Well - I guess there was no questions yesterday about whether summer is f-i-n-a-l-l-y here, huh? 20 intrepid members of JDRF's Coolest Team defied the 100+ degree heat index and headed up to Hostess-with-the-mostest Cindy Aley's place in near Cedar Springs for the second-to-last pre-Killington Team Ride. Your reporter had to cut out early due to a previous committment so some of what I have to say is 2nd hand, hearsay or rumour!
Roll call:
Cindy
Brenda
Herb
Chris R
Derek
Tom M
Tom S
Mary S
Dawn
Amy
Coach Nicole
Don
Linda C
Linda T-P
Scott P
Rob A (back from injured reserve....Yaaay!)
Jazzmo
J.D.
Special Guest Star Eric
and me.
I missed her but the word is that Karen K made the trip over in time to hang w/ folks and enjoy that "post-ride glow".
The long route was almost 70 miles and the "short" cut over 50. Thanks to Cindy's efforts there were stops a-plenty and the group also enjoyed support from Cassie Aley and her friend at one point. Everyone put in a good days work and we're pretty much lookin' good for VT.!
The next Team Ride is set for 8/23 - which is only 3 days before the bus rolls for Vermont! Holy Crap! How did we get here so fast?!?!?!?!? Please watch for the details on the 8/23 ride here on the blog and via e-mail. Also - please watch for a very important actual letter (printed on paper and everything!) w/ tons of critcal info on everything from money to what to bring to VT or Death Valley to safety tips. It oughta be in your mailbox in a week or so.
Please remember that we need to keep working our riding skills and etiquette as well. There were several incidnets yesterday where cries of "Car back" went unheeded for far too long. In VT we're gonna be on narrow 2 lane country roads and we're going to be expected to share the road w/ our unfortuate 4-wheeled brethren. The "Car back" call only works in a long paceline if it gets passed up the line......there's no other way for the folks in the front to know what's happening behind the group. Conversely - it's the job of everyone in the group to "pass back" any info from the lead riders about road hazards........it doesn't do someone 9 riders back any good if they run into a pothole that was pointed out by the lead rider but not passed back by others inthe group! We need to watch out for each other and we need to remember that when we're riding around here we are alos representing the Western Michigan cycling community! And when we get to VT or DV we are also representing our Chapter to the rest of the riders AND JDRF to the rest of the community!
If we can all keep that in mind - we'll all be happier and safer riders!
So - here we are - less than 3 weeks from VT and less than 10 from Death Valley! It's been an honor and pleasure once again to be associated w/ this Team againa nd I can't thank y'all enough for all you do and all you mean to JDRF. I'd like to take a sec to thank Nicole for stepping up in such a strong way as our new coach and I'd like to call out our fellow members of the Ride Committee too - they do a LOT of work behind the scene for this Team! They are John "Jazzmo" Jasker, Derek "Did" Dykstra, Cindy Aley, Katie Clark, Mary Scheidel & Rob Andro.
Let's ride lots this month and show the JDRF world that we all know what it means to be a member of the West Michigan JDRF Ride Team! I hope to see you @ the next Ride!
Coach Mike
Monday, August 10, 2009
TEAM RIDE REPORT - 8/10/09
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8 comments:
Hey did ya forget about Kevin C ??
I was there with all the die-hards too!!!!!
Dang!!!
I sorry man! I looked at the list and double=counted and everything!
Crap!
My bad dawg.
Hey Coaches...can one of you give us some tips and tricks for riding in this type of heat? I know at least a few of us were feeling mighty "icky" after the ride, so just thought maybe a reminder would be helpful to others.
Also..I personally want to thank each of the ride committee folks for your time and dedication. It is comforting to know you are looking out for each of us in your own way. A great team begins with great leaders..and I think we have the best!
Linda - Thanks fior bringing that up. It's not likely that we'll have conditions like that in VT (but you never know!)but Death valley is another matter entirely, as many of us have discovered!
The #1 task is to stay hydrated. In weather like that it's unlikely that just water will suffice - you are sweating so much that you lose vital electrolytes and minerals. Headaches, cramping or stomach issues can be signs that you aren't keeping up w/ your fluids. (So is not having to pee!) You should make sure you drink a full bottle of fluid every hour to make sure you stay ahead of the curve,'cuz it'a well-nigh impossible to "catch up" w/ hydration once you get behind. Most folks do best mixing straight H2O w/ some sort of electrolyte drink (Gatoraid, HEED, Cytomax, etc.)That way you have water for rinsing out your mouth, soaking your head and such. Now - if you can't stomach those sort of drinks (and many can't, especially when they get hot from being in the bottle for awhile) you can also get the needed electrolytes via some of the new chews (ClifBlox, Sharkies, etc) or even via capsules like the ones you'll see @ the Rides. What matters is that you do get them, not how!
The other trick is to find out how to fuel yourself for a longer ride in the heat - your stomach tends to be less tolerant of stuff when you're borderline over-heated already so a long hot day is no time to experiment. Stick yto what you know works for you - stay hydrated and don't be afraid to take a short break in the shade or ride through a sprinkler to cool off!
I'll quit now - but this would be a great place for our veteran riders to chime in w/ what's worked for them in DV or any other situation where the temps were a challenge!
MC
thanks for the reminder Mike! I know in the past if I know it is going to be a hot one, I drink like a crazy person the day before to make sure I am good and "wet" inside!
Photos of the ride have been uploaded.
http://picasaweb.google.com/scheidelt/TeamRide080909#
Doug S was there on Sunday too!
Alcohol does NOT seem to work as a night before hydrator. So much for that test.
My leg cramp lasted for 3 days. Never again will I drink beer the night before a big ride.
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