Can you win the Nobel Peace Prize for cycling? Possibly. If you are the Afghan Women’s National Cycling Team. This tough group of women face challenges daily that will make your next urban traffic dodging exercise seem trivial.

They are already in the running for the National Geographic Adventurers of the Year award. But their story has reached new levels of exposure with the help of documentary film makers and the movie “Afghan Cycles.” But the nod in the form of a nomination for the Nobel Peach Prize has really garnered headlines.

Around 118 Italian MPs across parties signed a petition, last month, nominating the Afghan Cycling Federation’s women’s team for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Afghan Women’s National Cycling Team pedal towards a Nobel Peace Prize nomination

The 40 person team, lead by Zahra Hussaini, face many of the same challenges that women all across the globe face. But in Afghanistan, it rises to a whole different level. It is a culture where women are expected to do… well… nothing. A woman throwing her leg over a bike is more than discourage. It is a social taboo that can draw death threats.

It’s great to see these strong women, dedicated to overcoming social boundaries in their home country, and be nominated for the prestigious Nobel Peace prize this year.

Afghan Women’s Cycling Team Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

It is a testament both to the strength of humans to overcome wrongs, as well as the transformative powers of the bicycle. I for one would love to see them awarded for their efforts.

Washington State centered Cascade Bicycle Club announced a merger with Washington Bikes in an email to members on Tuesday, Dec 8. A press release on their website shared the same information. The new, merged organization is now being billed as the “…largest statewide advocacy organization in the nation.”

At the decision of both organization’s boards, as of Jan. 1, 2016, Cascade Bicycle Club will be the name of the 501(c)(3) tax-deductible wing, focused on education, diversity and inclusion programs, most of the signature events and advocacy work. The organization’s 501(c)(4) arm, to be called Washington Bikes, will address statewide policy and outreach, selected statewide events and activities, and candidate endorsements.

^{“Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes merge to form nation’s largest statewide bicycle nonprofit“}

This merger actually has potential to impact many people outside of Washington State. Cascade Bicycle Club is not only an advocacy group, but also runs a number of extremely popular rides. One in particular – the Seattle to Portland ride – routinely draws 10,000 riders, and sells out within weeks (if not days) of tickets going on sale.

Members of both organizations will automatically become members of the new, merged non-profit starting on January 1st, 2016.

Prior to the merger, Cascade Bicycle Club was already touted as the largest locally based bicycle organization – to contrast it with groups such as the League of American Bicyclists. Pre-merger Cascade club membership measured more than 15,000, with 36 staff members.

The merger will unify bicycle education curriculum and resources across the state and in the Puget Sound region. Advocacy work will also be strengthened. The merger will result in saved overhead costs and more money directly funding current work and new programs, like Cascade’s Major Taylor Project and Washington Bikes’ state bike tourism initiative. Washington Bikes’ grassroots successes across the state will also be a great partner for Cascade’s statewide tours, events and rides.

 

More details are available via the press release.

^{Note: JustAnotherCyclist is an active member of Cascade Bicycle Club and past participant in the Seattle to Portland (STP) ride.}

What’s a 50 mile ride if it doesn’t also have 10,000 feet of climbing? Called the Nifty Ten Fifty, this East Bay, California ride has strung together some of the steepest, longest, and most grinding climbs to pack mountain-like levels of climbing into a short 50 miles. The pitches – some of which are over 22% – dwarf even the famous Death Ride in intensity.

The very thought says ouch…

Yet another great ride with the Cycle Folsom Peloton group today.  80 miles didn’t discourage me, but cleaning the bike from all the damned road grime and debris is discouraging.  Nothing like getting home, still cold and wet, only to look at your frame and know you need to turn on the hose.  By the end of the ride what I thought was a well-oiled chain sounded more like a cheese grater on a chalkboard.  Still, I never walk away from a Peloton ride with anything but positive thoughts.

You can read the full details of the ride at the Cycle Folsom Ride Leaders blog.

Part of the lure of the group ride is the friendly (or sometimes not so friendly) competition.  Many groups have taken on the racing convention of having marked places along the route for sprint or KOM (King of the Mountain) points.

KOMs are, by definition, at the top of significant climbs.  Generally points are awarded for the “category” of the climb, which is determined not only by the steepness and length of the climb, but also where in the route the climb falls.  For example, if two climbs follow one right after the other, but are otherwise identical, it may be that the second climb is of a higher category, and thus worth more points.

Sprint points are a little easier to deal with.  There’s a line, and the first person to cross it takes the point.  Sprint points can also be a little more dynamic and exciting – at least in my opinion.  As the group approaches a sprint point, folks will begin to jockey for position within the group, trying to place themselves best.  The idea here is to hold of on starting the sprint until just the right time – optimizing the potential to get out in front before your fellow competitors can answer your challenge.

Cycle Folsom – and specifically Brian Acord – have again helped out the community and started putting together a map of key sprint and KOM points throughout the greater Folsom, CA area.

View Cycling Points; SAC, ELD, PLA in a larger map

Brian has a couple of caveats regarding this map, however:

Google’s StreetView is what I’ve used to locate most of the signs; some have been ground-truthed, but other have not. Also, in many cases its signed in both directions (county lines), but not always (city limits). So, you may be changing jurisdictions, but the sprint only counts if it’s signed. Also, the only non-jurisdiction sprint that is on the map is the Coffee Republic race training ride sprint on Auburn-Folsom. This sprint is marked on the pavement with a final line and hash marks every 100 meters from 400 meters out.

Also, as alluded to above, the number of points for a particular KOM is very subjective.  It also depends greatly on where in the particular day’s route that climb might fall.

A huge thanks to Brian for putting this together.  This is another great example of the benefits that a good club can provide.  While getting together to ride with others is obviously key to a cycling club, it is what the club gives to the community that counts most.  Cycle Folsom continues to provide services that help the entire cycling community – club members and non-members alike.

I think it was actually the last time that I had my GoPro camera on a Cycle Folsom ride that hit the tarmac – and caught it all on film.  Because of that it was something of a tongue-in-cheek act when I strapped my GoPro on my helmet again.  This time I was co-leading essentially the same ride with fellow Cycle Folsom member and ride leader Krysta.

I think the above photo is pretty close to where the actual crash took place the first time.  It was definitely colder and wetter this time compared to last.  In fact, as we ended the trip back into Folsom my hands were actually so cold that I found it difficult to manage the controls.  I had made a conscious decision to dress a little lighter than the weather would have dictated at the start, assuming that the fog would burn off and the ride would end up in sunshine.  I was terribly wrong.  The temperature at the start of the ride:  38F.  The temperature at the end of the ride: 41F.  Brrr….

This ride now has something of a mystique to me.  The first time out obviously there was the crash.  The ride back after the crash, however, was plagued with mechanical failures.  This second go at the Ione ride seemed to have more than its fair share of mechanical issues too.  I had a nagging issue with my rear brake dragging.  Krysta suffered a flat early on at about the 15 mile mark.

Honestly Krysta’s flat was something of a blessing.  Due to some ride leader duties, myself and Cycle Folsom’s Chief Evangelist Stan ended up way off the back really early on.  At that point in the ride the main group was being pulled along by the generally must faster Performance group.  That resulted in Stan and myself killing ourselves early on in a 70 mile ride – trading pulls, trying to catch up to the group.  When we saw Krysta and the two folks that stopped when she flatted we ended up with the bulk of the Peloton group together again.

With a history between me and this ride building – I actually can’t wait to nail it out again.  Maybe I’ll wait until it is a little warmer next time, though.

]]> https://justanothercyclist.com/2011/01/09/revisiting-an-old-crash/feed/ 0 https://justanothercyclist.com/2011/01/02/a-cold-wet-start-to-the-cycling-year/ https://justanothercyclist.com/2011/01/02/a-cold-wet-start-to-the-cycling-year/#comments Sun, 02 Jan 2011 18:35:41 +0000 https://justanothercyclist.com/?p=1642

Yesterday I kicked off the year with Cycle Folsom and the “Chickens and a Bridge” ride.  As advertised, there were in fact chickens.  Many chickens in and around Fair Oaks.  And after the chickens?  Yup – a bridge.

It was great to get out with the club and thumb our collective noses at the weather.  Low 40’s and raining didn’t thwart the group here.  The group did get broken up due to a couple of flats though.  First one was me, at just a mile or two in, where a piece of green grass managed to work its way into my Continental Gatorskins.

The previous flooding of the trail has subsided, but the rain kept each low spot in the trail diligently stocked with standing water.  All that water made the hot coffee and good conversation at the end of the ride all the more enjoyable.

Cycle Folsom operates out of Folsom, CA, offering organized rides for road cyclists of practically any skill level.  You can find them online at http://cyclefolsom.com

For the second in my ongoing series of profiles of Sacramento area cycling groups and clubs, I’ll take a look at Cycle Folsom.  Before we get started, however, I want to point out that I ride with Cycle Folsom regularly myself, and in fact help lead some of the rides.  So clearly I’ve got a little bit of direct personal knowledge regarding this group!

I took the opportunity to do an email interview with Stan Schultz – who describes himself as Cycle Folsom’s “Chief Evangelist” on the groups Meetup site.  Here is what Stan had to say in response to my questions:

JustAnotherCyclist (JAC): What is the focus of Cycle Folsom?

Stan: Short Answer: Cycle Folsom exists to provide an environment where cyclists can improve their cycling skills, strength and endurance through intelligent training and nutrition.

Long Answer: Our slogan “Great Cycling Starts Here” serves as the guiding principal of Cycle Folsom’s efforts in three distinct, but complementary ways:

1. Great Cycling Starts Here—in the City of Folsom: Downtown Folsom provides direct access to the American River Trail and the more than 100 miles of interconnected paved bike trails stretched throughout the town, and all the way to Discovery Park in Sacramento. Newer riders will find both solace and a moderate challenge along the trail that surrounds Lake Natoma and continues to Discovery Park. Seasoned cyclists seeking hills can string together short, but very challenging hill rides within Folsom, or venture through adjoining towns for additional spectacular scenery and rural roads. Folsom has held the distinction of being a “Bike-Friendly City” for years, and continues to invest in bike paths and commuting conveniences.

2. Great Cycling Starts Here—in the Cycle Folsom Group: Cycle Folsom is structured with three distinct riding levels.  As such, there is typically a group for any cyclist to join and to progress to as they improve their ability. Ride Leaders and Members are usually welcoming and full of encouragement, but their also pretty serious about improving their own fitness as they work to inspire themselves and others on rides.

3. Great Cycling Starts Here—within yourself: Just about anyone who makes a commitment to ride on a regular basis with Cycle Folsom—in addition to doing some regular training on their own—can become a better cyclist. As part of the Group, individuals benefit from the encouragement, inspiration, and challenges that others in the group share. Conversely, individuals benefit when they help others by giving encouragement, inspiration, and sharing the tips they’ve learned while on the trail. All of it helps with motivation and camaraderie—which helps to make it feel more like fun than a workout.

JAC: How many people are involved with Cycle Folsom?

Stan: Cycling Folsom currently has 11 active Ride Leaders, as well as 4 or 5 highly experienced and trained emeritus leaders who join rides on occasion and provide guidance and training to active ride leaders.

This year alone, Cycle Folsom’s E-Mail List has grown from about 60 members to over 230, with about 8 to 15 being added each week (and the growth seems to be accelerating). We’ve recently started using http://www.Meetup.com/cyclefolsom to manage our ride/event calendar, messaging, ratings, and social aspects of the group. In just over a week of going live publicly, our Meetup site Membership has grown to more than 50 Members. Based on the membership numbers of other groups in the area, I anticipate that our Meetup Membership will grow to more than 500 by this time next year.

JAC: Does Cycle Folsom have a place for riders of all levels?

Stan: First, I should clarify that Cycle Folsom is dedicated to Road Bikes for now, and for the foreseeable future. We have detailed descriptions of our various groups on our Web site [link mine], but I think it’s important to note that Cycle Folsom’s “official” minimum requirement would be cyclists who are reasonably fit and comfortable on their road bikes, but who may not have ever ridden with a Group.

Our Grupetto Group (for intro or re-entry riders) is dedicated to cyclists who are new to Group rides. These cyclists are typically interested in increasing their mileage and, ultimately, buidling a base that will help them tackle hills with greater ease. The Grupetto Group has a 12-week cycle of weekly rides that starts at around 25 miles and progresses to a distance of 60 miles. This is followed by an initiation to hill training. The Grupetto Group officially rides until Fall, but many Grupetto riders would then be prepared to join the slower-paced Fall and Winter training rides of the Peloton Group.

Our Peloton Group (advanced-beginner or intermediate) is geared toward cyclists who already have a reasonable level of experience riding in groups, and who are confident in their ability to ride on rural roads—sometimes with tight shoulders and traffic. The Peloton Group starts their season with base training in the Fall and Winter months, which typically includes long, steady distance rides, followed by hill training during the Spring months, followed by more training and various goal events and rides throughout the summer.

Our Performance Group (advanced-intermediate or advanced) is filled with cyclist who are usually very fit and committed to cycling as their primary form of exercise. Performance Group cyclists relish just about any flat or hill challenge they can find. Some Group members are part of racing teams and use Cycle Folsom to augment their training efforts. The Performance Group also trains year-round.

JAC: Does Cycle Folsom have regularly scheduled rides?

Stan: Ride Leaders from all three groups collectively post 3 to 4 weekend rides, and 3 regular weekday rides. The rides, complete with details, descriptions and links to route maps, are posted at Meetup.com.

JAC: What major events have Cycle Folsom riders ridden in this past year?

Stan: Cycle Folsom Members proudly participated in a variety of events this year, and many individuals achieved major cycling milestones such as the distinguished California Triple Crown. Members joined together as teams to ride in several charity events, including the Tour de Cure, the Livestrong Challenge, Ride for a Reason, and more. Other events included the Death Ride, Davis Double Century, and the Auburn Century. Many members in the group plan to cap off the season with Levi Leipheimer’s Gran Fondo in Santa Rosa.

JAC: So Cycle Folsom continues its riding activities during the winter months / off season?

Stan: Yes. Members of the Peloton Group continue training in Fall and Winter, doing mostly long, steady distance rides of 50 to 75 miles. The Groups often ride in rain and or reasonably high wind, but weather does sometime cancel or postpone rides. As a result of winter training, many of our members come into the Spring stronger than ever, having built a cumulative base on top of their previous year’s training and experience.

JAC: Does Cycle Folsom charge a Membership fee?

Stan: To this point, Cycle Folsom has been free and is completely volunteer-driven. Because we are expanding our outreach and services to members, I expect that we will soon create a mechanism that will allow CF to accept donations and sponsorships. While my goal for Cycle Folsom is to keep it free, we may ultimately begin charging a small Membership fee, or perhaps charge a Membership fee for access to certain premium information or services.

As the first in a series of profiles of Sacramento area cycling groups and clubs, I’d like to introduce Team Pain Train Cycling.  From their own website:

Team Pain Train is a cycling team from Orangevale/Sacramento, California.  Our team was formed around the motto: “Never Give Up” after our good friend Lenny who was taken by A.L.S. but never let it slow him down shouting “all aboard the pain train” as he pulled away up a monster climb.  We ride in support of A.L.S., good friends, and good beer.

— http://teampaintrain.com/

Judging from some of the content on their website, Team Pain Train seems to included some formidable climbers – with rides such as the Death Ride and others on their list of accomplishments.

While their achievements definitely show some seriousness (including a gold medal winning bench press in the WABDL Capitol City Bench Press & Deadlift Championships) their website also shows a lighter side to their riding.  I recommend checking out their “Bike Trail Crime Report,” you my just be surprised!