May 2022 WheelPeople

Articles

Spring Century - North to New Hampshire

John O'Dowd

The Spring Century, North to New Hampshire, will run on Sunday May 15 and Saturday May 21 starting at the Metro West Technical School in Wakefield.It will not be fully supported, will be open only to CRW members, registration is required, and there is no charge.

Join us for one of three beautiful routes of 100, 62, and 50 miles on slightly rolling rural roads through the Merrimack Valley of northeastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Our 100 mile ride will take you through Exeter and Hampton Falls, NH. The other routes travel through such towns as Boxford, Groveland and Topsfield. All routes pass through the Harold Parker State Forest. There will be one crewed rest stop at American Legion Park, 17 Pentucket Ave, Georgetown, MA from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

On Sunday May 15 there will be a 15-16 mph pace 100 mile group leaving at 8:00 led by Martin Hayes. If interested click his name under Ride Leaders below and send him an email

On Saturday May 21 there will be a 14-15 mph pace 100 mile group leaving at 7:00 led by Larry Kernan. There will also be a 14-15 mph pace 63 mile group leaving at 8 am led by John O'Dowd. If interested in either group please click on appropriate ride leader name under Ride Leaders below and send him an email

Ride Registration pages

Sunday May 15 https://www.crw.org/content/north-new-hampshire-1?rid=13963&date=2022-05-15

Saturday May 21 https://www.crw.org/content/north-new-hampshire-2?rid=13967&date=2022-05-21

RIDE START: NORTHEAST METRO TECH

100 Hemlock Street

Wakefield , MA

See map: Google Maps

Directions:

Take Rt. 95 (128) to exit 40, Rt. 129 East.
Follow signs for Rt. 129 East for 1.5 miles to Wakefield center.
Follow Rt. 129 East as it turns left.
Go approximately 1 mile past Wakefield center.
Turn right onto Farm Street, go past Wakefield High School
Turn left on Hemlock Rd follow sign to NE Metro Tech HS

President's Message

Edward Cheng

Spring is here, and it's time to venture out and smell the Campy and Shimano! We have lots of exciting events on the calendar for May already, so get on your bikes, and reconnect with your rider friends in person..

CRW Swap Meet and Rides

Come out on Sunday, May 1, 2022, and join the CRW Swap Meet and Rides! Register early and often for our Spring kick-off featuring three rides (50 miles, women's ride, and 25 mile ride), and finish off at the Swap Meet by buying that new (to you) set of wheels or fancy handlebars that you always wanted. Don't forget to check out the “Free Stuff” table. We will have refreshments and other amenities too. It will be at 390 Lincoln Road, Sudbury. Start time depends on which ride you join. Come out and let's make this a big deal

Spring Century - North to New Hampshire

Shake the rust out of your winter legs with a Spring Century (light). We are excited to present our North to New Hampshire Spring Century on May 15 and May 21 so there's a date for everybody's schedule. Join the Charles River Wheelers for one of three beautiful routes of 100, 62 and 50 miles on slightly rolling rural roads through the Merrimack Valley of northeastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Our 100 mile ride will take you through Exeter and Hampton Falls, NH. The other routes travel through such towns as Boxford, Groveland and Topsfield. All routes pass through the Harold Parker State Forest. There will be one crewed rest stop at American Legion Park, 17 Pentucket Ave, Georgetown, MA from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. We will also have ride leaders leading groups at specific speeds -- check the website! Best of all, this one is on the club -- no fees (though we will never turn away a donation) just remember to register on the web calendar!

Ride Leader Kickoff Meeting

Yes, our Ride Leader kickoff is back and it's (a)live, real, in person, with food and beverages and all of your friends event! We're spending the big bucks and even hired a bartender so we can serve the good stuff!. All Ride Leaders and Ride Leader Wannabes are invited to join us at the Lexington Deport on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. for beverages and socializing. We'll have a short presentation to bring you up to date on all the great things that are happening in the club and then you'll have more time to talk with your Ride Leader friends, meet new people and plan some rides. Registration is required. Check the calendar for details

Ride Leader Kickoff

Mary Kernan

At one time, the annual Ride Leader kickoff was one of the most anticipated events at the start of the summer riding season. It was always a great time to reconnect with your Ride Leader friends and to plan rides for the season. Covid forced us onto Zoom for the last two years and it just wasn’t the same.

Photos are from the 2013 ride leader party.

But this year, finally, we’re back to being live! Please join us on Thursday, May 12^th from 6:30 – 9:00 p.m. at the Lexington Depot for a return to a live, in-person kickoff. Doors open at 6:30 and we’ll be serving plenty of food and beverages. Hey, we hired a bartender so we can serve the good stuff! Ed Cheng is gonna kill me if I blow my whole budget on the first party of the year, but for Ride Leaders, it’s worth it.

You’ll have plenty of time to socialize and catch up with your friends, and I’ll give a brief presentation on all the great things happening in the Club. We’ve also got a fresh group of members who’ve just been through Ride Leader Training and will be looking to co-lead your rides so they can qualify as fully fledged leaders. Our recent survey shows that there’s a huge demand for rides and we’ll do all we can to help you get them planned and posted.

Registration is required for this event ‘cause I don’t wanna run out of food. To register, please go to https://www.crw.org/content/ride-leader-kickoff?rid=13995&date=2022-05-12

I look forward to seeing you on the 12^th

Intro to Touring

Mary Kernan

I always had visions of someday riding my bike across the country. My husband Larry and I were avid cyclists, campers and backpackers so it didn’t feel like much of a stretch. In 2007, the stars aligned and we were able to plan the trip. We bought two new touring bikes, Trek 520s. They were the premier touring bike of the day and are still in production. We sprang for some newer lightweight camping gear, got maps from Adventure Cycling and were ready to go.

We did a shake down ride to Worcester County, spent the night, then rode home. That was our first tour, just one night. Our second tour started a few weeks later and was a ten-week odyssey following the Northern Tier from Boston to Seattle, covering over 4,000 miles. Just the two of us.

Boy, did we make mistakes. So many mistakes. It’s all part of the learning process but I’d like to save you some of the pain. On May 14-15, 2022, Harriet Fell and I are running an Intro to Touring ride. We’ll start at the Riverside T station in Newton and ride 50 easy, flat miles down to Providence where we’ve booked a block of hotel rooms. The return ride will be along a mostly different route but will be equally flat and easy. The idea is for you to enjoy the freedom that comes with simply riding your bike all day long, eating as much as you want, sleeping soundly, then getting up and doing it again the next day.

We’re running this as a credit card tour. That means we’ll be staying in a hotel and eating at restaurants and ice cream shops (all tours must have ice cream shops) so there’s no need to carry a tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear, extra food, etc. We’ll be traveling along paved roads and bike trails so your road bike is just fine for this ride. You can carry most of what you need in a rear saddle bag, a handlebar bag or a frame bag. If you can’t fit what you need for an overnight trip in one of these bags, you’re bringing too much stuff.

There will be a Zoom call for registered participants a week before the ride. We’ll answer all your questions, share a suggested packing list and hopefully save you from a few rookie mistakes.

This ride is intended for CRW members who have never toured and are touring-curious. Registration is required and you’ll be responsible for all your own expenses. For more details, check out the ride listing.

Larry and I were still on speaking terms when we finished that first tour, so we deemed it a success. In subsequent years, we rode the Pacific Coast Trail and the Southern Tier. We still have hopes of hitting the Trans Am before our legs give out.

Harriet and I hope you can join us for our Intro to Touring ride so you can see what makes touring so addictive.

The pictures are from the Kernan's Southern Tier tour. The first is the finish, dipping tires in the Atlantic Ocean in St. Augustine, Florida. Second is camping behind the fire station in Superior, Arizona. Last pic is the start of the ride in San Diego.

Spring Swap Meet & Rides

Jerry Skurla

New Spring Swap Meet & Rides event on May 1 offers 3 rides, hard-to-find parts & gear and Spring cleaning motivation

Have you said any of the following recently?

- "I just need 2 parts to get this bike up and rolling, but I can't find them anywhere."

- "Craigslist and eBay are ok, but I can't inspect items before buying like I want to."

- "It's time to clear out all my unused bikes, parts, and gear."

If you have come to the new CRW Spring Swap Meet & Rides event on May 1.

It takes place at Lincoln-Sudbury High School's parking lot in Sudbury, MA and includes:

- a 9am 50 mile ride

- a 10am 30 mile Women's program, no-drop ride

- a 11am 25 mile ride

- afternoon Swap Meet from 1-5pm

For both CRW members and their guests, the Spring Swap Meet is designed to have options for all. There is no charge to participate. Attendees can:

1. Tag, price and put your items on CRW-monitored "theme tables" like drive train

& brakes, wheels & tires, clothing & shoes and more.

2. Bring and set-up your own "tailgate" table to display all your stuff as you want

3. Tag, price and put complete bikes in the CRW-monitored Bike Corral

4. Use the "Free Stuff" table for items anyone can have for free. All items

unclaimed at the end of the Swap Meet will be donated to Bikes not Bombs.

So on May 1st enjoy one of three great rides AND find the chainring bolts, or right hand shifter you need, or a "new-to-you" bike that you want.

Have questions? Please contact Jerry Skurla at jskurla [at] comcast.net

CRW Board Profile

Amy Wilson

Following the lead of Steve Carlson on his personal road bike history, I bought my first road bike in 1972 when I was 13 to go on an American Youth Hostel bike tour of all of the New England States. It was a fantastic trip which led to my eventually living in New England, learning to camp and a life-long love of biking. That red Italian DiCampli steel frame bike that I bought with babysitting money (at a dollar an hour no less) was with me for a very long time before I regrettably donated it to Bikes Not Bombs. Raising three sons who are now in their 20s and working as a hospital planning strategist kept me from any serious road biking for many years, I only biked as a form of commuting or transporting my kids in the city.

In 2013, I bought my second road bike to do the Best Buddies Challenge Century from Boston to Hyannis. I loved being back on a road bike and found CRW to keep riding after the Century. Biking is a big part of our family, rehabbing bikes, bike trips, etc.

I was taken with CRW quickly, the grass roots nature of the organization, the fact that I could ride at my slow pace and still be part of the organization and also the access to such great bike routes all over.

I responded to an email in Wheel People three years ago to be Treasurer and then went on the Board in 2020. CRW, the last three years with the pandemic, and what can I say, various political issues has not always been easy but overall, it is an amazing organization that runs on a dime with incredible camaraderie and volunteer efforts. I have met amazing people and look forward to seeing everyone out there this summer. I look forward to working on the fall Cranberry Harvest Century which is a great opportunity to get to know CRW and meet some great people as well.

Amy Wilson is a member of the CRW Board and also CRW Treasurer.

Wednesday Ice Cream Ride

Rudge McKenney

The Wednesday Ice Cream Ride returns this season with a new starting location, new routes, new start time, and get this, ice cream. We have eliminated the three hills on the old route; Glen Road, the climb to the Campion Center, and Ash Street. However, we have kept some old favorites like Water Row and Ponyhenge.

The new start location is the Weston United Methodist Church, 377 North Avenue (Route 117), Weston, MA. And, many thanks to the church who will be providing riders with restroom facilities from 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Within 100 yards of the church is Dairy Joy serving all your favorite ice cream type delights for an after ride refreshment.

The ride will begin at 6:00 p.m. each Wednesday, but do check CRW’s website for possible cancellations. Three routes will be offered of 8, 17, and 23 miles. These are CRW “show and go” rides; however, a friendly ride leader may escort a new rider on the course of their choice upon request.

This recurring ride will commence mid-May and go thru August. Check CRW’s ride calendar for the exact starting Wednesday.

From Bike to Trike

Eli Post

This article is for folks who are encountering difficulty with traditional road bikes either for medical or age reasons. It is also for those who plan to get older.

I hesitate to play the age card, but this article makes no sense otherwise. I turn 84 this fall, an age when most wisely turn from biking to other forms of exercise. But biking has become an essential part of who I am. I could not give it up when options were available to continue riding. Call it whatever you choose – obsession, foolishness, determination, dedication – I found a way, and am looking forward to a continued opportunity to ride.

First, some background. About ten years back, my capacity to climb hills and do long rides started to decline. More recently, I’ve had trouble starting off on the bike. We take starting off for granted but it involves coordinating the terrain, and the gear you are in, while staying aware of nearby activity, other riders, pedestrians, or motor vehicles.I had a few spills when starting off. Fortunately, when you fall at zero mph, you usually don’t injure yourself, but I knew it was only a matter of time before I broke a bone, and that I had to move on.

The key word here is "move". I needed a way to keep riding. The solution was an electric trike. A “trike” in the bike industry is a recumbent with three wheels, more commonly with two up front and one in the back. With three wheels, the trike is stable at the start, and lets you push off with ease. The electric assist compensates for age-related muscle loss.

However, there were other issues that had to be resolved before I could make a purchase. They were, in no particular order:

The trike with electric assist weighs close to 50 pounds. I could not safely pick it up and place it in my car, so we had to design a ramp system to roll it in and out. This is no small chore and consumed endless research directly related to the configuration of my car. We settled on 8-foot ramps to get the trike to the trunk, and smaller curb ramps to gently roll it into the trunk. I cannot stress enough how much engineering went into the ramp effort. There was little to go on, and we were pioneers in this effort.
The brand is of course a central issue but it was compounded by the effect of the pandemic on supply. There was a 45-week delay on the brand of choice. My decision was made not only on brand quality and performance, but also on what was available.
Electric assist is still relatively new for biking, and there are many players in the market with little consumer feedback. As in any new industry, some will flourish, and others will vanish. Selecting a brand with little feedback required some risk taking. Also, you must consider how much power you need now but also how much will you need a few years from now. It’s tough enough to determine your current power needs, but you must assume that your power needs will grow with time.
The accessories you become accustomed to on a road bike, are more difficult to install on a trike. Warning lights don’t easily attach, and you enter a new world to accommodate your needs. As an example, I use my cell phone for navigation, but there is no convenient handlebar to install the mount. Designing a system for this task is still a work in process.

My trike was ordered in early April, and the bike shop has a backlog for motor install. I am expecting delivery in May and might have more to report after riding it for a while. I have refrained from citing specifics on brand, bike store and the like, but am happy to share such information on request.

I want to thank my son Alex for all his help making this purchase a success. We were dealing with new options, and he diligently researched all aspects of this effort. I am impatient by nature, and on several occasions Alex saved me from rushing into a decision before we fully understood the consequences. Again, it is difficult to explain all the research that was required.

The top photo shows ramps into the trunk of the (hatchback) car. The bottom photo shows curb ramps to allow a gentle trike transition while in the car. This is an engineering feat akin to the moon landing.

This article was edited by Tim Wilson.

Showstoppers II: A Dozen Mistakes Endurance Cyclists Make

This article appeared in Road Biker Review Newsletter No. 1012

By Coach John Hughes

Summer is coming and you’re probably planning a long ride. You may not be up for a century but look forward to the club’s 50-miler or a 100K with a friend. Or you may be preparing for a century, 200K or longer. Whatever the distance here are 12 potential mistakes to avoid.

1. Inadequate training. A long ride is an endurance event and a successful and fun event requires miles in the bank. Build up to a long training ride of 2/3 to 3/4 the distance of your planned event over similar terrain.

2. Ramping up too fast. Increase your week-to-week volume by 10-20%. Increase your weekly long ride by 10-20%. Increase your month-to-month volume by 15-25%.

3. Training at the same intensity. Effective training includes endurance riding, some hard intensity rides and also easy recovery rides.

4. Training too hard. Most rides should be done at a conversational pace including the weekly long ride. You should be able to talk the whole time but not sing.

5. Not testing and your perfecting nutrition, clothing, equipment, etc. in advance. Nothing new during the event.

6. Skipping breakfast. Glycogen supplies (from carbohydrate) are limited in the body. You should eat a good breakfast (but nothing new!) primarily of carbohydrate with a bit of protein and fat.

7. Not eating enough during the event. You should eat at least 200 calories per hour and 300 calories hour is better.

8. Not eating regularly during the event. If you eat at a rest stop, ride several hours to the next rest stop and then eat again, then your energy may fade in between rest stops. You should eat 200-300 calories every hour.

9. Improper hydration. We were taught to drink before we are thirsty; however, on multi-hour rides drinking too much may dilute the blood sodium, resulting in hyponatremia, a potentially dangerous condition. Drink enough to satisfy your thirst but not more.

10. Improper pacing. Riders sometimes go out too fast and then fade and struggle by the second half. If you can’t ride with a group at that conversational pace then drop off. The right group for you is behind you!

11. Getting lost. Don’t assume that the group you are with is on course. Pay some time in advance studying the cue sheet and then double-check each turn.

12. Inappropriate equipment. Bike shops generally sell a range of racing-style road bikes. These may have a fairly short wheelbase and straight fork, which make for quick responsiveness in a criterium, but the bike is harder to ride straight and the ride is harsher. The bike may have a significant drop between the saddle and the handlebars, great for aerodynamics in a road race but tiring on a century. The bike may have reduced spoke count wheels, which make for faster acceleration but aren’t as durable as wheels with 32 spokes.

By avoiding these mistakes you’ll finish an endurance ride with a grin on your face.

Coach John Hughes earned coaching certifications from USA Cycling and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. John’s cycling career includes course records in the Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200-km randonnée and the Furnace Creek 508, a Race Across AMerica (RAAM) qualifier. He has ridden solo RAAM twice and is a 5-time finisher of the 1200-km Paris-Brest-Paris.

He has written nearly 40 eBooks and eArticles on cycling training and nutrition, available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach John Hughes. Click to read John’s full bio. This article appeared in Road Bike Rider Anti-Aging: Core Strength in 1 Hour a Week - Road Bike Rider Cycling Site

My eBook Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process includes chapters on how to meet the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendations on aerobic, high intensity aerobic, strength training, weight-bearing exercises, balance and flexibility. I include sample weeks and months for different types and amounts of exercise. I give you plans to build up to 100 km and 100 mile rides. I include a plan to increase over two years your annual riding from around 4,000 miles (6,500 km) to over 5,000 miles (8,000 km) a year. You can easily modify the plans for different annual amounts of riding. I discuss the importance of recovery and how to gauge if you are getting enough recovery. I combine the different kinds of training into programs that balance training and recovery. The 106-page is available here Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process

Crash Incident

Eli Post

Elsewhere in this edition is a Safety article providing perspective on this crash.

We learn different ways, but one of the best is first-hand experience. Consequently we are sharing the story of this crash from a recent weekend ride and hope it is a learning moment. The author has requested anonymity.

I crashed on the bike path on Saturday. Here is how it (and I) went down.

A group of us had a nice ride out to Concord / Carlisle and decided to head back to Lexington to get a sandwich.

We hopped on the bike bath in Lexington for a short while to get to the lunch destination. I remember putting my hands up on my bars (from the hoods) to relax a bit. I pulled up next to Greg and we chatted. There were multiple riders riding side by side in front of us and riders in an orderly fashion coming towards us and passing no problem.

What happened next took place in a matter of seconds which accidents often do.

I then noticed a blob of riders (2/3 abreast) coming towards me, one coming over into my lane. I was riding on the inside. Greg riding on the shoulder. I saw a potential clipping of handlebars so I steered right to avoid contact and stopped pedaling, I then yelled "F*CK" as my overcorrection pointed my front wheel at an angle towards Greg's back wheel. I felt helpless, which is not a good feeling on a bike! Why did I feel helpless? Because I couldn't brake, my hands were on the bars, not on the hoods. And my steering ability was not as good without hands on the hoods.

So I hit Greg's back wheel and I went down. Boom. Helmet, hip, shoulder, and knee took the impact, and the bike appears to be ok. Helmet needs to be replaced - but it did what it was supposed to do. And thankfully I didn't take anyone down with me.

Anyway, one of the persons who was in that group that strayed into my lane circled back to apologize - but I own this - not riding with hands on the hood. This could have been avoided had I had the ability to brake and steer better. Thanks to my _____ ride mates who were there and made sure I wasn't too quick to try to get back up on the horse so to speak. And thanks to Greg for skipping the lunch sandwich and making sure I rode home safely.

That's it - stay safe out there and keep the rubber side down!

Crash Incident on the Minuteman Bikeway

John Allen

Elsewhere in this edition is a report on a crash. This Safety article provides perspective on that crash.

First of all: the cyclists involved were fortunate. An incident like this can be much more serious. There was a fatality on the Minuteman rail trail in Lexington a few years ago, when a cyclist merged out from behind pedestrians and touched handlebar ends with an oncoming cyclist.

Ghost bike on the Minuteman Path. A bicyclist died here in the spring of 2019

I see several lessons, based on the report.

* The Minuteman carries every kind of non-motorized traffic, and e-bikes too. Many users lack skill and discipline, like the one who strayed into the Rippers' lane.

* The report doesn't say how fast anyone was going, but the Minuteman is not appropriate for fast riding unless it is empty, and where sight lines are ample. All in all, people who want to ride fast in the Cambridge-Arlington-Lexington corridor would do better to take Massachusetts Avenue.

* This was a wheel-touching crash. Such crashes are best avoided by not drafting, except among people who are skilled at it. The technique to avoid crashing when your front wheel touches the rear wheel of the rider ahead is counterintuitive: steer into that wheel to brace your bicycle against it. All good group-riding instruction teaches this technique. It takes practice and it works sometimes.

* Well, yes, be ready to brake. But braking also can cause a crash t if the cyclist behind runs into you.

* Riding double-file on the Minuteman might possibly be OK if it is very empty, but the rider nearer the center of the path can't quickly swerve right to avoid oncoming traffic.

Now as to resources to improve group riding practice: I recommend the free online CyclingSavvy Club Rider course, which covers all the skills I have described, and more. See this page:

https://cyclingsavvy.org/#memberships

Savvy Club Rider information has the potential to make our rides go more smoothly and to prevent crashes. Notable: the strategy of initiating group merges from the rear, so a motorist doesn't break into the group.

If enough people take that course, better group riding skills could percolate up from individual riders to the club as a whole.

And I'll have a CyclingSavvy three-part course (online, parking-lot and on-road) scheduled in Waltham in May,

https://cyclingsavvy.org/event/waltham-ma-full-course-may-20-21/2022-05-20/

See you there?

Merging strategy that avoids a motorist's breaking up the group: 1) Front rider signals; 2) rear rider negotiates, moves into the new lane then calls for the rest of the group to move; 3) riders relay the call to the front of the group and move to the new lane.

Exercise Every Day or Every Other Day?

By Dr. Gabe Mirkin

The old guideline recommending 30 minutes of exercise three times a week just isn’t enough, according to the latest research. Athletes know that they need to work out every day, and all people who just want to stay healthy can benefit from the same type of exercise program.

Why Athletes Need to Exercise Every Day
Knowledgeable athletes train by stressing and recovering. You have to damage muscles to gain strength and enlarge muscles. You become more fit by taking a hard workout and then resting for a day or two than you will by exercising at the same leisurely pace every day. Every muscle is made up of thousands of fibers like a rope is made of many strands. Every fiber is made up of blocks called sarcomeres that fit end to end like a row of bricks. Sarcomeres butt upon each other, end-to-end, at Z-lines.

Muscles contract only at each Z-line. When you exercise vigorously, you damage these Z-lines and when they heal, the muscle fibers are stronger. So all athletes train by stressing and recovering. On one day, they take an intense workout to damage their muscles at the Z-lines. On the next day their muscles are sore and damaged and they exercise at a relaxed pace. When the muscles are healed and the soreness lessens, they take their next intense workout.

If athletes exercise at low intensity during the healing phase of the Z-lines, their muscle fibers will become stronger than if they rest. If they exercise vigorously when their muscles are sore, they are likely to tear them and be injured. Athletes need to exercise every day to gain maximum strength.

Why Non-Athletes Also Should Exercise Every Day
Forty percent of North Americans die of heart attacks. One of the common causes of the arterial damage that precedes heart attacks is a high rise in blood sugar after meals. Blood sugar always rises after meals and because of faulty lifestyle habits, most North Americans have blood sugars that rise too high. Resting muscles remove no sugar from the bloodstream, but contracting muscles remove sugar rapidly from the bloodstream and can do so without even needing insulin. This effect is strongest during exercise and diminishes to no benefit after about 17 hours. If you want to use exercise to help control blood sugar, you need to do it every day.

An Exercise Program for Everyone
Because a person with blocked arteries leading to the heart could suffer a heart attack during exercise, please check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program. Whatever activity you choose, try to exercise every day. If you are just starting out, spend about six weeks at a slow pace until you are comfortable in your activity. Then you are ready to alternate more intense days with easier workouts.

Intense Days
Stress refers to intensity, not the length of your workout. You can gauge the severity of the stress by the amount of burning you feel in your muscles during exercise. interval training means that you start out slowly, pick up the pace, slow down immediately when your muscles start to burn, recover by going very slowly for as long as you want, and then pick up the pace again.

On your hard days, warm up by going very slowly for five to 10 minutes. Going slowly at the start of a workout warms up muscles to help make them resistant to injury. If your muscles still feel tired or heavy, do not try interval training. Exercising with tired or sore muscles can cause serious injuries.

After you warm up, pick up the pace gradually until you feel burning in your muscles and immediately slow down. Then go at a very slow pace until the soreness goes away, your breath returns to normal and you feel recovered. How long it takes to recover is irrelevant. You take your next faster pick up when you feel that you have recovered, not from any preset time. Then pick up the pace until you feel burning again.

If you don’t compete, you do not ever need to go at 100 percent intensity. People who are just starting to do interval workouts should pick up the pace only slightly and not become short of breath. Slow down and get out of the burn as soon as you feel it. As soon as the burning and fatigue go away, and you are not breathing hard, try to pick up the pace again. In early workouts, you may only be able to do one hard pickup after you have just started your workout. Do not start your next pick up until your legs feel fresh. As soon as your legs start to feel heavy, stop the workout. Trying to increase the pace when your muscles feel sore and heavy invites injury.

Easy Days
The day after your hard workout your muscles will probably feel sore and you should take an easy workout. If the discomfort does not go away as you continue to exercise, is worse on one side of your body, or increases as you exercise, stop exercising immediately. You are injured and continuing to exercise will delay healing. Take off the next day also if you still feel sore in one place. If you feel better as you exercise casually, continue to exercise until you feel any discomfort or heaviness. Always stop every workout when your muscles feel heavy or sore. Keep on taking easy days where you exercise at low intensity until you feel fresh again. Do not do another hard workout until the soreness in your muscles has gone away.

My Recommendations
Every healthy person should try to exercise every day. You will gain a much higher level of fitness by “stressing and recovering”. That means to exercise more intensely on one day, feel sore on the next and go slowly. Only when your muscles feel fresh should you try to pick up the pace again.

This article is courtesy of Dr. Mirkin https://www.drmirkin.com/

Sports medicine doctor, fitness guru and long-time radio host Gabe Mirkin, M.D., brings you news and tips for your healthful lifestyle. A practicing physician for more than 50 years and a radio talk show host for 25 years, Dr. Mirkin is a graduate of Harvard University and Baylor University College of Medicine. He is board-certified in four specialties: Sports Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, Pediatrics and Pediatric Immunology. The Dr. Mirkin Show, his call-in show on fitness and health, was syndicated in more than 120 cities. Read More

Article Exercise Every Day or Every Other Day? | Dr. Gabe Mirkin on Health (drmirkin.com)

The Gluck Legal Takeaway - E-bikes: Legal and Insurance Issues

Ronald Gluck

The Gluck Legal Takeaway:

Ebikes: Legal and Insurance Issues

E bikes, also known as EAPCs- electronically assisted pedal cycles, have become very popular over the past 10 years. The Industry is exploding with new models and new users. In Massachusetts bikes fall into the Ebike category if they are motorized but the motors have a maximum speed of twenty- five mile per hour. Massachusetts restricts use of these bikes to people who are sixteen or above. Operators of Ebikes must have an operator’s license and an Ebike may require registration depending on its maximum speed. All riders must be helmeted. Insurance is not required. Ebikes may not be ridden on bike paths in Massachusetts.

For certain insurance purposes, Ebikes are treated differently than ordinary bicycles. As an example, whereas riders of bicycles who are hit by a car or truck are entitled to personal injury protection benefits which cover medical bills and lost earnings Ebike riders are not entitled to these benefits. Similarly, medical payment provisions on motor vehicle policies which will provide benefits to cyclists who are hit by a car, are not payable to Ebike riders who suffer injuries when hit by a motor vehicle. This disparate treatment of Ebike riders has made its way into automobile insurance policies in the last few years.

The refusal of the insurance companies in Massachusetts to treat Ebike riders the same way they treat cyclists can create financial difficulties for the Ebike riders if they suffer injuries when hit by a motor vehicle. And the likelihood is that most Ebike riders have no idea that insurance coverage which applied to them as cyclists is not available to them as Ebike riders. The change in the policy language is buried in the insurance policy that is mailed to Massachusetts insureds annually. Insured’s are always advised to read their policies but most people do not do so.

There is legislation making its way through the legislature in Massachusetts that would create three classifications of Ebikes depending upon the speed of the motorized bike. House bill 3457 and Senate bill 2309 seem to have momentum. If the bills pass, distinctions would be created so that the insurance benefits which currently do not apply to Ecyclists could include riders of slower Ebikes in the future.

The good news regarding insurance coverage for Ebikers is that their homeowners insurance policies currently continue to protect them from liability should they cause an accident. The same applies to umbrella policies which insure homeowners for excess liability beyond the limits of their homeowner’s policies. That said, Ebikers are advised to watch for any changes that could take place in the terms of their policies as it relates to Ebikes. One could certainly imagine the insurance industry creating a separate category of insurance policy, similar to insurance policies for scooters and or motorcycles. Currently, scooters that travel as slowly as 35 mph require a motorcycle license, registration and insurance coverage.

Readers of this column may remember that I emphasize the importance of carrying high underinsured motorist limits on your automobile insurance policies. This is to protect you in the event that you and or your family members are hit and injured due to the negligence of an operator of a motor vehicle while you are on a bicycle, are a pedestrian, or when you are in a vehicle. Underinsured coverage on your motor vehicles does provide coverage if you and or family members are injured while riding an Ebike. While this is good news, it demonstrates the inconsistency that exists within insurance policies with respect to your Ebikes. It is confusing that, as mentioned above, E bikers do not receive coverage for medical payments or lost wages from their own automobile insurance companies or the insurance company of the vehicle that hit them yet their own automobile insurance company will provide benefits for underinsured coverage.

It is highly likely that the use of Ebikes will increase in the future. They are fun, good for the environment and easy to operate. While they can be expensive to purchase, they are inexpensive to own and ride. They are a convenient and efficient mode of transportation for commuters and delivery people. Since the use of these bikes will become more and more prevalent on the roadways of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it will be critical for the insurance issues related to the ownership and operation of them to be clarified. Ebikers need to be clearly informed and advised on the insurance issues so that they can protect themselves from financial hardship in the event that they are injured while riding, whether for recreation, commuting or while making deliveries.

Stay safe and healthy!

Ron Gluck

If you have questions about a particular incident or more generally about the subject matter of this column, feel free to contact Ron Gluck at gluck [at] bwglaw.com.

Ron Gluck is a founder and principal at Breakstone White and Gluck in Boston. Throughout his 35 year legal career Ron has represented seriously injured individuals in a variety of cases including cycling accidents involving catastrophic injury and wrongful death. Ron is a CRW member.

May Film Festival

Alex Post

There's nothing better than getting out for a ride, but on a rest day a video can almost take us there. Enjoy our monthly virtual film fest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih1X0IMYi-I

Follow The Light
One of the applealing aspects of cycling is the sense of exploration, such as this other wordly ride through the desert in Turkey.

4 Mins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rw3q32oPCk

The Man Who Lived On His Bike

If anyone that claims we spend too much time on our bikes, we can simply show them this guy in comparison. Indeed he seems to have discovered many new opportunities to enjoy biking, such as while cooking your morning eggs.

3 Mins.

Alex Post is a CRW member who lives in Virginia, but regularly visits MA to bike with his dad. He has also led rides for the club

The Athlete's Kitchen -Alcohol and athletes

The Athlete’s Kitchen

Alcohol & Athletes: The good, the bad and the ugly

When asked Is beer good for runners? running legend Jim Fixx's answer was “Sure, if it's the other guy drinking it!" By abstaining from alcohol, you can indeed gain an advantage over your competitor’s poor judgment. Just how bad is alcohol for athletes? Does it have any health benefits, too? Let’s look at some of the good, the bad, and the ugly regarding alcohol and athletes.

• The good: Socializing with a glass of wine, a beer, or a cocktail can add a nice touch to the end of the day for those who like to relax with an alcoholic beverage. Raising a glass to celebrate a victory is a fond tradition. But we know surprisingly little about possible health benefits of drinking in moderation because almost all studies are based on self-reported information that gets tangled up with lifestyle. Do adults who do moderate social drinking enjoy a healthier lifestyle than non- or heavy-drinkers? Does alcohol make them healthier—or do social connections make the difference? While moderate alcohol intake has been linked to reduced risk of heart disease, so has eating a healthy diet and being physically active.

• The bad: Alcohol has a negative reputation regarding athletics, be it heavy beer consumption after a hard work-out, or teams enmeshed in a culture of binge drinking. Student-athletes binge-drink more than non-athletes. Male athletes binge-drink more than female athletes. And all athletes drink more than non-athletes. The higher alcohol intake of athletes can be attributed to stress and anxiety associated with being a competitive athlete, increased muscle pain and soreness, socializing or bonding with teammates, and the belief the athlete “earned”the drink—a reward for having completed the hard effort.

• The ugly: Alcohol is the 3rd leading preventable cause of death in the US. (Tobacco is Number One. A poor diet with inactive lifestyle is Number Two.) Any level of alcohol intake can contribute to several types of cancer

How do you know if you have a drinking problem?
Moderate drinkers typically sip (not gulp) their drinks, stop drinking before they get drunk, and do not drive after drinking. Problem drinkers commonly drink to get drunk and to solve their problems. They drink at inappropriate times (such as before going to work) and may become loud/angry or silent/reclusive. People addicted to alcohol start drinking with no plan, deny drinking, hide bottles, and miss work or school because of hangovers.

Alcohol management

Despite the bad and the ugly, alcohol is an undeniable part of our sports culture. The following tips offer suggestions for helping athletes manage alcohol.

• Don't drink excessive alcohol before an event—especially in the summer heat! Drinking too much the night before an event will hurt your performance the next day. You’ll notice a slower reaction time and reduced eye-hand coordination and balance. Research with Australian rugby players who consumed on average 9 beers post-game (with a range of <1 to 22 beers) indicates—no surprise— their high alcohol intake impaired their performance. Other studies report athletes are less able to do repeated sprints (think soccer, hockey) and jumps (volleyball, basketball). Among heat-stricken summer runners, a common denominator was booze the night before the race.

• If you are going to drink the night before or after an event, plan to also consume a proper sports meal with extra water. While excessive drinking is obviously problematic, a modest amount of alcohol consumed along with a balanced meal will unlikely have a negative impact. Yes, alcohol impairs glycogen resynthesis a bit. But in the real world of sports drinking, athletes who are heavy drinkers tend to make high fat food choices (nachos, burgers, etc.). The lack of healthful grains, fruits and veggies (carbohydrates) more significantly hinders glycogen replacement!

• First quench your post-exercise thirst with water, then enjoy alcohol, if desired. Alcohol is a diuretic; it stimulates the formation of excess urine. Whiskey and other spirits with a high alcohol content will dehydrate (not rehydrate) you. If you “must” drink spirits, ask for extra ice with the cocktail. Beer would be the better choice, given the alcohol content of beer is lower and the water content is higher. Yes, dehydrated adult athletes can rehydrate with a beer or two. Low-alcohol beer is the wiser choice, and no-alcohol beer the wisest beer choice.

• Heavy alcohol intake is not on the list of Best Recovery Practices for athletes to follow! Remember: bad things happen during exercise and good things happen during recovery. Wisely chosen recovery fluids and foods help you rehydrate, refuel, and repair your muscles. Adding alcohol to the mix slows down muscle repair, protein synthesis and adaptation processes. Yet a glass or two of wine or beer, along with plenty of water and food, is permissible.

• Alcohol is a source of calories that can quickly add up. Add in the calories in the pizza, nachos or munchies that you can easily overeat when alcohol lowers your inhibitions, and you can easily succeed in gaining body fat. Just five Heineken Light Beers add 500 calories. A goblet of wine can easily add 200 calories. Be wary of drinks that come with umbrellas! (400-800 calories/10-ounces)!

• Beware of drinks in a can, such as White Claw Surge with 8% Alcohol By Volume. (ABV). You can end up drinking more alcohol than you intended. You might want to stick with the original White Claw—hard seltzer with 5% ABV—similar to most canned beers, though some craft beers have a higher alcohol content.

• Don’t drink alcohol if you want a good night’s sleep. Alcohol might help you fall asleep faster, but it disrupts your sleep cycle. You’ll get less restorative sleep. Alcohol alters body temperature, which can affect how well you sleep. It also aggravates snoring (due to relaxed muscles and a lower breathing rate), so your bed partner becomes sleep deprived and grumpy. Plus, you’ll need to go to the bathroom more often in the middle of the night. None of this enhances athletic performance.

• If you don’t want to drink, be prepared to quickly say “No thanks” in a polite but convincing voice. If the person keeps insisting, respond again: “Î don’t want to drink today. I’d appreciate if you’d help me out.” Instead, be pleased that you will enjoy the natural high of exercise.

Sports Nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD counsels both casual and competitive athletes in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook can help you eat to win. For more information about her books and online workshop, visit NancyClarkRD.com.

May Updates

WheelPeople Editors

AMC Boston Chapter Bicycle Rally - June 11, 2022

The 42nd annual AMC Boston Chapter Bicycle Rally will be held at Verrill Farm in Concord on Saturday, June 11, 2022. It is a wonderful opportunity for cyclists of all levels to get together to begin the summer bike season. There will be rides from 16 to 40 miles on beautiful rolling terrain. After the rides, riders can enjoy an outdoor happy hour with appetizers, beer, wine, and soft drinks followed by dinner, with vegetarian option, which will be served under a tent on the grounds.

For more information go to this page: Registration fee (AMC Members $50, Non-members $60, includes led rides, happy hour with beer, wine and soft drinks followed by dinner. Go here to register: https://amcboston.org/bicycle-rally-registration/

Photos are from 2019 Rally

Amazon Smile If you have an Amazon Prime account please look into making CRW your charity. Details here https://www.crw.org/content/amazon-smile