The Pres Sez – May 2012

John Chester

I hope that you all were able to get out and ride in this glorious spring weather that we are having this year!

For those of you who saw me limping around at the annual dinner, I am happy to announce that the doctor said I could begin riding again. So, I immediately had a receiver hitch put on my mid life crisis mobile, and went out for a small ride. I’ve got limitations, but I must say it will be a joy to be back out riding a bike with my friends. (Which is truly what this club is about).

As this is May, typically it is when we all get our bikes out, brush off the cobwebs and oil the chains. Our bikes have had a long winter’s nap. Well, many folks I know have over a 1,000 miles already this year!

If you are like me, every year it is time to buy a few bike supplies – tubes, Magic Butt Cream, new bike shorts, gloves, perhaps a helmet. If any of this sounds familiar to you, it is because I want to stress to you the importance of SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL BIKE SHOP. When I was considering purchasing my mid life crisis mobile, one of the calls I made was to Team Cycling and Fitness. I had one simple question for them – CAN I PUT A BIKE RACK ON IT?

Geoff Thielmeyer said that they could not do it, but gave me a contact. One phone call later, I knew that I could put a receiver hitch and a bike rack on it.

YOU CAN’T GET THAT KIND OF SERVICE OFF AN 800 NUMBER OR THE INTERNET!

Since last month, there have been a few changes in the club’s Board. VP Kelly Knox is now DOCTOR VP Kelly Knox. Be sure to congratulate her. Kelly and Fred Ferguson are now chairing the Cincinnati Cycle Club’s Chili Century Bike Ride on Saturday May 19th. Kelly and Fred are looking for your help. We hope to make our future National Rides so that only a few club members are not able to ride that day. (Those that do give up a day will receive the next National Ride for Free.) I truly appreciate all of the help that Kelly and Fred have been able to provide during this transition.

VEGETARIAN NEWS-

First off, I would like to apologize to any vegetarians that I offended with my statement last month of “There is only one thing worse than a grumpy vegetarian, and that is a vegan – they are grumpy all the time! Ha Ha. ” I actually got a few comments. I did not get any emails from declared Vegans, but that is likely because they were simply too tired to fight back!

But seriously, we do have some vegetarian news- THE CHILI CENTURY NOW AS A VEGETARIAN OPTION! For anyone who registered before March 19 th, and would like a vegetarian meal, just contact Kelly or Fred. Everyone that registered after that date had this as a registration option.

Additionally, we are now looking for a person or persons to create our monthly BikeWriter and serve as our Communications Director. Ron Callahan will be doing the April and May BikeWriters for us. After that, we need a replacement. If you have the skills, we have the need!

One of the things you may have continually read in this article is that the club needs volunteers. Each month, we will be requesting assistance for at least one club event. I typically receive a dozen requests a month for the club to do something. We will be forwarding those to you via the BikeWriter, the club’s FaceBook Page, and at announcements at our weekly rides.

I recently read of how the City of Wyoming, here in the Cincinnati area, has become one of the most volunteering cities in America. Their residents have been able to do tremendous things the last few years, all by local residents volunteering.

“In sociology, it’s what is called a virtuous cycle. The more people volunteer, the more people volunteer, said Jeff Timberlake, associate professor of sociology at The University of Cincinnati.

Timberlake said for good things to happen, and for bad, a momentum can happen. When people organize in a way to help their community, it becomes easier for the next person to join.

“It’s never a fluke, when there is something sustained like this. It happens on purpose.”

So, please give it a thought. We have 25 weekly rides, two National Rides, multiple cluster picnics, all of which need volunteers to make it run. For example – I know that I am going to be manning the grill turning hot dogs at the annual picnic on Sunday June 3rd. But the next week, I will be on my bike riding RIDE CINCINNATI. So, I won’t be manning the CCC Booth there. Thus, we need a volunteer. If we all do it together, it can be even more fun. Some of the most fun things I’ve done happened while running the Great Ghost Rider Ramble with Eileen McKain from 1997 to 2004.

Remember – get on your bike; go for a ride, its fun! (And I plan on having some fun this summer with a rehabbed Gastroc muscle.

The Ride of Silence

John Chester

At this time, we have not been successful in finding a new location to replace Fountain Square.

The following additional places considered, since last month’s article in the BikeWriter:

Sawyer Point – Party in The Park taking place Piatt Park – While it was considered too skinny in the past to comfortably hold cyclists, it is currently “OCCUPIED. Occupy Cincinnati is currently holding the permit to stage any events in that area.

Schmidlapp Field Event lawn at Smale Riverfront Park. The Event Lawn technically opens on Friday May 18. However the Cincinnati Park Board said that we could rent it. But the fee is $5,000. FIVE THOUSAND. The folks at The Moerlein Lager House can use the event lawn, if there is no other person renting it. But they require that we rent a room inside and have a minimum alcohol purchase. As the club does not pay for alcohol that rules that out. And having alcohol at a ride honoring those who have been killed (many of them by drunk drivers) just seems wrong.

Thus, as of this writing, we have been unsuccessful in finding a new location to hold The Ride of Silence in 2012.

Ride Cincinnati: Cycling for a Good Cause

Betsy Ross

What do you get when you combine a love of cycling with a passion to fight a horrific disease? You get Ride Cincinnati, the annual family-friendly bike ride to raise money for breast cancer research at UC’s Barrett Cancer Center.

Ride Cincinnati, now in its sixth year, is the passion of Dr. Harvey Harris of Amberley Village, an avid cyclist. Dr. Harris, his family and friends started the event after Harris’ wife, Marlene, died of breast cancer. And it’s not just his passion alone—hundreds of cyclists join Dr. Harris each year for the annual event, coming up this year on Sunday, June 10, pushing off from Yeatman’s Cove at 6:30a.m.

The event already has reached one impressive goal: In 2011 Ride Cincinnati passed the million dollar mark in fundraising over the five years of the event, thanks to the nearly 2,000 who participated last year alone. And according to Dr. Harris, it’s just getting started.

“Ride Cincinnati is already above and beyond any expectations we had for the event,” said Dr. Harris. “It’s a tribute to my wife, and to the cyclists in Greater Cincinnati who are always willing to pitch in for a great cause.”

And the Harris family makes sure that Ride Cincinnati is very much a family-friendly event. The rides, from 62.8 miles to the one-mile Kids Rally around Sawyer Point, are all untimed, with the post-ride celebration featuring music, kids’ activities and food. In fact, families are encouraged to register as a group.

Also this year, former Cincinnati Bengals kicker Jim Breech and his wife Denise, will be the honored guests, along with board members from the Breast Cancer Alliance of Greater Cincinnati.

The dollars raised through Ride Cincinnati already are making a difference in the Barrett Cancer Center’s research, with at least five active studies on breast cancer now being funded by Ride Cincinnati’s Pilot Grants Program. Top fundraisers for Ride Cincinnati will receive a limited edition Ride Cincinnati cycling jersey.

It’s yet another way that Greater Cincinnati’s cycling community comes together to benefit an important cause, right here in our area. Visit www.ridecincinnati.org for event details and registration forms.

Cluster News:

Little Miami Cluster – Fred Ferguson

The Little Miami Cluster has been busy this spring!

Did everyone catch our special ride offering on Good Friday? Wayne Lehker organized and led the “Good Friday” ride that started from Mariemont Square and went to the Devou Park Overlook and back. A very nice and casual holiday ride. Thank you Wayne!

The Tuesday PRE and the Saturday Breakfast Ride (SBR) started up right after the time change. Last Thursday, on March 29, the Bishops Bicycles Ride also started up. So we are way ahead of last year.

Last fall Rosie’s Restaurant in Blanchester closed for good and with her passing, we lost our breakfast stop for the SBR. Jim Graessle and several others of us experimented with routes and alternative restaurants with some limited success. There is a brand new restaurant named Plain Folks Café opening up in Pleasant Plain on May 4 and they have seen all the cyclist that ride past Pleasant Plain and they are very eager to serve our demographic.

On Saturday, April 7, our SBR ride is stopping there for a “dry run” for both the restaurant and the ride.

If all goes well we will be making some minor modifications to the painted SBR routes and we will have a wonderful new breakfast stop for the future.

We are also working diligently to offer more rides

1. The LMC cluster is also going to offer a monthly hill ride. These are not designed to be all out sprints, but some serious hill work for those cyclists who desire to build up their strength.
2. A monthly rookie ride from Goshen Middle School. 20 or so miles of flat cycling with safety lessons before the ride.

On Sunday, April 1, five members tested our a route called “Have Mercy” that is 43 miles long and had 11 hills with 3,400 ft climbing in Indian Hill area. Look for re-postings of this ride in April and also in future months a posting of the 8 Hills Oregonia Challenge. We will also be in need of ride leaders to be able to offer more than one speed group and perhaps a shorter hilly version for cyclists that want some hills, but not all of them.The LMC has some needs:

1. Ride leaders for a 16-17mph group and a 19+ group on the PRE
2. Painters to bike and paint the route(s) for the upcoming National Ride , the Chili Century.
3. Painters to bike and paint the new SBR route(s)
4. Volunteers for the Chili Century (work rest stops, registration table) – do not have to be cyclists. If you would like to help, please email me or talk to me on one of the rides. Remember, if you lead a ride or volunteer in any capacity, you get the perk of the special Volunteer Ride and Pizza bash in October.

The Central City Cluster will add a new ride to the list of College Hill Coffee Company Coffee rides. Let’s see, we already have a Decaf Ride for those interested in a leisurely pace and an Espresso Ride for those who love to hit it hard, what should we name an intermediate ride, one which goes a quick pace, but allows the rider to savor the atmosphere and surroundings. The name should reflect the sophistication and panache of cycling without the beatdown that one may feel from an extended effort on the wire. That’s right, it’s the Cappachino Ride. Mary Schubauer-Berigan will be the Barista of the Cappachino Ride out of the CHCC starting at noon. However the inaugural Cappachino Ride will start at noon April 15th from the Forest Ave. Wetland Park (see google address elsewhere in the newletter). A picnic for all CCC members will happen at 3pm at the park after the rides are over. The picnic will include veggie burgers and other goodies donated by Tina and the crew at the College Hill Coffee Company. Meat lovers will not be disappointed either. Join us for the inaugural and keep coming back. Caution: These rides can be addictive.

The Monday Night Ride out of the Hartwell Krogers is looking for a new leader of the Fast Group. Geoff Thielmeyer has been leading this thing since Talaska was a baby and now someone else needs to try to herd the fast cats. If you have done this ride 5 times, you know the route….Step Up.

The Wednesday Night Hill Ride (the ride formerly known as Big Dave’s Hill ride) seems to be petering out as a regular ride. Look for special announcements in the Google Group for last minute, one-day-only revivals.

Cincinnati’s Bicycle Transportation Plan

Don Burrell

A recommendation of the plan currently being worked on is a road diet for Riverside Drive (Eastern Ave.) which would reduce the number of lanes from 4 to 2 while adding bike lanes in both directions and full time parking on one side. Riverside is an important road for bike access to and from downtown for the eastern Cincinnati suburbs. Originally planned to be implemented last summer, it was delayed and now is recommended for postponement while reconstruction of I-471 in Kentucky takes place over the next two years. Transportation officials expect the east side commuters now using I-275/I-471 will go to Columbia Parkway instead and, possibly, Riverside during construction. At the City Council meeting on March 28, Queen City Bike testified that the bike lanes should be implemented now, especially if more traffic is diverted to Riverside. There was a consensus of Council that the project should proceed now and may direct the Transportation and Engineering Dept. to proceed.

RAAM 2012 Coming Through OKI in June

Don Burrell

Race Across America (RAAM) is one the most respected and longest running endurance sports events in the world. RAAM is seen as a pinnacle of athletic achievement not only in cycling circles but the greater sporting community as well. RAAM is a race! But unlike the three great European Grand Tours (Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Giro de Italia), RAAM is not a stage race. RAAM is one continual stage, similar to a time trial. Once the clock starts it does not stop until the finish line. RAAM is about 30% longer than the Tour de France. Moreover, racers must complete the distance in roughly half the time allowed for the Tour. Racers must traverse 3000 miles across 12 states and climb over 170,000 vertical feet. Team racers have a maximum of nine days and most finish in about seven and a half days. Teams will ride 350-500 miles a day, racing non-stop. Solo racers have a maximum of 12 days to complete the race, with the fastest finishing in just over eight days. Solo racers will ride 250-350 miles a day, balancing speed and the need for sleep. The race starts in Oceanside CA on June 12 and is finished in Annapolis MD by June 27. RAAM racers will cross through Butler and Warren Counties around June 22-25 with three of fifty-three time stations in Greensburg IN, Oxford OH and Blanchester OH. More at http://www.raceacrossamerica.org/raam/raam.php?N_webcat_id=1

The Pres Sez – March 2012

John Chester

Winter 2011/2012 was much different than in years past. Lots of my friends had more miles on their bikes in January and February than they did during the first six months of last year. As the folks who saw me at the annual dinner noted, after tearing the Gastroc muscle in my left leg and being in a wheelchair for two weeks, and then on crutches for another six weeks, I am really looking forward to getting back on my bike and going for a ride with friends.

But the most important thing that happened this winter was that I learned one major thing, and I think it is important to share with all:

NINE VEGETARIANS CAN EAT TWENTY THREE MEALS!

The Board always welcomes feedback after all of our events. If something did not work, or if you have an idea on how to do something better, please tell us! After the 2011 annual dinner, a few vegetarians noted that they did not have enough dinner options. So, I made sure to solve that. (There is only one thing worse than a grumpy vegetarian, and that is a vegan – they are grumpy all the time! Ha Ha)

At the Annual Dinner, the vegetarians were served first, and then the omnivores. I actually heard cheers from the vegetarians! As our Club Picnic will include a BBQ, I’ll make sure we add a couple dozen veggie hot dogs to go with the usual brats and metts that we will have. If you are a vegetarian and have other ideas, be sure to give us a buzz and we will try to continue to work with you. (That is, until I convert you into a Bacon Loving Beer Drinking Cyclist, like we are all meant to actually be – again HA HA)

2012 brings some changes to the club, starting off with a few new officers.

Vice President Scott Ebbing has retired from that position. I thank him for all that he has done the last two years. Treasurer Steve Wegener has retired from the board. Steve has served not only as our club treasurer, but as my “voice of reason”. I will truly miss all that Steve has done for us these last years. I hope to see Steve and his daughters on a bike many times this summer.

Our new Vice President is Kelly Knox, and our new treasurer is Jim Brandes. I appreciate both of them stepping up to help the club. When you see them on a ride this year, be sure to say THANKAVERYMUCH as well.

Communications Director Ron Callahan is also looking for someone to step up and help with the newsletter and other club communications. If you are willing to help out, please send an e-mail to communications@cincinnaticycleclub.org

Spring is in the air. The time has changed and we now have an extra hour of daylight. So, many of our CCC Rides are beginning again, returning after a long winter’s nap. Be sure to check our calendar on the CCC Web Sight for all ofthe rides we offer. The rides are being continually updated, so be sure to check often.

Most of the rest of our rides begin the week after The Spring Opener on Saturday April 14th. This year we return to the old tradition of meeting for lunch after the Spring Opener. This year we ride from the new Moerlein Lager House on the Riverfront for 50, 20/25 and 10 mile rides.

Also inside this month’s BikeWriter, we have an article about a simplified ride rating system that we are going to try this year. This document is open for discussion, and if you think we can improve on it, be sure to tell us. One feature will be that our rides will be color coded on the CCC calendar. If you want a Beginner ride, look for a GREEN RIDE, a Casual ride is Blue, Intermediate is YELLOW and a Fast Ride is RED

Online memberships are now available. Just click HERE

Finally, we have been contacted by a number of folks that had difficulty registering for the Cincinnati Cycle Club’s Chili Century (May 19, 2012 in Goshen Ohio). Some folks were unable to use the CCC Discount codes provided at the annual dinner. A corrected registration site will be available on the CCC website on March 19, 2012. We apologize for the problem. If you registered, and were unable to use your discount, please forward your confirmation email to either the Club Treasurer or myself and we will solve the problem. Again, our apologies. For those of you who did register, please bring a print out of your confirmation email to the ride, in case if we did not solve all of the problems.

Well, that about wraps it up for now. I hope that you get to enjoy a bike ride with your friends soon!

Remember – Get on your bike, go for a ride, its fun!

Join the CCC for the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade!

As of this writing, the CCC has submitted our annual application to ride in the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. As the parade is Thursday April 5th, and the parade folks usually don’t send out the parade permits till a week or two before, we are asking you to SAVE THE DATE!

The CCC will join fellow riders from Queen City Bikes, The OKI Council of Governments, Bike/PAC, and the City of Cincinnati Bicycle Transportation Program. Additionally, we have extended an offer to the folks at the MOBO Bicycle Cooperative. Typically we meet somewhere near Findlay Market an hour before the parade stops.

We ride at approximately 3 MPH. Many folks will do “THE SHRINER CIRCLE” on their bikes to up the speed a bit. Most riders fall over below 3 MPH!

Wear your RED! Bike helmets required, a batting helmet just won’t do!

Look for more information closer to Opening Day, on the CCC Ride Calendar on our website, as well as on our FB page.

After the Opening Day Ride, all participants have been invited to tour the new BIKE DEPOT at THE BANKS.

Safety and Education News

Jim Lindner

Nice Weather. I am ready to ride, BUT…

I ride through the winter and am making an effort this year to include rainy days. So why the BUT?

I am aware that the sun is low in the sky and nearly due east in the morning and west in the evening. This puts it in line with east west roads and can eliminate the visibility of bright clothing. I try to combine some dark clothing with the reflective gear and flashing lights. Contrast of light on dark is supposed to help you be seen. I have had riders ask when to use the flashing lights. I use steady lights and flashing both at night, but put all lights to flash when I can easily see the road surface without lights.

Many think the winter is slippery with the snow and possible ice. My own experience is that I can deal with snow and most ice because I am aware of it, I ride slower, and it usually occurs all over the road. I really need to be aware of road hazards in the spring when the potholes, sand and gravel need attention. Snow and sand both accumulate in the corners, but my speed goes up in the spring when I take off the knobby tires, and the sand and a few loose stones can really make it rough to stay rubber down in a turn. Some roads are full of potholes and imperfections, but the new hole on an otherwise smooth road can be a problem. You may also need to watch for new road repairs and plates on the road that were not there before.

Intersections are the most dangerous place on the road for cyclist. Stop at the stop signs, and lights, as evasive tactics may put you into the loose sand. I have recently seen bike riders run the signs and lights. That habit is not healthy, as you always loose when in a collision with a car.

If you have not been riding this winter, don’t assume that conditioning and reflexes from last summer just came through the winter because you rode a stationary bike. Get out and test both the bike and “it’s engine” once or twice before you go full throttle. I am surprised how often I find an experienced cyclist who switches bikes and fails to notice a quick release on a brake. When riding on a regular basis any little difference in your bike will be noticed and checked, but when it has been a while between rides, things can be overlooked.

Oh, and by the way, some rides have been reporting excessive flats this spring. This is likely combination of wet roads, old tires, glass, and low tire pressure. A good tire or tube can lose a pound a week some even more. A few months without adding air and pinch flats on skinny tires are almost a sure thing. If you park the bike in the basement next to a furnace, the motor ozone will age your tires faster. Water allows glass to stick to a tire and work in easier. You may want to dry your tires and pick out the glass after a wet ride, before the glass works its way to the tube. Flats are a safety issue as they always distract you and can leave you stranded where you don’t want to be. Check your tires before each ride.

Get out and ride. Remember to allow time to get the bike ready and time to readjust to riding your bike again after a break. You may never really forget how to ride a bike, but you need to prepare for the ride.

League Certified Instructor Training Scholarships Available

The first 10 CCC Members (Includes 2 Board Members who have accepted the offer) qualified to become League Certified Instructors (LCIs) and willing to commit to teaching classes after the training period will be reimbursed their tuition as explained below.

Qualifications include: Becoming a League member and taking Traffic Skills 101 are prerequisites for a certification seminar. 

The LCI training seminar is normally one evening and two full days. The registration fee is $200 and includes the League Guide to Safe and Enjoyable Cycling book, Enjoy the RideDVD and Smart Cycling instructor materials. All registration information and payment MUST be received at least 30 days prior to the seminar. There must be a minimum of 10 instructor candidates in each seminar. 

Once you have become a League Cycling Instructor, there are annual requirements for remaining certified, including:

• Keeping League membership current.
• Renewing LCI status with the League once a year.
• Teaching or otherwise being active in your cycling community.

The CCC Scholarship offer will be paid as Reimbursements up to $200 (Registration Fee)

It will be paid in installments:

$125 upon completion of the course

$25 for assisting in a Class as an LCI (per event)

$50 for setting up and leading a Class as an LCI (Maximum Total reimbursement limit $200)

Additional course fees are to be paid by class participants per LAB guidelines and are not included in this reimbursement program. (You keep earnings from the classes you teach, and are encouraged to continue teaching after being fully reimbursed).

The League Cycling Instructor (LCI) Certification Seminar registration fee of $200 covers:

• 20 hours of instruction, exercises and practice teaching both in the classroom and on the bike, usually during the course of a single weekend beginning on a Friday evening and ending on a Sunday afternoon.
• A copy of the League Guide to Safe and Effective Cycling
• Enjoy the Ride DVD (one covering adult cycling practices and one aimed at the parents of small children).
• A League Cycling Instructor Manual with curricula and support material for teaching classes to adult and child cyclists, parents of young children, bicycle commuters and motorists.
• A certificate indicating League Instructor status.
• Access to the LCI Internet listserv where instructors discuss teaching issues and techniques.
• Listing in the League’s national website database of instructors and inclusion in the annual
• Free online course postings on the League’s website.
• one year of coverage under the League’s individual liability insurance for LCIs, renewable each year for the maintenance fee of $25.

As an LCI you are certified to teach the League’s bicycle education (Smart Cycling) curriculum including:

• Traffic Skills 101 (the basic introductory/intermediate course for adult cyclists)
• Traffic Skills 201 (an advanced adult course)
• Kids I (designed for parents of children under 10 years of age)
• Kids II (designed for children 10-14 [4th & 5th graders] including on-road practice).

Additional information may be found at http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/education/instructors.php

Next nearby LCI course offer:

4/27/2012 (Regular signup is up to 30 days before the class – $75 late fee is not reimburseable)

1100 W. Third Street, Dayton OH 45407

Coach: Jennifer Laurita

Hours: 5-9pm Friday; 8am-one hour after sunset Saturday; 8am-3pm Sunday

To accept the offer please contact safety-edu@cincinnaticycleclub.org and explain that you plan to become an LCI this year.

Ride Leader meetings scheduled for March 20th and Thursday March 29 th

Tuesday March 20th at 6:15 pm, a discussion and informational meeting for experienced ride leaders will be held in John Chester’s basement to present the current requirements of ride leaders and discuss future expectations. Club forms, suggestions, reference materials, and ride leader materials will be distributed. Pizza, salad and drinks will be served. The intent is that we can, as a group, discuss problems that occur on rides and possible solutions.

Thursday March 29th at 6:45 pm, a second meeting will be held for newer ride leaders and those leaders who missed the first meeting. It will be at the Isaac Walton League, 544 Branch Hill Loveland Rd. Loveland, OH 45140 .The same materials will be distributed but the format will be more training, ideas for new rides, and reviewing the issues discussed at the first meeting. Pizza, salad and drinks will again be available to attendees.

Although these meetings may seem an extra effort, with your participation, they will be worthwhile. If you have any suggestions, helpful literature, other materials, or wish to put a subject on the agenda please contact me. The intended length of the meetings will be 1-1/2 hour. Suggestions of changes to ride leader, and rider responsibilities, and safety concerns will be of the highest importance. We will also discuss our insurance coverage and how it applies to you as a ride leader.

Pre-registration will help in effectively managing materials. Some materials will be provided free to participants only, and may be disposed of or sold after the meetings. It is intended that the meeting will be the best way to get the information available.

To pre-register e-mail safety-edu@cincinnaticycleclub.org

Ride Descriptions Revised

As mentioned in PrezSez, the club has revised the descriptions for all of the club’s rides. Rides will receive a both a Type and a Color Code to help guide riders to the right rides.

Type/Calendar Color

• BEGINNER – GREEN
• SOCIAL / CASUAL – BLUE
• INTERMEDIATE – YELLOW
• FAST – RED

Description Terms:

• Speed: The advertised speed is an expected average. Straight and flat portions will exceed the advertised number.
• No Drop: A No Drop Ride will have a rider wait at all turns and at the top of all hills.
• Hills: As Cincinnati is a City of 7 Hills, some hills are to be expected. Intermediate rides can expect total vertical gain over the ride to be 1,500 feet or more. A ride is defined as HILLY if over 1,500 feet of vertical gain is expected on a ride of 25 miles. A ride is described as EXTREMELY HILLY if over 2,500 feet of vertical gain is expected on a ride of 25 miles.

Ride Descriptions:

Beginner:

• Speed at rate of slowest Rider
• No Drop Ride
• Route may be altered to match the abilities of the group

Social/Casual:

• Speed under 14
• No Drop Ride
• Limited Hills

Intermediate:

• Speed of 15 to 18, or Hilly

Fast:

• Combination of Speed and Hills
• Speed over 18 or Extremely Hilly

Location Sought for Cincinnati’s 2012 Ride of Silence

The Ride of Silence is scheduled, both nationwide and worldwide, for Wednesday May 16, 2012.

In 2011, as you may recall, our request to use Fountain Square (as we had from 2007-2010) was denied. Fountain Square deemed The Ride of Silence to be a Sporting Event. We were unsuccessful in finding another location last year that had access to a gathering place for approximately 100 bicycles (preferably with a Public Address System).

While searching for a new location, we approached the new BIKE DEPOT, and began working with them to serve as the hosts. The new park at THE BANKS was to have opened in July 2011. That opening was delayed until October 2011, and then to April 2012.

Sadly, we have now been informed that the April 2012 opening date for the park has been again delayed.

Thus we are again looking for a centralized location to host The Ride of Silence. Our next option was to use the newly refurbished Washington Park in Over The Rhine. That opening has now also been delayed until June 2012.

Regrettably, this year we will be adding another name to those we remember, we will be remembering the life of a Ft. Thomas resident who was killed by an automobile while riding his bike.

On Friday night February 3, 2012, Sam Scott of Ft. Thomas, Kentucky was struck and killed by a drunk driver while bicycling home from work in University City, St. Louis, Missouri.

Sam was a beautiful aspiring 19-year individual who was thoroughly enjoying his life with family and friends while studying to be an elementary school teacher. Sam was someone who immediately made you smile upon meeting. His spirit lit up a room. It is with incomprehensible sadness that Sam’s parents Andrew and Susan, siblings Caleb and Pauline, girlfriend Anna Murphy and other friends and family question such a tragedy. In addition to the obvious of keeping dangerous intoxicated drivers off the roads, Sam’s death has been taken up in advocacy by a local St. Louis organization called “trailnet” to educate motorists about sharing the road, safer roads in the community, and bicycle/pedestrian compatible roadways. Here in Cincinnati, or wherever you are, please keep Sam’s family in your thoughts during the Ride of Silence on May 16th.

The Cincinnati Cycle Club SPRING OPENER

We are proud to announce that this year’s Spring Opener will begin at the Moerlein Lager House at The Banks.

In years past, the CCC met after the Spring Opener at a restaurant for lunch. We are renewing that tradition. This year, the Spring Opener will be a combination of not only a ride, but a CCC membership drive and a fundraiser for Team CCC for the MS 150.

For those who have not yet renewed their membership, we will have a DAY OF RIDE membership drive. $20 for individuals and $25 for a family.

• The 50 mile route will go to Bishops Bicycles and Biowheels. Biowheels will host a rest stop. This route has a good deal of climbing, combining both city/urban areas as well as scenic views from Eden Park.
• The 20/25 route will go to Lunken airport, The 25 mile will do a loop around the trail, and if the trail to Armleder Park has been completed, do a loop out there. The MS 150 folks will provide a rest stop at Lunken Airport for the 20/25 mile riders.
• The 10 mile route will go to Findlay Market.

The good folks at the Moerlein Lager House have agreed for all who make a donation to Team CCC – MS150, to donate a coupon/token for $5 off food or beverage. We will take both cash and checks (payable to: MS Society).

We hope that all will be returning at about the same time to The Moerlein Lager House for a post ride wrap up with your fellow club members. After lunch, we have also arranged for CCC members to have a tour of the new BIKE DEPOT at THE BANKS.

Team CCC will be offering Team CCC T- shirts for purchase as well.

When: Saturday April 14, 2012

Where: Moerlein Lager House at The Banks

Routes: 10, 20/25 and 45 mile routes are offered

Free to all CCC Members

$20 to Non Members

The 45 mile ride starts at 9 AM

The 20/25 mile ride starts at 10 AM

The 10 mile ride starts at 10 AM

DRUNK DRIVER GETS 9.5 YEARS FOR KILLING A CYCLIST

By Steven Magas, The Bike Lawyer

On May 23, 2012, Kelly Cox was driving her Chrysler Pacifica along Rapids Road near Chardon, Ohio… while drunk… very drunk…with kids in the car… She ran into, and killed, Geauga County Judge Chip Henry.

Cox was charged with a number of crimes – the most serious being aggravated vehicular homicide. Since she failed to stop, drove to her home, dropped off her kids and returned, she was charged with leaving the scene as well as child endangerment.  She plead not guilty to all charges and filed a motion to challenge the drug testing – testing which indicated she was driving was an amazingly high BAC of 0.284%.  The case was set for trial.

On the morning of trial, negotiations got under way and Cox ended up pleading guilty to a number of crimes, including aggravated vehicular homicide.

Yes, Cox pleaded guilty… but… let’s just say she was STILL less than forthcoming when she told the court she was pleading guilty. During the hearing she told the judge she had had “a glass” earlier in the day… yet somehow blew a 0.284% after killing Chip Henry.

After the Plea, the Judge set the matter for sentencing and the family of Judge Henry prepared to speak out, really, for the first time in this matter.

At the Sentencing hearing, Judge Henry’s family spoke eloquently, forcefully, in urging the court to impose the maximum sentence. His younger sister, Polly, spoke first, expressing the outrage and anger the family felt – not as much about the crash as about Ms. Cox’s continuing, ongoing lies about how much she had to drink. Polly discussed the various reasons why society punishes criminals and advised the court that the family was not looking for retribution but DID feel that taking Ms. Cox away from society so she could not hurt anyone else was a very valid reason to impose a maximum sentence. Mostly, though, Polly hoped that a long sentence would lead to rehabilitation for Ms. Cox.

Judge Henry’s brother, Jim, spoke about the night of the crash – how he and his brother were ready to head to the airport to pick up their mom when they found out her plane was delayed. Judge Henry then went for a bike ride while Jim went for a run. Jim then had to tell their mom about the crash and Judge Henry’s death.

The Judge’s daughter, Kim, spoke next – emotionally and powerfully. She described how Ms. Cox’s refusal to take responsibility had hurt the family, and made the healing process “… as difficult as possible…” by lying every day since the crash, and lying to their face during the plea hearing. She wondered why Ms. Cox left her dad on the side of the road to die…”What kind of person doesn’t even call 911?” She talked about the deep loss of losing a father – and the pain she felt when she thinks about how much he would be missing.

The Judge’s son, Adam, told the court what it was like to get that call from him Mom telling him his dad had been killed. He talked about the huge hole in his life, and the pain and loneliness – about how Kelly Cox’s actions have created pain during what should have been an incredibly happy time as he had recently proposed to his girlfriend. Adam read to the court a very moving letter he wrote to his Dad – saying things that anyone who lost anyone close has also said – how he wished he had asked his Dad more questions and talked to him about his life.

When it was the defense’s turn to talk it was all about excuses – how Ms. Cox had had a rough life – how she had been “self-medicating” for years. Her lawyer said, “There’s not a person in this courtroom who would not be affected significantly” by what Ms. Cox went through “…years ago.” Gary Cox, Kelly’s husband, addressed the court and suggested that she is a “good person who has made a tragic mistake…” while offering sympathy for the Judge’s family. Cox’s sister also stood up to apologize to the Henry family.

Kelly Cox then briefly spoke – her attorney asked that she be allowed to turn around and address the family sitting in the gallery behind her rather than face the court [a tactic which, I suspect, the family found to be cheesy, overly dramatic and only for effect]. Cox said she was sorry and offered a brief admission – “Was I drinking? Yes I was” but claimed she would have never “maliciously” hurt anyone and would never “let someone stay on the side of the road.”

Except… of course… she did… hit someone … and leave them dying on the side of the road…

Did she act “maliciously?” That’s certainly open for debate – drinking oneself into a 0.28% BAC stupor, putting your kids in the car and then trying to drive goes far beyond careless and negligent and shows a complete and callous disregard for the lives of others.

The judge then spoke to Ms. Cox. He did not mince words. He noted that it was her drinking and driving that brought her to the court – despite the fact that her husband was with her and could have driven her home and despite the fact that she had a cell phone and could have called a cab, or a friend. The court said, “…like most people who drink, it is all about you. You drink because you wallow in self-pity and thus do not take responsibility for your actions…you look at this death as a horrible accident in which the role you played is minimal. You feel you are a victim of circumstance…Your explanations minimize your responsibility for the death.” After reading the pre sentence report the judge told Ms. Cox he had “…concluded that you have no real remorse for your actions, only excuses…” The judge spoke for over 10 pages on the record…

In the end, Judge Mitrovich imposed a 9.5 year prison sentence on Kelly Cox. The court noted that a failure to impose consecutive sentences would “…demean the seriousness of the offense and would not sufficiently punish the offender, nor protect the public…”

Judge Mitrovich’s statement to Kelly Cox should be used as a model by judges, and bicycle advocates, in future cases in which a motorist makes stupid excuses for killing an innocent rider.

So, the criminal case is done – Kelly Cox is serving time at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. According to the State of Ohio’s “Offender Search” website, her sentence expires on August 22, 2021 – at which time Judge Henry will still be dead, his family will still be grieving but Kelly Cox will be a free woman.

OKI Bicycle E-News Highlights

Don Burrell

Here are some of the latest highlights from the OKI Bicycle E-News. For the full newsletter, click here ()

League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit

Dedicated federal funding for bicycling projects and programs has transformed towns, cities and states by enabling them to build trails, stripe lanes and install parking for bicyclists; to deliver bike education and encouragement programs; to hire staff; and adopt ambitious plans to get more people on bikes more often. Don’t let Congress turn back the clock on decades of hardfought progress towards creating a more bicycle-friendly America. Attend the 2012 National Bike Summit to help defend these critical programs – just when America needs them the most.

DATE: Tuesday – Thursday, March 20-22, 2012

LOCATION: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Metro Center

1000 H St. NW, Washington, DC

COST: LAB member: $375 (after Feb. 4, $475)

LAB non-member: $475 (after Feb. 4, $575)

CONTACT: http://www.bikeleague.org/conferences/summit12/

Gleeful “Safe Out the Door” Video Inspires Safety for School Kids

If you ever need a reason to smile, check out the Ohio Dept. of Transportation’s (ODOT) new Glee-inspired Safe Routes to School video. The All-Ohio Safe Routes to School Show Choir will sing and dance their way into your safety awareness in this high-energy video to be shown at schools statewide. Ohio’s First Lady Karen Kasich serves as Ohio Safe Routes to School ambassador. Public service announcements are currently airing on radio stations statewide thanks to the sponsorship of the Ohio Association of Broadcasters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPMcEBIqVWo&feature=youtu.be

Once you have watched the video a few times, you might be inspired to enter ODOT’s school safety contest. Students, classes and schools from Kindergarten through grade 8 are eligible to show how to be safe when walking or biking to school. A project could be a video, a science experiment, a poster, a cheer, a safety device or their own idea. Prizes include Trek bikes, running shoes and $1,000 to a school or teacher for safety education. Deadline is February 29, 2012 and winners will be announced in April. More and the application can be found here.

2012 Fund-Raising Rides

Unless otherwise noted, the Cincinnati Cycle Club is in no way sponsoring the following rides. If a “TEAM CCC” is noted, then a group of CCC Members are participating as an organized group, and we can get you additional information on how to join them.

June 2012

10th – Ride Cincinnati

16th – Tour De Cure

July 2012

21st – Young’s Dairy Tour

26th – 29th – Pan Ohio Hope Ride

August 2012

18th – S.T.A.C.I.E. Foundation Bike-Walk-Run Benefit Fundraiser

25th & 26th – MS150 Team CCC

September 2012

15th – Hope Ride

22nd – Cystic Fibrosis Cycle For Life

Cluster News:

SIM Cluster – The Rock:

ST. PATRICK’S DAY RIDE: We will leave from 29 South Miami Avenue, Cleves, Ohio. Please park in the lot across the street at the closed Round Table Restaurant.

This ride starts at 10:00am and we will ride various versions of the Harrison Tomb Loop. This route is great for beginning cyclist with gently rolling hills, good pavement, usually light traffic, and bicycle friendly motorists. For those looking for a bit more challenging terrain that is available as well with many good climbs and a couple of great flat sections to put the hammer down. After the ride we will have some Irish fare and refreshments. So everyone get your Green On and bring your Irish Cheer for what is surely to be a day filled with good time and good cheer.

The Banana Ride: In March, the start time for 11AM, and in April the start time is 10AM.

Also in April, on Thursday nights, we will start the Tomb ride over by the Tomb.

Finally, the Pizza Ride West will start alternating between Harrison H.S. and P&G on East Miami River Rd. in Ross, Ohio.

Northern Kentucky Cluster – Tom Runyan

This year the NKY cluster will be hosting the same rides as last year. Mike Sullivan and Jeff Salisbury will be leading the Thursday Campbell County Social Ride from Pendry Park, Mike Sullivan will be leading the Saturday Fusion Ride. Bill Johnson will be leading the Monday night No Brainer Challenge and I will be leading the Sunday Iffy Rides. I will gladly help anyone who is interested in leading a ride, just contact me. We will have two picnics this year. One will be based out of Pendery Park and the other will be our Fall Ride to Rabbit Hash. We still have to get the final details worked out but watch the newsletter and ride calendar for more information.

If you are interested in leading a CCC ride please contact your cluster leader so that they can get your ride officially listed on the calendar thus making it a legit ride and getting it covered by the clubs insurance. Just posting a ride to the ride line does not legally make it a CCC ride thus you lose some of the benefits. Being a ride leader is not complicated and it can be very rewarding. If you have any questions about leading a ride or if you want to have a ride posted on the calendar, have any suggestions or questions about the Northern Ky Cluster, please contact me at the following: http://www.cincinnaticycleclub.org/contact-us/

Little Miami Cluster – Fred Ferguson

Time to dust off those bikes and get ready to ride!

2012 is shaping up to be a great year for cycling. With Daylight Savings time starting on March 11, the Little Miami cluster will begin opening up all our traditional rides.

Saturday: The Saturday Breakfast Ride (SBR) is up and running already with a 9am start time. Once April rolls around the start will move to 8am.

Tuesday: We have a tentative start date for everyone’s favorite ride, the Tuesday Pizza Ride (PRE) for Tuesday, March 13. Please watch the CCC calendar for details.

Thursday: The Bishops Bike’s ride will be starting likely before the end of March, please watch the CCC calendar for details.

We are also working on plans for a three new rides to add to the Little Miami Cluster. One ride will start from Swallow Bicycle Works in Loveland, a rookie level ride that will start from Goshen Middle School and a Hill Climb Ride that might go out on Sundays and choose from various locations. Is anyone up for the Eight Hills Oregonia Challenge?

We can always use ride coordinators and leaders. Remember that anyone who helps lead any CCC ride gets to attend the end of year Volunteer Ride and Pizza Party.

See y’all on the road soon!

C6 Cluster – Jim Lindner

The Inaugural Cappuccino Ride and Picnic Celebration will be the day after the spring opener.

The Cincinnati Cycle Club Central City Cluster – College Hill Coffee Company Rides (C6 – CHCC) are introducing a new ride to fit the riders that need more challenge than the Decaf Ride and don’t want to or cannot ride up to 100 miles in the morning with the Espresso Riders.

The Cappuccino Ride will start at Noon April 15th behind the College Hill Coffee Co. and Casual Gourmet, 6128 Hamilton Ave # 1, Cincinnati, OH 45224. The Decaf Ride will shadow the new ride starting at the same time and place, but going at a beginner/casual pace, and meet the Cappuccino Ride at the picnic. I expect the Espresso Riders will find a way to include the picnic in their plans.

The Picnic will be at The Forest Avenue Wetland Park that is located off of Compton Rd. at the south end of Forest Avenue. This park is a nature preserve, with two ponds, a wide variety of plant and animal life, and an unpaved walking trail. There are also picnic tables, grills, and a shelter located at the entrance to the park, in the grassy area. This location is 2.7 easy miles from CHCC and a good place to park and bike commute to the ride start, or if you park at the ride start you will find it easy to get back to your car from the picnic.

If you cannot ride with us but want to join the picnic, expected time for arrival of the riders is at 3PM. Vegetarian and Carnivore options will be available. All CCC members are welcome to the picnic and to thank Mary Berigan for setting up a new C6 – CHCC ride.

Ask Mr. Cranky

In case you missed me last month, my friends call me Mister Cranky. Each month I will try to offer worthless advice to your insincere cycling questions. And if I don’t get enough questions I’ll just make up some to help you get over the fear of asking me something I cannot answer. So if you have a few worthless questions about riding a bike you have come to the worst possible place for advice.

Dear Mr. Cranky,

Its very windy this spring. What suggestions do you have for riding when its windy?

Thanks,

Wednesday Rider

Dear Wednesday,

The most important thing to do when riding in windy conditions is to be observant. To counteract the wind you have to know the direction from which it is blowing. If the rider in front of you is leaning his bike 45 degrees and still going straight, it’s pretty easy to tell the direction of the wind. Usually it’s not that simple.

Here are a couple of recommended methods to tell the wind direction:

1. If you are climbing a steep hill keep your head parallel to the ground. As you inhale and suck the road debris off the ground, note which direction the debris goes when the wind catches it?
2. While riding, raise the front of your jersey just past the beer cave (aka belly button). If you hear the sound of someone blowing air over the top of a bottle you know it’s a cross wind. (Only applies to men)
3. Do you happen to have one of those voice pitch pipes that the music teacher blows into right before he tells you how off key you are? If you do, you could mount it to your handlebars. A different pitch would be played depending on the winds direction. This doesn’t work for me because they all sound the same.
4. Another method I’ve used with limited success is building one of those balsa wood airplanes and attaching it to my bike with a string. Once I get up to speed I release the airplane and see which direction it sails to. A word of caution however, keep the string somewhat short because those airplanes fit nicely in most helmet vents and other riders get a little annoyed at that.
5. The easiest and most accurate way is to figure out the direction of the wind is to look for flags, tall grass, tree leaves or other things blowing in the wind.
6. Look and listen. If it’s quiet you have a tail wind. If its noisy you don’t. If the dog on the left doesn’t bark until you almost past him then the wind is blowing away from him.

Now that you know the wind’s direction, it’s time to use that knowledge. If the wind is a true head wind coming straight at you the best thing to do is to get behind the biggest rider you can find. If you are the biggest rider that explains why everyone is lining up behind you.

The next thing to do is to get lower than the rider in front of you to maximize the draft and minimize your exposure. Try to keep your helmet level equal to or below the rider in front of you by riding lower in the drops if possible. If it’s a cross wind, which is the most common, act like a duck and get in a “v” formation. Ride slightly to the side of the rider in front of you, opposite of the wind’s direction. If the wind is blowing from the right you want to be to the left of the rider in front of you.

Pay very close attention not to overlap wheels and make sure the riders around you are aware of your position.

If people are riding two abreast be sure to ride on the opposite line of the wind. If the wind is blowing from the right side stay in the left most pace line. Also to maximize your draft stay about one half wheel length behind the rider on the right. This allows his bike to provide more wind block for you. Unless you are riding in Indiana you will have to make adjustments as the road curves and changes direction. In Indiana you’ll have to make adjustments every couple of miles when you change roads.

One last important thing to consider when riding in windy conditions is the effect of the terrain around you. Many riders forget about the wind when they are blasting down a hill. At the bottom of the hill there is usually a valley and often the wind channels through the valley especially if the hills are rolling. I’ve seen experienced riders ruin good shorts when a cross wind in the valley took them by surprise and nearly threw them across the road. If its windy on the flats or on the ridge be extra careful when descending into a valley.

Happy cranking,

Mr. Cranky

Do you have a question you need help with? Ask Mr. Cranky by sending a self addressed email to AskMrCranky@gmail.com and watch for a response in an upcoming newsletter.

Disclaimer: The advice provided on Ask Mr. Cranky is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice from a knowledgeable bike shop or cyclist. Neither the individual contributor or the Cincinnati Cycle Club nor anyone else connected to this newsletter can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information or disinformation presented in this article.

All-Club Picnic to Be Held Sunday June 3, 2012

The 2012 All-Club Picnic will take place on Sunday, June 3rd at Lunken Airport’s Spirit of America picnic site. There will be rides both to and from the picnic.

The Tour de Sunday will offer a ride starting at 9 AM.

Rides TO the picnic will be offered by:

• Spokes in Motion
• Northern Kentucky
• Little Miami
• C6

Lunch will be cooked from noon to 2 p.m.

As all of the clusters leave to ride home, all will do a loop together around the Lunken Bike Trail

If a quorum is present, a club meeting will be held on proposed changes. (change quorum to 50, hiring of a Club manager, create a social director position). Any proposed changes must be voted by the board at the March meeting, and be published in the April BikeWriter. (Proposals must be published in the BW a minimum of 30 days before June 3rd)

CCC Merchandise Available for Sale:

The CCC currently has a T-Shirt and a Jersey that we offer for sale:

We have had requests from individuals for other types of merchandise. The board is considering adding CCC socks and window clings to our available inventory.

To do this, we need your help. In particular, we need someone to process and ship any items we sell. If you would be willing to help, please contact a board member.

Also, if you know of any other item that you think would be of interest to our members, please forward that idea as well.

Commuter Miles Updated

The Pres Sez

John Chester

Why in the world is the Pres Sez photo a picture of an Ale-8-One and a Moon Pie next to my bike?  EASY – THIS IS WHY I RIDE! No, not for the actual Ale-8-One and a Moon Pie, although those are quite yummy and a perfect symbol of Kentucky Culinary Bliss.  No riding season is complete for me without a bike ride with my friends to Rabbit Hash (The Center of the Universe).  That’s what the photo means – time on a bike with my friends. Which is truly the reason that I have been a member of the CCC for 18 years, and why I, and others, devote time to be on the board of the club and to volunteer to lead our weekly rides. You don’t need a club to ride a bike, but having the club around, with all of these riding options –WITH MY FRIENDS – is the main reason I belong.

While many of our members ride all 12 months of the year, I’m not a big fan of cold or dark. So, unless we get an unexpected sunny and warm weekend, I will be found either on the exercise bike in my basement, on a spin bike, OR IN FLORIDA!!!!

During the 2011 Riding season, the CCC sponsored 25 recurring weekly rides.

It has been estimated that the CCC puts over 500 people on bikes on an organized ride EACH WEEK.

We are currently in discussion with two people that are considering adding two more weekly rides to our mix. Once they agree, and everything is set up, we will announce them. Let’s just say that if one of these does happen, I will enjoy bringing back one of the rides I used to lead – THE BACHELOR’S INVASION OF THE LADIES IN LYCRA.

Now, for the business stuff. Our Treasurer – Steve Wegener – will be retiring at the end of year. Steve has been my VOICE OF REASON the last few years.  Joe Bohlen is looking for an assistant to help with Membership. Joe has been the quiet backbone of the board for over a decade.  If any of you would consider assisting the club with either of these positions, please contact myself or either Steve or Joe.

Now for the fun stuff. I am hoping that Santa puts some bike stuff under the tree for me this year.  Have you considered asking him for a CCC Jersey? And while sometimes the Elves forget, I hope all the new bikes under the tree come with a new helmet!

As this Bike Writer is a joint November / December issue, I want to wish all of you a HAPPY THANKSGIVING. HAPPY ST. NICHOLAS DAY! HAPPY DARKEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR! HAPPY HANNAKUH, HAPPY DAY ELVIS MET NIXON and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Remember – Get on your bike, go for a ride – It’s fun!

Holiday Shopping Guides from Mr. Cranky and Jim Lindner

Jim’s List:

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday January 21, 2011

The 2012 Cincinnati Cycle Club Annual Dinner

Terwilleger Lodge

7PM

Details and tickets on sale soon. Check the CCC website for details.

And by popular demand – We will be bringing back the Appetizer and Pie Competitions! Winners receive their choice of a free CCC membership or National Ride.

2012 Ride Planning

Off season? What off season? There are plenty of CCC and Charity Rides available. Start your planning and training now!

Sat, April 14 – Spring Opener

Sat, May 19 – Chili Century  (TOSRV is 5/12-13)

Sun, Jue 10 – Ride Cincinnati Breast Cancer ride

Sat, June 17 – Lebanon Tour De Cure

Sat, July 7 - Chili Repeat  (Kevin)

Sat, August 11 Caesars Creek Ride  (Irv)

Sat-Sun Aug 25-26 – MS150 Ride at Camp Kern

Sat, Sept 15 – Hope Ride

Sat, Sept 22 – CF Cycle for Life

Sat, Sept 29 – GGRR

Sat, Oct 13 – Volunteer Bash and Ride ( Hilly 100 is 10.20-21)

Train with a former Grand Tour Racer

Michael Carter of Echelon Sports Performance draws on his 30 years of racing experience to create the best training program for you. Carter raced in all three Grand Tours and served as a Director Sportif for Pro Continental squad Team Type 1. In addition, he has served as coach for several regional, national and world champions and former Olympians.

Both Web-Based (via Training Peaks) and Personalized training programs are available. Personalized plans focus on your goals, time to train, strengths and weaknesses.

Carter also offers training camps and trips. From February 24^th to March 9^th, he’ll be setting up camp in picturesque Solvang, California with a Competion Camp (February 24 to March 2) for those looking to race and a Gran Fondo camp (March 3 to March 9) for the serious recreational rider. He’ll also be taking a group of riders to Marostica, Italy from July 30^th to August 9^th for a trip through the Italian countryside – the food, wine and the riding are sure to combine to make for the most wonderful trip imaginable – you will not want to leave!

For more information, contact Echelon Sports Performance by visting their website (www.espcycling.com) or call 303-591-3812.

Commuter News

Good grief – only one quarter left for 2011. Here is the latest as of Dec. 1 for the December BikeWriter. I snuck a peak at the Dayton Cycling Club miles and they have 53,000 miles as of the end of October.

Get on your bikes and ride!

I often say “Get on your bikes and ride!” (from an old Queen song), and here is some inspiration to do so from one of our Challengers, Alan Weinrich. Last June, Alan was experiencing light-headedness while cycling or exercising and was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia, which sent him to the cardiac ICU for a week. This cut his second quarter miles off at 855. He now has an implanted cardioverter defbrillator (ICD) to keep his heart in rhythm. Due to his excellent physical condition, from cycling of course, Alan has had a rapid recovery and was spinning and swimming in July. By August, he was biking to work and for errands again, including new trips for physical therapy (?). So Alan just turned in 1,044 miles for the third quarter. Congratulations Alan!

Ride Line Posting Policies

There are currently 836 members on the Ride Line email list.

It has been suggested that ride announcements include as much information as possible; etc,  Who, What, When, Where, How Long, How Fast, Full Name of Ride Leader.  A posting should have enough information so that someone unfamiliar with the ride can understand it.   Don’t assume that the reader knows about you or your ride.

Clarification of posting policies and member access.

About Ride Line:

• Impromptu Ride Announcements
• Ride Reminders
• Cycling Related announcements for Cincinnati area cyclists.

Posting Policies

• Reply to the Sender
• Do not use Reply to All
• Do not cross-post to multiple lists.
• Do not post advertisements or promotions for private businesses.

Access

• Anybody can view group content
• Anyone can join
• Members can create and edit pages
• Members can upload files
• Only members can post
• Messages from new members are moderated**

**New members are moderated.  This is set this way to screen for spam.  Posts by spammers are deleted and their email address is banned.  Once a new member posts their first acceptable message their status is changed to “always allow post”.   If you are a new member and have never posted, please consider that your first post is moderated and may take several hours before it is approved and passed to the list.

Abuse of posting policies will result in the member being returned to new member status per above.

Safety and Education

Jim Lindner

Christmas Lists

Ok, maybe this is not a title you expect for Bicycle Safety and Education but, I should write an article that is informative and, I need to make up a Christmas List for after Thanksgiving Dinner. The Bike Writer editor asks for the article and Dianne’s family has a tradition for the List. So I figured I would write about what is on my mind and see if it looks like it will serve both purposes. I split the list into two parts after it was written. It is up to the editor if he want to put it all in, but I figure my bike related Christmas List may give some members a laugh or an idea where to find some cheaper gear or get some extra use out of your bike. Please remember I am a utility cyclist, perhaps you will read that as cheap or frugal and you may have ideas of your own. Feel free to use my personal list however you like, but I don’t expect you to get me anything if you are not family.  If you can help with the Club and Community list please do.

Club and Community

This past year it sees that a lot of the BOT is getting tired of carrying on the regular activities of the Club. I think we have people out there that are willing to help, but we are not the best at asking for the help we need. So first on my list are volunteers that are willing to take up positions in the club. We have a number open and some additional ones opening up.

I heard about more accidents this year than I thought the club should have. I am glad the insurance the BOT has could possibly help some. Good manners and HEPA prevent me from thinking I should know what the insurance provided, but a little feedback would be nice. By the way I sure hope everyone is recovering nicely. If anyone feels like writing an article about their own accident I think others may be interested. I think it would be something educational. I should also mention that some accidents involved non-members not on their first ride. Ride leaders should be more active in encouraging the visitors to join.

We had a good Annual Dinner last year. The food was great as was the company, but we were a little short on attendance. We need a quorum to be able to do any real business. I hope this encourages readers to be there. It seems that we pick a really nasty night so no one should be out on their bikes except those with the proper gear. Last year is the first I remember with no bike commuters riding in. I hope that is not the case this year. I will recommend a prize for the longest bike commute to get to the dinner by the start. I might try for it, but I think it should come with a SAG home if that was not prearranged.

Quite reasonably I am happy that Steve Magas has been active in advising me and the club for a long time, so I want to support him in some small way. I sure don’t want to personally need his legal help, but I do want a book he has contributed to, Bicycling & the Law. I understand it can be ordered for $15 from him at bikelawyer@me.com $15.  I put this on the community list as I would like to encourage others in bike education, but it also belongs on my personal list.

Bike infrastructure always seemed less important than changing the culture/ attitude of drivers. The biggest positive step I have seen in that category is a new Sharrows Sign that says SHARED LANE [CHANGE LANES TO PASS] showed to me by Frank Henson on the Ride the Paint Ride. On the other end of the spectrum is a sign I don’t understand.  It says bikes yield to right turning vehicles It is a small yellow and black sign that I cannot believe makes any sense as used. If the curb area with a double white line was a bike lane (it is not marked as such) and they said, “Do not stop bikes in turn area” it may make sense to some, but if I am riding in the road or on the paved shoulder approaching the intersection my best move here looks to me to be as far left as possible to avoid a right hook indicate I am going straight and if a car wants to turn right they could do so on my right. In any case I don’t know how I am supposed to read the dinky sign, and know if car overtaking me may turn on its blinker and turn right and even if it does where do they want me to go? Oh, and by the way a yellow sign is a warning sign so I guess the idea is to warn me that cars now have the right of way to ride over me from behind, if I don’t get out of the way. Ouch!!!

I feel a need to thank those who are building a Bike Culture in Cincinnati. I know many members of the CCC are part of a bike culture that has provided fitness and recreational rides for Cincinnati for many years. It seems that other parts of the country have advanced beyond us in the social and transportation areas.

Now socially I do not expect us to ever host an (caution nudity on links) International Naked Bike Ride in Cincinnati like Portland, but I love seeing more bike commuters. I congratulate UC for their research linking higher property values to multi-use trails and a University of Wisconsin health effects of bike riding research  for giving numbers to the benefits of bike riding.

I do question the finding that, “If Midwesterners ran half their short-distance (2.5 miles one way) errands by bike rather than by car, 1100 deaths would be avoided each year and $7 billion would be saved in reduced health care cost. I suspect the effect would only delay deaths as the final mortality rate for humans is 100%. Still I want to be one that does not die this year.

I want helpful seminars for Ride Leaders. The club really owes a lot to the people who lead our rides each week. I am hoping we can get groups of Ride Leaders together and discuss how to improve the club rides. My biggest concern is safety. As a club we want the rides to be safe and still provide the wide variety of venues we currently have. A few members will be getting together and planning for the seminars. We discovered this year that all Ride Leaders need the tools to report incidents to our insurance promptly. Other information and Ideas will be discussed to keep our riders safe.

Ask Mr. Cranky

In case you missed me last month, my friends call me Mister Cranky. Each month I will try to offer worthless advice to your insincere cycling questions. And if I don’t get enough questions I’ll just make up some to help you get over the fear of asking me something I cannot answer.  So if you have a few worthless questions about riding a bike you have come to the worst possible place for advice.  

Dear Mr. Cranky,

After reading about the drunk driver in Columbus hitting a cyclist, I want to know what I can do to prevent being hit by his friend who will have to drive the next time because his buddy isn’t allowed to.

Annonomusty

Dear Annonomusty,

While I am sure the Club’s Safety and Education Director would be the best person to seek advice in this matter I am always glad to share my useless and worthless thoughts.   The best defense against a drunk driver is the same as any driver.  Carrying a bazooka like Versus’s Cycling Commentator suggest might be a little extreme but there are a few safety tips to consider.

1. Make yourself visible. Only buy clothes that are bright colored AND have reflective material sewn into the fabric.  Its obvious that ambulance chasing lawyers control most of the clothing manufacturers these days, why else would they produce so many black and dark colored jerseys and jackets that are mostly worn when there is the least amount of sunlight.  I seriously think it’s a conspiracy to eliminate cyclists!
2. Make your bike visible when riding at night. Mount multiple tail lights and mix them up so that some are on solid and some blink.  The solid helps give some depth perception while the blinking light draws attention. Be sure to use a bright head light, I use a pair of 900 lumen Magicshine lights and some people think I’m a motorcycle or car coming down the road. These days you can get very bright head lights very inexpensively. I remember when my 6 watt generator driven light was all I had and it amazes me how much technology has helped make night time riding much safer.
3. Use reflective tape on your bike and your helmet. Road ID has some nice reflective tape called FireFly High Viz that I have installed on the back of my helmet.  They also have a nice Fire Fly blinking light that can mounted to the rear of your helmet.  Both of these help tremendously when it comes to lighting up your helmet area.
4. Ride on the roads with the least amount of traffic even if it means adding a little extra distance and time. Ride defensively, get a mirror and use it.  In the cooler months most people ride with their ears covered so remember to listen a little more intently.
5. Be aware of the traffic patterns of the roads and intersections you traverse. Do people regularly run the yellow lights? Does this intersection have a two way light system or is it four? Are there turn arrows? Is there a lot of right turn on red traffic? Try to anticipate traffic flows and move with them.
6. Try not to go it alone. There is safety in numbers.
7. Lastly, don’t go to battle with a car. It doesn’t matter if it’s a drunk, a red neck, a texting teen or a mad mom late for a soccer game.  They all win when it comes to contact. Its much better to concede than to press your position.  As a running partner used to tell me when it comes to dealing with cars, “ You may be right but you will be dead right.”

Happy Hollerdaise and keep on cranking,

Mr. Cranky

Do you have a question you need help with?  Ask Mr. Cranky by sending a self addressed email to AskMrCranky@gmail.com  and watch for a response in an upcoming newsletter.

Disclaimer:  The advice  provided on Ask Mr. Cranky is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice from a knowledgeable bike shop or cyclist.   Neither the individual contributor or the Cincinnati Cycle Club nor anyone else connected to this newsletter can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information or disinformation presented in this article.

Cyclists Wanted:

The OKI Regional Council of Governments publishes Bike Route Guides for roads in its seven county planning area. The Ohio county Bike Route Guides for Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren Counties are being updated this year from the 2005 edition. Now that the cycling season is winding down, and while the roads toured are fresh in mind, we are collaborating with several area bike shops to host meetings for cyclists to come and review the maps for cycling suitability. The value of these maps comes from the first hand knowledge of experienced cyclists who ride the roads. Meetings are scheduled in December at these five area shops:

DATE/TIME: Sat., Dec 17, 2011,  3:00 pm

LOCATION: Bishop’s Bicycles, 313 Main St.,  Milford

DATE/TIME: Tue., Dec 20, 2011,  6:30 pm

LOCATION: Montgomery Cyclery, 8483 Beechmont Av., Cherry Grove

DATE/TIME: Wed., Dec 28, 2011,  6:30 pm

LOCATION: Oakley Cycles, 2709 Observatory Ave., Hyde Park

For more information, contact: Don Burrell, 513-621-6300, dburrell@oki.org

The Prez Sez

John Chester

Fall is in the air. Put on some arm and leg warmers. Once the sun pops up, a fall ride can be beautiful.

The Ghost Rider was the first weekend of October. Many Thanks to VP Scott Ebbing and his co chair Carrie Schneider. Besides all of our volunteers, I would like to thank Sarah DeLaat of the American Diabetes Association for running the Community Methodist United Church Rest Stop. I would also like to thank Greg Thielmeyer of Team Cycling and Fitness for providing bike services at the St John’s Rest Stop and Jonathan Caron – The Bike Medic for providing bike services at Community Methodist United Church.

Speaking of THANK YOU’S- Did you volunteer for the club this year? Serve as a ride leader? Run a rest stop? Sag Driver? Paint Roads? If so, WE WANT TO THANK YOU! On Saturday October 22nd, at 9 AM we will sponsor the annual VOLUNTEER THANK YOU RIDE. Please contact your cluster leader to be sure to be invited. The club will provide pizzas for all after the ride. Remember – if the CCC did not have volunteers, there would be no club.

That’s about it for October – Remember – Get on your bike, go for a ride – It’s FUN!

Two Advocacy/Education Rides

John Chester

Ride the Paint: Sunday October 16th at 2:00 p.m.

This is a ride beginning and ending at Oakley Square in Oakley – Habits Cafe. The route will follow the new bicycling infrastructure installed in 2011 by the City of Cincinnati’s Bike Program, The ride is just shy of 12 miles and mostly level, Well be using sharrows and bike lanes and viewing the new bike signs,

To see the route click here: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/53239536

Lane Position/ Bike Mechanics: Sunday October 23 at 8:00 am

The class will assemble at the Coffee Emporium – OTR on Central Parkway downtown. Using material from the League of American Bicyclist’s Commuting Course we will be learning hands on the proper place for a cyclist to be in a traffic lane and the safe way to maneuver from lane to lane in traffic for required turns. While a small group of riders is practicing on Central Parkway there will be routine bike mechanic instructions being presented by the Cincinnati Cycle Club at the Coffee Emporium-OTR.

Cluster News

C6 Cluster

The C6 Cluster held its annual “picnic” and business meeting on Sunday October 2, 2011 after the College Hill Coffee Espresso and DeCaf rides. 14 CCC members enjoyed FREE PIE. The Five people that rode and have elected not to join the club were sent on their way – pieless!

The Cluster reelected Glenn Talaska and Larry Bloomfield as co cluster leaders. It also decided to create an informal position of SOCIAL DIRECTOR- Mary K Schubauer-Berigan. Mary stated her goal was to add a few more “EVENT” type rides, such as the return of The College Hill Garden Tour on a bike, and The College Hill Farmers Market Ride. New for 2012 will be a bike tour of Urban Gardens.

The Cluster noted it’s accomplishments in the few years it has existed. Since starting with just TWO rides that were a part of the Spokes in Motion Cluster (The Monday night Team Cycling and Fitness Recovery Ride and the Wednesday night Team Cycling and Fitness Hill Ride), the cluster has grown to sponsor six weekly rides. It was noted that the CCC sponsors 25 weekly rides, and thus almost one fourth are sponsored by C6.

For 2012, C6 will sponsor a seventh ride – The CHCC Cappuccino Ride. Not as fast and long as the Espresso, but faster and longer than the DeCaf. All three CHCC rides will strive to return to the College Hill Coffee Company around the same time.

The 2012 Line Up:

Sunday:

• College Hill Coffee Company Ride – Espresso
• College Hill Coffee Company Ride – Cappuccino
• College Hill Coffee Company Ride – DeCaf

Monday:

• Team Cycling and Fitness Monday Night Ride

Wednesday:

• Team Cycling and Fitness Hill Ride

Thursday:

• Thursday Wanderers

Saturday:

• East Side to Findlay Market Ride

Spokes in Motion

October brings a lot of changes to the SIM’s Cluster. On Tuesdays we will now just meet behind Harrison H.S. every week at Dry Fork and West Rd. We’ll have one group and do 20+ miles (no more P & G until next April). We leave at 6:30. Bring front and rear lights.

On Thursdays we will meet at Cleves Drive-In/Nick’s American Grill at 248 S. Miami Ave. Park as far back as you can in the lot. Overflow parks next door. We’ll do 17+ miles and try to stay together. We leave at 6:30. Bring front and rear lights. I’ll be riding my touring bike so I’ll probably bring up the rear. On Saturday’s the Banana ride will now leave at 10 AM., from the parking lot across from Harrison Jr. H.S. at Dry Fork and West Rd. Hope to see everybody!

Northern Kentucky Cluster

The NKy picnic ride was a great success! We really lucked out weather wise and had a near perfect day for a ride and a picnic. We had quite a few riders that rode to Rabbit Hash and enjoyed the scenic route which included great views of the Greater Cincinnati Airport as well as views along the river by Rabbit Hash. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of riders that were making their first trip to Rabbit Hash.

For those who have never ridden to Rabbit Hash you should consider joining us for next year’s NKy Picnic ride. We also had quite a few riders that started at various places around the city that rode to our picnic shelter at Giles Conrad park. Next year we plan on including even more fun and goodies at the picnic ride so watch for the NKy picnic ride next September.

I would like to thank Jim Katenkamp, Barb Rolf, Joe Alicea and my wife for helping to paint the roads and making this ride a success. We did have one mechanical that needed to be sagged back to the shelter but lucky for us he turned out to be a master chef on the grill. Thanks for your help, Bill.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Brevet de Radonneur STILL a Worthy Goal

Jim Lindner

Ever wonder how some cyclists stay motivated throughout the riding year? Riding with friends certainly helps, but so does setting a personal goal. BREVET de RANDONNEUR represents CCC’s ultimate award in recognition of the commitment and determination it takes to achieve a personal best. It’s an award that cannot be bought. It can be earned only by you through riding and providing service to the club. There are three different levels of achievement. Don’t worry about how many levels you think you can or cannot achieve. What is important is that you set your sights on a riding/service goal and achieve it! Here is what you need to do to join CCC/s elite achievers and be formally recognized by your peers at the annual dinner meeting.

LEVEL I – ASSOCIATE RANDONNEUR

Complete 1.1 through 1.4 (ALL)

1.1 Ride on 12 Cincinnati Cycle Club rides.

1.2 Ride on one metric century (62.5 miles – in one 24 hour period)

1.3 Ride 1,000 miles in one 12 month period.

1.4 Accumulate 15 Service Hours (Service Hours are, “Hours of effort by the individual working toward the award that are in some way beneficial to other club members or its mission as described by the club’s bylaws. Examples can be seen in the obsolete point system)

LEVEL II – RANDONNEUR

Complete Level I and (in addition) Complete 2.1 through 2.4

2.1 Complete a Double Century (200 miles in not more than two days) after proper preparation, including at least 4 training rides exceeding 25 miles plus one ride of 100 miles or more.

2.2 Ride 2,000 miles in a 12 month period.

2.3 Complete any Three Substantial Cycling Accomplishments.

Examples:

• Design and build a bicycle (with some unique design features -assembly of “off-the-shelf components” does not count)
• Complete an overnight unsagged trip of 50 miles or more.
• Complete 52 commuter trips in a 12 month period (any trip replacing auto transportation – includes errands and would not be restricted to trips to and from work)
• Participate in a licensed bicycle race at any level (includes hill climbs and time trials)
• Complete an extended tour of 300 miles or more.
• Complete three centuries (in addition to those counted for Level I or in item 2.1 above)
• Complete a ride across one of the 50 states of at least 150 miles in length.

Note that the chosen accomplishments will be read at the award presentation.

2.4 Accumulate 30 additional Service Hours after level 1

LEVEL III – ULTRA RANDONNEUR

Complete Level I, II and (in addition) Complete 3.1 through 3.3

3.1 Complete a double century (200 miles) in 24 hours

3.2 Complete any One MAJOR personal accomplishment preapproved by Randonneur Admin. or the CCC BOT.

Examples:

• Ride 4,000 miles in a 12 month period
• Complete an unsagged tour of 1,000 miles or more.
• Complete a RAAM qualifier (finish the course(s)) as required to qualify.
• Complete a coast to coast crossing of the United States or equivalent sagged or unsagged.

Note that the chosen accomplishment shall be described in detail at the award presentation.

3.3 Accumulate 60 additional Service Hours after level 2

TO APPLY FOR AN AWARD

Contact:

Brevet de Randonneur Cyclist

C/O Jim Lindner

2947 Windom Dr

Cincinnati, Ohio 45251

Phone contact for questions: 513-742-2411

NOTE: In the event a rider chooses to complete more than one level of the Brevet in the same year, the requirements are cumulative. For example: 2,000 miles ridden to qualify for section 2.2 of Level II cannot be used towards 4,000 miles in section 3.2 of level III.

The above requirements do not use the point system below, but for reference each point would convert to about 3 service hours.

FOR ONE POINT:

• Lead a club ride.
• Serve as a volunteer worker at a club event.
• Help with a club workshop
• Have an article or photograph published in the club newsletter.

FOR TWO POINTS

• Organize a club overnight ride
• Have a bicycling letter or feature appear in the local press, radio, television media or national publications.
• Organize a club or cluster picnic.

FOR THREE POINTS

• Attend the club retreat as a working member.

FOR FIVE POINTS

• Represent the club as a bicycling advocate, in a public debate or educational meeting.
• Prepare and lead a club workshop.

FOR TEN POINTS

• Serve as an officer or director of the club as defined in sections V and VI of the club Regulations, for a full year.
• Serve as Editor of the Newsletter for a full year (10 issues)
• Serve as the CCC webmaster for a full year.
• Chair a CCC National Ride
• Serve as Cluster Leader for a full year

NOTE: In all points’ categories, each event counts for the points listed. ‘i.e.: if you lead 5 rides, you get 5 points (1 point each). If you prepare and lead 3 club workshops, you get 15 points (5 points each)

NOTE: Before you attempt to start any level, please contact the Brevet Administrator for any instructions, and to insure you have the current requirements.

NOTE: These guidelines can be updated at anytime as the Brevet Administrator sees fit.

Records

Jim Lindner, Safety & Education Director

Have you broken any records yet? Do you have any personal goals? What are you trying to do? Why ride a bike today?

I mentioned to John Chester that I thought this was an exceptionally bad year for CCC accidents that required reporting to our insurance. He simply said we are blissfully unaware when we don’t need to report them. I am thinking that’s not good, but what I really want to see is positive records. If you have done something on a bike that is a record for you such as rode more miles in a year than you have in the past write an article and tell people about it. I am always glad to hear about a positive accomplishment and I hope the rest of the club will join me in congratulating you.

So far this year I have over 1900 commuter miles (Likely reported below by Don Burrell) and at least 750 additional non-commuter miles. I must admit my goal was abstract and I only wanted to see how much I could commute this year without creating problems.

I may also find myself in an awkward position of earning an award I took over the management of. I have completed the lowest level of the Randonneur Award. It is my hope this will inspire others to complete a level of this award. It was my intent years ago, that someday I might look into this award. I was not too serious as it sounded difficult and one description at an annual dinner was of someone who took it on to finish three levels in one year. As usual the first step of choosing to attempt a task is the most difficult.

As the administrator of the award I will turn over my records to the BOT, just for good measure, but I really found the first level to be not too difficult. Last year I checked and I had done everything but a metric century. I really did not need to commute that far in a day, and most of my recreational riding was with my daughter. It was at that point that I thought if I get a chance to ride with someone at a pace I like for a metric century I should do it. The opportunity came as a commute with some casual cyclist from Cleveland to Conneaut Ohio going to a Family Church Camp. I need to thank the Walk With A Purpose Program and Don Burrell for forcing me to keep records of my miles this year. That activity, keeping records is inspiration to ride more.

The end of the best bike weather and the annual dinner is fast approaching. I would prefer that some others were also receiving this award as it is intended to be given out annually to members at the annual dinner. I did try to maintain the standards of the award when I, with advice, made some changes to make the requirements understandable. I did ask that people working on any level of the award contact me first to avoid confusion, and I have had no contact. I don’t object to reviewing with someone what they have done, or need to do, to earn the award at any time. If you see you might have or be able to earn this award, let me know.

Fighting Off-Season Weight Gain

Bill Johnson

The days are getting shorter and it will soon start to get cold. For those of us who love riding, depend on it to stay in shape, and provide us with some motivation, it is with a certain dread that we see the cold months ahead. We have worked all summer to get in shape and now that we are there it could easily disappear if we don’t get our regular riding in.

There are lots of ways to keep your legs and heart in shape, avoid that off season weight gain, and be in shape when warm weather rolls around:

1. Buy lots of warm clothes and good lights; refuse to let the elements deter you from riding. There are a lot of hearty riders that ride outdoors year round. However, I bought all the stuff and tried it, but wasn’t having that much fun. After spending 15 minutes getting dressed, I still ended up with cold hands and feet and soon tired of it. When temperatures hit the mid 40’s I started losing interest in outdoor riding and wondered if it really game me much benefit. It is hard to get a good work out when you are wearing 3 or 4 layers of clothes.
2. Hook up your bike to an indoor trainer. A couple of tips: Set a fan in front of your bike and put something on the floor to catch the sweat. Also use an old tire on your rear wheel or a special tire designed for trainers. Indoor trainers eat tires and a few hours on the trainer will destroy a good tire. If you have an old bike, set it up on the trainer and just leave it there. For me this worked for a while, but it soon became boring. I then moved it in front of the TV. After a while I found myself watching TV and not working very hard. I was just killing time and accomplishing little.
3. Ride rollers. This can be quite challenging and is definitely a good workout. This is about the closest thing to outdoor riding as you can do inside. It takes some getting used to in order to maintain balance so that you don’t fall off and fly across the room. The good thing about rollers is that they force you to pay attention to what you are doing rather than let your mind drift. Rollers also teach you a smooth pedal stroke and how to be really stable on a bike. If you are good on rollers you will be great in a pace line
4. Take spin classes. Greater Cincinnati has one of the largest numbers of certified spinning sites per capita of any city in the U.S. Of all the winter training methods, I tend to like this best. The bikes allow you to control resistance to simulate flat roads and hills. The best parts are the camaraderie, the high energy music, and an instructor who pushes you. It is far more fun than riding the trainer all by yourself in the basement.

If you choose to go the Spinning route check out the facility before you invest a lot of money in a membership. Each facility has its own focus.

Some gyms tend to be only exercise oriented and most of the participants and instructors never ride bikes outside. These classes bear little resemblance to outside riding. Other facilities try to make the rides as close to outdoor cycling as they can. The best facilities focus on a variety of training. Some rides are geared towards strength and others towards endurance or heart training. If you really want to do it right, find a place that encourages use of heart rate monitors and teaches you how to train in certain zones for specific results. You can also work on specific skills like smoothing out your pedal stroke, standing for long climbs, building aerobic capacity, and lactate threshold training.

If you are interested in learning more about winter training contact me at Bjohnson2106@AOL.com. If you would like to try indoor spinning, Fusion Studio offers a free session to try it out and has a special discount winter rate for Cincinnati Cycle Club members http://TrainAtFusion.com.

Drunk driver pleads guilty in Columbus – How can YOU get involved now?

Steve Magas – Ohio’s Bike Lawyer

Steve Barbour was a beloved Columbus cyclist. He was a retired civil engineer from O.D.O.T. A long-time member of Columbus Outdoor Pursuits, he had been a ride leader since the 1980′s. He was on his way to lead a C.O.P. ride the morning he was run down and killed by Ed Miller.

Mr. Miller was accused of being drunk when he hit and killed Steve. His BAC was in excess of .10%.

I have written about Mr. Miller’s criminal case at some length on my Bike Law blog – www.OhioBikeLawyer.com. He was tried in March and focused his defense on blaming Steve Barbour – the first trial ended with a hung jury.

In Columbus, a jury was selected in late September for his re-trial. Columbus Dispatch reporter John Futty covered the first trial reported that Miller was going to give up his right to a jury trial and plead GUILTY to the “lesser of two aggravated vehicular homicide charges” and to a DUI charge.

Sentencing is November 8. He faces up to 5 1/2 years in prison.

The facts of the case carried some unusual twists.

Miller was out partying that night with Gabe Spiegel – a former Columbus television news anchor and personality. According to news reports of trial testimony from the first trial, they met at 1:00 am at “Sloopy’s Pub” in Hilliard, Ohio, for some drinks then went to Spiegel’s apartment at 2:30 before heading BACK out on the road to stop in at “Vanity” – an after hours strip club with a “bring your own alcohol” policy.

Like many drunks, Miller and Spiegel claimed they did a self-evaluation, determined they were “OK to drive” and left the strip club. On the way back from the strip club, sometime around 6:00am, Miller ran into the back of Steve Barbour’s bicycle, killing Steve.

Miller submitted to field sobriety tests, which he flunked, and a breath test, which showed a BAC of 0.109%. He challenged the alcohol tests in the first trial.

He also spent a lot of time in the first trial “blaming the victim.” He claimed that Steve’s bike didn’t have lights [it did], that they were not activated [hard to believe a traffic engineer who was riding to the start of a ride HE was leading didn’t have his lights on] and that Steve was guilty of the crime of wearing “dark clothing” [it’s not a crime, of course, and he wasn’t].

The plea deal spares Mr. Barbour’s family the agony and stress of a second trial. I expect that MANY local cyclists will be in the audience November 8 when the sentence is handed down.

Do YOU want to contribute your thoughts on sentencing to the Judge?

According to the Dispatch story, sentencing will be handed down by The Honorable Stephen L. McIntosh. YOU can send your letter to Judge McIntosh and tell the Judge what you think the sentence should be or how this case has impacted the cycling community.

The “community’s” feelings about sentencing are certainly one thing judges are permitted to consider when crafting a punishment to fit the crime. This is YOUR time to tell the court what you think of Mr. Miller’s now admitted crime.

You can send letters to Judge McIntosh at:

Reference:

State v. Ed Miller

Franklin County Common Pleas Court

Case No. 09CR4797

Steve Magas is an avid cyclist and Ohio trial lawyer who has handled some 300 “bike cases” – representing injured cyclists and the families of those killed while riding.

Ask Mr. Cranky

In case you missed me last month, my friends call me Mister Cranky. Each month I will try to offer worthless advice to your insincere cycling questions. And if I don’t get enough questions I’ll just make up some to help you get over the fear of asking me something I cannot answer. So if you have a few worthless questions about riding a bike you have come to the worst possible place for advice.

Dear Mr. Cranky,

The weather is turning colder any suggestions on how to stay comfortable when the weather is not?

Todd

—————

Dear Todd,

Let me start off by saying that I hate the cold. I was meant to ride Caribbean beaches all my life but somehow I ended up with a drunken stork who thought the package said Cincinnati and here I’ve been stuck. Over the years I’ve been compared to the Michelin man and the mummy when it comes to my winter riding attire. Of course, back when I started riding you had two choices, itchy wool or wet cotton, not much of a selection. Today you can buy clothes with all kinds of fancy fabrics, even some that are made from recycled two liter bottles – like that makes any sense! I’ve always wondered if someone wearing one of those jersey crashes will their helmet pop off their head like a two liter bottle does when you drop it in the supermarket?

Actually I think the first high tech clothing I bought was made of polypropylene, later disguised as Polypro wear to keep us from figuring out that we were wearing plastic clothes! Luckily technology has progressed and the companies have become much wiser. The clothing today is capable of keeping you dry, warm and reasonably comfortable if you use it correctly. Before you go rushing out to buy this clothing you should decide what your temperate zones are on your body, everyone’s zones are different. If my hands, feet, ears or core enter the ice age my ride is done.

Other riders I know are less concerned about their core and more concerned about their arms and legs. You need to determine how much protection each part of your body needs to guarantee you are comfortable. Once you have decided these levels of protection you are ready to start purchasing clothing based upon those requirements. So if your feet get really cold quickly look for good booties instead of toe covers, if your core gets cold quickly look for wind block vest or jerseys. If your arms and legs get cold easily get thicker arm and leg warmers. If you hands get cold consider getting wind block gloves. You will also want to follow some of the simple rules when it comes to riding in the colder temperatures.

1. Use layers instead of bulk. You can always peal a layer, you cannot add a layer you aren’t carrying.
2. Dress for the coldest part of the day. Keep in mind that something might go wrong and if you have to walk to find help you don’t want to freeze on the way.
3. If it’s under 60 degrees cover your legs to keep them warm, all of your leg. Why someone wears knickers is beyond me, maybe they like frost bite lines to match their tan lines.
4. What works in the summer may not work in the winter. If your chamois cream has an icy cool menthol feel it may not help in the winter. Fuel line freeze up might be a problem.
5. Consider wind block carefully even if its breathable. Wind block can create a rain forest pretty quickly if its not properly vented.
6. Your baselayer needs to be skin tight to wick properly. Also consider the thickness of the material and its effectiveness. Companies like Craft make baselayers that are temperature specific to help make that decision easier.
7. Consider wool especially for socks. Today’s woolen socks no longer feel like brillo pads and are quite good at insulating as well as wicking.
8. Carefully select your ear and head covering. You want to make sure that they fit comfortably with your helmet on and don’t block out so much sound that you wont hear approaching cars. I have a nice wind block head band that blocks so much sound that its not safe to wear when riding.
9. Consider functionality when it comes to gloves. If the gloves are too thick you might not be able to grip the brakes properly. And if you want a good laugh just watch someone try to open a power bar while wearing lobster gloves.
10. Make sure when you dress that you have enough pockets to carry anything that is removable. When the sun comes out you will want to remove the vest, the arm and leg warmers, the head band and the gloves. You will need pockets somewhere to store these. Some jackets and vest now pack into a pouch which has straps that let you attach it to your bike which is a great feature.

Happy Cranking,

Mr. Cranky

Do you have a question you need help with? Ask Mr. Cranky by sending a self addressed email to AskMrCranky@gmail.com and watch for a response in an upcoming newsletter.

Disclaimer: The advice provided on Ask Mr. Cranky is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice from a knowledgeable bike shop or cyclist. Neither the individual contributor or the Cincinnati Cycle Club nor anyone else connected to this newsletter can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information or disinformation presented in this article.

It’s The Little Things

Coach OB

I was on a ride a few days ago with my training partner. It was 70 degrees and sunny and I was wearing arm-warmers and leg-warmers. When we met up, he looked at me and said, “You cold?” “Nope!” I replied. “I have a standing rule; I cover my legs if it is sunny and 70 or cloudy and 75. It is extra important to keep them warm when the weather is changing—like now.” “I’m not cold,” he came back. “But this is just one of the little things I do to make me fast!” I said. He came back with, “So if I wear leg-warmers I will be fast too?”

The more you put into this sport, the more you get out of it! You can go full-gas and your riding reflects this. Or, you can dabble in it and your riding will reflect that as well. It is up to you. This is where coaching can often make the difference. A seasoned coach, like me, can make sure all those little things are in place to help you reach your goals. In addition to advice on how to dress correctly coaching will provide you with the big things like a strength plan in the gym, a structured indoor trainer plan, and help in maximizing your diet. These are just some of the things that will help you get the most out of your training when spring is here.

For each of my riders, I build a custom training plan based on their goals and designed to maximize training time. My detailed indoor trainer workouts are tailored to your fitness goals. In addition, my programs include specific gym workouts that focus on making you stronger on the bike, as well as diet consultation if desired. My clients range from those riders that just want to lose weight and stay fit to Category I racers. Check out my website at www.coachob.com and read my rider testimonials. Whatever your goal, I will help you get there!

As a special incentive to Cincinnati Cycle Club riders, I am offering you a Coach OB Special:

Any Coach OB Service

NOW

Agree to 6 months, get 1 FREE, Agree to 12 months, get 2 FREE

Send me an email with any questions.

Coupon Code: “CCC”

Offer expires October 15th, 2011

Email: coachob@coachob.com

I am always available to answer questions regarding your cycling!

Eat Well! Sleep Well! Train Smart!

Third Quarter Commuter Challenge

Don Burrell

The Pres Sez – September 2011

John Chester

Well, I hope that you had as much fun on your bike in August as I did. August was a great month on a bike for me – Shoreline West with CCC members Cindy Male, Jennifer Clippard, Deborah Komar, John Heim, The Angry Vice Chicken and Bill Molleran to name a few. Then a couple of nice CCC rides when I got back – Mike Sullivan’s Fusion Ride and Geoff Thielmeyer’s Monday Night Ride.

The last weekend of the month was spent on the MS 150. There were too many CCC folks on the MS there to list them all. I got to spend two days riding with old friends – Roy Graybill and Karen Mittendorf. Sunday was spent with them as well as Kelly Knox and Carrie Schneider (Chester’s Angels – MS 150 division)/ But I want to especially thank Keith Curran for setting up the TEAM CCC BOOTH, where much fun was had. We will set up a TEAM CCC again next year. As always, if your company has a group – join them. But if not, we hope you join us. And as always any CCC member is welcome to visit the great tent (with a fire pit outside!) set up by Keith Curran.

September has a number of great rides in the area, and as the temperatures are beginning to cool off, it can be one of our best months to ride in. As of this writing, there are currently 60 CCC folks registered as a part of TEAM CINCINNATI on The Hope Ride!

Fall also brings us to two more Cluster picnics – Tom Runyan will be hosting the Northern Kentucky picnic on Sunday September 24^th on Route 8 near the end of the route for the No Brainer, and on Sunday October 2^nd, the C6 folks will be holding the “Pie in the Sky when you Ride day”. As they are (Allegedly) a “nice civilized urban cluster”, they state that they are “not having no stinking picnic, we go to a nice restaurant and have pie.” As that is the day after the Ghost Rider, I plan to be there! Pie of the DAY photo opportunity!

Lastly, the CCC’s fall National Ride is coming on Saturday October 1^st. We hope to see you all on the Great Ghost Rider Ramble. Scott Ebbing and Carrie Schneider are still looking for a few good volunteers.

Also, please remember that all of the profits of this ride are used to pay for all of the fun things the club provides. Your dues just pay for the boring stuff like a web page and insurance and locker rental. National Ride profits go to education, donations, and anything else the members ask us to do. Remember – every time that some one says “The club ought to ….” well this is where the money to do that comes from.

Lastly – Remember, Get on your bike, go for a ride – It’s fun!

Riding with Miss Ohio

Miss Ohio 2012, Ellen Bryan, is riding  for 27 Days to 45 Cities covering  850 Miles to raise money to bring resources and relief to the children who are part of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. For more info on her ride, please go to: http://www.missohiobiketour.com/

On Thursday September 1^st,  eleven cyclists rode with Miss Ohio from The Great American Ball Park to Hamilton Ohio. Riders rode in and out on various parts of the entire route to Hamilton. CCC Member and QCB President Frank Henson led the ride.

Miss Ohio was given a CCC Jersey, and a free club membership and a pass to a 2012 National Ride. Queen City Bike gave her a T shirt and a QCB Membership, and the OKI Regional Council of government gave her another T shirt.

GGRR Calls All Ghosts, Ghouls and Goblins!

Carrie Schneider

October 1, 2011 marks a day of great riding, horrifying people, and the best company to ride with: the Greater Ghost Rider Ramble. Once again, we are bringing back the t-shirts.  This year’s design will definitely top last year’s!!

You may ask yourself, what exactly is this ride? The Great Ghost Rider Ramble bicycle tour is geared for both the casual, recreational rider and the serious bicyclist with ride distances to suit any skill level. The GGRR is NOT a race, so ride at your own pace and enjoy the rural autumn countryside of Indiana. There are multiple routes to choose from:  beginning at 25 miles all the way up to 100 miles.

If you want to bring the kids out and enjoy a fun family ride together, we have one for you as well. This begins at 11 AM and the route will be about 20 miles. There are games and prizes at the food stop for Family Fun Ride participants. Dress the kids in their bike-friendly Halloween costumes. Experienced cyclists will accompany your family to the rest/food stop and return with you to the ride start.  (No day of ride registration available for Family Fun Ride. All Fun Rides applicants must ride with a GGRR ride leader.)

This route is relatively flat; only 1 hill returning to headquarters. Children under 10 must accompany a parent on a tandem or tag-a-long bike only. No children under 10 will be permitted to ride solo.

SAG Drivers Are Still Needed!

With the GGRR just a little over 3 weeks away, we do not have any SAG drivers as of yet. If anyone can help on this, it would be appreciated.

As this year we made a change, No one person is doing everything as in years past. Without volunteers, these rides cannot continue. Please help and keep this ride going.

Keep a lookout on the Cycle Club’s website for more information!! If you should have any questions prior to information being posted, please contact ggrr@cincinnaticycleclub.org.  Ride safe everyone!!

Cluster News:

Northern Kentucky Cluster announces 2011 Picnic – Tom Runyan

All CCC members attending the Espresso and Decaf rides (or any member who makes it to the CHCC during the ‘picnic’) will be treated to an after-ride slice of pie at the College Hill Coffee Company, courtesy of the C6 cluster. We may even have a brief cluster meeting during the ‘picnic’.

Firecracker Cluster celebrates a successful year

The Firecracker Cluster Group had a party on August 6th to celebrate another successful year. The party was hosted by CCC member Mark Greiner and attended by 20 people. A good time was enjoyed by all with a barbeque dinner and plenty of riding conversation. The Firecrackers have been riding together for about 10 years and the cluster group continues to grow. Group rides on Wednesdays and Saturdays are averaging 10 – 15 riders with several guest riders each week. Its always good to see new faces and meet other people that share a passion for riding. Come on out and enjoy a fun ride in hilly Warren County. See the CCC website for ride information. At the picnic the following co-cluster leaders (Vincent Lieu, Dan Herman, Mike Schuessler and Jim Thiry) were nominated to serve the CCC next year.

Little Miami Scenic Trail celebrates 20^th Anniversary

On Friday, September 16^th, come to Xenia Station and observe the 20th anniversary of the nation’s most admired and extensive multi-use trail during the Xenia Community Festival. All “friends of the trail” groups for the region will be there, along with vendors, businesses and everyone who loves the trail. A commemoration with original trail champions and former Governor Bob Taft will be held Saturday, September 17, at 2:00.

Safety and Education – Jim Lindner

“Weather” or not to Ride

It has been said, “In Cincinnati if you don’t like the weather don’t worry it will change”.

The spring and early summer was wet. I was behind in my commuter miles, not being overly fond of rain, and could hardly get a garden in. Now I feel like I must ride every day, because it is not raining, and my garden is about to dry up and blow away.

The change we have gotten lately has been Hot, Very-Hot, and now some Cool mornings. I had to dig out my lined windbreaker for a couple of mornings, and I am using my bike light for my morning commute. Yes, it is time to determine how long your bike season will be. Are you getting out or purchasing the equipment you may need to extend the season.

In the summer the light cool wicking material is King. As the weather cools this material still works for me as a base layer. It is time that a light windbreaker and “Wind Pants” need to be in my bag as I leave the house. It is very common for me to start down the road before I realize I need something to keep me warm. In a similar way it is easy to find yourself out late and need a light.

I ride in low, below freezing temperatures and enjoy it. When I am asked how I do it I think of the hottest days of the summer. I am limited by modesty as to what I can take off on a hot day, but I can always add another layer to ride in the cold, if I brought it with me. I do not ride when it gets too cold to repair a flat.

My point is be prepared for the seasonal changes, and you will ride longer in the year, and enjoy it.

Ask Mr. Cranky

In case you missed me last month, my friends call me Mister Cranky. Each month I will try to offer worthless advice to your insincere cycling questions. And if I don’t get enough questions I’ll just make up some to help you get over the fear of asking me something I cannot answer. So if you have a few worthless questions about riding a bike you have come to the worst possible place for advice.

Dear Mr. Cranky,

What is the best way to brake on long downhills?

Dear Kent,

Braking on a long downhill requires more than just squeezing harder on the brakes. Everyone knows except Isaac Newton that a big rider will come down a hill much faster than a smaller rider – and once a mass is in motion it will stay in motion unless a deer jumps out on the road. In my attempt to figure out braking over the years I have tried a few things, most of which haven’t been very effective.

I first tried to increase wind resistance by sitting more upright with some reasonable success. I then figured out that Club jerseys with full zippers weren’t just created for big riders, they were created for braking assistance. When you need that little drop in speed but don’t want to use the brakes you simply sit upright and unzip the jersey to about three quarters of the way down. This allows the jersey to catch the wind like a sail and help slow the bike. This is not recommended for windy days or for females since either case may cause wrecks. Also, on very hot days be sure to warn riders behind you since this procedure is known to cause sweat showers for those behind you.

One thing that I have tried and I highly recommend NOT doing is mounting CO2 cartridges to the handlebars. This was my attempt at creating reverse thrusters for the bike. The theory was that going downhill I would open a CO2 cartridge and release the compressed air which would cause a reverse thrust and slow me down.

When I tested this however it turned out to be a really bad idea. The first cartridge worked pretty well but when I fired off the second one I realized that the duct tape I used to secure them to the handle bar wasn’t strong enough. It was like a bottle rocket without the flame!  The stupid thing flew right at me! Luckily I had my Pearl Izumi jersey wide open and in full sail mode at the time otherwise it would have been a Pearl GoesInMe jersey. Don’t ask me how but that cartridge went straight for my beer cave – for those non-beer drinkers this is the cave created by drinking too many beers, aka belly button.  Before I could stop it the only thing visible was the screw top end sticking out of my belly! Now for those that don’t know it, CO2 cartridges get very very cold when discharged-as in covered with frost. Ever seen what happens when someone sticks their tongue on a frozen light post? Well, I was covered with sweat so the same process applied.

I’m not sure what was more embarrassing, going to the ER to get the cartridge unfrozen and removed or explaining to my friends and coworkers how I got frostbite on a summer bike ride.

Since neither of these attempts seemed to help my braking I decided to search the web for better answers on how to brake downhill and I was surprised with what I found.   Most, if not all the articles tell riders to use their FRONT brake for stopping – this sounds a little counter intuitive and feels that way when riding.

I’ve included a couple of links so that you can read through the articles and create your own approach to braking.

Here is what I believe is a general guide to braking especially for beginners:

1. Keep your body centered over the bike and if possible shift your weight backwards as you apply the brakes. This will help offset that feeling of going forward as you decelerate.
2.  Lightly apply your rear brake first – some call this feathering the brake.
3. As you slightly increase the rear brake pressure begin adding front brake pressure to a larger degree. You want to apply smooth continuous pressure while increasing the front brake until you stop. The front brake will add much more stopping power so it needs to be the primary brake.

I highly recommend you read through the following articles that include in depth descriptions on how to apply your brakes in various road conditions. They also explain the use of the front brake much better than I have above.

http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

http://www.dot.state.pa.us/bike/web/safety_brakes.htm

http://www.bicycling.com/beginners/safety-etiquette/better-braking

Happy Cranking,

Mr. Cranky

Do you have a question you need help with?  Ask Mr. Cranky by sending a self addressed email to AskMrCranky@gmail.com and watch for a response in an upcoming newsletter.

Disclaimer: The advice provided on Ask Mr. Cranky is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice from a knowledgeable bike shop or cyclist. Neither the individual contributor or the Cincinnati Cycle Club nor anyone else connected to this newsletter can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information or disinformation presented in this article.

Coach OB

“Fear of the Gear”

You are in a paceline. Nice steady tempo going. You are doing your turns at the front and dropping back to take shelter and get a break. All of a sudden, a gap opens, might be your fault, might not be. But now you have to close that gap and quickly!  How do you do that?

One of the hardest things to teach yourself on the bike is the art of spinning. In the July article, I wrote about keeping a high cadence.  Being able to keep that targeted 85-95 rpm, is what I call, keeping your legs “supple”, or ready to spring into action when need be.

Sure, it feels easier to slog away at about 75 rpm– makes you feel strong too!   But, if you have to accelerate from 18 to 22 mph to close that gap, it is much easier to do it if your legs are supple, or not bogged down by a heavy gear. Here is an analogy for those that drive a manual transmission automobile. You are merging onto the highway and you need to accelerate because there is a big truck blocking your nice smooth entrance. Do you leave it in fifth gear while merging and need acceleration? No, you drop a gear, pick up the rpm’s of your engine (get it now???) and get in front of the truck! Same thing on your bike, it is much easier to accelerate when spinning rather than slogging away.

Same holds true as you approach that HUGE HILL. Rolling into that hill with a low cadence is going to feel like someone just added 20 pounds to your legs.  Rolling into that hill at a good cadence, or with your legs supple, you are now able to spin up that hill using much less energy!

Whenever I suggest to people that they pick up their leg speed, I hear, “This feels better” or “I USED to spin …” or “I don’t know how to spin like that!” Well, you have to train yourself to spin, it doesn’t just happen. It will take time to adapt your legs.  If you know your cadence is low, next time you are out, set a goal that you will do three or four 5 minute higher cadence sessions during your ride.  The next ride, do three or four 10 minute sessions. Before you know it, you will be spinning, and closing those gaps, like a Pro!

We only have a few more newsletters before the press shuts down for the winter.  I would love to answer some of your questions for the next newsletter.  Please email them to me: coachob@coachob.com.

Until then…

Eat Well!

Sleep Well!

Ride SMART!!

Cycling Advocacy – Ron Callahan

Federal Highway Administration Releases Rumble Strip Technical Advisory

Since early 2010, the League, the Alliance for Biking and Walking and the Adventure Cycling Association have been working with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to improve their rumble strip guidance. Many of you contacted your state departments of transportation last summer to reinforce our efforts and to help protect cycling on thousands of miles of roadways.

In May 2011, the FHWA quietly distributed a new Technical Advisory (guidance) to district offices and state DOTs on the installation of rumble strips. Unfortunately, the new FHWA guidance on the installation of both shoulder and centerline rumble strips are significantly worse for bicyclists than the 2001 guidance. On July 18th the League, Alliance and Adventure Cycling returned to FHWA where we met with a dozen FHWA and USDOT staff to express our concerns with the process and the lack of recognition of bicycling in the new guidance.

We have submitted specific points the bicycling community wants added to the guidance. No action required yet, but stay tuned!

Commuter Challenge

The Pres Sez – August 2011

John Chester

Well, we have now broken ANOTHER RECORD in 2011. First, we had the most days of snow cover, then the most rain in April, and then the first 25 of 27 days of May had rain… July came with a record number of days over 90. I’m sort of looking forward to some dull and boring weather.

We had 24 club members, and one non CCC interloper, brave the heat for the Club picnic and ride on July 24th. The winner of the FIRST ANNUAL CCC CLUB PICNIC PIE CONTEST was actually a cake! Brenda Sietsma made a great Rhubarb Cake. She and husband Bill won a free 2012 CCC Membership. I would also like to thank Bill Sietsma for creating and leading the 25 mile route, and WEST SIDER Jim Katenkamp for creating and leading the 50 mile route on THE EAST SIDE. Without Bill and Jim’s help, the day would have been pretty rotten. Thanks also to Cindy Male for doing all of the shopping and your retired president and treasurer and cluster leader Big Kev for manning the grill on that hot day.

There will be no August board meeting. About a third of us will be on the 25th anniversary edition of Shoreline West. 9 days, 502 miles. I’ve never ridden more than 8 days in a row before, so this should be a challenge.

Speaking of CHALLENGE- We have TWO major charity rides coming up. The MS 150 is August 27 & 28. If you have not registered, please consider TEAM CCC. Additionally, THE HOPE RIDE is coming up in September, and Big Kev has created a TEAM CINCINNATI. The largest team gets a donation to a local food pantry. As our Club Secretary, Cindy Male’s, sister – the sister- runs a food pantry, please consider joining our team. As I saw nearly a third of the club on the Hope Ride last year, if everyone joined, we would stand a good chance. There were probably more CCC members on the Hope Ride than on either of our National Rides.

Lastly, in this month’s Safety Rant, I would like to discuss the semiotics of CAR BACK!

As always, I would defer to our LCIs, but the concept is pretty simple. When someone in the rear is aware of a car behind them, they should yell “CAR BACK!” All of the riders should then get single file. This is usually accomplished by the stronger rider stepping it up a notch, and the other rider telling them when it is safe to come over. Pretty simple, eh? Well, sadly to say, a number of CCC rides have folks that don’t do any of that. This is both aggravating and unsafe.

As one of the slower riders, I am usually the one that the car comes beside while the faster folks block the road. I have seen A LOT of passenger manicures lately. They seem to be really fond of one finger in particular. I also hear a lot of words that I would not use around my 84 year old Baptist mother.

But now for a humorous CAR BACK STORY. ALL TRUE!!

The place – GOBA 2011.

I am riding about 50 feet behind a pair of riders. I notice the car behind and yell “CAR BACK!” The rider on the inside then sticks her arm out and pushes the one by the edge off the road! Turns out it was a mother daughter combo – 50s and teen ager. I pull up and help the daughter out of the ditch. She is pretty crusty, and covered with grass. I ask the mom, “WHY did you push your daughter off the road? “ “Well, I didn’t want her riding when there was a car back, you yelled, so I got her off the road.” The daughter then states that this was the FIFTH TIME THAT DAY that her mom had pushed her off the road. I explain the concept of the single file, and that the stronger rider kicks it up…..She then says she does not want to be in front of her daughter. I said, then “You could go behind then, it would be better than pushing her into a ditch!” The daughter agreed. Apparently Mom thought GOBA would have all the roads closed!

Oh well…

Remember – Get on your bike, go for a ride, it’s fun!

(Unless your mom pushes you into a ditch!)

JC

Caesar’s Creek Ride and Picnic

The Little Miami Cluster and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation brings you the annual Caesar’s Creek Ride and Picnic on Saturday, August 13th

Enjoy 35 and 50 mile marked routes on scenic country roads. Both routes have a quick-stop store located about half-way. Burgers and hot dogs off the grill at the end. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share for the picnic. Lemonade available but no alcoholic drinks are allowed in the state park.

The CCC is partnering with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to bring you this event. You’ll have a chance to learn about their ride program and their mission if you choose.

Meet at the Visitors Center picnic shelter of Caesars Creek park on Clarksville Rd. 9 AM start for the 50 mile route and no later than 10 AM for the 35 milers. There are flush toilets, children’s play area and walking trails right there. The beach is just a few miles away.

Directions: I-71 to Wilmington Rd exit, go right. Left on Olive Branch. Right on Jeffrey which becomes Clarksville Rd at Oregonia Rd , continue straight. The Visitor Center is on the right about 1.5 miles up.

Cystic Fibrosis Cycle for Life

CCC members Irvin Lewin and Scott Winkler are the primary coordinators for the Cystic Fibrosis Ride for Life. This ride is in it’s second year and has all the hallmarks of an excellent charity ride. With support from the Cincinnati Club, it could grow into one of the “Must Do” charity rides.

Venture the Valley with Bike MS:

What kind of ride includes swimming, spirits, and Soul Pocket? Bike MS: Venture the Valley is exactly that kind of ride. Bike MS is a fully supported, two-day ride through some of the most scenic countryside and small towns in Southwest Ohio. The innovative figure-eight route starts, finishes, and overnights at Oregonia’s Camp Kern.

This year’s Bike MS includes camping, a beer garden, and Saturday night entertainment from The Soul Pocket Band. Soul Pocket is a self-proclaimed, “12-piece extravaganza,” that was named as Cincinnati Magazine‘s, “Best of the City,” in 2010.

Riders also enjoy Camp Kern’s Olympic sized pool, and “this year we have extended pool hours,” says Eddie Rauen, Vice President of Development for the National MS Society. “We’ve been listening to what riders from previous Bike MS events have told us, “says Rauen,” and we’re working hard to continue our tradition as the area’s premier ride.”

And Bike MS is not just for expert cyclists. Rauen is quick to point out that, “this ride is for everybody. We have 25, 50, and 75 mile-per day options.”

Rauen also plans to serve a variety of top-notch food and drinks at Bike MS. “We now have a hot breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, all meals and drinks along the Bike MS route are provided for riders, we have rest stops every 10-12 miles, and we’re working with some great caterers to make certain the food is every bit as great as the ride.”

Bike MS: Venture the Valley is August 27th and 28th, and benefits the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National MS Society. Rauen explains, “MS stops people from moving. We exist to make sure it doesn’t. With the help of Bike MS riders, the National MS Society addresses the challenges of the 6,000 people locally living with MS.”

For more information, or to register, visit bikeMS.org, or phone 800-344-4867.

Wright Ride Celebrates 40th Anniversary

Celebrate the 108th anniversary of powered flight with a full-service bike ride in the country on August 28th. It’s possible that the Wright brothers themselves cycled on some of these roads!

Great food awaits you at our food stops, including fruit, homemade baked goods, ice-cold drinks and an old-fashioned cookout at the air-conditioned lunch stop, which all riders will visit.

We’ll also show you the way to Young’s Jersey Dairy, where hungry goats and other farm animals await children’s attention and fabulous ice cream lures everybody inside.

Great route markings plus full maps will ensure that you don’t get lost, and our friendly sag service will be available should you suffer a mechanical or physical mishap.

Ride the lightly traveled roads of Greene County, where bike shop owners Wilbur and Orville Wright perfected their revolutionary Flyer. Routes of 25, 40, 60, 80 and 100 miles will treat you to gently rolling countryside, with a few hills to challenge your legs. The farther you ride, the more challenging the terrain will be.

Directions to Twin Towers Park, 501 W. Yellow Springs-Fairfield Road, Fairborn:

From Interstate 675, take Exit 22 for Ohio 235 toward Fairborn. Following signs for Xenia, turn east onto Ohio 235. After 1 mile, turn left on Byron Road. After .8 mile, turn right onto West Yellow Springs-Fairfield Road. Twin Towers Park will be on your right in 2 miles.

6:30 a.m.: Twin Towers Park opens.

7-9 a.m.: Registration open.

5 p.m.: Ride ends.

Hope Ride Food Bank Challenge 

The Hope Ride in Hope Indiana is going to give the largest team of riders $1,000 to give to their local food pantry. As such we have created Team Cincinnati to try and win this money. Cindy Male’s sister (Mary Beth Peters, SC) runs the Our Daily Bread food pantry that feeds over 500 meals a day and this prize would go a long way to feed people in need.

So if you are planning on riding this wonderful ride on September 17th please sign up as a member of Team Cincinnati. www.hoperide.org

Help Disadvantaged Families at the BLOC Aid River Ride

Name: BLOC Aid River Ride, 5K Walk & Cliff Climb Time Trial

Date: Sunday, Sept. 25th 8:30 – noon

Location: Fernbank Park (located at 7100 River Road, along Rt. 50 twelves miles west of downtown)

Ride Route: Route 50 West to Brower Road to Cleves Kroger at Rt. 50 & SR 128 – option of 16 miles (one way) or 32 miles (return)

Optional ‘Cliff Climb’ individual time trial for advanced riders – timed by a USA Cycling Level 2 Coach

Group Rides

Jim Lindner, Safety and Education

I was starting my vacation and I joined a couple of families that had ridden from Cleveland to camp (80 miles) a few times before. I was not in charge of this ride and tagging along. I considered the fathers and sons well conditioned, so I just wanted to be sure I could keep up on my first trip with them.

I should have realized that as John Chester said, “My commuting put me into good shape and I should not be concerned that I ride a heavy mountain bike”. I said a little about their habit of skipping the stops as we went through town with little Sunday morning traffic. I was using my usual call outs: passing, braking, and car back…. One father had a rattle that I told him I thought was his rack. I told him I would check his bike out at the first stop. I had checked out my own bike before the trip and knew it was as ready as I could make it, but I had not looked too close at the other bikes.

About 20 miles into the trip his bike made a racket (his rack had come loose) and he stopped. I called mechanical and realized that they would not understand this also meant stopping. The boys were in the back, as one stopped the one behind him tried to stop and went over the handlebars. His helmet and chin both were injured. The chin required stitches and the helmet was a lucky thing as one cyclist had had trouble finding a helmet that morning. The young man with stitches did not get to go the remainder of the trip, but the rest of us did.

While waiting at the hospital we were hoping we could all finish the trip, so I checked out th bike that was involved. I will note the following that I discovered: the brakes had a lot of pre-travel before engaging, a cable guide has a kink in it, the brakes fell mushy as do many bikes, and the front shocks were set at the loosest setting. When I tried the brakes the front end would drop making a trip over the handlebars very possible.

I made adjustments as I could, but my thinking is that so many bikes have similar problems nowadays. Owners often don’t even know that I would consider these to be issues. A group leader in the cycling club and the clubs sharing of experience is a benefit. Your leader sets the tone for the ride. When I lead rides it is often for beginners and a little time to discuss expectations is good.

I may start an ABC Quick Check before rides. I am pleased the club members act as responsible members of society and follow the laws. It is up to the group leader to take some responsibility for this, but the group must follow his suggestions. It is hard to maintain rules unless the leader sets and follows them. It is a shame when an accident spoils an otherwise great ride.

Know When to Say When!!!

Coach OB

Hot enough for you? I thought for sure by the beginning of August we would get a break from the heat. Not a chance. The first week of the new month is supposed to be the hottest yet!

So, don’t forget to keep well hydrated at all times. Take in extra water and keep that lemon wedge in your day bottle. , For me, during these 90+ days, I drink at least four 32 oz. bottles per day—minimum—and that does not include cycling time. On Thursday I did a 2 hour recovery ride and went through 4 bottles on my bike. When I arrived home, I drank another 20 oz. plus of water right away. Keep those quality electrolyte drinks coming in, too!

Even when you are well hydrated, know when to say when in this heat! Sometimes, depending on your body’s ability to deal with the heat, it might just be too hot to ride outside. Just like it is sometimes too cold, it can be too hot! Your planned 4 hour ride in 95 degrees might be best cut down to 2.

Another issue that is made worse by the intense heat is saddle sores. Sorry, don’t mean to be graphic, but as cyclists, it is something we have to be very aware of. Saddle sores are a problem during all 4 seasons, but they seem to be worse during the heat. I am sure you all practice great hygiene by always wearing clean shorts, that is the first step. The second is to remove your cycling shorts as quickly as possible after you climb off the bike. Obviously you want to wash as soon as possible. If you are not able, at the very least, remove your shorts and put on regular clothes. Simply put, all that sweat can cause major issues. One of my clients actually contracted MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) because he would wear his shorts for extended periods of time after riding. So, don’t drive home in your shorts, don’t cut your grass when you get home in your shorts and don’t hang out with your peeps for hours and hours after you ride while still in your shorts. Okay, ‘nough said!

Enough about the heat!

How about I touch on a new subject; pacing yourself on a ride. What is the use of giving it 110% in the first 10 miles or going so hard that you blow up and are not able to complete the ride in an efficient manner?!? We have all been there and done that. It isn’t fun (well, it might be fun before you blow up).

Try to gather information on the ride before you head out. “Hey Bob, what is this ride like? What are the roads like? How long is it?” etc. At least then, you will know what to expect. If you find yourself in a group that is “more experienced” than you, let them take the lead and you ride in the group at your own pace. It is okay to “sit in” and rest. Try not to get in over your head. One way of becoming a better cyclist is to ride with those that are better than you. Give yourself time, you will get there!

Thanks for your time!

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at coachob@coachob.com, I will be more than appy to answer them in my next article.

Eat Well!

Sleep Well!

Ride SMART!!!

– Coach OB

Ask Mr. Cranky

Dear Mr. Cranky,

What should I do if I get a flat on a ride and how do you avoid getting them?

Phil Eirless

Dear Phil,

Well if you are a pro level rider it’s easy, you simply raise your hand and wait for the team car to hand you a new bike or wheel. If you are Lance Armstrong on a mountain bike you just ride the last seven miles to the finish on the rim and still beat everyone. If you aren’t good at playing a damsel in distress or you don’t look good in a dress then you might want to follow these simple steps on how to change a tire.

Hopefully you’ve read my previous articles and have a spare NEW tube, a bike pump or CO2 inflator and tire tools. Before you start be sure to scan the area to make sure you are in a safe position off the road. Next scan the audience. If there are several experienced riders watching and waiting be sure to be extremely methodical at a snail’s pace. Usually after painfully watching you work on the wheel one of them will dismount and offer to do it for you to save them the agony of watching it any longer. If they don’t offer to help it must mean you are doing a great job so slow down even more. Here are the steps to change a flat tire:

1. Remove the wheel from the bike. If it’s a rear wheel be sure to shift onto the smallest cog and smallest chain ring to slacken the chain for easier removal of the wheel.
2. Examine the tire for cuts, punctures or imbedded debris like glass or pebbles.
3. If nothing is obvious remove one side of the tire. Start from the opposite side of the valve stem and use a tire tool to pull one side of the tire completely off the rim.
4. Remove the tube by reaching under the tire and pulling it loose.
5. If you have found debris in the tire you can skip this step. Pump up the bad tube to find the puncture point. Once you have found the puncture point hold the tube up to the wheel and this should help you find the problem area of the tire.
6. With the problem area of the tire identified remove the tire completely from the wheel. Carefully examine the puncture area from inside and outside of the tire and remove all debris. Note that many flats are caused by valve stem cuts and snake bikes caused by underinflated tires. Neither of these will have a puncture area in the tire.
7. With the tire clean, remount one side of the tire. Hint: align the tire logo over the valve stem. This will help you identify future problems by making the wheel and tube alignment easier.
8. Unscrew the presta valve and add enough air into the tube so that it unravels but is not inflated. Push back the tire and place the presta valve into the rim. Working your way away from the stem tuck the tube into the tire.
9. Starting at the valve stem, install the remaining tire onto the rim. Continue to work your way equally around the rim so that the tire is installed equally on the left and right side of the rim. Getting the final inches of tire to seat over the rim can be difficult and may require the use of a tire tool. If you use one be sure not to pinch the tube while leveraging the tire onto the rim.
10. Verify that the tube is not caught between the rim and the tire by adding a slight amount of air to the tube. Add enough air to round out the tire but not so much that you cannot move the side walls of the tire. Starting with one side of the tire use your thumbs to push the side wall of the tire in. You should push it in far enough to verify that the tube is not caught between the tire and the rim. Do this around the entire rim and on both sides of the wheel.
11. Using your pump or CO2 inflator fill the tire to its recommended pressure.

An experienced mechanic can do all this in a couple of minutes. I have two friends who claim that they can do it all in less than two minutes. So far they haven’t figure out that everyone challenges them to prove it just because none of us like getting dirty on a ride. If you haven’t changed a tube before it’s a good idea to try it in your basement prior to having to do it on the road under emergency circumstances. The best way to avoid flats is to make it a habit to examine your tires prior to every ride by looking for slits, cuts, holes, odd bulges in the side wall and excessive wear on the tire. When you start seeing threads in the tire or the rear tire looks more square than round its time for a new tire. Lastly, always inflate your tires before every ride, if you make it a habit you will avoid flats caused by underinflated tires.

Happy Cranking,

Mr. Cranky

Do you have a question you need help with? Ask Mr. Cranky by sending a self addressed email to AskMrCranky@gmail.com and watch for a response in an upcoming newsletter.

Disclaimer: The advice provided on Ask Mr. Cranky is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice from a knowledgeable bike shop or cyclist. Neither the individual contributor or the Cincinnati Cycle Club nor anyone else connected to this newsletter can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information or disinformation presented in this article.

Commuter Challenge Update

Don Burrell

The Pres Sez

John Chester

Greetings from the wettest month of June in Cincinnati recorded history. As a number of friends pointed out, including our BikeWriter Editor, I seemed to be a bit grumpy the last two moist months. I am proud to announce that after ACTUALLY GETTING TO RIDE MY BIKE IN JUNE, that GRUMPY JOHN went away. Sadly, after a week of headwinds on GOBA, he was replaced by TIRED JOHN. But Tired is an improvement over Grumpy!

I got to ride on Mike Sullivan’s Fusion ride one Saturday and out on one Tomb Ride one Thursday night. (And yes, if you want a guarantee that it will be nice, just call me and have me schedule a meeting so I can’t ride). I still say that there is not much better than a ride with your friends.

As I look at our CCC Calendar, it looks like there are bunch of fun rides planned for Saturday July 9th. I am planning my annual Pendleton County Watermelon Crawl, Jeff Salisbury his sponsoring his Hooters Ride, Spokes in Motion is planning their annual Cluster picnic, and the Little Miami is sponsoring the 10^th annual Chili Repeat. If you can’t find a ride for you on that day, you just aren’t looking hard enough! GOOGLE HARDER!!!! Since I am sponsoring my annual MS fundraiser that night, I have guaranteed beautiful weather for all. (It is always nice for the Hooters Ride and Watermelon Crawl, and it often pours during the evening of JC’s MS 150 Party.) I hope it will be a good day on the bike for all of us.

In June, I rode two interesting Charity Rides – Bike Ride for a Greener Covington, and Ride Cincinnati. (Note – a friend of mine named MaryLinda said they need to change Ride Cincinnati to RIDE CAMPBELL COUNTY, as all but 1/10th of a mile is in Campbell County – just saying….) The Greener Covington Ride had the nicest Swag Bag I’ve seen in a while. Ride Cincinnati raised their ONE MILLIONTH DOLLAR for fighting breast cancer. Congrats to both rides, and I hope to see them around for years to come. It was a fun day on both. The CCC lists all of these Charity Rides on our website– go to “Events and Rides”, then click “Fund Raising Rides”. We are always updating that list. So, if you are participating in a local Charity Ride, be sure to contact us to have it listed.

But there is one SAFETY THING I need to talk about. We will call this my summer 2011 Safety Rant – I saw this on both of these Charity rides, as well as on GOBA and on the Tomb Ride. I also heard about it happening on our No Brainer Ride. So, I see a trend. A Bad Trend. FOLKS NEED TO LOOK WHERE THEY ARE GOING!!!! I am certain our LCIs can phrase this better than me, but FORWARD is where you should be looking. Riding side-by-side and looking and talking to each other is a recipe for an accident. I would suggest that folks look ahead – 12 o’clock, and be scanning from 10-2. Riding and turning 90 degrees to talk to the person next to you is a bad idea. Riding and TURNING AROUND to talk to the person behind you is even worse. With all of the rains we have had this year, much of Route 8, both in Campbell and Kenton Counties, has fallen. If you are not looking where you are going, the road just might not be there! So, pretty please – LOOK WHERE YOU ARE GOING!!!! This concludes my July Safety Rant. I now return you to your regular Pres Sez sign off.

I hope to see you at the picnic July 24th (rain date July 31st)

Remember – Get on your bike, go for a ride, it’s fun!

Cluster News:

Firecracker Cluster: Jim Tiry

The Firecracker Cluster is pleased to announce that we are inviting all to our All Cluster Ride on Saturday August 6, 2011 at 7:30 am.  This ride will be between 25 and 40 miles with hills of moderate difficulty.

Our cluster party will start at 5:00 pm.  Meal and drinks will be provided but please bring a side dish.  Directions can be found here.

What: Firecracker Cluster Party

When: Saturday, August 6th, 2011, starting at 5:00 pm

What: Firecracker all club ride

When: Saturday, August 6th, 2011, starting at 7:30 am

Thanks,

Jim Thiry (Firecracker Cluster)

==========

SIM Cluster: The Rock

July 9th is the SIM’s Picnic at Gulf Park in Cleves, Ohio.  A marked 40 mile route will be available for riding starting at 8 AM. Bring a chair and something to share. We’ll have the shelter until 4 PM.

==========

Northern Kentucky Cluster: Tom Runyan

I am still hoping to organize an all club ride and picnic for mid August. Please watch for an announcement in next month’s newsletter.

If you are interested in leading a CCC ride please contact your cluster leader so that they can get your ride officially listed on the calendar thus making it a legit ride and getting it covered by the club’s insurance. Just posting a ride to the ride line does not legally make it a CCC ride thus you lose some of the benefits. Being a ride leader is not complicated and it can be very rewarding. If you have any questions about leading a ride or if you want to have a ride posted on the calendar, have any suggestions or questions about the Northern Ky Cluster, please contact me at the following: http://www.cincinnaticycleclub.org/contact-us/

Ride safe, Tom Runyan

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Little Miami Cluster: Fred Ferguson

We are getting great turnout at all of the weekly LMC rides. There are speed groups to accommodate just about everyone.

We have also been recently experimenting with adding an “extended” Saturday Breakfast ride (option) with a distance of around 63 miles (metric century) for those who can sustain a 17mph avg. The regular 42 mile SBR has not changed and is pulling in 40-50 riders weekly. If you are interested in trying the extended SBR email Fred (lm@cincinnaticycleclub.org) or Ralph Hirshberg and we will get you added to the email list. This new optional ride starts at 7am, so that we can join the regular SBR riders for breakfast at Rosies around mile 42 (ish).

On June 23, the riders at the Thursday Bishop’s Ride were visited by three Jamis Pro riders who were in town for the 3 day Criterium Series that started on Friday in Madeira. The fast riders in the “A” group got to ride along with the Jamis pros for a cool experience. The Bishop’s Thursday ride is pulling in a lot of riders and has been sporting 5 different speed groups. The LMC has two all cluster rides coming up.

Be sure to mark your calendars and save the dates.

July:

Since we are speaking of the Chili Ride, let’s discuss the Chili Repeat.

The Chili Repeat is a rerun of the popular Chili Ride and will be on Saturday, July 9. There is no cost to ride the Chili Repeat and there are no rest stops. But there are quick marts along the route and there will be FREE food at the Finish Line compliments of Kevin Armstrong and one of his clients.

Make sure you save the date and come out and enjoy some of the best rural routes in Cincinnati.

August:

On Saturday, August 13 we will be hosting the Caesars Creek Ride. This is a wonderful scenic ride that starts near the beach on Caesars Creek Reservoir. Last year’s ride featured scenic routes, multiple ride distances, and food at the finish line. Donations were accepted to benefit Juvenile Diabetes.

Have a great month of cycling everyone. See you on the road. ~ Fred

Sunday July 24, 2011–The Club Picnic

John Chester

Note – The Rain Date is Sunday July 31, 2011 (After all of this year’s rain, we are including a rain date). Check the CCC Forum on Sunday morning if it looks like rain.

WHAT: The 2011 Club Picnic and Rides. The Club provides the basic picnic supplies, burgers, dogs, ants. You bring a side dish to share. BYOB for ALL BEVERAGES.

WHO: CLUB MEMBERS, their families, and each member may bring a guest

WHERE: Izaak Walton League, 544 Branch Hill Loveland Road, Loveland OH 45140. Note –the parking lot can hold about 50 cars. If we get more, drop your food off and then go and park up in Loveland and ride the trail down. The Izaak Walton League is about 2 miles south of Loveland. Or even better, RIDE YOUR BIKE TO THE PICNIC!!!

WHEN:

• 8:30am – Doors open for sign in and food drop off
• 9am – Morning Rides of approximately 25 and 50 miles
• 1pm – Lunch. Plenty of time to come by after church for a 1 PM lunch!
• 2pm – Afternoon Ride

We note that much of the Little Miami Bike Trail is COVERED, so even if it is hot, an afternoon ride in the shade can still be fun in the middle of July!

HOW: When you sign in, we will take a count, and then go buy hot dogs and burgers while you are on the morning ride. For those of you who wish to go to Sunday services, please email: President@CincinnatiCycleClub.Org and we will ensure that there is food for you, and then you can go for a ride on the trail in the afternoon.

THE 2011 CCC BAKE OFF:

We will be holding the FIRST ANNUAL CCC PICNIC CONTESTS for APPETIZERS, SIDE DISHES and DESSERT!

Bring your dish to share before the ride. We will give you a number for your item. Everybody in attendance gets one vote per food group. The winner in each category gets a free 2012 CCC membership or National Ride. NOTE – YOU CAN WIN IN ONLY ONE CATEGORY, and WIN ONLY ONCE PER YEAR (as we might do this again at the January 20112 annual dinner if it goes well)

Suggested alphabet split:

• A–F: Appetizers
• G-R: Side Dishes
• S–Z: Desserts

(Although if any A-F or G-R folks want to bring a dessert instead, we would be just fine with that idea!)

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

• Ride Leaders for a 25 and a 50 mile route
• BBQ Grill – Chief Burger Flipper
• Shopping – assistance Sunday morning

Queen City Bike looking for Executive Director

Lead the Revolution

Queen City Bike (QCB) is a non-profit organization that promotes bicycling as a safe, healthy and environmentally wise means of transportation and recreation in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati. Queen City Bike’s all-volunteer membership creates and implements bicycling education and advocacy initiatives throughout the year.

The new Executive Director will work with the QCB Board and active members to lead the group’s fund raising, membership development and program work. Good communication, administration, fund raising and organizing skills are a must.

QCB Activities Include:

• Working closely with City/County government agencies to adopt bike-friendly policies
• Monitoring the 2010 Comprehensive Bike Plan
• Building a coalition of individuals, organizations, and businesses that promote bicycle transportation
• Organizing Bike Month each year in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati
• Partnering with and supporting other local alliances
• Encouraging people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to ride bicycles for fun and practical purposes alike
• Presenting bicycling workshops

Skills Needed:  Specific skills needed include experience in the following:

1. Fundraising, grant proposal writing and foundation relations,
2. Building a membership or coalition,
3. Communicating and working well with an active Board and membership,
4. Managing and motivating volunteers and staff,
5. Working with City and County officials as well as community organizations

Major Functions/Responsibilities:

• Increasing, strengthening and diversifying the organizations funding sources to make QCB financially sustainable
• Developing strategies for building membership
• Leading members in advocacy work
• Organizing the evaluation and recognition of 2012-2013 Bike Friendly Destinations
• Developing partnerships with transportation/community/health/environmental groups and other appropriate organizations
• Sustaining and strengthening community and public relations
• Meeting regularly with and reporting to the Board of Directors
• Attending public meetings relevant to infrastructure changes and local transportation issues
• Directing the Bike Friendly Destinations Program and building a coalition of businesses and organizations within the Bike Friendly Destinations Program to leverage their support for bicycle transportation

Major Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Direct experience in non-profit management
• Experience in grant writing and development
• Good business writing skills
• Strong oral communication skills
• Ability to lead meetings and training sessions
• Background knowledge on bicycles as transportation, such as parking requirements and needs of bicycle commuters
• Ability to connect with all kinds of people; as effective in a business meeting as in a neighborhood association meeting
• Self-motivation

We expect the Executive Director to use a bicycle for a significant part of her/his transportation needs related to this program. If you will be unable to do so, please explain in your cover letter.

Compensation: 11 month consulting contract, July 2011 – June 2012:  $14 per hour, approximately 20 hours per week

Applications: Please send a resume with a cover letter and two one-to-two-page writing samples to queencitybike09@gmail.com.

To learn more, visit our website at www.QueenCityBike.org

BIKE LAW 101 – Numbers, Crashes and Lessons from 2010

By Steven M. Magas, The Bike Lawyer

I’ve had this concept in my head for a long time – to really take a hard look at bicycle crashes in Ohio. Specifically, fatal crashes. Finally, the sun, moon and stars have aligned in such a way as to make this possible. While I am still working on the final version of the first annual Review of All Ohio Bicycle Fatalities – some thoughts, and lessons, are slowly emerging.

OHIO – ON A NATIONAL LEVEL

Bicycle fatalities have decreased sharply over the past 30 years. In 1975, the worst year on record for bicycle fatalities, 1003 cyclists were killed in the United States. While the national 2010 numbers are not out yet, in 2009 there were 630 riders killed in the U.S. – a decrease of almost 40%.

There’s more to those numbers, however, which should concern cyclists today. In 1975, KIDS dominated the statistical analysis. Of those 1003 cyclists killed on the roads, 675 of them [a whopping two-thirds] were under the age of 16. There were 323 “adult” fatalities. However, in 2009, 87% of the 630 cyclists who died on the roads were over the age of 16 – 545 riders. So despite a 40% decrease in fatalities, ADULT fatalities have increased from 323 in 1975 to 545 in 2009.

This probably jives with your own observations and experiences, eh? For me, I was 18 in 1975 and rode my bike everywhere for the years leading up to getting my driver’s license. Second and third cars were still somewhat rare in that era. We rode all over town as kids – leaving after breakfast and sometimes not quite making it home for dinner. I can’t imagine kids today doing that. Bike riding, in general, is way down in the kid population today, while adult riding has never been MORE popular [unless you go back to the 1890’s, and that’s a “whole nother” column to write…]

Ohio has always ranked, statistically, in a group of states in what I see as the “second tier” of the fatal crash universe. The “Big Three” are always Florida, California and Texas – with Florida leading the way by far. 40% or more of all U.S. cycling fatalities occur in those three states each year. Florida and California typically have more than 100 fatalities each. Texas is in the 50-60 range. Other states that normally have significant numbers are New York [40+], North Carolina [30+] and Illinois [20+].

This “second tier” is a group of states that normally have 10-20 cycling fatalities. This group includes Ohio, Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia.

Ohio has a LOT of cyclists – a lot of very active bike clubs and a lot of national and regional rides and cycling activity. We may not have the weather of CA or FL or SC but we definitely have a passion for cycling passion that matches ANY state!

OHIO – CRASH HISTORY

Ohio averages around 15-16 fatal crashes per year. I thought that this figure was not so large that studying each fatality would not be impossible – at least for one guy who also had a “real” job. Since I have handled close to 300 “bike” crashes and thousands of auto crashes over the past 29 years, I figured I had the skills to look at these crashes, figure out what happened, see if the police “got it right” in their analysis and see if there were any lessons to be learned.

By 2010, the digital age has snuck up on even Ohio to such a degree that much of the  data I needed was as close as my computer. There are more than 800 police and sheriff jurisdictions in Ohio – each one with the power to investigate crashes, write crash reports and make decisions about fault, negligence, and traffic code violations which can dramatically impact the rights of each crash victim.

Today, some of these police departments allow you to download crash reports from their websites [of course, the “On” button on the computers of some of these departments has a thick coating of dust… but, I digress…]

The first problem I faced in looking at the 2010 fatal crashes was simply FINDING them. Fortunately, the Ohio Department of Public Safety has been very helpful. As a result of extensive digging, I now have 250+ page reports for each year from 2005-2010. These reports list EVERY crash report in Ohio in which a “bicycle” or “pedalcycle” was listed as an involved vehicle – more than 12,000 crashes in the last six years!

In each of these reports there was one line of data for each crash. Some of the data was clear – listing the date, time and location. Some of the data was numeric – how many people were injured or killed. Some data was numerically coded – so a 1 might mean “sunny” in the weather column and a 37 means “bicycle” in the “Unit Type” column. By going through and finding each crash with a “1” in the death column I was able to track down the fatal crashes for 2010.

The report also helped figure out which of the 800 or so police jurisdictions had prepared the actual report. What I wanted was not just statistical data, but the original report, along with all witness statements, photographs and any accident reconstruction analysis performed by police. Fatal crashes “tend” to be investigated more thoroughly than injury crashes by more senior crash investigators.

THE RESULTS

The State of Ohio has not yet finalized its data for 2010 – they are still adding things up! However, from what I have received so far I can tell you a few things:

• So far, there have been 11 bike deaths reported for 2010 – 9 men and 2 women. Average Age- 43.6. Median Age – 39. One under age 16.
• There were two hit/run deaths in Columbus – Jeff Stevenson and Trent Music. Both were struck at night. The driver who hit Mr. Music was found shortly after the crash. The driver who allegedly struck and killed Mr. Stevenson was charged with two felonies a few weeks ago after DNA evidence on her car matched up with Jeff.
• Two deaths occurred while cyclists on a bike path were crossing a road to get back to the bike path. One was clearly the rider’s fault… the second I’m not so sure about.
• Five deaths occurred in the dark. Riders were ALL poorly lit. Three were clearly the car driver’s fault. Five were clearly the bike rider’s fault. Three were blamed on the bike rider… but I have questions…
• The youngest rider was 11-year-old Dakota Farrow who was killed on 8/27/10. If you simply read the media reports you would think this young man simply rode into traffic from his driveway. However, by reading the report I learned that the motorist who ran into Dakota had his right [driving] foot in a BOOT cast because he had fractured it some weeks earlier. He claimed to have a doctor’s note “at home” which allowed him to drive. The driver was not charged and case was written up as being young Dakota’s fault…
• One rider, Michelle Kazlauski, was killed on the Pelotonia fundraiser ride. Michelle was part of a group of riders being directed by police through a stop sign at a T-intersection. State troopers were holding up traffic to allow the riders to move through, but one fellow couldn’t stop. His brakes “failed” and he drove past the trooper and into the intersection, hitting and killing Michelle. He was charged with, and plead guilty to, vehicular manslaughter. His 90-day sentence was not served – the judge allowed him to do six days of “community service” instead of three days in jail and suspended the remaining 87 days of the sentence.

Each of these cases is as unique as the people involved. Each presents it’s own story to tell. At this year’s Ride of Silence in Columbus all were remembered and honored.

• Melissa Cornell – 5/12/10 – Marietta, OH
• Jeff Stevenson – 5/21/10 – Columbus
• James Chapple – 7/5/10 – Brunswick, OH
• Lawrence Furniss – 7/24/10 – Trumbull County
• Alex Martin – 8/4/10 – Montgomery County
• Michelle Kazlauski – 8/24/10 – Columbus
• Dakota Farrow – 8/27/10 – Licking County
• Thomas Spurgin – 9/1/10 – Champaign County
• James Trammel – 9/20/10 – Clermont County
• Istvan Takaca – 9/29/10 – Cleveland
• Trent Music – 11/16/10 – Columbus

Good Luck & Safe Riding!

Steve Magas

Helping Prospective Riders

Jim Lindner

I received an email from a prospective rider and responded today. As my response seemed to cover a lot of information about the club, and my ride, I thought it may be useful to others who know perspective riders who would not be able to start with the rides they do as an experienced rider…..

Hi Jim,

I just bought a bike and was searching online for a mellow way to get started. Could you tell me more about the Cincinnati Cycle Club? I’m interested in joining, since having more structured rides will probably get me out more often. I’m excited to start but from reading over the website I feel like there’s more I need to do and buy before I can join these rides.

Thanks,

Xxxx

=====

Xxxx,

My CHCC Decaf Ride (At noon on Sundays) is designed for you, as are some versions of other rides within our club. I missed responding before yesterday’s ride. It would have been a good get acquainted ride, as we had more than the usual number of stops and plenty of discussion of available casual rides. Your riding ability would and will be accommodated on my ride.

This week my daughter who will be 7 by next weekend rode attached to my bike on a trailer bike, (She almost always pedals, and lives for the ice cream stop) while Steve trailered his 2 1/2 year old daughter who slept most of the way, but added my daughter to the trailer for the last mile or so. We had two women with us, one over 60 who started riding after hip replacement last year. She has become quite the enthusiast and enjoys riding with others and us. She is a much better rider than she admits to herself. The last rider we had was on our second ride with us and she is new to the area. She is younger and lives and works near the CVG airport.

As far as what else you need to buy, you need a helmet for our rides and a water bottle. If you show up without a helmet I can’t include you. If you don’t have a water bottle I will pass public drinking fountains, and watch you close to be sure you don’t get dehydrated. I am a regular commuter, who my wife would argue has plenty of bike related gear. I often lead the Decaf in comfortable street clothing so new riders won’t feel out of place.

For such a short casual ride with SAG (Fatigue, Emergency, or Breakdown – Bike and Rider Pickup) available, you do not need additional gear. The first additional things you will want, to participate in more rides, will be a spare tube, bike shorts, and a small air pump. You can decide what additional things as you do more riding. It sort of depends on what you think you need at that point. I’m sure other riders will help you out.

Some other notes are that the Cincinnati Cycle Club weekly rides allow visitors, but our insurance only covers members and your first ride with us. I therefore will encourage you to join after your first ride as it is not expensive and I think a good value. You will enjoy discounts at many bike stores, on our national rides, and free picnics, if you choose to join us. Official (insured and subject to club rules) rides will be on www.cincinnaticycleclub.org. A link on the home page directs you to “The Cincinnati Ride Line”. This web location is used for last minute announcements and non-CCC club rides. I don’t guarantee that these will be social rides. Read the descriptions close (and maybe make a phone call) as some are race group rides, where it may be a challenge to the riders to leave the new rider in the dust.

If riding for the first time on any ride it may be best to contact the ride leader ahead of time (as you have done here) and when you arrive identify yourself as a new rider. It is usually recommended that you arrive at least 15 minutes early to sign in and unload your bike. My ride is a little too casual to worry about that, as I (coming from church) am not always that early as a ride leader.

Ask Mr. Cranky:

In case you missed me last month, my friends call me Mister Cranky. Each month I will try to offer worthless advice to your insincere cycling questions. And if I don’t get enough questions I’ll just make up some to help you get over the fear of asking me something I cannot answer. So if you have a few worthless questions about riding a bike you have come to the worst possible place for advice.

Dear Mr. Cranky,

I’m confused about what type of computer I should buy for my bike. What are your recommendations?

Hal

=========

Dear Hal,

There are several things to consider when buying a computer for your bike. Do you need GPS with mapping and turn-by-turn directions? Do you want to record your activities and analyze them on your home computer? Do you want to monitor power output and/or heart rate? If you want any of these items, you will need to look at the top end computers from companies like Polar and Garmin. If you are interested in after ride analysis be sure to consider the software used for the analysis. While Garmin’s 500, 705 and 800 give you tons of data during the ride, the analysis software that comes with it is lacking in features.

Polar’s analysis software is more detailed but some of the computer’s user interface is far from being simple to operate. Just about all computers will give you distance, odometer, time, speed, average speed and clock with an auto start feature. The next step up will generally include wireless capabilities, cadence and heart monitor.

Since the electronics by most of the major manufactures are quite reliable the choice comes down to looks and display size once you have decided on the features you desire. So before you buy a bike computer list all the features that you must have and then compare the various brands. Once you have locked in on a specific model ask around the club rides to see if someone has that specific model and get their opinion.

Personally I am waiting for that next generation Acme bike computer that comes with a bottom bracket motor that will give me pedaling assistance whenever the speed drops below 10 mph or the grade goes above 4%. And since the computer has GPS it will always turn on the motor prior to any city sign or known sprint point. If listing features and shopping sounds like too much of an ordeal you can use my quick list below to help you pick out your computer.

By Age:

• If you are 60+ you don’t need a computer because electronic gizmos are too complicated.
• If you are 50 – 60 you need one with a 7 inch display so you can read the numbers.
• If you are 30 – 50 you want a computer with Bluetooth so you can listen to music and answer telephone calls while checking email.
• If you are 12 – 30 you want a computer that can text and surf the web while monitoring your Facebook page. It also has to be able to stream HD – 3D movies on a 2 inch screen and also be able to capture the entire ride in HD video for uploading after the ride.

Still undecided? Maybe using the career guide will help.

• If you are a Stock Broker, you want a computer with an altimeter that only displays positive grades even when things are going downhill fast.
• If you are a Manager, you need a computer without any buttons because once you start riding you wont have anyone there to tell you which buttons to push.
• If you are a Nurse, you need a computer that has a very loud beep for each heartbeat and one that will mount vertically on the bar where your camelback bag is hung on.
• If you are Doctor, you don’t need a display on your computer because the nurse will be able to read it for you.
• If you are a Professional Geek, you need a computer with lots of functions and memory because you like to go back and look at all the numbers and spend hours analyzing the readouts only to realize you still need to lose 20 lbs.
• If you are in Sales, you need a computer with a big display because you only care about the number you are about to see, after all everything else is old news.
• If you are in Marketing, you need a computer that displays Kilos because you like telling everyone how high your numbers are.
• If you are in Consulting, you don’t need a computer because you are more interested in analyzing the other guy’s computer and results to see how well he is doing.
• If you are in Project Manager, you want a computer with GPS so you can tell everyone when it’s time to sprint.
• If you work for the Police, you need a computer that has a Kryptonite lock computer mount and a GPS tracking device built in.
• If you work in IT, you need a computer that runs on Solar or battery power, has redundant speed and cadence sensors and is liquid cooled because you know it will crash at least once a day.
• If you are an Ebay-er, you have a computer that is also a tablet/mp3 player/cell phone/HR monitor that retailed for $400 but you purchased for $15.
• If you are an Hourly worker, you want a computer that only displays elapsed time.
• If you work in HR, you need a computer that analyzes the group as a whole and recommends which 5% of the riders to drop on the next ride.
• And of course if you are VP or above you don’t need a computer because there is an entire team willing to tell you how fast you are going.

Happy Cranking,

Mr. Cranky

Do you have a question you need help with? Ask Mr. Cranky by sending a self addressed email to AskMrCranky@gmail.com and watch for a response in an upcoming newsletter.

Disclaimer: The advice provided on Ask Mr. Cranky is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice from a knowledgeable bike shop or cyclist. Neither the individual contributor or the Cincinnati Cycle Club nor anyone else connected to this newsletter can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any recommendation.

Share the Road License Plate now available for Hoosiers

Hoosiers – Display your pedal passion on your plate

The Bicycle Indiana license plate is available to order click HERE to go to the BMV website and order yours!

In just a few months, you’ll be able to tell the world you’re a cyclist even when you’re driving – and, at the same time, support safe cycling throughout the state.

Bicycle Indiana’s I Share the Road license plate will be available January 1, 2012. Put one on your vehicle for $40 above the usual cost of your plate and the state will send $25 to Bicycle Indiana to support its efforts to improve bicycling in Indiana.

Learn more about the license plate, sign up to receive updates and indicate your interest in reserving a low plate number by filling out this form License Plate. And thanks to all of you who signed the petition to help make this happen.

Questions? Read this Q&A from the BMV: BMV Notes

Safety and Education: Rider and Ride Leader Responsibilities Update

Jim Lindner

It’s been a while since we’ve updated rider and ride leader responsibilities.

I have heard it said that the roads are free to anyone to ride on, so we must accept all who wish to ride on Club rides. This may in a sense be true, but certain expectations exist when riding with a group. We have for years posted these expectations on our web site. I congratulate the Club and Steve Wegener for expanding the club’s value to its members beyond previous expectations with our new insurance. With this increased value I feel it is appropriate that the responsibilities are increased. It is my hope that most of you will feel that the changes I am about to mention are to your benefit and worthy of your support.

The Club has for years had a liability insurance that covers the volunteer leadership including ride leaders. Steve guided us to switch to LAB insurance that provides some accident insurance to all members on Club Rides. Obviously, this is not a replacement for personal accident insurance, as it will only cover member’s club activities. It also may cover invited first time visitors to Club Rides. To be able to take advantage of this coverage the insurance underwriter and the Cincinnati Cycle Club has some expectations. Most of these expectations have not significantly changed from previous club procedures, but are more important as their value has increased. These should be written into our website and I expect our web site will soon catch up with these changes, if it has yet to do so by publication time. The BOT will regularly review the status of it’s coverage, so you may in future years want to check if we have continued this benefit, but so far I applaud the decision to include it in our expenses.

For a ride to be an Official Club Ride it must be listed on the CCC web site calendar. This requires approval of a cluster leader and therefore is not as easy as listing on the non-club ride line. Listing on the ride line does not make a ride an “Official Club Ride”,

Riders must be signed in on the insurance provided single-line/youth or adult/multi-line waiver, at least on their first club ride, and must wear a helmet.

In case of an injury accident the insurance company needs to be notified ASAP. Provided for you to report an accident are a 24-hour phone number (1-800-566-7941) and an online Incident Report is available at their website. A PDF of the Incident Report is available in their Event Package and should printed for use at all national events.

I am asking Ride Leaders to take on the responsibility of reporting directly to the insurance company. Please let me know of Incidents as the club officers have been asked to confirm the membership, or first time visitor and “Official Ride Status” for incidents that occur. I likely will not in a single phone call be able to ask enough questions to fill out the form. The PDF version can be faxed incomplete, but do get whatever witness information you can at the time of the accident to better fill out the form. Without witnesses or a ride sign in it may be difficult to confirm a rider was on an Official Ride. I also have discovered it may not always be easy to confirm that a rider was or was not on their first visitor ride. The obvious solutions are to improve our whole club record keeping to include first time rider list or to “officially” not “re-invite” non-members on our rides.

Such changes would need to come from the BOT of the CCC.

Due to a sudden increase in accidents on club rides, I am asking that incidents be more closely monitored and that ride leaders take the special precautions of asking riders to report areas and incidents of concern to the ride leaders. I am also asking that the ride leaders mark and/or warn their riders of problems that are reported. I have also considered that we may need to talk to public officials to get hazards fixed. If you are unwilling to report problems yourself or feel that a request from a club official will get a better response please let me know. I will need detailed information in order to communicate a problem to the officials.

No request for changes in ride formats have yet been made. I have some concerns about how some of our rides are structured, and if we can, or should at this time, attempt to make them safer. My concerns are not new, and may have been discussed before, but as they are related to safety, and we seem to have had an increase in accidents, I will introduce the subject and review ride formats for discussion at the next BOT meeting to see if we should make changes. If your ride format appears different in some way from other rides you may want to consider if it needs to change or if you, a ride leader, or a cluster leader may want to be at this meeting. I would like to hear why you feel this variation is of benefit to your ride and the club. It is my preference that we continue to support as many rides for different rider types as possible, so please do not assume I want to eliminate your ride format. If I feel your ride format is for some reason not as safe as others within the club, it will be discussed and if the BOT has suggestions these will passed on to the Cluster Leader for their review. As always all members are invited to the BOT meeting July 14th as input is appreciated.

Thanks,

Jim Lindner

(513) 742-2411

Coach OB: Drinking and Spinning

I hope this article finds you well, enjoying the hot weather and staying hydrated!

One of the most frequent questions I am asked as a coach and avid cyclist is what I drink before, during and after riding. No way around it, as athletes we need to consume more water than the average not-so active person. Even on days when it is not approaching 90 degrees, I drink about three or four 32 oz. containers of water during the day. On those extra hot days, I will go through an additional one or two bottles. I will also add a lemon wedge to my day bottle. The added citrus helps your body retain vitamins and minerals that might normally get flushed out should you over-hydrate.

When I leave for a ride, I start off with two bottles of an electrolyte drink, such as Hammer Nutrition’s Heed. This also has complex carbohydrates for energy while pedaling. When these are gone, it is straight water in my bike bottles. On average, I drink one bottle per hour and on hotter days, one bottle every 45 minutes. If I stop during the ride, I will get a Gatorade or similar drink.

As soon as I am finished with my ride, I consume 20+ oz. of water. Within 10 minutes of climbing off the bike, I have my recovery drink, Hammer Recoverite. The market is full of different recovery drinks; find one that works for you. I prefer Recoverite because I like the taste and it contains a balanced mix of carbs, electrolytes and whey protein.

Now that you are in-tune with your hydration let’s tune-in to the importance of a good spin. Keeping a high cadence is paramount to a cyclist. A great target cadence is about 85 to 95 rpm. Whether you are riding 20 miles, or 120 miles, your legs and the rest of your body, will profit from not mashing the gears. Granted, there are times when you need to slog it out, like pushing over that 15 second steep climb.

In general though, your legs will stay “fresher” and you will not have to work as hard if you maintain a higher cadence. You can save your leg muscles from over-working and over-straining by keeping a high spin. So, if you can travel the same distance, save a few heartbeats AND save power for when it really matters, why not?!?

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at coachob@coachob.com, I will be more than happy to answer them in my next article.

Eat Well! Sleep Well! Ride SMART!!!

Coach OB

Whatever your goals, Coach OB has the experience and resources to help you improve your cycling abilities. Coach OB Has custom plans designed specifically to fit your goals with a custom built training program to fit into your schedule.

Cincinnati Department of Transportation & Engineering seeks cyclist input

Survey of Bicyclists Crossing I-71 via Martin Luther King Drive or Lincoln/University Aves.

In 1998, the City of Cincinnati installed a signed bike route along Lincoln and University  Avenues (to encourage timid cyclists onto a lower speed/lower volume street) and re-striped Martin Luther King Drive from Reading Road to Victory Parkway with a wide curb lane (creating space for faster cyclists to share a lane with motor vehicles).

In June 2011, the Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) restriped M. L. King with designated bike lanes based on recommendations of the Cincinnati Bicycle Transportation Plan, adopted by City Council in June of 2010.

We are seeking feedback from existing cyclists about their experiences before and after the re-striping of King Drive.  You can enter your answers on the following website: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BC2KVZ2.

Thank you for your time and contribution to making Cincinnati a better city!

Robert Vickrey, P.E.

Acting City Engineer, Department of Transportation and Engineering

Future CCC Members in Training

Several CCC members sponsored riders in the St. Jude Trike-A-Thon that took place in May 2011 at the Holy Cross Child Development Center in Fairfield, OH.

CCC Commuter Challenge

Don Burrell

The second quarter is up and the Commuter Challenge is still in business, so your commuting miles may now be forwarded to me at dburrell@oki.org . We had a slow start from the first quarter, so, if you didn’t submit miles in April, they will also be welcome now. The attached table is as of July 1 deadline.

The record rainfall during the last three months probably put a damper on those of us who avoid riding in the rain. My bike trips to work during bike month (May) were only four, but I got two of them in during bike week. CCC member Frank Henson posted a Bike Month wrap up on the Queen City Bike page. Highlights are that it was the most successful celebration yet for Cincinnati.

The Bike Friendly Destinations program was begun and gained 40 participants, who encourage employees and customers to bike, thru the work of Jess Linz. Metro and TANK again offered free rides on Bike to Work Day for cyclists using the bus racks. Bike to baseball drew around 14 bike commuters to see the Reds. Downside: the CCC’s Ride of Silence had to be cancelled due to scheduling problems for Fountain Square.

So get on your bikes and ride – and turn in your miles.

Pres Sez, June 2011

John Chester

As I write this on May 27th, we have had 25 days of rain so far in May. Truthfully, I am getting depressed. If I don’t get some time outside on my bike, you are gonna see a grumpy Prez! OK, I’ve got that off my chest! I would kill for a dry evening at the Tomb Ride or a Saturday morning listening to Mike Sullivan sing during the Fusion Ride. I think Geoff Thielmeyer has a “Cancelled Due to Rain” announcement in his permanent file for the Monday night Team Cycling ride out of Hartwell. I have learned how to ensure that there will be no rain – schedule a board meeting! Both the April and May board meetings were held on beautiful sunny evenings. Scott Fraittiane even had to drive past his smiling cluster on the way to the meeting! So, if you want to ensure a good night – invite me to a meeting so that I can’t ride.

In the GOOD NEWS department, one of those two non rainy days was Saturday May 21st – THE CHILI CENTURY BIKE RIDE! It was a great day to be out. And for all that rode, I truly hope that you gave a big ole THANKYAVERYMUCH to our VP – Scott Ebbing – for running the ride this year.

Scott is in training for the Paris-Brest-Paris Radonneur 2011 beginning August 21, 2011. (http://www.paris-brest-paris.org) I doubt we will see more than a blur of Scott the next few months. I hope that he has no responsibilities for the next few months to the CCC so HE CAN GO OUT AND RIDE!!!

Perhaps I can convince folks to get on the back of his tandem and teach him French phrases. My favorites are “un crepe un crepe avec du jambon et le fromage” and “Pourquoi, oui je voudrais une autre bière.” I doubt he will use the second phrase, but the first will definitely come in handy! Scott – if you need any advice – your Club Treasurer and I went to Paris back in 1999. My two main pieces of advice would be: 1. Try to speak French. If you try, they are really nice to you. If you do not try, the French are mean and condescending. 2. Stay away from any Australians you meet in France – AS THEY ARE ALL CRAZY! Please send photos and create a blog that we can put on the CCC website. And watch out for cobblestones!

RIDE CINCINNATI – We’ve been offered a tent to hand out CCC info – flyers, applications, etc. at Ride Cincinnati on June 12th. They stated that most groups come down and leave their info BEFORE the ride, and then go to the booth AFTER. As I am doing the 48, AND WILL NOT BE BREAKING ANY SPEED RECORDS, is any one else doing the ride? Would anyone be willing to be in the booth? We would need our banner, applications, and perhaps that “What You Get From The CCC” flyer that we have been speaking of creating.

SAVE THE DATE – Sunday July 24 – for the CCC PICNIC.

The Rain Date is Sunday July 31, 2011 (After all of this year’s rain, we are including a rain date).

Izaak Walton League, 544 Branch Hill Loveland Rd , Loveland OH 45140 (map)

9am – Morning Rides

1pm – Lunch. Plenty of time to come by after church for a 1 PM lunch!

2pm – Afternoon Ride

We note that much of the Little Miami Bike Trail is COVERED, so even if it is hot, an afternoon ride in the shade can still be fun in the middle of July!

More details to come, but we will be holding the FIRST ANNUAL CCC PICNIC CONTESTS for APPETIZERS, SIDE DISHES and DESSERT!
A–F: Appetizers
G-R: Side Dishes
S–Z: Desserts (although if any A-F or G-R folks want to bring a dessert instead, we would be just fine with that idea!)

Registration Still Open for Ride Cincinnati – June 12th, 2011

The organizers of Ride Cincinnati (Sunday June 12th) would like to remind the member of the club that it’s not too late to register for the ride. Late registration will be available at all packet pick up locations and on event day.

From the Kid’s Rally to the 62.8 mile ride, there is a ride for participants of all ages and abilities. The 2011 event schedule is:

• 62.8 miles starts at 6:30 a.m.
• 45.2 miles starts at 7:30 a.m.
• 26 miles, 18.4 miles start at 8:30 a.m.
• 8.2 miles starts at 9 a.m..
• Kid’s Rally starts at 11 a.m.

A Celebration will take place after Ride Cincinnati from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., so please join us for free food, entertainment and music.

Ride Cincinnati packet pickup dates:

There are three opportunities for all participants to pick up their packets and/or register for this year’s event. Here are the dates and locations:

THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

Jim’s Bicycle Shop, 8015 Plainfield Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236, (513) 793-1163

FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 3 p.m.-7 p.m.

Trek Bicycle Store of Cincinnati, 7594 Voice of America Drive, West Chester, OH 45069, (513) 755-3773

SUNDAY, JUNE 12-EVENT DAY, Starting at 5 a.m.

Yeatman’s Cove, downtown Cincinnati, 705 East Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Late registration is available at all Packet Pickups. Adult late registration is $45 and children (12 and under) is $20.

2011 Ride Cincinnati Course Map

Thank you to our Founding Sponsors

Ride Cincinnati would like to recognize and thank their Founding Sponsors, all of whom have supported the event for all five years, for their on-going suppport of Ride Cincinnati. They include:

• Western & Southern Financial Group
• Cincinnati Bell
• Macy’s
• Hunt Construction
• Drs. Harris, Sirkin and Kruger
• Brookwood Retirement Community
• Fleet Feet Sports Cincinnati
• Jim’s Bicycle Shop
• Trek Bicycle Shop of Cincinnati
• Kroger
• Starbucks Coffee
• Outback Steakhouse
• Skyline Chili
• Madisono’s Gelato
• Costco Wholesale
• Castellini Company
• Antonelli College
• Big Shots Photography
• Lynskey
• Goldie the Clown

Dogs – What I Do

Jim Lindner

Remember that I do not want to be responsible for anyone taking my advice and getting injured, so let your own judgment be your guide.

I have collected some advice and observations over the years of riding bikes. I started dealing with dogs when I was a teenager. I remember knowing I would meet 2 dogs at the top of the hill near where Mercy South (Fairfield) is. My strategy was to save energy going up the hill and when the dogs started after me, I would ride quickly down the hill. One day, as they came across the road after me, I moved toward them and the center of the road, trying to use oncoming traffic to shield me. They dodged the car at the last second. I then realized it was a police car. I was somewhat surprised; the police officer did not come back and talk to me. I always wondered if he went back to talk with the owner. I do not advise trying to force dogs into oncoming traffic. They may be more observant and nimble than you. The car could swerve and hit you, and you are putting the dog and driver in danger. I mentioned this as it was wrong and a really poor strategy for dealing with dogs. If you plan ahead you should make better decisions than I did.

I had a paper route that I walked and delivered those advertisements to door knobs. I learned a lot about dog behavior. I refused to deliver to houses where they hit the dog with what I brought them. Dogs hate those that bring the object of their punishment to the home, and some are very defensive of their territory. Whenever possible, it is best to let an owner know about a negative behavior of a dog. Without the knowledge, the owner will take no corrective action. If possible make the owner think that you are a dog friendly person. Bring the bike to allow the dog to recognize you and the bike are not threatening or some strange creature. Perhaps the dog can get used to a bike, but don’t go overboard, as you don’t need dogs chasing you for a treat or play. I never feed another person’s dog. Feeding dogs can get you in trouble with the owners as well. I even avoid petting the dog. I would prefer being a non-entity to the dog when on a bike.

Dogs do not naturally see you as a non-entity. Dogs likely see you as predator or prey, friend or threat. This dog’s eye view helps in understanding why dogs chase bikes. Nearly every time a dog encounters a bike the cyclist will try to accelerate away. Your action (accelerating away) can confirm to the dog that you are prey. If the dog thinks of you as a threat or intruder on its territory, chasing you away is a reinforced behavior. For a dog, when they chase and you leave, they are succeeding in what they do. Most dogs that chase have no desire to actually catch a cyclist. I remember, as a child, how our dog would bark to let us know someone had entered our yard. An older gentlemen thought that the little dog that was watching him walk down the sidewalk was one he would “teach a lesson”. He obviously had a fear of dogs. When he stepped off the sidewalk and tried to kick our dog, the dog, (a Sheltie) tried to herd him back off of our property. I was about 12 at the time and knew what the dog was trying to do, but the man would not listen when I told him to return to the sidewalk. After multiple attempts to kick the dog, the man was lying flat on his back with our dog trying to lick his face. He yelled something about wanting to kill our dog, I told him not to touch the dog and to never enter our property again. After that incident he walked down the other side of the street. My point is that a dog’s behavior and intent may not be what the human initially sees or believes.

How I react to a strange dog on the road varies, but I will explain my usual behavior. If the dog is “laying in wait”, I do not try to speed up as I want to determine my options. I look for the owner. I sometimes slow down, and always go down a gear or two, so the dog stops to gauge my speed. I want my feet to be whirling around quickly. I understand dogs will bite an ankle when a foot is on the ground or moving forward at a speed similar to their speed. If you downshift to get your feet going faster it is more likely a dog will get kicked trying to bite you, than getting clamped on you and pulling you down.

If the dog stops in the road or runs toward me, I accelerate at it. Yes, my bike is a brute. It is a mountain bike. I do not intend to catch the dog. I just intend to change the game. Most dogs when confronted by an oncoming bike aimed at them are confused. Take advantage growl, bark, yell – go home – bad dog – sit (if a dog sits, yell stay). I have seen other riders with pepper spray. I would not want to be relying on this and have to fumble with the locking device. Pepper spray can be seen as a weapon. I am not sure if it is as effective as needed, and fear if sprayed forward, a rider may ride into a cloud of the spray. I was given a small air horn, but I can yell really loud and don’t need to reach for more than a lungful of air.

Be forceful. I have had few dogs that did not run from me or at least get out of the way. Your chance at hitting the dog is slim, but be prepared to redirect to one side, so the dog can go the other way. I had one huge dog that just stood there! I think it may have been old, blind and deaf. I missed it by a hair. Most dogs when confronted by my behavior run. Hopefully the tail is between the legs and the dog realizes the road is your territory, not theirs and you are not prey. I do not consider my behavior as cruel or harmful to the dog. Causing a dog to be put down for behavior endangering riders, or killed by a car, may be avoided if the dog is conditioned to avoid traffic.

Flagging is one other “reliable” technique for changing a dog’s behavior. I was taught this as a method used by a group that traveled coast to coast. All the riders were required to have a flag. The flag increased bike visibility, but the holders for this particular group were redesigned to allow the flag to be removed and inserted while riding. Riders would remove the flag and attempt to swat at troublesome dogs. I understand a line of bikes creates a gauntlet for dogs. Dogs, being nimble, are rarely hit, but get the idea of who is the prey quickly. Often only the lead group would see dogs within striking distance of the bike flags. I heard the competition to be the first to flag a dog on a trip and counting coup was good-natured, encouraging acts of valor as no dog was too fierce to try to hit. I have one bike stilled rigged for flagging. I pulled out the flag a few times, but have never hit a dog with it. I did once pass a house where a kid released his dog with the words sic-cum. I was ahead and easily out ran the dog down the hill. I was returning an hour later and the kid saw me early. I grabbed my flag as he repeated his command and released his dog. When he looked up he saw that I had lowered the flag like a lance. He called his dog back and yelled, “Don’t kill my dog!” I flicked the flag to the side and the dog followed it. I did not have much chance or desire to contact the dog, but the kid and perhaps the dog learned a quick lesson. Writing this reminds me that just having the flag gave me some confidence around dogs. I felt as if I could get the dogs attention on the flag I was much safer. I always figured if the dog grabbed the flag I would ride on and leave the flag. If you see me riding with a flag in the future I will have a holder that provides for quick removal, as you don’t leave a flag on when transporting a bike.

I am by far not the fastest rider in the club, so I don’t consider the option of always riding away as valid for me. I also know that excessive speed has its own risks. Steve Magas The Bike Lawyer mentioned on our web site, “In my experience handling these cases, more people are injured from a fall caused by a dog than an actual bite”. I ride with my daughter and do not want her to be scared of every barking dog. I have told her why I may chase a dog and she is comfortable with it. I have chased a dog for a distance till it tired, and I slowed to let it turn around. It is not my intent to hurt the dog and would hate to hit one. I believe most dogs that get hit do not see the car or bike that hit them, or misjudge the speed of a vehicle. Note the greyhound is next to the cheetah the fastest land animal. The greyhound can reach 38mph in a 660 yard race and has been known on a dog track to reach 45-1/2mph. I think even the fastest members of our club should consider other options for a dog encounter than the, “I can outrun any dog”, concept.

For information concerning The Law and Dogs please see a great article by Steve Magas.

Cincinnatians Love 3-Ways, June 2011 Edition

We did not expect this to turn into a recurring feature, but the bike trail news keeps on coming!

Did you know there are 6.5 miles of unused railroad tracks running through some of the most popular parks, residential and shopping areas in Cincinnati…?

Rumour has it that over 200,000 people live within 2 miles of these unused railroad tracks. (No actual study found that supports these numbers, but that is what the Wasson Trail folks said)

The Wasson Road railroad tracks – the tracks running through Xavier, past Buskens and the Hyde Park Kroger – span the neighborhoods of Evanston, Norwood, Hyde Park, Oakley, Mt Lookout, Fairfax, and Mariemont. The trail begins at Xavier University, passes by Withrow High School, Rookwood Pavilion, Hyde Park Plaza, Ault Park, and ends at the beginning of the 78 mile Little Miami Bike Trail. You can go all the way to Dayton, OH or Urbana, OH on this trail! In the future, it will also connect to Cincinnati’s riverfront via the Ohio River Way Trail (which is under construction and also needs your support!).

Please note that these tracks still belong to the railroad company, but they haven’t been used for over a year. A group of volunteers supporting the transformation of these tracks into a bike and pedestrian path has been created. You can take support the group by becoming a Facebook fan. Unlike The Ohio River Way, this group hopes to NOT create a staff and an organization with overhead. They just want to turn this unused railroad into a bike trail.

At this time, the group is working with the City of Cincinnati, and will be meeting with members of City Council in June and July. Check the website above for more details. We will also be putting this info on the CCC Forum under ADVOCACY.

Cluster News

Little Miami Cluster – Fred Ferguson

The LMC has all our weekly rides up and running now that the rain is finally slowing. The Tuesday night Pizza Ride out of Nisbet park, the Thursday ride from Bishops, and our staple the Saturday Breakfast Ride are each all pulling in 40+ cyclists. Come out and enjoy our fun rides.

The Chili Ride on May 21 was organized by Scott Ebbing and had wonderful weather and was a rousing success. There were 250+ cyclists and yummy Cincinnati Chili at the finish like catered by GoldStar Chili.

The LMC has two all cluster rides coming up. Be sure to mark your calendars and save the dates.

July:
Since we are speaking of the Chili Ride, let’s discuss the Chili Repeat.

The Chili Repeat is a rerun of the popular Chili Ride and will be on Saturday, July 9. There is no cost to ride the Chili Repeat and there are no rest stops. But there are quick marts along the route and there will be FREE food at the Finish Line compliments of Kevin Armstrong and one of his clients.

Make sure you save the date and come out and enjoy some of the best rural routes in Cincinnati.

August:

On Saturday, August 13 we will be hosting the Caesars Creek Ride. This is a wonderful scenic ride that starts near the beach on Caesars Creek Reservoir. Last year’s ride featured scenic routes, multiple ride distances, and food at the finish line. Donations were accepted to benefit Juvenile Diabetes.

Have a great month of cycling everyone. See you on the road.
Little Miami Cluster – Fred Ferguson

Northern Kentucky – Tom Runyan

This year we are going to have a Cluster Wide ride and picnic – social event in Northern Ky. I am looking for a location to host the ride start and post ride party. If anyone has some suggestions please let me know. I am looking for a park or shelter area that is easily and safely reached both by bike and car to accommodate everyone. I would also like to be able to map out a shorter 30 – 35 mile ride and a longer 50 – 60 mile route from the starting location. The shorter route needs to be more accommodating where as the longer route should be a little more challenging. I think that many people are tired of riding the 8s – either Rt. 8 in Campbell County or Rt. 8 west in Boone County so if possible I would like to give those two areas a rest. I am hoping to host this event in August so if you have any recommendations or would like to help please let me know

If you are interested in leading a CCC ride please contact your cluster leader so that they can get your ride officially listed on the calendar thus making it a legit ride and getting it covered by the clubs insurance. Just posting a ride to the ride line does not legally make it a CCC ride thus you lose some of the benefits. Being a ride leader is not complicated and it can be very rewarding. If you have any questions about leading a ride or if you want to have a ride posted on the calendar, have any suggestions or questions about the Northern Ky Cluster, please contact me at the following: http://www.cincinnaticycleclub.org/contact-us/

Ride safe!

Ault Park Posse – Scott Fratianne

The Ault Park Cluster is announcing a new ride that started on May 29th and will take please every Sunday morning: CCC Sunday School

No….this not a religious ride! There will be no blessing of the bikes or biblical lessons. The purpose of the ride is TRAINING, thus the name “School.” This ride is for anyone that is interested in a faster paced ride and/or may have training goals that include completing a century ride, a triathlon, or a long charity ride such as the MS150, or just wants to improve their overall cycling skills.

The MINIMUM speed that you should be able to ride is 14MPH on the flats. Anyone that is comfortable with this minimum is welcome to join, even if you are not participating in the training activities. If we have large enough of a group, we will break into multiple speed and skill groups. If you are not able to ride at this pace or cannot ride the distance of the posted route, please contact CCC and we will be happy to recommend a ride that is aligned to your skill level and abilities.

The route for the ride will be announced the Friday prior to the ride (check the ride line for details). Each week the ride we will progressively add mileage with the goal of doing an easy century ride around the beginning of August. All rides will start on the east side of Cincinnati.

As for the training aspects of the ride, we will have seasoned cyclists and coaches participating in the ride who are willing and eager to help you achieve your goals. On the first few rides, prior to the actual ride and for those who are interested in participating in the training, we will ask each rider about their goals and skills. Regardless of your goal, this Sunday School ride will be the central activity that everyone comes together on. Based on your individual goals, you will then be provided training activities (e.g. additional rides) that are recommended for completion outside of the weekly Sunday School ride. Riders of like goals will be paired together to promote camaraderie and so that everyone has training buddies throughout the season.

Beyond training, as the season progresses, we will be adding some post-ride social activities, like grill outs, etc.

If you have any questions, please email sfratianne@gmail.com or call 513-706-1045

Ask Mr. Cranky

In case you missed me last month, my friends call me Mister Cranky. Each month I will try to offer worthless advice to your insincere cycling questions. And if I don’t get enough questions I’ll just make up some to help you get over the fear of asking me something I cannot answer. So if you have a few worthless questions about riding a bike you have come to the worst possible place for advice.

Dear Mr. Cranky,

Why are the hills so much more difficult in the spring?

John Hillshiere

Dear John,

There is a simple explanation for this, it’s called rain. You see every spring it rains a lot. All this water soaks into the ground thus causing the ground to swell and raise up making the hills taller! Did you ever wonder why they measure rain in inches? Well now you know. When summer comes the sun and heat work to dry up all that excess rain. As the rain evaporates the ground drops thus lowering the hills and making them easier to climb. This is the reason it is important to avoid hills until mid summer when they are more stable and much easier to climb.

Keep Cranking,

Mr. Cranky

————-

Dear Mr. Cranky,

With the current drug turmoil in pro-cycling how do you find someone you can admire or aspire to?

Simon

Dear Simon,

Over the years I have met and gotten autographs from some famous cyclist. I have Andy Hampsten, Greg Lemond, Gianni Bugno, Laurent Fignon and Lance Armstrong’s autograph just to name a few. These men have all won Grand Tours and yet were all courteous enough to give a cycling fan a few moments of their time. I was awe struck the day I was standing on the side of a mountain top finish. The incline was so steep that walking down from the parking lot at the finish was difficult. The lead rider came through and then Greg Lemond came up. He asked us how much farther and upon our reply Greg shifted to a harder gear, stood and flew up to the finish! It was that day that I realized how gifted pro riders are. In the Tour of Georgia I watched Lance Armstrong win back to back stages in the same day. It was then that I realized how dedicated and driven a pro rider can be. In 1990, the year after Greg Lemond won his famous time trial to win the Tour de France, I found Laurent Fignon standing over his bike waiting for the stage to start. Laurent was labeled as a “bad boy”, “nonsocial” and disliked by the press. I approached him tentatively and to my surprise I found that he was very open and courteous.

It was then that I realized everything I read in the cycling magazines weren’t always true. On another day I found Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt sitting on top of the team car sunning themselves, cutting up and taking it easy. Here were two of the hardest working cyclist in the peleton showing everyone that even pros are human and need a few moments to relax before the onslaught of racing. So over the years I have realized the “stars” of our sport perform amazing things on a bike but in reality they are just normal people in many other aspects. We need to keep that in mind when we judge them or idolize them.

I’ve also been privileged enough to ride with some of the great local riders who all of us can admire. You may not know these riders but I am sure you have met a few of your own. I’ve ridden with Sandy Sanderson, long time ride leader on the west side of town. Sandy celebrated his 70th birthday by riding 70 miles! On another ride I had one of my stronger 40ish year old riding buddies complaining about the pace only to find that Jim Obert, twenty plus years his senior, on the front and driving the pace! For the past two winters I’ve been lucky enough to ride Tim McFadden’s Urban Ride. I can only hope that I am still riding when I reach Tim’s age more or less be able to lead a ride in the dark and in the cold. So you see for me the “stars” of our sport aren’t just the youngsters winning Grand Tours. They are also the elder gents of our club that show us that getting older doesn’t mean that you have to ride slower or ride shorter distances . And most importantly, getting older doesn’t mean you are incapable of leading a ride, sharing your experiences or mentoring others. These gentlemen and the many others that I have not mentioned here show us all that we have something to look forward to. A goal that we can aspire to; one that is within our reach. I will never win a Grand Tour or even a local city race but I certainly am trying to keep up with Sandy, Jim and Tim. And as I sit in front of my TV this July wearing my “Legs Shut UP!” Tshirt and cheering Jens Voigt on I will also be thanking all of the local stars for showing us that we have a long time left to enjoy our sport.

Happy Cranking,

Mr. Cranky

Do you have a question you need help with? Ask Mr. Cranky by sending a self addressed email to AskMrCranky@gmail.com and watch for a response in an upcoming newsletter.

Disclaimer: The advice provided on Ask Mr. Cranky is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice from a knowledgeable bike shop or cyclist. Neither the individual contributor or the Cincinnati Cycle Club nor anyone else connected to this newsletter can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information or disinformation presented in this article.

Bike2Baseball – The Post Game Report

We appreciated that the Reds were willing to work with us to set up BIKE2BASEBALL. But the one thing we learned was best said by PT Barnum – “If the people do not want to come, you can’t stop them.”

While the Cincinnati Cycle Club’s main goal was to provide a fun ride and event for our members, the secondary goal (which actually was the primary goal of a number of “Bicycle Advocacy” individuals) of BIKE2BASEBALL was to see if there was an actual demand for a bike valet service such as the one there is at the SF Giants and Washington Nationals games, or to secure a supervised bike parking area in the GABP garage. While many people advocating bicycles said we should have such things, only 3 dozen last fall and now 14 people this year voted with their actual attendance. Most of the people that came, did so for the ride and the Reds game and the fun.

I would like to thank Shannon Senger of the Reds and Jim Coppock of the City Transportation for all that they did in getting BIKE2BASEBALL set up. Shannon arranged for the meetings between the bicycle advocacy individuals with the City of Cincinnati Transportation department. Additionally, she set up the Reds discounts and Reds web pages for us. Jim secured the permits from the City of Cincinnati that allowed the installation of a temporary bike rack on the GABP sidewalk. Reser Bicycle Outfitters delivered and set up temporary bike racks for both events.

Jim & Dianne Lindner, and daughter Adelaide, led the ride from Hartwell and Frank Henson led the east side ride. A big THANKYAVERYMUCH goes out to them for all their help. Frank sent us a number of photos of smiling bikers hiding under the school on stilts from the thunderstorms. He reports that, despite the rain, everyone had a good time.

Perhaps someday down the road there will be an actual demand for the services instead of just bicycle advocacy people saying that we need them. Doing the math, with 14 tickets sold in 2011, if there were 30,000 people at GABP on a Sunday, then .000466% decided to ride their bikes to the game. That is less than 1/2 of 100th of ONE PERCENT. I see no business model where such a small demand would cause a business to provide a bike parking service.

The other desire that the bicycle advocacy people had was that if they could not get the Reds to pay for a bicycle valet service was to have two GABP parking spaces converted into bike parking. If the Reds were to remove TWO parking spaces and put racks in (for non valet parking), the Reds would lose 2 x 81 games at $14 per game a year = $2,268 in parking revenue (assuming that the central garage sells out for every home game). Again, I see no business model where such a small demand would cause a business to choose to lose revenue to provide a service that only a few individuals actually supported with their purchases.

In a few months, the new bike facility in the riverfront park will be open a few hundred feet away, and anybody that wants to ride to a game, can just park over there. Once this is built, members of the Cincinnati Cycle Club can just organize a ride to a game and not need to secure permits and set up web pages and pricing. We can just go ride our bikes down and have fun at a game.

Again, thanks to Shannon Senger of the Reds and Jim Coppock of the City of Cincinnati Transportation Department for all of the work they did to set up these games.

Should I “Sit” or should I “Stand”???

Coach OB

I get asked this question A LOT, “Should I stay seated on a climb or should I stand on a climb?” Well, there is no right or wrong. There is no rule that says you must stay seated on a climb. Numerous people I coach tell me that they heard, “YOU MUST STAY SEATED ON ALL CLIMBS! You are faster that way!” Simply not true. There are too many variables to determine HOW you climb.

• What is your intended pace?

• How steep is the climb?

• How long is the climb?

• Does the climb change as it goes upwards?

• How long is the hill?

• What is YOUR individual style?

• Where in the ride/race does the hill happen? Will fatigue factor in?

All of these determine HOW you climb a hill. For the hills that we have here in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, or wherever you are training, it is best to change your position as you climb and have the ability to climb using both methods; you should train yourself to be able to do both. In my coaching, I have my clients do different climbing drills; doing a whole climb in the saddle, doing a whole climb out of the saddle AND mixing it up during the climb.

There are positives for both. While climbing in the saddle, you can generate a little more power. Your pedal stroke is a little smoother and more controlled. While you are out of the saddle, you can deal with accelerations in the pace or changes in the gradient more easily. You can also use your body weight to help you push down on the pedals. Best of all, it allows you to engage different muscles and get a good stretch at the same time.

Now, you also need to factor in the different hand positions; on the tops of the bars, on the brake hoods or in the drops. Just like the reasons listed above, your hand position while you are climbing is not set in stone. A lot to take in, I know. So much to learn……

Eat Well!

Sleep Well!

Ride SMART!

Coach OB

www.coachob.com

coachob@coachob.com

Whatever your goals, Coach OB has the experience and resources to help you improve your cycling abilities. Coach OB Has custom plans designed specifically to fit your goals with a custom built training program to fit into your schedule.

Have You Seen It?

June’s “Have You Seen It” is a wooden bike called a skuut!

Its located in one of the Greater Cincinnati Bicycle shops. If you haven’t seen it you aren’t shopping the local bike shops enough! If you have seen it please let Mr. Cranky know at AskMrCranky@gmail.com. Each month we will display another interesting photo from one of our local bike shops.

May’s ‘Have You Seen It?’ was a a rack of bikes ready to go! You can find this at Bikes and More, 6363 Glenway Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. http://www.bicyclesandmorecyclery.net/

OKI Bike News

Don Burrell

One of the recommendations of the OKI Regional Bicycle Plan is to initiate timely communication about regional cycling issues among individuals with personal and professional interests in them. Computer technology has facilitated this through e-mail messaging. These “newsletters” will be issued on an as-needed basis as a “critical mass” of items accumulates. As the distribution list is often expanded, and issues are forwarded, previous editions are available to new readers on request. Also, Bike E-News can now be found on OKI’s web site at: http://www.oki.org/pdf/bike/info.pdf

Pres Sez, May 2011

John Chester

MAY IS BIKE MONTH!

Well, April turned out to be more of a “Build an Ark” month, than a get on your bike and ride month. As of this writing (April 25, 2011), April 2011 was the wettest April on record and the FOURTH wettest month on record in Cincinnati. I don’t know about you, but I had a number of bike rides I planned on going on rained out, as well as finishing one in a thunderstorm.

MAY IS BIKE MONTH!

This month will be our Spring National Ride: The Chili Century. VP Scott Ebbing has stepped up to run the ride this year. I encourage all of our club members to grab a friend and your bike and come out to Goshen on Saturday May 21, 2011. Remember – all of the good things that the club does for the cycling community comes from the profits of our National Rides. We get continual requests for funds, as well as the “why doesn’t the club do…” questions. Well, if we want to do these, then we need riders at The Chili Century!

MAY IS BIKE MONTH!

Have you found a recurring CCC Ride that you love? If so, have you seen a new person at that ride? Remember how you felt that first night? Scared? Apprehensive? Well, consider “Taking one for the Team” and walk over and say hello to the new guy or gal. Consider “Taking one for the Team” and dropping back a speed group, so that new guy or gal can have someone to ride with. Everybody has a first ride. Not everyone has a second. Please welcome our newest riders.

MAY IS BIKE MONTH!

Did I mention that MAY IS BIKE MONTH?

For those of you who wish to see all of the bicycle related things that have been set up for Bike Month, for a four page list, please visit Queen City Bike.

If you work downtown, on Thursday May 19th, please come over to Fountain Square for BIKE TO WORK DAY! I guarantee that there is something there that says “BICYCLE!” for you!

Remember – Get on your bike, go for a ride, it’s fun!

The Ride of Silence – 2011

We regret to inform you that the Cincinnati Cycle Club will not hold The Ride of Silence in 2011.

For those of you who have participated in The Ride of Silence the last few years, you will remember that we were required to stress that bicycles were not allowed on Fountain Square. We were instructed to walk our bikes, not ride them. A waiver was granted to allow the bikes to be on the Square, but not ridden.

In 2011, the Fountain Square application process was changed, and our event was determined to be both a “Special Event” and a “Sporting Event.” In response to receiving our insurance policy for the event, we were told “this will not fly”, and that a Sports Insurance Policy would need to be obtained. I noted that our policy is from the League of American Bicyclists, and they specialized in sports policies.

Fountain Square is not bicycle friendly. Bicycles are not allowed on Fountain Square, and there is no bicycle parking on the Square. I participated in two rides that stopped at Fountain Square in 2010, and both times we were instructed by the “Fountain Square Ambassadors” to leave. The bicycles were being walked both times, not ridden. The City of Cincinnati wished to place bicycle lockers there in recent years, but that request was denied. As a result, currently, on the public sidewalk, the City has placed bicycle racks on 5th Street.

As of this writing, Fountain Square had decided to create an event at 8:00 PM that would be competing with Wednesday’s Party in The Park. They stated if the event sports insurance was approved, and it was determined to allow The Ride of Silence, that we would be limited to a presence from 7 to 7:15 PM. As that is not enough time to hold any type of ceremony, and with the varying arrival times of the riders, we could not guarantee that we would be done in time.

The CCC Board will look for a new location for The Ride of Silence for 2012. Perhaps the new Central Waterfront Park with the bike facility will be more bicycle friendly than Fountain Square.

CCC Day at Camp Ernst

Bill Easley

YMCA Camp Ernst is hosting the Club’s northern Kentucky ride Saturday May 14th at 10:00am. Following the ride, club members are welcome to experience the camp’s off road trails and dirt pump track, weather permitting.

Members who plan to drive to YMCA Camp Ernst should park their cars at Camp Ernst Park, a Boone County Park directly across the lake from the camp. The park entrance is off Camp Ernst Road and the turnoff is as soon as you see the Lake on the right. (the sign points in the opposite direction).

Following our scheduled ride, Camp Ernst will have mountain bikes available to club members needing them. The club will be presenting a check for the two Mountain Bikes the club donated to YMCA Camp Ernst along with two scholarships for needy youth to experience a week of camp in the bike program.

The youth receiving the scholarships will also receive membership in the club for their family for a year. Join us at Camp Ernst for a road and off road ride and see what the YMCA camp is doing for youth cycling!

Cincinnatians Love 3-Ways, Part Deux

Since March, there has been some news regarding the three ways to get from downtown to Lunken Airport. Some good news, some bad and a surprise development.

The THREE SEPARATE PLANS for routes/paths are:

1. Riverside Drive to Wilmer to Lunken
2. Ohio River Trail
3. Ohio River Way Bike Path (http://www.ohioriverway.org/)

Riverside Drive and The Ohio River Trail:

The City of Cincinnati presented recommendations for a short-term project called the East End Bicycle Facility. This consists of proposed bike lanes on Riverside/Kellogg from Bains to Congress. This has been assumed to be the existing conditions when the Ohio River Trail construction begins in a more distant future. Some of the alternatives (sidepath, cycle tracks, bike lanes) considered in the East End Bike Facility Project are being considered for the Ohio River Trail project.

Information about the multiple options for this project can be found at Ohio River Trail:

Additionally, there is an optional survey for you to vote on which plan you prefer.

The new bike trail from Corbin to Lunken was to be dedicated on Thursday April 28th, but, alas, they were under water due to the record rainfall received in April. A new dedication will be planned for later on this summer. Good News: I am happy to state that due to my whining and complaining in the March BikeWriter, there was one change made where this new trail arrives at Lunken. “The only negative to this stretch is that my request for large mushroom shaped road crossing buttons that could be easily whacked by a bike rider was ignored.” The button to cross is now a BIG OLE WHAP ME STYLE BUTTON, instead of a stop and poke your finger in a little spot button. Life is good!

The Ohio River Way Bike Path:

This plan consists of placing a multi use trail on an existing rail corridor. The Ohio River Way Bike Path organizers are now wishing to include this plan in a proposed multi-modal Eastern Corridor plan. A map of the proposal options can also be viewed at this website.

On Tuesday April 5, 2011, project leaders held a community open house to provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about the project and offer feedback at the midpoint of this planning phase. But because there will not be any official decisions concerning track alignment, vehicle type, etc., until 2012, those who attended the April 5 open house at the Leblond Recreation Center on Riverside Drive were extremely frustrated by the inability of planners to answer specific questions.

As the meeting went forth, those in attendance realized that the planning group wished to promote a diesel train from the Milford area to downtown. The train would travel on the existing rail line that is infrequently used by The Cincinnati Dinner Train, the circus, and the occasional train going to scrap yards along the riverfront. One person in attendance asked how often the proposed train would travel. When one train each way per hour was mentioned, a quick calculation led to 61,320 trains EACH WAY per year. In addition, if the diesel train proposal were to go forth, the developers would not allow a bicycle path to be placed in its right of way.

Another group in attendance wished to promote another leg of the Cincinnati Streetcar. The developers stated that with the existing use of the rail line, a streetcar would not be allowed on the rail right of way. The Streetcar proponents then wished to place this on Kellogg / Eastern Avenue / Riverside Drive. That received mixed responses.

Eventually an informal, non binding, vote was held:

• In favor of a Diesel train: ZERO
• In favor of a Streetcar on Riverside: about one half
• Those objecting to a bike trail: NONE!

This vote was a mixture of supporters, to those who don’t care, as they realized that bikes are not a part of the problem, but a part of the solution. This was the first meeting I have been to in a long time where nobody hated bikes!

It was noted that the businesses along the proposed routes all want some sort of bike path. MariBelles restaurant even had plumbing and electrical installed on their third floor during its recent renovations. This is so that if a bike path were to be created on the rail line, they could quickly build a deck up and out back for potential customers!

BAD NEWS – The net result of the meeting, is that NOTHING is going to happen for a minimum of one year, until a proposal comes forth. As such, there will be no Ohio River Bike Path on that rail line in 2011.

Now – The Surprise Development:

While not one of the three plans discussed above, there is currently a possibility that Norfolk and Southern Railroad will either abandon or offer for lease an unused train line. This line would connect with the Little Miami trail on the east. It would begin near Xavier University then head east towards Hyde Park and Oakley, and then go near Ault Park to Mariemont where it could connect with the existing Little Miami Scenic Trail. A developer near Mariemont wished to purchase a section of the unused rail line near the rear of his property. It was then discussed that for Norfolk and Southern to do this, it would need to formally ABANDON the line, at which point, a “RAILS TO TRAILS” mixed use path could be created.

Choosing a Bike Repair Stand

Sam Walker

Recently I did a lot of researching and evaluating of bike repair stands for the average home bike mechanic. The goal was to write some reviews on some of the more popular stands and their styles for a website I work for.

A bike repair stand has three main uses:

1. It elevates your bike to the height you need it
2. It keeps your bike stable while you work on it
3. It allows you to work on your bike without putting pressure on any of your bike’s components

The style and quality of the bike repair stand you use can pretty much set the framework for your home bike repairs. There were a number of so-so stands and there were also some stands that were really excellent and did the job well. So what distinguishes a so-so stand from a top quality stand that will make your repairs a heck of a lot easier? The below is a few important pointers I have learned, which I have tweaked and tweaked some more after taking feedback.

1. Reputable Company

I’m a minimalist by nature and would prefer a shirt without a famous logo at a lesser price than paying for that added brand logo. However with bike repair stands, I can say with some confidence that buying from a reputable company is a good idea. A good company with a good reputation ensures the following:

You know what you are getting, as many others have tried and tested it before you.

A good company has built their reputation around quality and they have that reputation to protect. This means they will go that extra mile to make sure your stand works well and will fix any problems should they occur.

It will usually come with some sort of warranty, quite possibly a life time one.

One of the best known and popular brands in the industry is Park Tool, and it is likely the most popular stand with bike shops. Feedback Sports is another brand that puts some good quality stands out there. You won’t go wrong with either one of these brands, and there are a few others too, but what I like about these two companies is the consistency of their work in recent years. Some brands have some really good quality stands and and a few cheaper ones that don’t work so well, so you need to be careful with what you buy.

2. Rave Review Rating.

You can get a really good sense of what you are purchasing by reading user reviews. A few rave reviews and a few so-so reviews will be risky, because you could fall into the so-so category. Any stand will make your life easier and will warrant some positive reviews, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a great stand. Look for a stand with all rave reviews. If you see the word wobbly or flimsy mentioned anywhere in a review, I recommend avoiding that stand. You really want a stand that will hold your bike rock solid while you work on it.

3. It’s all about the clamp

Look for a stand with a good clamp. The clamp is the part of the repair stand that will hold your bicycle and rotate it 360 degrees. The two most common style of clamps is the screw in style and the cam-style clamp. The cam-style clamp is a bit easier as it opens and closes in one swift action but both can be fully adjustable. A bad clamp will cause you some frustration, even if it is attached to a good stable stand.

4. Working smart according to your budget

You’ve only got $40 to spend, and you want a good quality repair stand so there must be something you can buy right? Unfortunately no, not in my experience and you’ll need to work smart in other ways. It looks like just a piece of metal and it doesn’t seem that it should cost so much, but we are also paying for the development, workmanship and customization of the product and it’s parts.

You can of course buy a bike repair stand for $40 and it will work, and it will make repairs a little easier, but it will not be a quality stand and you will feel that. You are risking being a reviewer yourself that uses the word wobbly and flimsy, and quite frankly you will likely be frustrated at times. If $40 is all you have to spend, look at making your own stand if you are the handy type but make sure you can do it well. Creating a poor quality stand is the same as buying a poor quality one. If you are going to buy, wait until you can afford a good one. It will make you much happier and is a one time investment if you choose wisely.

Last but not least…

5. Stability Rules Them All

The #1 quality for any good bike repair stand is that it holds your bike stable. By stable I mean really stable. Not wobbly, not feeling like it’s going to break if you crank too hard or that it might tip if you put too heavy a bike on it. You want a stand that holds your bike solid at an elevated level. How do you know if you stand is going to be stable enough? The answer is to follow the above four tips. Get one from a good company, read the reviews, work smart according to your budget, and get a great clamp. You do this, with sturdiness in mind, you will have a killer stand for your bike that will work great for years to come. I wrote a comprehensive review on the popular Park Tool PCS-10 Home Mechanic Repair Stand, which was a good example of a stable stand, that has an almost flawless review rating because of this one main feature.

To conclude, Stability is #1, and you can find that by following the above tips. Doing your own bicycle repairs and maintenance can be a rewarding addition to the sport of cycling, and will help your bike last a long and healthy life.

From the Treasurer’s Desk

Steve Wegener

Several brief updates this month:

• The Ohio Bicycle Events Calendar is now available online
• The CCC is moving to a new storage locker within the same facility in Loveland and we need some help moving shelving and equipment. If you can help please email treasurer@cincinnaticycleclub.org and we will set a date to move in May.
• The CCC is cleaning out its locker and is selling the following equipment:
  • Used 20″ Color TV/VCR Combo
  • Old Style CCC Jerseys (1 Small womens and 1 XX Large Mens)
  • 2 – 26×1.5 Hybrid Tires
  • 1 – Continential Avenue Semislick Tire 28 x 1.5
  • 2 – IRC Road Winner Tires 700 x 28
  • 5 – 16.4 oz. Propane Fuel Cylinders
• Additional details can be found at the CCC Classified section of our website HERE

CCC and College Hill Farmers Market Bike Rodeo and Neighborhood Ride.

The Club and the College Hills Farmers Market are banding together to present the College Hill Farmers Market Bike Rodeo and Neighborhood Ride. The Rodeo and Ride will take place  Thursday June 23rd, 2011 starting at 5 p.m. at the College Hill Presbyterian Church (5742 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati Ohio 45224).

Children from the neighborhood are invited to a BIKE RODEO at 5 p.m. where they will be instructed in the safe use of a bicycle. After the rodeo we will explore some of the neighborhood’s more quiet roads, as well as some of the less known parks and sights. If needed, we will create multiple groups with multiple speed levels.

To participate, each individual needs to wear a bicycle helmet.

As this ride is shortly after the 5 p.m. BIKE RODEO, some of those participants may wish to go on this ride. Children are allowed to participate when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Due to insurance requirements, unaccompanied children will not be accepted on the ride.

To participate in the ride, each child needs:

• Parent or Guardian to ride with and to sign the participation waiver
• Bicycle
• Helmet
• Shoes must cover the full foot (with a closed toe and heel) – Flip Flops/Crocs are not acceptable.

Before the Rodeo at 5 p.m. and before the 6:30 p.m. Bike Ride, members of the CCC will give guidance on the proper fit of a bike helmet, and instruct each participant on how to check their bike for safety.

Thanks to: Jim Lindner, Adelaide Lindner, Larry Bloomfield and John Chester.

Rain cancels.

Contact Information:

Jim Lindner: Cell – 513-742-2411, Email: jlindner@resindek.com

Larry Bloomfield: Cell # 513-502-3408, Email: bluesbent@fuse.net

John Chester: Cell #513-543-1929 Email:President@CincinnatiCycleClub.org

College Hill Farm Market Team: CollegeHillFarmMarket@gmail.com

It’s Bike Month! How will you celebrate?

Jim Lindner

I have found in the last couple of years that Bike month is truly a celebration if you treat it as such. For me, Lent is over and hopefully the worst of the spring rains. I can start riding my bike more often with fewer interruptions due to the weather. I also get to see more bikes on the road and more participants in weekly club rides. I have also found more interest in bicycling both from the public and the Media. My wife tells me when she hears about a bike event or some other news related to bike month.

I am even getting emails about teaching bike safety. I am hoping this is a trend, as more cyclists seem to be out there each of the last few years. I know I was told I could rely on LCI’s to handle Cycling classes but I am beginning to feel I should look for additional members that can help with the show and tell situations coming up this month. If you get a call it is because someone pointed you out to me. If you want to contact me directly go ahead.

My suggestions of the three best ways to celebrate are to ride your bike to get somewhere, ride nowhere in particular, and bring someone else the knowledge of why you like to ride a bike.

I had an inspiration to reuse an old joke about doing something just for the money. It was a bad joke, but it fits a bad situation. The news is pointing out how many are being financially hit by the high gas prices. I have often had people tell me they will not ride a bike because it is unsafe to ride the Cincinnati roads. The joke asks, “Will you compromise your principles for a million bucks? Would you do it for fifty cents?

The point is that the money offered can warp your perspective. This country has been blessed and cursed by cheap energy cost. Would you forgo walking or riding a bike if the convenience of traveling by car is very affordable? Would you pay attention to the health benefits of walking and riding a bike if you found the alternatives too costly? Will you brave the road on a bike when you cannot afford to pay for the gas to go to work by car?

I have a parent who needed to give up driving in her 80’s. I can tell you it is not pleasant to think of giving up the freedom of travel we have taken for granted. It is my hope to use my car in moderation and my bike more frequently in order to save sufficiently to not change my travel habits. I think that if I include the time it takes to earn the money to pay for my car expenses, and the time I save that I should use for exercise, short trips are faster on my bike than in a car. I may not be able yet to convince a lot of others that this is reasonable. I am afraid that the higher gas prices may do the convincing for me.

I guess this month also has me worried as many with the skill to ride a bike upright are unaware of the skills that make it safe to ride on the road. I often question if some of the cyclists I see on the road are a detriment to the cause of cycling as they put themselves unwittingly in danger. I made the effort to take a LAB course on safe bike riding when I began to commute more regularly. I think the change in the attitudes of drivers to the presence of bikes and the increase in cell phone distractions made this a wise decision. I recommend it to all riders and hope Drivers Ed will be required to include cycling as a subject for new drivers.

There are many bike month events this year. Find one that works for you and enjoy!

Have You Seen It?

It’s a rack of bikes ready to go! It’s located in one of the Greater Cincinnati bicycle shops. If you haven’t seen it you aren’t shopping the local bike shops enough! If you have seen it please let Mr. Cranky know at AskMrCranky@gmail.com.

Each month we will display another interesting photo from one of our local bike shops.

Cluster News:

Spokes In Motion:

I want to remind all SIM’s riders that the Banana Ride changes its starting time to 9AM in May. Even though we’ve had a lot of rain and cancellations, our rides have picked up in average riders per ride from 11 to 15. Hopefully the rain will stop and we can,once again, enjoy riding. If you haven’t been on your bike yet this year, it would be a good idea to take it to your local LBS and have it looked over.

The Rock

Northern Kentucky Cluster:

Due to the heavy rains and high waters many of our normal cycling routes are under some type of distress. This past week there were several roads in Northern Kentucky that were closed due to high water, mud slides and road surface issues. Keep this in mind if you are out riding the back roads of Northern Kentucky over the next couple of weeks because it will be some time before the roads are fully repaired.

Also, many of the country driveways are surfaced with loose gravel that tend to wash out onto the road after strong storms and heavy rain. This gravel can show up in the most unexpected areas and if you aren’t watching for it can create a substantial problem. Hopefully within a few weeks things will be back to near normal but until then be a little more vigilant while riding the back roads.

We have an additional Northern Kentucky ride starting up in May. Campbell County Spin and Socialize will take place on Thursday evenings at 6:30 leaving from Pendry Park off Route 8 in Melbourne, KY. See the calendar for more details.

If you are interested in leading a NKy Cluster ride please let me know so that I can get it on the calendar. The ride must be listed on the CCC calendar to make it an official CCC ride. Just posting a ride to the ride line does not legally make it a CCC ride thus you lose some of the benefits.

Being a ride leader is not complicated and it can be very rewarding. If you have any questions about leading a ride or if you want to have a ride posted on the calendar, have any suggestions or questions about the Northern Ky Cluster, please contact me at the following: http://www.cincinnaticycleclub.org/contact-us/

Ride safe, Tom Runyan

Understanding Cyclist/Motorist Tensions

Steve Magas

The death of cyclist Steve Barbour in 2009, the trial of Ed Miller, and the 2010 deaths of Columbus cyclists Jeff Stevenson & Trent Music, have created a palpable tension between motorists and cyclists in central Ohio. A war of words has erupted in the Columbus Dispatch.

Cyclists are rightfully angry that one of their most cautious and beloved brethren was killed and then blamed for causing his own death. Motorists argue that cyclists drive carelessly, should “pay for” using the roads though licenses and taxes and should not be allowed on certain roads in the first place.

Let’s step back –  take stock – and address some of these concerns.

Why Are Cyclists Allowed On The Roads?

The roads in Ohio, and throughout the U.S., are PUBLIC ways open for the public to exercise a constitutional right to travel. Bicycles were on the roads before cars existed.  Bicycle operators were included as legitimate, legal road users in the first traffic laws and rules of the road in all 50 states. Under Ohio law, bicycles may use EVERY non-freeway road and may not be banned from the roadway.

Motorists argue that bicycles go “slow” – as do big trucks, farm equipment and Amish buggies. On all but higher speed country roads, cyclists can actually travel at average speeds approaching motor vehicle speeds. Today’s impatient motorists must understand that “traffic” is a brightly colored cloth which includes the movement of vehicles of all types and speeds of vehicles.

Do Cyclists, or Motorists,  “Pay For” The Roads?

Many cyclists are licensed motor vehicle operator owners and pay the same “fees” as everyone else. However, public roads, like public buildings, public sidewalks and public schools, are open to everyone regardless of income. Roads are not a private club with a steep initiation fee and monthly dues. Big trucks and gas hogs,  paying higher “fees” and “taxes” and buying more gas, do NOT get bigger or more rights than smaller vehicles.

Operators driving VW Bugs or Mini Coopers or bicycles are not required to give up the road to Durangos and the Ford Subdivision [or whatever the new humongo vehicle is called these days]!

Paying for the MAINTENANCE of roads is even more important. A single 40-ton semi, which weighs 40 times more than a one-ton car, does 9,600 times more damage to the roads than the car. A bike rider does not compare – it does virtually NO damage with its skinny tires, light frame and rider. Yet, big trucks are not paying their “fair share” to maintain roads – according to a recent Dispatch editorial.

Why Aren’t Cyclists Licensed?

We demand that people be licensed for dangerous things. A cyclist is a risk to her / himself but not a realistic risk to others. A bicycle operator who goes “rogue” is not going to drive through a crowd of people and kill them. This is simply not a concern for the state to mandate licensure.

Licensed motorists kill at the rate of 30,000+ per year. NHTSA was recently touting the latest figures for 2010, which dropped to “the lowest rate in history.” 33,808 people were killed in 2009 and “only” 32,788 were killed in 2010.  As far as I have been able to determine unlicensed cyclists killed ZERO people last year.

Are Cyclists Driving Recklessly?

The short answer – no.

I am working on a report of EVERY cycling fatality in Ohio in 2010. Part of my research included getting reports from the Ohio Department of Public Safety which list every CRASH involving a bicycle from 2005-2010.

There were only TEN cycling deaths out of 1,809 crashes in Ohio in 2010. By comparison, 500,000 Ohio drivers were involved in over 300,000 crashes in 2009 leading to 935 deaths – that’s an average of 822 car crashes, and more than 2 motorist deaths, every day!

242 bike crashes occurred in Franklin County in 2010. Of those, 110 police reports listed the cyclist as the “unit in error.”  This roughly 50/50 breakdown on “fault” is consistent with national figures.

One Key Point needs to be inserted among the numbers here – one I firmly believe –> Cycling today in Ohio is SAFE.

Don’t let statistics prevent you from dusting off that bike and getting out there to enjoy Ohio’s roads and trails. According to bike guru Ken Kifer, cycling is six times safer than LIVING! However, being aware of how accidents happen can help you “see” ahead and plan ahead. Knowledge is power and, here, it is the power to ride safely and effectively!

“SEE” is actually an acronmym borrowed from motorcycle literature. It means “Scan/Search – Evaluate – Execute” – three steps new motorcyclists are taught to use constantly in Motorcycle Safety Foundation training classes. These steps should be used by cyclists on the roadway as well. “Search” ahead – 10 to 12 seconds ahead – and determine what potential risks are upcoming. Complex intersections, pedestrians, narrowing lanes, right turn lanes, freeway on-ramps, crosswalks, dog walkers, debris or potholes, parked cars. ”Evaluate” those risks and develop a plan to deal with them as you approach. ”Execute” that plan far enough ahead to keep the risk from blossoming into a full blown conundrum!

Rising Cyclist Tensions

I took a closer look at one Columbus street – High Street – where 25 bike crashes occurred in 2010.  High Street is a long, flat, urban thoroughfare that stretches from one end of Columbus to the other.  Downtown High Street is chock full of great shops, food establishments and cyclists.  Of the 25 bike crashes in 2010, the cyclist was faulted in only FIVE while sixteen listed the motorist as being at fault.

“Right of way” violations by motorists on High Street were the overwhelming proximate cause of these crashes – i.e., the cyclist possessed the “right of way” under the law and that right of way was not respected by the motor vehicle operator either through an improper turn, passing maneuver, “ACDA” violation or other invasion of the cyclist’s right of way.

In many of these High Street crashes the motorist simply failed to “see” the cyclist. As I have written many times, this is not an excuse but an admission of liability. Judging by the actions of the downtown traffic cops in Columbus, motorists are being ticketed for these right of way violations.

Hit and run drivers continue to plague cyclists – as well as pedestrians, motorcyclists and other vehicle operators. Hit/run drivers kill four people in the U.S. every day.

In Columbus, Jeff Stevenson and Trent Music were both killed by hit and run drivers.  Maybe you saw a white “ghost bike” marking the scene of Jeff’s death on Sawmill Road last summer?  Hit & run deaths take a huge emotional toll on the cycling community – similar to how an unsolved murder rattles the neighborhood where it occurs.

Steve Donaldson is an Arizona cyclist who started “CARD” – Cyclists Against Reckless Driving – with a mission of promoting and encouraging safe cycling, reducing crashes, and educating and informing the masses. Steve started CARD’s Facebook page a year or so ago for the purpose of publicizing bicycle crash cases he finds during daily web searches.  CARD’s page has amassed more than 10,000 followers who follow the tragedies around the country. While at times morbid, this page serves as a very in-your-face reminder to cyclists that stuff happens on the roads every day and hit/run incidents seem to be an epidemic these days.

How do we move forward?

The key is education – understanding the law as well as where the emotion on each “side” of this issue comes from.

Motorists need to understand and accept that:

• Ohio cyclists may ride on virtually EVERY non-freeway chunk of asphalt in Ohio – even the ones viewed by some as “dangerous.”
• A cyclist riding lawfully on the roadway has EXACTLY THE SAME “right of way” as any other driver. Bigger vehicles don’t get bigger rights!
• “Failure to Yield” to a cyclist’s right of way is one of the primary causes of car/bike crashes in Columbus, in Franklin County, in Ohio and in the U.S.
• Ohio law allows cyclists to ride two abreast.  One rider may use the FULL LANE where needed for safe riding.
• Passing at safe distance is critical.

Cyclists need to understand and accept that:

• With the right to use the roads comes responsibility.  Cyclists must follow the rules of the road just as any vehicle operator must.
• Traffic rules must be followed.  Stopping at red lights and stop signs is mandatory and an effective way to demonstrate that you ARE “traffic” and not simply playing in traffic.
• Riding visibly, and predictably, is better for riders AND motorists.

Millions of Ohio bicycle riders will safely ride tens of millions of miles this year. With gas prices over $4.00/gallon and rising, we will see more utilitarian riders to go along with the commuters, recreational riders, mom & dads, fitness buffs, racers and kids on the roads.

To quote Sgt. Phil Esterhaus: “Let’s Be Careful Out There.”

Coach OB

I am sure you have heard the expression, “If you don’t like the weather in Ohio, wait 10 minutes, it will change!” While this is true, the changes are not for the better… Even the hard-core riders are way behind in their mileage for 2011 compared to 2010. As I am typing this, there is an awesome double rainbow outside. Of course it is raining, but maybe, just maybe, it is a good sign that better weather will be here soon. Or at least I am going to take it as a good sign.

TOSRV is just over a week away. To be bluntly honest, there is nothing you can do now to train for it. There are going to be a lot of sore legs and sore keesters in Portsmouth this year. But plenty of other centuries and great rides are coming along. What do you need to do to train for them? Let’s pretend you are fired up (get it??) to do the Chili Ride on May 21st.

To prepare for this, you start by gradually increasing your saddle-time approaching the event. One thing to point out here is you want to train for time rather than distance. Now, these two numbers could be the same. But it is always better to target your riding time over the distance.

Once you figure out how long it will take you to cover the Chili Ride route you pick, add 10-15% to that in your final preparation. In cycling it is always better to slightly over train. This makes sure you are fully prepared for those unforeseen issues that seem to arise.

I will be a total optimist and say that every weekend in May will be GREAT! During these fantastic Saturdays and Sundays you can ride both weekend days, but one day should have the purpose of training for the Chili Ride. Your weekday training is merely reinforcement. Monday through Friday, do what you can when you can. But the weekends are key. Obviously some will have more time in their legs than others, but let’s assume you have had limited saddle time in 2011 thus far and it is crunch time. Plan a schedule similar to the one below:

Weekend of April 30/May 1: 1 ride should be at 50-70% of your planned ride.

Weekend of May 7/8: 1 ride should be at 80-90% of your planned ride.

Weekend of May 14/15: 1 ride at 115% of your planned ride.

Days of May 16 to 20: REST. Do a few easy rides that week, but nothing far or hard.

An additional concern is your diet and hydration. As you increase your training time, it is imperative that you maintain a good diet. More riding time = more calories burned. Make good choices and stay well fueled. And I don’t mean over-eating!! Hydration comes into play too. As the weather gets warmer (remember, your body is not used to this yet) you will need to pay extra attention to your fluid levels.

When it is all said and done, the most important thing is to enjoy the time on your bike. Embrace the ride!

Eat Well!

Sleep Well!

Train SMART!!!!

Coach OB

Whatever your goals, Coach OB has the experience and resources to help you improve your cycling abilities. Coach OB Has custom plans designed specifically to fit your goals with a custom built training program to fit into your schedule.

www.coachob.com

coachob@coachob.com

Ask Mr. Cranky

In case you missed me last month, my friends call me Mister Cranky. Each month I will try to offer worthless advice to your insincere cycling questions. And if I don’t get enough questions I’ll just make up some to help you get over the fear of asking me something I cannot answer. So if you have a few worthless questions about riding a bike you have come to the worst possible place for advice.

Dear Mr. Cranky,

When I first started doing club rides 10 years ago you would see a lot of women riding. My question is “WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL OF THE WOMEN?”

Tired of riding mostly with dudes.

Don Juan

Dear Don,

Well you see this is an age old problem. In the early days men and women road bicycles together. Then someone decided to start racing bicycles and would not allow women to participate. This created a problem because men get lost far more often than women thus without women in the race promoters were never guaranteed to have a finisher. This is how Criterium and Track racing were born! To keep men from getting lost the racers were confined to race on a couple city blocks or on an oval track. It is quite difficult to get lost in either of these style races.

With the introduction of motor vehicles, bicycle racing on the open road was re-introduced. Rather than allow women to race with the men promoters decided to use vehicles to keep the men from getting lost. Turn on any pro cycling race today and I will guarantee that there are several motorcycles in front of the leading rider and a whole flock of team cars directly behind the last rider, all jockeying to make sure their riders don’t get lost. So what does this have to do with your question? See number 2 below.

From a personal perspective I believe the amount of females on the club rides have dropped over the years and I think there are several reasons. I remember one ride long ago in Loveland where I was struggling off the back trying to keep up. I wasn’t alone, along with me was a new woman to the group who was also struggling. At one point she turned to me and said something like “these guys are just trying to drop me because they don’t like women riding with them.” After that ride I trashed my pink Giro jersey and hoped that was the only reason I was being dropped. Bottom line is guys are always competitive and when it comes to riding it can get quite competitive.

I’ve been on rides where women have shown up that would have turned every guys head in the local pub. But on a bike ride she is just another rider, treated like a guy. Most would think that this is a reasonable assessment but every rider knows the fear of being the weakest link or slowest rider. From a woman’s perspective how secure would you feel pulling up to the ride start and realizing that the majority of the guys have thighs thicker than your waist and calfs bigger than your quads. Add to the fact that most guys can’t coordinate a shirt, tie and pants for a wedding but show up to bike rides dressed like racers sporting the latest local team’s jerseys or their favorite pro tour teams colors. It can be quite intimidating.

On occasion I have seen where a woman will actually overcome all those obstacles and still attempt to ride with the group. If she is strong enough to weather the competitive nature of group she is generally accepted and often will be found riding in the front of the pack. It is not that women cannot keep up with the men on group rides, it’s usually the intimidation of the ride and riders that holds women back from riding.

Last year I was overwhelmed by the number of women riding the Horsey Hundred. I found the same to be true with many of the charity rides as well. So I think the bottom line is that are still many women riding bikes these days but they haven’t been riding CCC rides as much and that is something we need to change by convincing them that the fun is worth overcoming the fear of riding with guys like us.

Top 10 reasons why there are fewer women riding the CCC group rides.

10. Men don’t wear deodorant when bike riding.

9. Women don’t find guys who wear worn out cycling shorts an entertaining sight.

8. Powerbars and Clif bars don’t come in dark chocolate.

7. DSW and Macy’s don’t carry Sidi cycling shoes.

6. Stylish cycling shorts, jersey, gloves and shoes now cost more than a formal ensemble from the shops on Rodeo Drive (that’s Roe Day Oh drive for the non Californians).

5. Men don’t understand the concept of a Kleenex or handkerchief while riding.

4. Women don’t want to listen to another guy claiming to be an ex-racer or cycling coach tell them how to ride a bike while they are dropping him on a simple climb.

3. Women are complex, men are simple. Women want multicourse meals, guys are satisfied with burgers and fries. Men like road cycling, women like tris.

2. Women are tired of giving directions when the men get lost on club rides – see above.

1. But the top reason that women don’t like riding with men these days is because they hate showing men how to shave their legs.

Keep Cranking,

Mr. Cranky

=========================

Dear Mr. Cranky,

I just bought a new bike and was wondering what I should carry with me when I ride?

Cary Wright

Dear Cary,

I always recommend that a rider be self sufficient when it comes to simple maintenance even when riding on group rides. Below is a list of items that I recommend everyone carry with them, either in their back jersey pockets or a saddle bag. Note that if you put this much stuff in your jersey pockets you won’t have room for the important things like Snicker bars and P&J sandwiches so I personally recommend using a saddle bag. You should be able to find all these items at your local bike shop.

1. You should have a replacement inner tube and I generally do not recommend the ultra light tubes just to save a couple of grams. The weight savings of an ultra light tube are offset by the higher probability of a flat. When you get your new tube take it out of the box, unwrap it and sprinkle some baby talcum powder on it. The powder will help the tube seat itself once it is installed in the tire. With a light coating of powder on the tube carefully roll and compress the tube to fit your bag. In other words if you have a short saddle bag roll the tube in a circular shape. If your bag is long and skinny roll the tube in a more oval shape, this helps when you place the tube in the saddle bag. Once you have the tube rolled up wrap it in a layer of Saran wrap – that plastic wrap that clings to itself. This will keep the tube in the rolled up position while protecting it in your saddle bag.

2. You should carry a Co2 inflator and two cartridges or a hand pump. I personally like the Genuine Innovations models and you should be able to find this or similar versions at the local bike shops. Be sure to get the correct type and size Co2 cartridges based upon your inflator and tire size. I like this model because you can control the release of air into the tire and also stop the flow which is needed for proper tube replacements.

3. You should have a multi-tool kit that will cover most situations even if you don’t know how to use it. With any luck someone else on the club ride will be willing to help you fix your problem if you have the proper tools. Just to keep the money in the family I recommend using Crank Brothers tools. There are other brand tools out there but my brother promised me a kick back for promoting the Cranky brand.

4. You will need tire levers for removing a tire. There a many brands out there and they all do the same thing so don’t pay a lot for these. I carry two of these, they come in sets of three but I have never needed more than two of them so save some space by carrying just two of them.

5. One of things that most people do not carry and should are tire boots. These are thick tire patches to cover slits or rips in the tire. I have seen people use paper money placed inside the tire for this purpose but its not as reliable as these tire boots made by Park Tool.  I have used these to help get riders home and they work well.

6. A patch kit should be in everyone’s bag but it should be the last resort item. Only after all means of acquiring or borrowing a new tube is expended should a patch kit ever be used on the road. I never, let’s repeat that, never recommend patching a tire on a ride. For the cost of a tube I believe it is better to save everyone else’s time and your own safety by replacing the tube. A rear tire failure can be frightening but a front tire failure can be catastrophic. Keeping your tires and tubes in good working order is a must and the cost to do this is minimal when compared to one trip to the ER.

7. This last item is a personal choice food item. It is your lifesaver pickup food that is kept for that terrible day when you forgot to bring some food for the ride or have already eaten everything but need that little extra kick to get you home. I keep a Gu gel tucked away in my bag, sometimes I’ve used it to get me home and other times it’s just the security of knowing I have some food in case I cant find anything out on the road.

Lastly you should always carry some form of ID, a copy of your medical insurance card, phone numbers of someone to call in an emergency, a cell phone and money or a credit card.

Cranky riding,

Mr. Cranky

OKI Bike News

Don Burrell

One of the recommendations of the OKI Regional Bicycle Plan is to initiate timely communication about regional cycling issues among individuals with personal and professional interests in them. Computer technology has facilitated this through e-mail messaging. These “newsletters” will be issued on an as-needed basis as a “critical mass” of items accumulates. As the distribution list is often expanded, and issues are forwarded, previous editions are available to new readers on request. Also, Bike E-News can now be found on OKI’s web site at:http://www.oki.org/pdf/bike/info.pdf

Cyclebration – Saturday June 4, 2011

Multiple Bike Rides to Covington

This year, Cyclebration will be held in Covington Kentucky. The folks at Bike Covington wish to create a relationship with the Cincinnati Cycle Club. Currently, the CCC has no rides that start in Covington. The nearest rides that we sponsor are the Monday No Brainer that starts in Ludlow, and the Saturday Fusion Ride that starts in Newport. Perhaps working with Bike Covington, we can change that!

Cyclebration offers CCC members the opportunity to ride from their usually riding neighborhoods to a central location. We then have a bit of lunch together with folks that you may not get to ride with. Bike Covington will be providing us with information about the programs they hope to develop over the next few years.

Originally, we were hoping to have a BBQ at the vacant spot of the former Covington Landing. But Jeff Ruby’s Waterfront Restaurant is now temporarily moored there after it’s March breakaway cruise. Now, when we arrive in Covington, the businesses at the Roebling Point Entertainment District will be offering varying restaurant discounts. Once we arrive, flyers and menus will be available for you to choose. Personally, I’ve heard that the Sidebar Restaurant that is in the former location of Coco’s has a burger that rivals Terry’s Turf Club. So, you can guess where the President will be.

Keystone will offer cyclists a 15% discount on all menu items. Roebling Point Bookstore will be offering a 20% discount. Blinker’s Tavern will be offering a special $9.95 lunch buffet to all riders. Keystone is located at 313 Greenup St. and Roebling Point Bookstore is located at 306 Greenup St.

Sandy Meyer, co-owner of Blinker’s Tavern says, “We at Blinkers Tavern are excited and look forward to meeting the cyclists on June 4. We invite all cyclists to stop in and try us. Outdoor dining is available on both of our two patios. One of the aspects we have enjoyed at our new location is the ability for people to walk or ride by to visit. We hope you’ll stop by and try us.” Blinker’s Tavern is located at 318 Greenup St. in Covington, KY.

I do note that folks riding from the west side will be going across the Anderson Ferry, so plan accordingly to have some cash for the ride home!

Secure bicycle parking will be provided. Please see the CCC Ride Calendar on our website for start times and locations.

CCC Commuter Challenge: