's website on what the Congress is all about.

 This year's Bicycle Congress will attempt to stimulate conversations about womens' experiences in bicycle commuting, and will offer a grassroots mentoring program to help women who strive to balance societal roles and transportation choices. On each of four evenings during March and April, the Bicycle Congress will host informative workshops featuring leaders from the cycling community to promote mutual support and to stimulate public discourse. These recurring clinics (no need to attend more than one) are scheduled from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. on the following dates:

March 24 (Wednesday) - Student Union Hatch Ballroom A
April 6 (Tuesday) - Student Union Farnsworth Room
April 20 (Tuesday) - Student Union Hatch Ballroom A
April 27 (Tuesday) - Student Recreation Center Classroom


We hope to see you out there!

The Friday Connection

Hey, it's Friday! What better way to spend your Friday than having a guffaw and a snort or two? Well, to help perk up your day we're sharing a fun link from www.bikehacks.com. It is the Dictionary of Bike Commuter Slang! If you're curious to know what a Babe Ruth, a Tin Man, or a
Weeble Wobbler is, click the link and prepare to be enlightened! 


Happy peddlin'!

Days Two & Three: Learning How to Ride a Bike

As I get another year older *choke* one thing is for sure . . . you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. That same "dog" might be humbled by looking or feeling foolish, but the sense of accomplishment when success is attained is invaluable. 

Enter days two and three of Kristin's Cycling Academy

As someone who generally fears speed, riding with cars, and curbs, this three-day clinic was a God send. On day two (Saturday) we participated in a bevy of skills tests. We did everything from bunny-hopping and curb jumping to off-roading our road bikes. You really had to be there to appreciate the scene. Imagine 20+ women weaving in and out of cones, helmets perched on their heads, intention firmly pasted on their faces. Empowered. 
Cornering, shifting (a small science in itself), and braking were all practiced, too. All things you thought you knew how to do . . .

What was the difference between the 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday?

Confidence.

The ride in was totally different than the ride out; there was a definite hint of triumph & camaraderie in the air.

Day three (Sunday) was a mixture of the skills we had learned the day prior put to practical use. Riding out to a more secluded rural road, traveled most often by truck and horse trailer, we explored the meaning of cadence, ascending, descending, and bike positioning. 

When mentioning the word descending this usually causes my heart to race, my stomach to float upward, and my brow to start sweating—you know the feeling. Well, I mastered my fear of flying downhill with help from my new friends. My top speed (aka the slow lady's lightspeed) was 26 miles per hour. It rocked!

I can't say I commanded my hill climbing in the same way—I seriously was the weakest link. My legs and lungs weren't playing on the same team, or even mine, for that matter. That said, my version of failure excites me. I can only get better, faster, stronger—if I practice. And I have a lot of practice ahead of me.

At the end of the clinic we all headed back to our starting location using our echelon training. (We learned how to ride in a pack, too.) It was fun, just like riding a bike should be. I think every woman  rode away from the classes a little stronger and definitely more self-assured. Way to rock, ladies!

It looks like a second clinic may be on the horizon at some point (fingers crossed). I have to say, if you ever have an interest and have an opportunity to participate in Kristin's Cycling Academy for women, or any of them for that matter, DO IT!!! You will not regret it.

Many thanks to the K.A.C.A. Team (Kristin, Joe, Liza, Dave, Dave, Jason, Ron). You guys are the bomb-dot-com!

NuunLove

We'd like to give a shout out to Nuun for the Nuunlove. You guys rock! Thank you. Hopefully we get to meet some of your folks at STP in July.

The Friday Connection

Happy Friday!

Today's link of the week goes to a fun helmet vendor whose safety gear is graphically appealing. You can't help but smile when you see their brain bucket designs.

Nutcase Helmets [www.nutcasehelmets.com], based out of Portland, Oregon, has a whole barrel full of fun helmets. They aren't just for cycling either. They have helmets for  skateboarding, inline skating, and scooter helmets. This might just be the place to get a roller derby helmet, too. They also have some cool wallpaper for your computer.

You can find Nutcase Helmets in sporting good stores everywhere. We even saw a handful of designs at our local REI.

Don't be surprised if wearing one of these colorful helmets makes you ride just a little bit faster. :)

Happy peddling!

Day One: Kristin Armstrong Cycling Academy

Day One: Kristin's Cycling Clinic

With front bike wheel in hand—feeling a little conspicuous in my work out gear—I showed up to our meeting spot 30 minutes early. Apparently,  I was right on time. One of the first people I met upon entering the center was Kristin herself. I have to admit I felt a little starstruck. Actually, I felt this way about her whole team. With her she brings a handful of experts; these are the same people who helped her win some pretty important medals. (And they are all incredibly nice folks.)

I moseyed into the back of our meeting room—a key place to observe my fellow two-wheeling friends. I was very curious to see who was attending this camp. Frankly, I was afraid I'd be the only one who wasn't a cycling phenomenon. As it turns out, others felt the same way. As women filtered into the room names, ages, and experiences started bouncing around. The chatter was bubbling over everywhere. 


63

58

53 

No, this isn't a lock combination. These are the ages of just three of the women I spoke with last night. Talk about inspiring! They were all fit, looking younger than their years, and excited to be there. Man, that's how I want to spend 63. How about you?

We didn't spend too much time talking though. We had a lot to learn in three hours.

Kristin and her team went to town. We covered a whole slew of topics—everything from saddle alignment to pedaling mechanics to pain to how to change a flat tire. Yes, I am ecstatic to say I have changed a "flat" on my bike. Now all 20 + of us can help others out on the road if they run into a hail storm of goat heads.  Very, very liberating!


There is a lot to cycling. I kind of equate this clinic to the reason one should take snowboarding lessons. You can have your friends teach you all the bad habits you'll spend years trying to pry out of your brain, or you can go to the professionals and have them teach you the basics—the right way. This clinic is teaching many of us good skills right out of the gate.

This is just the beginning. The fun continues this weekend. Our next assignment involves the word "drills." Yes, it does sound scary—that is exactly why it is going to rock! I'm looking forward to learning some new skills and to forging some cycling friendships that can take me down the road.

Week 100 Miles

Springing forward is a bit hard to do, especially when you're losing an hour of precious sleep time. But secretly I have been counting the days for my buddy, Daylight Savings Time, to arrive. (More daylight = more bike time during the week!) *Woohooo!*

This year, in the City of Trees, we managed to make friends with Father Winter, experiencing a very mild cold season. However, when opening the blinds Saturday it looked like he decided to throw a few flakes at us. Meh. Snow, and snotty wind aren't very inspiring when you're daily agenda says 40 miles or Bust on it.

Hey, I know all you die hard riders are reading this saying, "Quit whining! Suck it up!"  Don't you worry, I did my ridin' on Saturday. I just did it on what I like to call The Rack. You know, in the great indoors on the trainer? I killed it and a couple of episodes of L.A. Ink, too. 

I did manage to get outside on Sunday. Here are some lessons from this week.

Electrolytes are your friend(s). Water alone is not enough on long rides. You need to get some fuel in your bottle. Whether it is Gatorade, Propel, Powerade, or what have you . . .  it will help your performance when you are looking down the barrel of 2 + hours of ride time.  I discovered Nuun tablets, and so far, I really like them. They are reminiscent of Alka Selzer in that they come in tablets that dissolve in your water bottle. They have a little fizz—not too much—just enough to keep it interesting. They come in a variety of flavors, but aren't loaded with sugar. And they don't seem to be tummy trouble makers.

Joy riding is allowed. I accosted a couple of hills yesterday (okay, maybe survived them might be more accurate) and felt so proud of myself when I was done.  I even ventured into the unknown and toured a bit on Hill Road, which had me a little nervous as there were no bike lanes where I was riding, but I survived.  It's important to change up your the scenery and give your muscles a different work out once in awhile. You don't want to get bored do you? If you need help finding new routes check out Google Maps for bicycles or pick up the Boise Road Cycling Guide (or a map in your area).

There are crazy people out there who might freak you out or make you smile. I was in Garden City, headed to my Greenbelt connection, when I heard a guy bellowing in the street. He was coming toward me from the opposite direction. As I got closer I realized he was on a motorized bicycle. Who has a motorized bicycle?! I don't know what he was hollering about—he sure seemed to be enjoying his bikeped (like moped, but not). I had to chuckle—is it really too much effort to peddle your bike? And don't you need a license for that thing?

Stoked. (Why yes, it is that "90s term.") This week I get to embark on my Kristin Armstrong Cycling Academy adventure! I am totally excited/nervous. It will be three half-days of great cycling information and meeting new two-wheeling buddies. One thing I already know is that I will have the opportunity to change my first tire tube—think flat tire. (No, I haven't had to do this yet. Yes, I should know how to do this.) I'll keep you posted.


Now that we know we can survive 100 miles we get to go back down to 80 miles for this coming week. Here's to a happy, sunshine filled week. Enjoy the new DST! And have a little extra coffee for your Monday morning.

Happy peddling!

Paige