Guest Post By Alex Bristol

Getting back on the saddle after a long break in 1 week

Sometimes in life, we just unexpectedly run into situations that put things on hold. Whether that is having to take time off work because of illness/ injury or being stuck indoors because of the latest pandemic, we all find ourselves not being able to jump on the saddle as much as we’d like to. 

Luckily, pushing those pedals is almost hardwired into our minds once we’ve learned how to ride properly. It becomes a case of finding the right time, the right motivation and the right mindset to start cycling again. 

Unfortunately, as easy as it seems to jump back on the saddle, there are a ton of factors that you need to work on before it’s ‘go-time’. 

We’ve created a 7-day criteria for you to follow that allows you to transition from sitting on the couch to racking up the cycle-miles. 

Let’s jump into getting you back on the saddle after a long break.

Day 1 – Mentally preparing. 

As with anything, planning starts with the mind. It is an important cognitive skill that allows you to mentally anticipate ways to execute tasks. Preparing yourself mentally lets you decide the following points to pull together our effective plan. 

Thinking of your routine will help put everything in motion. What do you wear on a ride? Do you have a particular water bottle? What route are you taking? These questions need to be answered before you jump back in the deep end. 

Day 2 – Set a date on the calendar.

As they say: Fail to plan, plan to fail. 

We’re creatures of habit. We’re too quick to put things off when it comes down to starting, especially when you’re used to not excising. If you’ve been on isolation because of coronavirus, then it becomes pretty easy to slip back into the realms of procrastination. 

The decision to start cycling comes down to how much we value completing that task in the moment. I don’t know about you, but with the new release of Disney +, it’s far too easy for me to binge-watch Marvel films back to back than jumping on my road bike. 

Now grab that marker pen, head over to the calendar and circle a day at least 3 days from now. This is when you’re going to take the steps to jump back on your bike for a ride. And yes… you’re sticking to the date.

Day 3 – Get your cycle wear ready.

Shorts? Check. Helmet? Check. Shoes? Check. 

Depending on how long it’s been, you may find that getting your gear back together for the big reunion is a daunting task. Set aside a whole day to layout everything you need. Make sure any clothes are washed and set to go. Here is a quick checklist for everything you need on a bike ride: 

• Helmet

• Sunglasses

• Padded shorts or tights 

• Cycling gloves 

• Jersey or top 

• Shoes

• Under seat bag

• Bike lock 

• Energy Bar

• Watch or GPS

• First aid kit

• Cell phone

• Money

Keep this all aside to make for easy access when you arrive at ride day. 

Day 4 – Prep your bike.

Remember, your bike has been sitting for a while and it’s crucial to ensure everything is functioning properly to prevent damage to your bike or yourself. Depending on how long it’s been, your bike may need some maintenance to get it back in working order. Regardless of the time, it’s best to give it a quick service. Start by giving the bike a clean to remove any residue. This can then iron out any faults you find as you’re washing the components down. Move onto checking the wheels and tires to ensure everything is in order. 

It’s worth paying particular attention to the brake pads. If there is any decontamination the best way to fix this is by simply replacing them. There are a ton of fixes online that suggest burning the contaminates off can be a good idea, but damaging the pads can cause safety issues when riding. Don’t be a Dangerous Dan and ensure you find the best brake pads for your road bike before you even think about stepping foot outside with your bike.

Finally, lube up the drive chain and clean off any excess dirt and you’ve carried out the basic service required to get your bike back in the road. Remember to be mindful of overspray making its way onto the rims and brake pads as this can create stopping problems when you first start off on your bike. 

Day 5 – Take it slow and take out your bike.

Today we ride. Now, it may be an urge to cycle your favorite route but, let’s face it, you may not be as in shape as you were before being a regular cyclist. Muscles will fade away with a lack of exercise and riding your bike is no different. When muscles haven’t been used for an intense workout they will fatigue faster and there is nothing worse than being 20 kilometers from home with a calf that keeps cramping. 

It’s imperative to work up towards the distances you were traveling before. A short ride will get you back in the rhythm and will be the first step to getting back to your old ways. 

Not only does the distance help build your muscle memory back to where it once was, but there’s a load of elements you will need to sharpen up on. By incorporating a short ride into the process of getting back on the saddle it allows you to familiarize yourself with the dangers of the road. Cyclists are at a higher risk than any other vehicle on the road due to the vulnerabilities when being on a bike. This means that we need to keep our wits about us at all times. 

Our awareness can slip when we’ve taken time off, which is a crucial factor to consider. It can take a split second of losing concentration to cause an accident so, allowing ourselves to build a level of concentration over extended periods can take a while to build back. 

Exhaustion is when accidents can happen, so gradually increasing your cycling time should be the aim of the game when getting back on the road.

Day 6 – Treat yourself to something new.

Well, you’ve made it. The first step of getting back on your bike has been completed and now, it’s time to reward yourself. You want to keep the motivation up and I’m sure I don’t need to mention it twice, but as a pat on the back from yourself, it’s worth committing to those cycling shoes or helmet you’ve wanted for quite some time. Buying something keeps you in the swing of going out on a ride. This brilliant post on Buffer says “It’s been thought before that novelty was a reward in itself, but, like dopamine, it seems to be more related to motivation”. 

So, even if you haven’t got something you need right now, checking out the latest cycling gear might be a good idea to help you decide on what to buy. 

Day 7 – Join a group ride.

Getting the motivation to go out on your own make take some time, but cycling with a group is one of the top ways to put everything back into practice. Groups allow you to work together to get a pace that feels right 

Cycling amongst other riders can keep your focus and allow you to increase your game by pushing yourself to keep with others. The best part, should the worse happen, you’re in good hands and not left on your own. 

Riding with others can teach you a thing or two. Whether it’s learning how to corner or keeping your pace inline with the others, group riding is a must when it comes down to learning the ropes again. 

Wrapping up

From here on out, you have enough to keep the momentum going. The basis of getting back outside is focused around the planning and hopefully, this can get you back into the mindset of bringing back your inner cyclist. 

To summarise, getting back on the road takes time to get back up to the standard you were at. As a precaution, you will need to ease yourself back. This can prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and a lack of awareness and planning in your first ride. 

About the Author

Alex is a cycle expert at Pedallers and focuses on reviewing road bike accessories and general cycling. She searches for the most up to date products that matches the needs of cyclists across the world. Whether it’s recent news or the best bike set-ups, Alex is a trusted source for anything around cycling.

There is a rather large and growing collection of humours, self-deprecating, but often true songs and music videos that folks have made regarding cycling.  Usually these poke fun at some of the more eccentric aspects and stereotypes of the cycling culture.  I thought it was about time someone put together a list of the best of them. Of course, this is just my opinion, and is therefore fact…

Number 7: Bike-Friendly City (funny song about bike safety in Toronto)

Obstensibly a bicycle saftey piece, but we all know that no one listens if we talk about bike safety seriously.  So lets try it with a little humor:

Number 6: SRSLY

Just try and make it past the Cliff Shot slurping scene in the beginning…

Number 5: Le Velo

The first entry from Robin Moore – the only guy to make my list not once, but three times.  This video probably would have ranked higher if he had chosen a better wine.

Number 4: Get Dirty

After poking fun at the euro crowd, Robin Moore goes after the MTB set.  Truth be told though, you may want to hold off on watching this one until you’ve watched the rest of the list.  There are references in this video to the number one video on our list.

Number 3: All You Haters ( Suck …censored… )

Something about making fun of anger is hysterically funny to me – and a heck of a lot better than actually being angry.  Warning – if you would be offended on a Juniur High School camups by the language, you should skip this video…

Number 2: Motherf<censored>ing Bike

Yes.  They swear.  A lot. But again, making fun of anger is just too enjoyable. Yes – this is the genesis of that famous “Tour de F*** You.”  Nearly every stereotype of urban cycling culture is in here.  In truth it was a very hard decision to decide the actual order of the top two.  Ultimately it came down to seniority alone.

Ooooh – and it is in HD!

Numero Uno: Performance

For me this is the first and still best bicycle music video.  The third entry from Robin Moore.  If you do nothing else in your cycling life, get this stuck in your head on your next ride.  Eminently quotable – ‘Cause its all about performance…

And speaking of quotable, one final thought:

Warning – Just Another Cyclist is about to jump into the cycling helmet debate.  If you’ve had about all you can stand of the endless arguing on this issue (and who can blame you really?) then perhaps you’ll find one of my other articles more to your taste.

I also want to point out that you will likely not walk away with a clear impression that I’m on one side of the issue or the other.  I’m decidedly neither pro nor anti helmet.  I wear a helmet when I ride if I feel like it.  I generally always wear it on group rides more out of peer pressure (everybody’s wearing one!) or habit than anything else.  I almost always wear gloves when I ride to protect my hands if (or should I say when) I happen to hit the pavement, and the helmet is kinda in the same category.  On the other hand, I do not ride any differently if I don’t have my helmet on than when I do.

The main reason for my indecision is that I’ve not seen anything that would make me think that one side of the argument or the other is correct.  I decided to do a little more digging into the issue and see what I could come up with.

I started this exercise by doing an online survey to try and get a sense of what my readers and associates actually think about helmets.  If you are the data-hungry type, ou can read the raw results of the September 2010 Bicycle Helmet Survey here in pdf format.  The helmet debate is like many things in human society – you tend to only hear the opinions of the folks on the far extremes of either side of the debate.  I wanted to know what “average folk” thought.  The results were some questions posed to readers.

So let us begin our look at the issue.   The results of the survey are probably no surprise to anyone living and riding a bike in the United States.  The overwhelming majority – over 80% of respondents – are wearing their helmets pretty much all the time.  It is interesting to note that 89.4% feel that bike helmets make them safer, while slightly less (80.9%) feel that a bike helmet will actually protect them in a crash.  There was also a small but significant percentage (14.9%) that were undecided on the protection offered by a helmet in the event of a crash.

I’m sure there are some of you that are surprised that only about 80% seem to think a helmet will protect them.  “Isn’t it obvious that a helmet would protect you in a crash?” you may ask.  “That’s just common sense!” Well in fact, from a purely objective standpoint, it is not so obvious.  Wearing a helmet is one of those things that just feels intuitively like the right answer.  If I put something on my head, then my head is protected if I smack into something.  It is, in fact, apparent that helmets can help from things like skull lacerations – nicks and cuts in the skin when you bump your head into a tree branch, or another bike, or the road.  But that is generally not what helmets are supposed to protect us against.  Rather, helmets are perceived to help protect from catastrophic injuries – concussions, skull fractures and the like.  And here is where the issue gets decisive: there actually is absolutely no evidence that a helmet provides any meaningful protection from concussions or skull fractures. In fact there is some evidence to the contrary – that perhaps wearing a helmet makes you actually more likely to sustain a significant head injury.  But before we get into the details of making things potentially more dangerous, lets dive a little more into the protection factor.

Indeed, regarding concussions specifically, an article published by the Bicycle Helmet Saftey Institute (BHSI) states:

The vast majority of consumers assume that a helmet should prevent concussion in even the heaviest hits, and that if the helmet protects against severe blows it must surely be easily protective in lesser ones. But in fact the helmets built to our standards are in many cases too hard to protect against a mild concussion in either a low speed hit where foam fails to crush or a much harder hit where clinically evident permanent injury is avoided, but a lesser concussion still results even though the helmet has not crushed completely and bottomed out.

For some the idea of needing a “softer” helmet may seem counter intuitive.  In the context of concussions, though, it is absolutely critical.  To understand concussions, let’s consider what happens to our bodies in an automobile crash.  Most of us have probably seen the slow-motion crash test dummy videos of car crash tests, so you’ll understand how, when the car stops suddenly due to striking something, the driver can continue forward and slam into the dash board.  This is why seatbelts are effective – they help restrain the driver and reduce the force with which the strike other objects in the car.  It is also why cars are now constructed with crumble zones – areas of the chassis of the car that are specifically designed to absorb the energy of the moving car and slow the deceleration of a vehicle when it hits another object.

A concussion occurs when our brain impacts the inside of our skull due to the same mechanics.  In other words, using our car and driver example above, the car is our skull and the driver is our brain.  To reduce or eliminate concussion injuries, we need to prevent the brain from slamming against the inside of our skulls when our skulls unfortunately slam into something else at high speed.  Since we obviously can not strap our brains in with a seatbelt, we are left with the option of creating a “crumple zone” around our skull to absorb some of the impact.  Helmets theoretically provide that crumple zone for us.

In my survey, just over half of the respondents agreed with the statement “Helmets clearly protect you in a crash”, while only a single respondent agreed with the statement “There is no evidence that helmets will protect you in a crash.”  The citation above (from BHSI) was from a report targeting making helmets safer, and itself raised questions about the effectiveness of helmets as the standards currently dictate their design.  The fact that just less than half of respondents to the JustAnotherCyclist survey did not select “Helmets clearly protect you…” would seem to indicate a general ambiguity about what, if any, protection is provided among the survey takers as well.

This kind of gets us to the issue – the actual, subjective data is lacking.  Further more, that lack of data combined with human behavior naturally skews our impressions in one direction, in favor of helmets.  Consider the situation where a cyclist gets critically injured or even killed and isn’t wearing a helmet at the time.  It is very easy to claim “If only he’d been wearing a helmet…”  Furthermore, when a serious head injury happens and the cyclist was wearing a helmet, the natural inclination is to think “The helmet saved her life.  Imagine what would have happened if she hadn’t been wearing it…”

You see, we can’t derive real, actual data from specific crashes because we can’t test both sides of the hypothesis.  We can’t see the outcome of a crash without a helmet, and then take the cyclist, put a helmet on them and completely recreate the same exact crash and compare the results.  What we can do, however, is look at overall statistics and see if the rate of serious head injuries among cyclists is higher in areas where helmets are either mandated by law, or commonly used by convention.

And guess what – on the surface helmet usage seems to actually increase your liklihood of a head injury -purely by the numbers.  The Netherlands is often used in these comparisons.  They have an extremely high percentage of trips taken by bicycle – the highest in the world.  They also, as a cultural norm, pretty much never wear helmets.  In contrast, the United States has a much lower percentage of trips taken by bike, with almost ubiquitous helmet usage.  In stark contrast to what common sense might tell us, the United States has a significantly higher percentage of head injuries per cyclist than the Netherlands.  We must also take into account, however, the environment of each country.  In a country where bicycles are the predominate form of transportation, it is possible that folks are just better and safer riders.  It is possible that cars are more aware of cyclists and don’t hit them as much.  It is also entirely possible that the Netherlands has more “casual” cycling – i.e. cycling at slow speeds – and thus has an overall reduced risk of serious head injury.  Or it could just be that helmets somehow elevate our risk of head injuries.

Further muddying the waters are studies that demonstrate the opposite.  For example, you can find the following chart in a 2008 publication of the Insurance Institute for Highway Saftey

Bicyclist deaths by helmet use, 1998-2008
Year	No helmet use		Helmet use		Total*
	Num	%	Num	%	Num
1998	741	98	16	2	757
1999	698	93	42	6	750
2000	622	90	50	7	689
2001	616	84	60	8	729
2002	589	89	54	8	663
2003	535	85	58	9	626
2004	602	83	87	12	722
2005	676	86	77	10	784
2006	730	95	37	5	769
2007	646	92	50	7	699
2008	653	91	58	8	714
*Total includes other and/or unknowns

And there is what is often cited as the most definitive study, A case-control study of the effectiveness of bicycle safety helmets. (Thompson RS, Rivara FP, Thompson DC.)  This study claims as much as an 85% reduction in head injuries by wearing a helmet.  The study does have its detractors, however.  It was at least partially funded by a helmet manufacturer (Snell) which presents a potential conflict of interests.  For example, the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation goes into some details in their counterargument to the study.

At this point – let’s take a leap and conceed that “OK – so we don’t have any idea if helmets help or not.  Clearly they can not hurt, right?”

Wrong.  Or at least according to Dr. Ian Walker.  His research  – conducted in the UK in 2006 – seems to indicated that motorists may actually drive closer to cyclists wearing helmets compared to non-helmeted cyclists.  Or, said another way, there may actually be more likelihood of a collision with a motor vehicle when you are wearing your helmet than when you are not.  There is also an often cited human behavior where, on the whole, folks are more apt to engage in risky behavior when using safety equipment than when not.  There was a question in the JustAnotherCyclist study that was intended to capture this latter point explicitly – and in fact 17.9% selected the statement “I change my riding (slower, different routes) if I don’t have my helmet” as a statement that fit them.  This would seem to agree with the idea that people do not necessarily show the same level of caution when they use safety equipment (such as helmets), presumably assuming that the safety equipment mitigates the increased risk.

I invite you to look over the data – from the JustAnotherCyclist survey and other sources – and draw your own conclusions.  I will not put forth a particular opinion one way or the other.  I believe that, in the lack of subjective data supporting either position, wearing a helmet or not is an entirely personal choice.

I do, however, encourage tolerance and acceptance in the cycling community.  Stop the peer pressure and divisive comments between wearers and non-wearers.  Instead, let’s all unite to help make cycling safer over all.  Avoiding a crash entirely is undeniably more effective at prevent injury than any safety equipment imaginable.  Let’s work to make the roads safer for all non-auto users and not alienate cyclists into “helmet” and “no-helmet” camps.  Us cyclists already spend too much time dividing ourselves up into subgroups.  Let’s leave this debate to the scientific community to sort out and just keep pedaling, eh?

Ben King has moved from the Trek-Livestrong team and signed with Team Type 1.  He is one of six new riders that have joined the ranks of Team Type 1 for the 2011 season.  There has been a long-stated goal of Team Type 1 to be in the Tour de France in 2012, and it would seem they are heading in that direction.  As a step towards that goal they’re targeting the Giro d’Italia in  2011.

Many of their recent signings were designed to not only bolster the strength of the team, but help position themselves to gain Continential Pro status for the 2011 season, and thus eligibility for the Giro d’Italia.

Previously announced was the signing of Rubens Bertogliati, and also joining Ben and Rubens as new team mates are Alessandro Bazzana, Alexander Efimkin and Kiel Reijnen.  In addition, two riders are moving up from the Team Type 1 development squad to join the pro team: Alex bowden and Olaf Kerkhof.

Team Type 1 founder Phil Southerland has hinted at the possible composition of the targeted Giro team, and hopes to have an athlete with type 1 diabetes in the leadership position.  That athlete is Javier Megias, a returning member of the 2010 team.  Says Southerland regarding Javier:

Right now our goal is to put Javier Megias on a squad that will hopefully be invited to the Giro. He’s arguably the best T1 [type 1 diabetic] athlete in the world, and he took a big chance in coming to America to join our team last season. We’re excited to get back to Europe with him and a whole bunch of great new riders on the roster.

Team Type 1 has repeatedly shown their ability to compete at the highest levels.  In fact, in the 2010 Amgen Tour of California they had Valeriy Kobzarenko place 14th in the general classification, 4:59 behind winner Michael Rogers, and had not one but two riders place in the top 3 in the King of the Mountains competition.  Thomas Rabou of Team Type 1 absolutely dominated the KoM competition with 77 points – a full 50 points ahead of second place finisher George Hincapie (27 points.)  Fellow Team Type 1 team mate David Frattini rounded out the third place position with 20 points.

Pro cyclist Chris Horner – currently riding for Team Radio Shack – will be in the Sacramento area this coming weekend (September 18) at Clark’s Corner Coffee House and Community Center in Ione, CA.  He will be there in conjunction with a cycling event – the Clark’s Corner Cycling Challenge – where participants can take part in a group ride with Mr Horner himself through Ione.  In addition, there will be a VIP dinner on Friday night, September 17.

The Clark’s Corner event is a little unique in that there is no “official” start line, but rather an end line in Ione.  The ride with Chris – beginning at 11:00am on the 18th – will begin and end in Ione, but it is the getting to Ione by 11:00 is the intriguing part.  According to Kraig Clark, owner of Clark’s Corner:

The concept of the Challenge is to ride from where you’re at with a group of friends for a common finish line with other cycling enthusiasts.  Then, you can meet your family and friends in downtown and hang out and share some great stories.  Visually, I can picture this tradition for years to come.  My wife had this concept and I jumped fully on board since it combines a great training day with some special family time.

Kraig himself is no stranger to cycling and sport – having competed in the Ironman France in Nice, among other events.

In addition to riding with Chris Horner, registered participants will also receive raffle tickets for a Cannondale SuperSix 3 bike.  Registration details are available at the Clark’s Corner website.

Chris Horner’s 14 year pro career includes a 10th in this year’s Tour de France, a fourth place finish in the Tour of California 2010, and several USA Cycling National championships.  His numerous top 10 placings include a first place finish in the Tour de Georgia in 2003.  He also achieved no small amount of fame when he stopped to give a ride (yes – give a ride) to a crashed rider and his broken bike.  He pedaled himself, the injured Billy Demong and Billy’s bike the final 2 kilometers across the finish line.

It is an unfortunate necessity of being a cyclist with Type 1 diabetes that a fair amount of thought goes into blood sugar levels on the days before, during and after major rides.  Despite all the warm fuzzy “Diabetes doesn’t stop me from doing anything” sentiments – which I in fact do agree with – there is still an inescapable fact of life: Diabetes is a big pain in the ass.  I’ve talked before about some of the challenges that cycling, or any athletic endeavor, can present to a diabetic.  To that end, I’ve decided to share some of my methods of managing my diabetes while I’m riding, and ask for your stories to help me address some of the areas I’m struggling with.

First off, the all important disclaimer: I am not a doctor.  I don’t even play one on TV.  Instead, I’m just a guy with diabetes trying to find out what works for me.  That means that anything I say about what I do is just an opinion and not a suggestion to do anything in particular.  Your diabetes management strategy is a choice that you must make for yourself, in conjunction with a qualified health care provider.

I’ve been thinking about writing this for some time, but decided that today was the day.  I’m recovering from my Tahoe ride yesterday and for the most part  I actually feel pretty good.  I’ve surprisingly got absolutely no leg pain or stiffness, due in large part to the great massage I got post-ride yesterday.  However, I am currently struggling with an issue that I, for lack of a better term, will title the “Post ride diabetic hangover.”

The post ride diabetic hangover is the situation that happens the day after a significant ride.  You’re body seems to think you are still climbing the hills or sprinting to the line.  Normal basal rates and carb/insulin rations keep your blood sugars at dangerously low levels.  You find yourself constantly treating hypoglycemia.

This can be a tricky and annoying situation to deal with.  For me today, the problem actually started in the middle of the night.  I’ve been running at a 50% reduction in my normal basal rate ever since then, and I seem to be holding steady.

I tend to deal with these days by the “constant correction” method.  I intentionally reduce my basal and bolus doses.  Hopefully I get the adjustment numbers right.   If I don’t and my blood sugars start to climb I correct.  I always favor slightly higher blood sugars to hypoglycemia.  This, of course, requires constant blood sugar checking.

All of this would be a lot harder to deal with if it were not for my Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM). I personally use the Dexcom Seven Plus – and it is worth its weight in gold to me, not only for recoveries like I mention above, but while I’m actually riding.  Trying to stick your fingers while juggling a meter and a test strip is downright dangerous in the saddle.  And if you’ve reached any level of seriousness about your riding, you’re probably not going to be coming to a complete stop each and every time you need to test.  This is why, in my opinion, a CGM is one of the most important purchases that a diabetic cyclist can make.

A little tip about the sensor (which almost universally seem to attach to the belly) and cycling bibs, however.  Bibs can be the enemy of your sensor.  I suspect those of you running MiniMeds or other pumps with a separate infusion set might be in the same situation.  There are a couple of times I’ve stopped to use the restroom and ended up with part of my bib shorts caught on the sensor without me being aware – eventually resulting in the sensor being pulled off enough to stop functioning.  Either get in the habit of placing your sensor much higher or lower than the band of your bibs, or just be conscious of this whenever you adjust your bibs.  I tend to keep my sensor lower on my abdomen and just try to be conscious of snags.  It has been working out so far.

Insulin injections are challenging on the bike too – especially basal shots.  Just like with the GSM, switching to an insulin pump made things vastly easier.  The fact that basal is delivered slowly over time (like your body is supposed to do) also means that you can adjust dosages down on the fly and have an almost immediate effect.  I’m an OmniPod user myself.  I just find it much more convenient to have the controlling unit completely separate and wireless – makes it easier to move the display to a position that is reasonable for me to read and operate while still pedaling.  I’ve also heard a couple of times that the Dexcom sensor and OmniPod pump are soon to be merged into a single controlling device – reducing two devices down to a single one.  Now if only I could get that data to my cycling computer!

Above all, though, just be aware of how your body reacts on the bike.  Even if you don’t have the luxury of a CGM, pick days where you do a normal training ride, or simulate a scheduled ride, and stop frequently to check your blood sugars.  I know that I personally often have a really hard time telling the difference between the feeling of low blood sugar, and simple fatigue from pushing really hard through a difficult effort.  It would be awesome if more of us could get access to the amazing information available to the diabetics riding with Team Type 1.  Just imagine having someone there to help you manage your blood sugars.  Someone that knows both cycling and diabetes.  Well, you’re going to have to become that person for yourself – at least until the team decides to pick you up!

So here’s some advice I will give my fellow diabetic cyclists.   This advice is disclaimer-free and I actively encourage you to do this.  Educate yourself, know your limits and don’t assume that diabetes will prevent you from riding your bike.

And spread your experiences!  I know there are numerous hints and ideas about dealing with diabetes while riding – post them in comments here.  Tell others what works for you, or perhaps more importantly what doesn’t.  The cycling community is a close family – the diabetics in that family an even tighter group.  Share and share alike!

There are lots of us out there riding.  I ran into many on my Tahoe ride, as it was also a benefit for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  And I know from direct conversations I had with many (Hi Dave!  Hi Randy!) they were out there riding with Type 1 diabetes just like I was (and a couple kicked my ass on the climb to Spooner Lake too.)  The stories say that the whole Team Type 1 pro group started when one amateur rider happened to see another checking their blood sugar before a race, realized they were both diabetes and struck up a conversation.  Let’s repeat that.  Share what you know with others.

Safe Riding,

Ross Del Duca – JustAnotherCyclist

This was a ride that I’ve had on the schedule for most of the year – and one I’ve very much been looking forward to.  The Tour de Tahoe – presented by Bike the West –  is a clockwise loop around Lake Tahoe, covering over 70 miles of road and (depending on who’s data you look at) either 2,100, 3,700 or 6,000 feet of climbing.  I managed to bang it out with 4:42:15 of actual pedaling time (plus 32 minutes of time spent munching at rest stops) for a total elapsed time of about 5 hours and 15 minutes from start to finish.

The day was absolutely beautiful for the ride.  OK, well, it was actually cold as hell at the 6:45am start.  Fingers were stinging by the time I hit the first significant climb – the “switchbacks” that lead up the Emerald Bay.  However, I warmed up nicely climbing the roughly 500 feet that can approach 20% grade in some short sections.  Truth be told, though, this actually turned out to be a heck of a lot easier than I anticipated.  When I crested the top and saw the Emerald Bay rest stop in the distance – after a downgrade – I was very surprised that that part of the ride was already completed.

I dropped off the leg warmers and the long fingered gloves with the staff at the first rest stop.  The provided plastic bags to package stuff you didn’t want to take with you on the rest of the trip that they transported to the finish line.  A nice touch – and my first experience with the logistics of what turned out to be a very very organized ride.  And I’ve got high standards from previous rides I’ve taken.

For any folks planning on doing this ride in the future – I’ll give you a little tip.  If you are someone prone to getting cold, or that would rather be slightly warm instead of slightly cold, think carefully about shedding layers at the Emerald Bay rest stop! As you move down along the lake over the next 15-20 miles, you’ll go through a couple of areas that are out of the sun and seem to hold the cold air.  Or, said another way, I found myself freezing my arse off between the first and second rest stop.  I probably would have been fine had I held onto the leg warmers just one rest stop longer.  On the other hand, the areas in the sun were warming up nicely, so I might have been too hot too.  Kinda hard to know for sure after the fact.

You follow some rollers (and some neat descents!) around the rest of the west and north side of the lake.  I’m guessing there was something of a tail wind through there, as it was a really fast section for me, and I was all alone without someone to share pulls with.  And that brings me to my next tip for future rides – beware of the third rest stop!

The problem is, it is in a great place to take a little extra time at a rest stop, grab lunch and hang out of a few.  What I found out though is that there is a steep climb just a couple of blocks distance from the rest stop.  It is not terribly long, but it is enough that it cause my muscles to really tighten up – having cooled down too much after hanging out at the rest stop.  So my advice is to not spend too terribly long at the third rest stop.  Or, just accept that you might be a little tight and uncomfortable on that first climb after the stop.

More rollers and you’ll find yourself through Incline Village.  This is the approach to the final set of climbs – and in my opinion the hardest part of the ride – the climb to Spooner Lake.

You’re looking at about 1,000 feet of climbing, with about 400 feet of descent mixed in there.  It is a long, grinding climb.  According to RideWithGPS, the average gradient over the whole climb is 7.2%, with max gradients over 28%.  To be honest, I don’t remember anything (even very short patches) anywhere near that steep.  The good news, however, is that once you make it up you’re treated to about 4 miles of pure downhill, followed by some “mostly downhill” rollers to the finish line.  This part of the ride is a little bit sketchy for those not accustomed to being amongst cars.  You’re riding on highway 50, and there is absolutely no shoulder.  There are, however, two lanes and I never felt particularly threatened by the traffic.  This probably has a lot to do with the fantastic job of putting up ample signage alerting drivers of all of the cyclists.

And my final tip: you will approach a tunnel, and just before that tunnel is a sign with lights that says “Cyclists in the tunnel.”  If you pause for just a second at this sign, you’ll see there is a button not unlike what is on crosswalks for pedestrians to trigger lights.  This switch will activate the flashing lights on the “Cyclists in tunnel” sign.  I highly recommend hitting it.  The tunnel is extremely narrow with no shoulder, and drivers may not see you as the move from bright sunlight to the darkness of the tunnel.  The tunnel is short, but I definitely felt better with the lights flashing.

And there you have it.  It really was an amazing ride.  I’ve driven this route in a car a couple of times and marveled at the scenery.  Seeing it from the saddle of a bike is completely different, however.  The reduced speed and lack of a glass and steel cage surrounding you puts you in the scenery instead of looking out at it.  My only regret from this ride is that I didn’t capture more photos and perhaps some video.  Next time!

And I have a theory regarding the large discrepancy in the different elevation gain numbers.  The 2100 feet advertised by Bike the West seems to be about the difference between the lowest and highest of the major climbs, while the 6000+ reported by RideWithGPS seems to take into account each and every couple of feet of elevation gain through the rollers.  The practicaly “what does it feel like” is probably something like 3000-3500.

Surly has introduced some of their new products – giving us a sneak peak at what will be available by next year.  Of particular interest to you utilitarian cyclists that like to use your bikes like pickup trucks are a new trailer, and some modifications to the Big Dummy.

First off – the Big Dummy.  For those unfamiliar, this is a production offering that has much of the same gear sold as a conversion kit by Xtracycle, inc.  However, the Surly offering packages it along with a frame purpose built for the application – taking out the guess work and shop skills necessary with the conversion methodology.  Modifications from last year include:

No more swoopy top tube (come on, get over it.) New straight top tube increases torsional stiffness, reduces weight (a little), and is theoretically stronger. Standover is about the same.

New spec brings complete bike price down – Deore, Truvativ, etc – still Surly approved for durability.

Frameset MSRP: $950  Complete bike MSRP: $1840

However, if you’re a serious cargo-hauling badass, their new trailer offering is claimed to haul up to 300lbs.

Again, from their release:

It will haul 300lbs of stuff

Two lengths available – short (32” – pictured) and long (64”)

DIY mounts all over it. Make your own bed, add some uprights, strap down your friends

16” heavy duty wheels

Check out what they have to say on their blog – more details on these products, as well as information on other new products, or changes from the current offerings.

It would appear that the circumnavigation attempt – by bicycle – of Vin Cox has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest yet.  The Guinness records site has not yet posted anything regarding this, so I’ve not been able to validate this directly from them.  However, other third parties such as Road Cycling UK are also reporting confirmation of the time of 163 days, 6 hours and 58 minutes as the new fastest.  This bests the previous record holder Mark Beauomont’s time of 194 days, 17 hours.  Potentially of interest is the fact that both Vin Cox and Mark Beauomont are both from the UK.

According to his website, Vin Cox is now planning to turn the circumnavigation into a planned race.  One can’t help but speculate about the Race Across America becoming a “training” ride for this event should it take place.

You can follow Vin cox on twitter at @greatbikeride.

Roadie.  Fixie hipster.  Urban velo.  Cycle chic.  Mountain.

As a group, us cyclists sure seem to want to divide ourselves into, well, more groups.  The interesting thing about cyclists is that we often seem to pigeonhole themselves into a single sub-sect and not stray out much.  But why would that be?  Motorists don’t seem to do this.  It would appear perfectly reasonable for someone to drive a Toyota Prius to work, have a 4×4 in the garage that is only used during vacations, a Volkswagen Routan for getting the kids to soccer, and all the while fantasize about owning a high end Ferrari.  Sure, we might call them an “offroader” on the weekend while out in the 4×4 ripping through the mud, but that term doesn’t define then any more than, say, hybrider does when the drive the Prius to work.

Cyclists, on the other hand, all to often seem to define themselves by what type of bike they ride, where the ride it and who they ride it with.

Personally, my “cycling life” is more like our example motorist above.  OK, so in my case (to push the analogy) I drive a used, banged up Acura Integra to work (Cannondale R300), have a mid-level Porsche in the garage at home (Look 566), seriously considering a Jeep (some kind of mountain bike) and have diabolical plans to build myself a Toyota Sienna (Xtracycle conversion kit)

Given that I belong to many of these sub-sects personally, I feel that I can in good conscious enumerate some of the characteristics of each.  Consider this a cheat-sheet in your field identification of fellow cyclists:

In all seriousness, though, while the distinctions between these supposed “sub groups” seem obvious, at the end of the day we all ride bikes for one of two reasons:  to get from point A to point B, or just for fun.  Maybe both at the same time.  Perhaps what we really need to do instead of segregating ourselves as a group is to recognize we all share many of the same concerns, risks, fears and rewards.  We all turn pedals and we all have to watch out for the same hazards on the road.  Well…  all except those crazy mountain bikers that is.  They have to worry about bears instead of SUVs.