July 2022 WheelPeople

Articles

President's Message July 2022

Edward Cheng

CRW is slowly but steadily emerging from the winter doldrums. We have had Weekend Rides, Recurring Rides, Devo rides, Women's Rides, a Spring Century, and Hub rides already on the calendar through the Spring and we will be hitting full speed with the arrival of Summer. Indeed, this past weekend, we had the President's Ride and BBQ (thanks to the Kernans), with over 60 riders taking part at multiple speeds, followed by a wonderful cookout (see pre-ride talk photo below). Get on your bikes and join a ride as we have many rides on the calendar. If you are in the mood to lead a ride, post it!

We are planning for another great Cranberry Century this Fall. Pencil in September 18, 2022, which is the date that we're working towards. We can always use more volunteers to help with planning, manning the rest stops, and other aspects of the ride. A retro shout-out to the crew who organized last year's Cranberry Century, who had to deal with extraordinary circumstances when the starting location was denied in the last minute, yet they pivoted on a dime and still made it happen.

Last, a thank you note to Amy Wilson, our long-time treasurer and Board Member, who will be stepping down as of July 1. She has devoted countless hours as a leader of the club, working on our club's finances and making sure that our funds were safe and well cared for. Among the many things she has done, Amy has handled our transition from one insurer to another, protected our non-profit status and filed our tax returns and our required non-profit filings. We will miss Amy's leadership on the Board.

Larry Kernan, past president, is addressing the riders.

Pre-Ride Safety Talk

Eli Post

The pre-ride safety talk has taken on new significance now that it is mandated by our insurance provider. Safety is of course a prime mission of club rides.

The purpose of the safety talk is two-fold. It should cover safety in general and also point out specific safety concerns on the particular ride. For example, the ride leader might point out a dangerous crossing on the ride, and also mention the need to ride single file on busy streets.

Our purpose here is not to list or prioritize all the safety concerns that you need to be aware of on group rides, but to reach out to ride leaders on how to conduct a talk.

Our first overriding suggestion is to remember the distinction between what is important and what your audience can absorb. If say there are ten safety concerns on a ride, your audience might lose interest after the first few and close down as you continue. The ride leader may be more effective in listing just the few most critical concerns. The safety talk is not intended to educate riders on safety, but to remind them that safety is a paramount issue, and provide some pointers that have value for that ride.

Ride leader is giving safety talk at 2002 New Year’s Day Ride

Folks come to a club ride to ride, and generally are not in the mood to listen to a long “lecture”. Humor goes a long way to make the safety talk more digestible. I led a ride several years back which included a left turn at an intersection with complicated, if not confusing traffic controls. In my safety talk I exaggerated and described this as “the most dangerous intersection” on CRW rides. After the ride several people thanked me, and said the warning, which they heard and absorbed, put fear in their hearts and they were on alert.

There may be a safety concern of such importance that the talk might be brief so that concern reaches the group. I lead a ride which is on mostly country roads, but has a short segment on a busy state highway. Unless warned, riders might not be attentive after many miles on less trafficked roads.

Ride leaders should take stock of their audience and judge whether they are losing interest. I witnessed a ride leader deliver a safety talk on a brutally hot day, and the group was not listening but wilting.

CRW rides are not uniform, and draw a different mix of riders. A hilly ride might attract more experienced riders. The safety talk should be geared to the audience.

We share the road with motorists, but accidents happen even when a car is not involved. One of our riders recently hit a pothole, and went down and broke a shoulder bone. We want everybody to have a wonderful time when they ride, especially with their cycling group, and riding safely is one of the keys to ensuring a satisfying and enjoyable experience.

The views expressed here are those of the author, who has led many club rides and was VP of Rides for several years.

Intro to Bikepacking Adventure Ride - Back in July 2022

Jerry Skurla

This Adventure Ride debuted in 2021 and was enjoyed by all, so we are running the trip again this year on July 23 & 24

Introduction to Bikepacking is a 2 day loop ride starting and ending in St. Johnsbury, VT. It features a 38 mile mixed surface ride on Saturday, tent camping at Ricker Pond State Park on Saturday night, and a 39 mile mixed surface ride on Sunday.

Both riding days in 2021 were sunny and warm, and riders self-divided into 4 different pacing groups in the first few miles, so everyone could enjoy the scenery and go at their own pace. Groups checked-in via text with the leaders, and upon reaching Ricker Pond State Park everyone enjoyed a refreshing swim in the wonderful pond. There were no flats or mechanicals on either day, so our various good luck charms and incantations might have actually worked.

The route includes:

part of the Cross Vermont Rail Trail, with a smooth gravel surface and 2% grade up to Marshfield and its wonderful General Store
a section of the 90 mile Bayley-Hazen Military Road, which was completed in 1779 by the American Army for a potential attack on Canada that never occurred
a 15 miles downhill on the Lamoine Valley Rail Trail into St. Johnsbury for the last leg of the trip

This ride is for up to 14 adventurers who are both experienced riders and campers who want to try out bikepacking, which means all your water, food, and gear is carried on your bike.Two 8 person tent campsites are already reserved, and the state park features a refreshing swimming pond, fresh water at campsites, a modern bath house with lights, hot & cold water, showers, toilets, and a limited number of electrical sockets. Riders will make their own dinner on Saturday evening and breakfast Sunday morning. Lunch on Saturday and Sunday can either be carried, or sourced at a limited number of stores en route. All ride details are on the ride announcement where you can also register for the ride.

Here are some photos from 2021 to give you a flavor of the event.

President's Ride

Eli Post

The President's Ride was initiated by Mary and Larry Kernan when Larry was President of CRW. He no longer holds that title, but the ride was so successful that the Kernan's have continued it. It also speaks to their continuing commitment to CRW and the contributions they made and are making.

The ride starts in Bedford with two routes of 31 and 39 miles.What makes the day very special is the BBQ after the ride at the home of Larry and Mary. Riders socialized for many hours enjoying the food, drink and comradery.

We took a moment out to honor the past presidents who were in attendance. Left to right Ken Hablow, Larry Kernan, Barry Nelson, Sam Johnson, Ed Cheng (incumbent), John Springfield, Mike Hanauer, Jamie King, Douglas Kline, Eli Post

Not Exercise Club

Eli Post

I’ve decided to start a new bike club. I’ve had over 25 years of experience volunteering for CRW in a variety of roles and have acquired the skills for starting a club of my own.

Traditionally there have been social riding clubs, racing clubs, and mountain bike clubs. Recently there has been a proliferation of new bike clubs dealing in highly specialized riding like gravel road biking.

However, with all this interest in accommodating riders, one group has been left out: folks who do not wish to ride, but just want to join. There are many who are opposed to exercise of any sort, but still want to be part of a group related to outdoor sports. This is not a contradiction as American culture almost demands that we belong to a group or else we have less than full identity.

Photo by Rudge McKenney - riders sitting and not exercising.

If you belong to CRW it’s likely you find that biking is a top-notch cardio workout. You'll burn about 400 calories an hour. Plus it strengthens your lower body. Cycling improves strength, balance and coordination. It may also help to prevent falls and fractures. But you may be someone who doesn’t like to be active or exercise, and you are not alone. And you should not be penalized and not have a bike club to join.

We realize some feel intimidated or embarrassed to join a bike ride because they might look silly or they might have had a negative past experience with exercise or they simply don’t feel motivated. They might find exercise uncomfortable. They don’t want to go to a fitness center, lift weights, run or engage in any demanding activity. Here are some of the reasons we’ve heard:

“I hate exercising” ...
“I am too busy studying / working / full time parent” ...
“I am too tired” ...
“it's too difficult or painful” ...
“I have an injury” ...
“I am too old” ...
“It's too expensive” ...
“I am too inactive / embarrassed to exercise”

So here is where we get creative. We will not preach or offer ideas to get you going. Instead we will offer membership in our new club. We are still working out the legal/corporate issues, but this much we know:

There will be no membership fee or any requirement to sustain membership.
The club will post rides in far away, impossible to reach places, so you have an excuse not to join a ride.
Conspiracy theories about the pitfalls of exercise will be published in our newsletter. Our favorite is that we are blessed with a fixed amount of energy, and if you exercise strenuously, you will exhaust your energy supply leaving you helpless.
We will post advice on living without exercise and the benefits of inactivity.

Please let us know if you are interested in our new club. We expect a massive response and may not get back to you promptly.

The Gluck Legal Takeaway: 30 Years: Is It Safer Out There?

Ronald Gluck

The Gluck Legal Takeaway

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.

This week my law firm celebrated its 30^th anniversary. Pretty amazing how time flies. For thirty years we have represented seriously injured individuals including many who were cycling when they were injured. The anniversary brought to mind the many safety enhancements that have made cycling potentially safer over the time that we have represented cyclists. I refer to the now almost universally accepted idea that riders wear helmets and use bike lanes where possible. Less obvious but very helpful is the amount of important information available to cyclists about how to ride safely, how to obey traffic laws, where to ride on streets and how to generally stay out of harm’s way. Safety enhancements on trucks include sideguards that help prevent cyclists from going under trucks in the event of a collision.

Approximately twenty years ago our firm observed that helmets were not always being used by children when they were riding. We knew the importance of helmets because we saw how many head injuries were minimized by the use of helmets. We decided to create a safety program for children and named it Project Kid Safe. We had a simple goal: keeping children and families safe. Each year since then we have provided helmets to school systems and police departments which work in conjunction with schools to teach safe riding to children. We enjoy speaking to the children about the importance of safe riding. We especially enjoy seeing the smiles on their faces as we help outfit them with their new helmets! Although it is tough to track, we believe that we have helped in our own small way to create cyclists who will ride safer as they go through life.

However, while helmets are helpful, they are just the start of keeping cyclists safe as they ride. In spite of the safety enhancements on equipment and on the roadways, we remain concerned at the number of serious collisions between cyclists and cars and trucks.

Among the more serious issues that we see in our cases are collisions involving confusing road markings. In some instances, road markings named sharrows call for cyclists to switch from the right side of the street to the center of the street into shared lanes. The movement is often counter- intuitive. Yet, if the cyclist does not make the move, they can be blamed by police for having stayed on the right side of the road as they pedaled and were hit by a car or truck. Better and clearer markings are necessary. Better signage that is not just painted on the roadways would be helpful to cyclists and motorists. The clearer the rules are to all users of the roadways, the less likely it is that collisions will occur.

In other instances, road markings seem to create full - lanes exclusively for bikes but then quickly switch to being shared lanes for bikes and busses. All of a sudden, the cyclist is in front of or behind a bus which is not a safe place to be. This is another example of confusion created by well- meaning traffic engineering departments.

In all of these instances it is critically important for the cyclist to remain alert. Wearing headphones while riding is clearly not safe and should be avoided. Keeping eyes focused on signage is important and gives the cyclist time to prepare for changes ahead on the roadway.

Finally, the cyclist must obey the rules of the road. We are presented with potential cases wherein the cyclist has not obeyed Stop signs, entered intersections and is hit by a motor vehicle. These are unfortunate cases and often involve the most serious injuries or worse. We tell our Kid Safety Project participants to always stop at Stop signs. As adults we must never forget the importance of doing so. Stop and then enter the intersection only when it is safe to do so. It requires patience. It can save lives.

The injection of ebikes into the equation will make the roadways more crowded with cyclists. The hope is that new ebike riders become safe riders who obey the rules of the road and who remember that although they can go faster, they are still small on the road and perhaps hard to see in comparison to cars and trucks who present a danger to them.

Thirty years… a lot has changed in the cycling world. Is it safer now? It can be if the safety enhancements created so far are utilized and if operators of cars, trucks and bicycles remain focused on the task at hand. From the standpoint of cyclists, assume that drivers of cars and trucks may not do so. Be extra cautious.

Ride safely and enjoy the summer!

Ron Gluck

Cycling Aches & Pains, Part 1: A Pain in the Butt

This article appeared in a Road Biker Review Newsletter For a comprehensive set of columns on various aches and pains visit Coach Hughes website.

By Coach John Hughes

I went to the ER at Mercy Medical in Durango, Colorado, less than 1,000 miles into the 1996 Race Across America. They peeled down my shorts, looked at my butt and said, “Your race is over. You have second-degree burns on your buttocks.”

A second-degree burn is through the epidermis and into the dermis, the thick layer of tissue that forms the true skin. I didn’t care what second-degree meant, all I knew was that it hurt like hell!

The day before it was 108F (42C) and I was racing across the desert down on my aero-bars with a great tailwind. Concerned about saddle sores, I’d put a black gel-filled saddle pad on the bike. The pad heated up and literally burned my butt! While it was definitely an unusual way to be afflicted, I was certainly in good company as a road cyclist suffering from saddle-related discomfort.

Saddle Discomfort/Sores the No. 1 Roadie Affliction

A Question of the Week posed in the past was, “What is the Biggest or Most Common Physical Issue that Affects Your Riding?” RBR readers responded:

Saddle Discomfort / Saddle Sores – 135 votes, 20.5%
Upper Back, Shoulder, Neck Pain / Discomfort – 115 votes, 16.8%
Numb / Painful Hands – 108 votes, 15.9%
Something Else – 97 votes, 14.6%
Lower Back Pain / Discomfort – 77 votes, 11.5%
Cramps – 74 votes, 11.0%
Hot / Painful Feet – 62 votes, 9.1%
Nausea – 3 votes

In recent columns I’ve already discussed cramps and nausea because of inquiries from individual readers. Today, I describe the various types of butt problems, how you can avoid them and what to do if you suffer from saddle pain during a ride. Future columns will discuss the other problems.

Butts Are Like Faces!

Riders’ butts (and sitting area, in general) are as different as riders’ faces. This column discusses the general types of problems, causes and solutions to sitting-area afflictions. If you suffer from pain in the nether region, hopefully you can use or adapt one of these.

Types of Saddle Sores

Saddle sores develop in five different ways, several of which may occur at the same times:

Sit bones. Pressure on your ischial tuberosities (sit bones, see photo) reduces blood flow to the skin, depriving the skin of oxygen and nutrients, resulting in pain. In one study of amateur endurance
cyclists, over 70% of the seat-related discomfort was due to pain around the sit bones.

Chafing. Friction between the inner thighs and groin and the saddle causes red, inflamed skin breakdown.

Crotchitis and crotch rub. Crotchitis is a group of skin problems in the groin that can cause great pain in a female cyclist’s life. Crotchitis is basically a form of diaper dermatitis between the vagina and the anus, a red, tender, itchy, eczematous rash. This condition is almost always compounded with a yeast infection, and almost always responds to steps to maximize dryness while riding and medication to kill yeast.

Folliculitis and furuncles. Folliculitis is an infection at the base of a hair follicle, and a furuncle, or boil, is a collection of pus, an abscess. These infections usually occur in the groin.

Skin ulceration. If the outer layer of the skin is damaged, bacteria may enter and infect the deeper layer of skin, forming an abscess.

Mercy Medical was concerned that my second-degree burns would get infected. I went twice a day for a week to soak my butt in an antiseptic bath.

How can you avoid problems?

Bike fit — The first step in avoiding pain in the butt is a good bike fit:

Your weight should be properly distributed between the saddle and the handlebars. With your hands on the brake hoods your torso should form about a 45-degree angle with the top hood.
Your saddle should be at the right height so that your hips aren’t rocking, which causes friction.
If one hip drops more than the other hip as you pedal, then that leg may be shorter than the other one, making that side of your butt more prone to pain.

Saddle choice — Because your butt is individual, your saddle should be the right one for you:

It should be the right width so that your sit bones are supporting you, not your crotch. Specialized makes a tool to measure the width of your sit bones (see photo, above).
The curve between the nose of the saddle and the broader part you sit on should accommodate the width of your thighs. Although a wider saddle may seem more comfortable for the butt, it will increase friction.
It may have a cutout. For women, a cutout may reduce problems with abraded soft tissue. (You can learn more about women specific issues related to saddles in this Bicycling magazine article.)
A cutout may reduce pressure for man who is developing an enlarged prostate.
It should be lightly padded if your problem is pain under your sit bones. However, heavier padding will allow your butt to rock, causing friction.
It should be smooth enough so that you slide easily without friction.

Get the saddle that fits you, rather than a lighter one. Even if it’s a heavier saddle, pain-free riding will let you ride more, have more fun, and get fitter!

NEW! Preventing Cycling Ailments 4-Article Bundle. Includes: 1) Butt, Hands & Feet; 2) Preventing and Treating Cramps; 3) Nutrition for100K and Beyond; 4) Gaining a Mental Edge Save up to $6.39 buying this indispensable bundle!

Fitness — How much you have been riding (or haven’t) contributes to sit bone pain:

The stronger your legs, the more they support your weight as you pedal.
The leaner you are, the less pressure on your butt.

Some riders develop thicker skin after many hours of riding.

Technique — Alternate sitting and standing – even on the flats, get out of the saddle every 10-15 minutes.

Shorts — Shorts, like saddles, come in various models and cuts; however, even the best shorts can’t make up for a poor choice of saddle or bad bike fit.

The chamois shouldn’t be too thick or it may bunch up, causing friction.
If the chamois is cut in an arc to fit around your upper thighs, it will also bunch up if the arc doesn’t fit you.
The shorts should be dry. Moisture, whether from sweat or rain, increases the friction.

Lubricant — With the right saddle and shorts, many riders don’t have problems with chafing, in which case there’s no need to use a lubricant.

Use pure petroleum jelly. A friend who is a cycling dermatologist recommends it because it contains no additives, which might irritate the skin. I use it and it’s readily available even at mini-marts.
Try CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream, which my dermatologist friend now uses.

Folliculitis — is an infection in the groin, which is relatively painless and usually heals without any problems.

Furuncle — looks and feels like a pimple and is usually painful. If untreated it can become extremely painful. See your doctor.

Skin ulceration — the outer layer of the skin is damaged, bacteria may enter and infect the deeper layer of skin, forming an abscess. See your doctor.

Cleanliness — Wash yourself and your shorts after every ride, and if you are using a lubricant, wash it off thoroughly. If you still have an expensive anti-bacterial, soap throw it away — the FDA recently banned them because they do more harm than good. Bacteria are normal on the skin and will migrate back after you wash anyway.

Butt it still hurts!

If in spite of trying the above remedies to your particular issue – and having no success – what can you do if you still develop some sort of butt pain?

Lubricate it — if you’re developing a friction sore, use (more) lube; however, all the lube in the world won’t deal with pain under your sit bones.

Pad it — A bunion pad may protect a tender spot under a sit bone.

Persevere — A sore butt doesn’t have to be a show stopper. After burning my buttocks, I have a permanently tender butt. I’ve learned to use my mental skills to finish many rides despite saddle sores!

Numb it — Lidocaine is a generic over-the-counter medication used to numb the skin. I’ve used it on ultra rides when quitting wasn’t an option. It’s also known as xylocaine and lignocaine. Look in the pharmacy section for treating hemorrhoids.

See your doctor — If you develop a furuncle or skin ulceration, see your doctor.

By following the steps above, almost all saddle sores can be prevented. With the help of these columns, I hope you have pain-free riding!

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.

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) per 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 eBook is available here Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process

The Athlete's Kitchen - Commercial Sports Foods: A Matter of Preference

The Athlete’s Kitchen

Commercial Sports Foods: A Matter of Preference

“I thought I was supposed to use gels during long runs. Can candy work just as well..?”

“Are electrolyte tablets the best way to replace sodium losses from sweaty workouts?”

“I get diarrhea when I use some commercial sports foods…help!”

If you are among the many athletes who have no idea which commercial sports foods are best to support your workouts, welcome to the club! Advertisements have led many active people—from serious competitors to anyone who breaks a sweat—to believe that pre-workout drinks, energy gels, and electrolyte replacers (among the many other commercial sports foods) are a necessary part of a sports diet. Guess what? Real foods can often work just as well.

While there is a time and a place for commercial sports foods, many athletes needlessly spend lots of money on them. The purpose of this article is to help you become an informed consumer, so you know what these products are (convenient, expensive)—and what they are not (essential for all exercisers). Whatever you do, test them during training, so you can learn if they settle well in your gut. You don’t want surprises during competitions!

Pre-Workout Supplements

When you feel low on energy and are dreading your afternoon training session, pre-workout products that promise explosive energy, sharp focus, and incredible results can be very tempting to buy. While simply eating a heartier breakfast, lunch, and pre-exercise snack can help prevent an afternoon droop, many athletes fail to appreciate the power of food. Instead, they look for “magic.”

• The “magic” ingredient in most pre-workout products is caffeine. You could just as easily get stimulated with coffee or NoDoz. True energy comes with eating a pre-exercise banana, granola bar, or carb-based snack.

• The best pre-workout snacks digest easily and don’t talk back to you. Standard supermarket foods (e.g., toast, oatmeal, animal crackers, dried pineapple, dates, banana, even a swig of maple syrup) are likely more familiar to your gut (less likely to cause intestinal upset) than unfamiliar commercial sport fuels.

• Some pre-workout products tout they are sugar free, as if sugar is evil for athletes. Sugar (carbohydrate) is a true energizer in comparison to caffeine, which is just a stimulant. Carbs + caffeine will offer a better workout (for those who tolerate caffeine, that is)!

• Some pre-workout products contain creatine, vitamins, beta-alanine, and/or other stuff that looks good on the label. The dose may be inadequate to make a significant difference in your performance. Do your homework to learn what is an effective dose.

• Buyer beware, pre-workout products are poorly regulated. Who knows what the products contain. Claims that sound too good to be true should raise an eyebrow. Be sure your choice says NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport on the label.

Gels

During hard exercise lasting 1 to 2.5 hours, you’ll perform better if you consume ~30 to 60 grams (120-240 calories) carbohydrate per hour. Take your choice of gel, sport drink, or gummi bears!

• During extended exercise lasting more than 2.5 hours (ultra-marathon, long bike ride), you want to target 60 to 90 g carb/h (240-360 calories), depending on the intensity of your exercise, your body size, sport, and intestinal tolerance.

• Most gels offer 100 calories (25 g carb) in the form of some type of sugar, such as maltodextrin, sucrose, fructose, or glucose. The Nutrition Facts on the gel’s label can you help determine the right amount to consume.

• Many athletes love the convenience of gels because they come in a good portion-size and are easy to carry. Others dislike them due to their consistency. For some athletes, gels digest poorly because they contain a type of sugar that can trigger bloat, diarrhea, and undesired pit stops. Always experiment with new gels during training!!!

• Some popular alternatives to the 100 calories of carb (sugar) in a gel include gummy bears, Twizzlers, Swedish fish, gum drops, peppermint patties, maple sugar candy, even chocolate (though it melts in hot weather). The trick with choosing “real food” is to figure out how to carry it. Pockets help.

Electrolyte tablets

Electrolytes (electrically charged particles, most often known as sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium), are minerals abundant in food.
• For sweaty athletes, sodium (a part of salt) is the main electrolyte of concern. Salty foods enhance fluid retention and help keep you better hydrated than plain water, which goes in one end and out the other.

• Many electrolyte replacers are lower in sodium than you may think. By reading food labels, you’ll discover a slice of bread can have more sodium than 8-ounces of Gatorade.

• Athletes who sweat heavily might lose about 500 to 1,000 mg sodium in an hour of vigorous exercise. Some options for replacing these sodium losses include:

*Commercial Sports Food*	*Sodium (mg)*	*Salty food*	*Sodium (mg)*
Propel Electrolyte water, 8 oz	105	String cheese, 1 stick	220
Gatorade, 8 oz	110	Beef Jerky, 1 oz	600
Gu Salted Caramel, 1 gel	125	Salt sprinkled on food, ¼ tsp	600
Nuun, 8 oz	175	Broth, from 1 cube Herb-ox	1,100

• Replacing sodium is most important for athletes who sweat heavily for extended periods in the heat. Yet, these athletes generally consume foods that contain sodium before, during and after exercise. For example, football players who refuel from morning practice with a high-sodium ham and cheese sandwich with mustard and dill pickles can bypass the Gatorade at lunch.

• Consuming 500 mg. sodium before you exercise helps retain fluid, delay dehydration, and enhance endurance. Sprinkle salt on that pre-exercise omelet, pasta, or sweet potato before you exercise in the heat!

The bottom line
While commercial sports foods have their time and place for intense exercisers, not every athlete needs to pay the price for pre-wrapped convenience.

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.

Celebrating 50 Years of TOSRV-East

John Springfield

In 1972, the TOSRV-East ride was started by the American Youth Hostels to go "100 miles on Route 100" from Rawsonville to Waterbury, Vermont. The ride returned on the same route the next day (Sunday). The Tour of Scenic Rural Vermont ran for 40 years, ending in 2011. For the first decade the ride's overnight destination was the ski hostel in Waterbury Center. But when the hostel closed, the route was changed. Sometimes it started in White River Junction, other times in Ludlow. But the core of the ride was always Route 100.

My first TOSRV-East was in 1973. And I biked on all the the next 39 years of the organized ride.

In June of 2022 I decided to bike part of the old route, 55 miles in all. Starting in Woodstock, I headed north on Route 12, west on Route 107, and then north on Route 100. At age 73, going up the hills toward Barnard General store was quite a challenge. I had to stop several times to catch my breath. But I was rewarded at Barnard with some of the best blueberry pancakes I had ever eaten. The country store has been around since 1832, and it was a favorite place to stop on TOSRV.

Descending down to Route 107 was a breeze, especially since I weighed 40 pounds more than I did in 1973!

The ride along Route 107 had some traffic, but the view along the river was spectacular. When I finally turned north on Route 100, I was greeted with one of the best rides in Vermont. Surprisingly, little had changed in 50 years. There were fewer dairy farms, but the same old country stores remained. I passed by the brightly painted Hancock Inn, the mini-mart store in Rochester, and headed for the best part of the trip: Granville Gulf. Here I slowly climbed through 6 miles of untouched forest. Halfway, I passed the Moss Glen Falls, another favorite stopping place of the past.

Leaving Granville Gulf, I was rewarded with a gentle downhill that seems to go for 10 miles. Finally making it to my destination of Waitsfield, I was tempted to keep going.

But then I reminded myself that it's 2022, not 1973. My ability to maximize oxygenflow was now greatly diminished. Time to call it a day.

Outside of Waitsfield is the old Hyde-Away Inn, used as a destination for TOSRV for many years. It, too, has changed little. Good to know that.

That night I started remembering some of the old riders, many of them gone now. Some rode with their teenage kids, others with organized clubs. Everyone biked at their own pace, and the fastest riders cheered as us slower ones came up the gravel driveway at the old ski hostel in Waterbury.

The bikes were pretty basic 10-speeds, few were very expensive. But when you're touring 100 miles in a day, your bike didn't have to be light, just reliable.

Anyway, It's good to see that Route 100 is pretty much the same. I wish I could say the same about my aging body...

John Springfield is a long time club member, and a past president.

An Unsolicited Favor

John Allen

I am riding on a two-lane road. There is no oncoming traffic. I am leaving room for motorists to pass -- in other words, “releasing.” This road has a few driveways. one or two cars might pull into a driveway, per day: almost all traffic continues straight through. But now a car pulls ahead of me and stops, just short of a driveway on the right.

Almost every time this happens, the driver thinks that allowing me to pass on the right does me a favor.

Take the bait and pass on the right?

The everyday rules of the road and the traffic law (MGL Ch. 89 § 2 and 90 § 14, in case you care to look) are clear: the driver should slow and follow me for the few seconds it takes me to get past the driveway, merge to the right edge of the road, and then turn right.

I want to encourage drivers to do the right thing. How do I handle this?

I have to admit, I haven’t always handled this well. Bicycling gets me into “the zone” –, a so-called flow experience, living entirely in the present. That is one of its joys for me. I use lane position and hand signals to control my space when necessary, and release when appropriate. With my forward view and a rear-view mirror, I have situational awareness of other road users and can interact smoothly with them as long as they are predictable. But when a driver stops unexpectedly, my flow experience stops too.

If the driver would only slow to follow me for a couple of seconds, I could pass the driveway and the driver could than turn right. This is the way things are supposed to work. It actually takes less time. Traffic is a dance of large objects with limited maneuverability. Rules of the road make for smooth and cooperative interaction, as long as everyone is obeying them.

This driver didn’t signal the turn either. I would have noticed that in my mirror. If the driver had signaled, I would have merged to the left, or made the “don’t pass” signal: arm outstretched, palm facing to the rear.

But when this strategy fails, what do I do?

When the driver pulls up just ahead of me and stops, I also stop. (I have seen bicyclists shoot through on the right. Don’t – a misunderstanding could be injurious.)

I can pass on the left if there is no oncoming traffic, and that sends the lesson: “I don’t pass on the right.” Sometimes I have to back up to do this, because the car is next to me. Best avoid a conversation with the driver, and that is where I have failed at times. Drivers can get offended that you don’t take their nice favor. And people drive with the windows closed except on the few blessed New England days when the air is neither too hot nor too cold. And often then too.

So, to sum up, you face an uncertain situation where almost almost all traffic is going straight through and you want to let it pass, but there is a driveway on the right. The best I can say is to have a mirror, use it, check it, and forestall this situation when you see it about to happen. Use lane control and the “do not pass” signal. When it happens anyway, stop, don’t say anything and if the driver stays stopped, pass on the left with a friendly wave. Better only to confuse the driver than to try to start a conversation!

Resistance Exercise Becomes Even More Important As You Age

By Dr. Gabe Mirkin

Recent studies suggest that lifting weights can help to prolong your life. An analysis of 16 studies including almost 480,000 people, 18 to 98 years of age, found that those who spent 30 to 60 minutes per week in strength training had:
• 40 percent lower risk of premature death
• 46 percent lower risk of heart disease
• 28 percent lower risk of dying from cancer

An earlier study of almost 30,000 older women followed for 12 years showed that those who did strength training had fewer deaths from heart attacks and all causes than those who did not lift weights . Another study that followed 80,306 adults for two years showed that people who did:
• strength training at least twice a week by lifting weights or using weight machines were at 20 percent reduced risk for dying from cancers and from all causes
• aerobic exercise for 2.5 hours per week had a 20 percent reduced chance of dying from heart attacks and all causes
• both strength training and aerobic exercises had a 30 percent reduced rate of death from cancers and all causes

Muscles Weaken with Aging Even If You Exercise
You can expect to lose muscle size and strength as you age. Between 40 and 50 years of age, the average person loses more than eight percent of their muscle size. This loss increases to 15 percent per decade after age 75. The people who lose the most muscle usually are the least active, exercise the least and are the ones who die earliest. Older people who lose the most muscle are four times more likely be disabled, have difficulty walking, and need walkers and other mechanical devices to help them walk.

Every muscle in your body is made up of thousands of muscle fibers just as a rope is made up of many strands. Every muscle fiber is innervated by a single nerve fiber. With aging you lose nerves, and when you lose a nerve attached to a muscle fiber, that muscle fiber is lost also. A 20-year-old person may have 800,000 muscle fibers in the vastus lateralis muscle in the front of his upper leg, but by age 60, that muscle would have only about 250,000 fibers. For a 60-year-old to have the same strength as a 20-year-old, the average muscle fiber needs to be three times as strong as the 20-year-old’s muscle fibers. You cannot stop this loss of the number of muscle fibers with aging, but you certainly can enlarge each muscle fiber and slow down the loss of strength by exercising muscles against progressive resistance using strength-training machines or by lifting weights.

My Recommendations
If you are not already doing strength-training exercise, first check with your doctor to make sure you do not have any condition that may be harmed by exercise (for example, exercise can cause a heart attack in people who have unstable plaques in their arteries). Then join a gym and ask for instructions on how to use the weight-training machines (Nautilus and similar brands). Used properly, these machines will guide your body to use the correct form and help to prevent injuries as you move weights that match your level of strength. If you are not comfortable with going to a gym, consider setting up a resistance exercise program at home. See Resistance Exercise You Can Do at Home. I recommend that you hire a knowledgeable personal trainer at least for a few sessions to set up your home program and help with choices of equipment.

I recommend lifting light weights with more repetitions, because lifting lighter weights many times is less likely to cause injuries than lifting heavier weights a few times. See Making Muscles Stronger
Strength Training to Help Prevent and Treat Osteoporosis

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 Sleep to Recover from Hard Exercise | Dr. Gabe Mirkin on Health (drmirkin.com)

President Biden Crashed His Bike

WheelPeople Editors

Have you ever run into difficulty unclipping your pedals? We think it happens to all of us especially when we start out with such pedals. If we fall and don’t injure ourselves it’s considered the cost of learning and is not news. If you injure yourself in the fall then friends and family become concerned.

If however you are the President of the United States and even have a minor bike crash, without injury, the whole world watches with interest.

On June 20,2022 President Biden was riding his bike, and his foot got caught in the pedal cage. He went down but the White House called it a minor mishap and said he was not injured although the Secret Service rushed to his aid.

We read that the president got to his feet, did not require medical assistance, and was good-natured about the incident. This is another reminder that safety is paramount when riding and we can never be too careful.