THE POWER OF PROPER REST

I've danced around the topic of rest in several blogs... but I think it's time to pull out the big guns, cause subtlety doesn't seem to be working...

Last week, 2 separate things pinged my radar screen that suggested this should be a blog topic:

#1. Maybe Riders don't take a rest week because they don't know how... aka... they are afraid to take a week off... AKA... THEY DON'T WANT TO RUIN THE FITNESS THEY HAVE BEEN FIGHTING ALL SEASON FOR!!! 

OK... I totally get it.  Been there...  Know all about it...  Down wit dat... We'll talk about that in a bit...

#2. How much sleep are you getting??????   Hey!!!!   I'm not being nosy!!!!   It's an important question!! Important muscle repair type crap takes place when you're sleeping!   We'll talk about that too...

But first... I gotta give credit to the 2 separate things that pinged my radar screen:

PING #1

Many of you may not know... “ The Ride Bully”...

He's a Expert Mountain Bike Racer, who's turned into a fairly decent roadie (slang for road rider). “The Ride Bully”... is a very fitting nickname for “whats-his-name”... because, when he's feeling good... he's "one" of the miserable bastards in the pack, who takes great  pleasure in making everyone in the group SUFFER!!!!

I both love and hate it when he's on the ride.  

Love it, cause he keeps the ride fast and interesting... 
Hate it... cause when he's around, sometimes I'm flapping off the back like a broken sail and I hate it, when I'm a broken sail!!!

Last week, in honor of the longest Tuesday of the year... we did a Metric Century. … 62 Miles. It was a glorious night for it and the Ride Bully showed up for it!!!

So... off we go.  We're riding along and the next thing I know... we were dropping the Ride Bully, at first I think he's messing with us, but then it happens again... Finally... I ask...

Hey!  What the hell is wrong with you!!!!!  

To my shock...

THE RIDE BULLY ADMITTED HE WAS TIRED!!!!

Wow, everyone around seemed as surprised to hear those words as I was... Andy Gould actually stopped pedaling his bike for a second, to make sure he actually understood what was said.    

This is what we discovered during the ride... 2 BIG REASONS behind his fatigue....

#1. He did some early morning sneak training ... not a good idea.  He had the bright idea of cramming in a 35 miler, thinking it wouldn't have a huge impact. RIGHT!!!! It totally kicked his butt and came back to haunt him by mile 20 that night.

No one is invincible...regardless of your age... your body simply can't recover that quickly.  Even if we went for our usual 40 mile ride... at the speeds we travel (in excess of 23 mph on the flats) and we hammer on the climbs, there is no way in hell you can “sneak” in a ride in the morning and then do a “A” level ride in the evening.

#2. I believe Andy actually asked the question of  “The Ride Bully” when was the last time he took a rest week and his answer shocked the hell out of everyone... his answer was “never!”... WHAT?????? Yup... I never take a week off my bike...

Q - Dude!!! How do you ever expect to get better, if you don't take some time off to recover!? 

A - I don't need a break, I just need to get stronger! 

Uhhh.... Ain't Gonna happen.  The only thing that's gonna happen is the Ride Bully will get stale, go flat... and eventually totally flame out...

  

The second radar ping was from Pig Pit...  


 

PING  #2


The Pit is an avid reader... and doubles as a human sponge, soaking up as much data as possible...

  








He shared an article with me that Hammer Nutrition had just released about the importance of sleep and it's impact on recovery and the resulting boost to our immune system. 


So... Let's get down to brass tacks...

#1.  The power of "rest weeks" and exactly what is it???

One critical training principle is that of overload and recovery. For a system to grow stronger, it must be stressed and then allowed time to rebuild. This is the reason for recovery periods between hard efforts during interval workouts or during a building period when we are working towards a specific goal.  

How often should we take a rest week??? Typically every 4 or 5 weeks... depending on how hard the training is during each training cycle.  


If your training cycle is building in intensity... you will need the rest week by week 5...

 A rest week, doesn't mean getting off your bike and laying around on the couch.  That would cause your system to go into total shut down and that would be BAD!!!!  You want your system to recover... not go to sleep.   

Here's what a rest week looks like. This is a copy of my actual rest week... And brother do I need it, my legs are cooked after this past training cycle...


 

WEEK 16 July 1 -7 REST WEEK	EASY	LIGHT	MIDDLE	HIGH	MAX
MONDAY EASY/OFF	30 MIN
TUESDAY SPRINTS	40 MIN
WEDNESDAY	40 MIN				3 sprints
THURSDAY EASY/OFF	50 MIN	1 x 10 MIN
FRIDAY SPRINTS	30 MIN
SATURDAY	30 MIN	1 x 10 MIN			5 sprints
SUNDAY ENDURANCE	50 MIN	25 MIN		1 x 4 MIN

 

This will let my system rest and repair itself, without losing fitness.  

Note that halfway through the rest week I will "ping" my system with 10 minutes of  moderate effort.  Believe me... I will feel like absolute CRAP during that 10 minutes!!!  Why... my body will fight back... it likes the rest and won't like going back to work.  The 10 minutes of work is simply a reminder to my system that it can't go into hibernation.  But... once I am into the 10 minutes, I will have to fight the urge to NOT DO ANY MORE THAN 10 minutes... WHY???? because I will start to feel really good after the 10 minutes and I'll want to keep going... but that's not the point!  My job this week is to rest!   It's all about recovery, so after the 10 minutes of work... I'm going to turn around and slowly noodle home... I'm done for the day!!!   It's all about recovery.


What happens after you rest???  


Well... you get stronger!!  And guess what, you then move up to the next level in the fitness food chain... and that Sports Fans... is how you GET FASTER... That's how you beat your competitors !!!

#2.  The power of sleep on your performance;

Several studies have been conducted around sleep and it's impact on training and racing.  In addition to the fact that the majority of muscle/tissue recovery and the boost to the immune system functions take place while we sleep...  Researchers found that athletes constently getting on average of 10 hours of sleep per night... improved in different aspects of performance (sprint times improved, start times out of the blocks improved, kick strokes improved... etc.)

Now... I don't know about you, but I would sell my kidney for 10 hours of regular sleep a night!!!

But... here's another way to skin the sleep cat ...

Prior to a big event... Especially in the weeks leading up to the race or the "event" 

Make it part of you training plan... to get plenty of sleep.  Take a 2 hour nap after a big work-out...

If you are a restless sleeper.. Hammer Nutrition REM Caps are a powerful yet safe sleep aid, that can help improve quality and length of sleep. 

So, rest up... Get strong and go kick some ass!
    

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

    

The "NOT SO" Fashionably Late Crowd

Today's Blog topic, was requested by a Peanut Gallery reader...


It seems this particular issue, is beginning to wear on his last nerve and I must admit, it happens to be one of my pet peeves as well… so it’s an easy topic for me to relate to.


SO!  As someone much smarter than me, once said... “let’s get to it!” 


For the sake of simplicity… 


I’m going to group folks into 3 general categories,  as to how folks  “normally” arrive… when it involves showing up, at a specified time, at a specified location:


The Early Squirrel Crowd....  Heh (don't you just love these pictures!!!!?)  

These folks normally show up 15 - 20 minutes early.  They wanna be at the designated spot well in advance.   They DO NOT!!!!.... Want to be rushed!  They want to get all of their stuff sorted out.   

Check, check, check, double check… 

Mark my words... they will be, straddling their bikes, looking at their watches at roll time, wondering why the hell everyone else isn’t ready... and for good reason.    


I have to admit, unless the wheels are falling off of my personal little plane...or I am lost… I normally fall in the the Early Squirrel Crowd regarding the 15 minute early arrival… but for whatever reason I simply can’t explain, I don’t actually get my act together until the last possible second before “roll out”...  Probably because my Hobo bag is too full of crap, or I can’t find my car keys... the Flea, will attest to my miserable failure of keeping up with my car key.

But... I am ready, at "roll out time"!!!


The Skidding in Side Ways Crowd

These folks fly in at the absolute last second bug eyed, white knuckled, with their hair on fire.  This is the Category the Flea and Big Pit happily wallow in.

Even though everyone around them is in a full on panic, because we would bet our lives they'll never be ready in time... the Skidding In Side Ways Crowd, seem totally at peace with this hair raising routine... This is "normal" for them… 


They either fly up, partially dressed in their riding cloths, or quickly dress in the parking lot.  

Gear is flying in all directions, wheels are being whipped onto bikes, a flurry of chaotic activity that could potentially take out the eye of anyone who mistakenly wanders into their "prep zone". 

Despite all the odds, members of the Skidding In Side Ways Crowd are ready at the appointed roll out time. 

I never get how they do it… but they have mastered their own little personal time clocks and somehow have found their little "whoo- sa" moment.

Me… I would have a Grand Mal seizure, trying to do what they do. 


The NOT SO Fashionably Late Crowd 

These folks…. Well, these folks absolutely push the buttons of the Early Squirrel Crowd… 


My guess is, these folks will be late for their own freaking funeral!!! They roll in right at…. or after the appointed ride “roll out” time… forcing everyone to wait, while they casually get their crap out of their car…  then, sort through their gear…. Yada, yada, yada…


To make matters worse... as they are rolling in LATE... they make sure you see them, by waving like maniacs to get our attention, so you don't leave without them... @(&%^%#!!!!!!!!!!!



I find that I have to bite my tongue, at the risk of bursting into a string of obscenities when one of these Morons starts, adding insult to injury by asking one stupid question after another... something along the lines of…

So…


Q - How far are we going tonight??  A - Not as far as we would have, had you shown up on time!!!


Q -  Do I have time to take a quick pee?  A - Nope, your body will absorb it once we start riding!!


Q - Does anyone have any Saddle Sore cream?  A - Nope, your body will absorb it after about 50 miles!


Q -  What route are we taking?  A - Not sure NOW! We have to shoot a back azimuth and re-configure our FREAKING route, now that we don’t have enough daylight,  due to a late start!!! 

Q - So what's everyone gonna wear?  A - We've decided that we're riding naked tonight. Go ahead and take everything off... we'll wait for you!!! 


I just want to yell….  

WE HAVE TO RIDE!!!!  But I guess that would be rude.   So, I just bite my lip… and mutter something funny to the Flea, to make her laugh.

So... here's what I have to say about The Not So Fashionably Late Crowd.

The entire World... even folks who are are waaaaaaay less fortunate then us, have a way of telling freaking time....

And even the folks in tiny little tribes in the middle of Freaking Rainforest's in the Middle of NOOOO WHERE, find a way to get to Tribal Counsel or where eeeeverrrr they need to be, when they need to be there... and my guess is they don't even have a car to get them where they need to be on TIME!!!!  

If they are late, they get beheaded and as a, don't be late next time message, to the other dudes, their shrunken head ends up on a stick... 













Pretty cool incentive to show up on time.. huh?!    I totally made that up.. but, it sounded good.... huh ???    :)

  

If you can't afford a watch... hell, make a freaking sun dial in your back yard... frankly... I DON'T CARE!!!! But in my book, there's no excuse for not being on time.

MY POINT.....

Roll out time, is roll out time... The Not So Fashionably Late Crowd,  should be left, sitting in their cars waving like a bunch of boobs. 

Or... if they want to join the group ride and they have the legs to chase on, well... they can join the ride, if they can catch the group. 

Maybe next time they'll learn to be on time.

If you continue to wait on them.. that's called "enabling".  Guess what... they'll never learn and just continue to show up late... Now you have become part of the problem.

But to be fair... at the next ride, make the announcement, that the roll out time is the roll out time... no waiting for anyone.  

The following week.  Leave on time.  Anyone not ready... get's left... no exceptions.

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

GETTING YOUR BELL RUNG

I'm a glass half full kinda gal...

Hell, to be honest with you... For me and probably for many of you, the glass is damned over flowing most of the time! Come on.... Think of it....

Most people “our age”... whatever that age may be... 


They get up, go to work... probably barely tolerate what they do for work. 


Then they go home... cranky as hell, grab a beer and TV remote and then channel surf, while trying to decide what they'll eat for dinner. After dinner they'll hang out awhile doing something mindless, watch more TV... maybe play something on their computer... go to bed and start it all over again the next day.

Repeat... Repeat... Repeat.... UGH!!!! 


SHOOT ME NOW!!!!

So... maybe you don't love your jobs... but... folks like you and me have SO MUCH TO LOOK FORWARD TO AFTER WORK!!

Yup, you got it... we are the anti – couch potato/TV junkies... 
We immediately take the after work hole shot!  We go outside and play, until we squeeze the last second of daylight out of the day... often running well into the night, (that's why man created head lamps!).  


And once we drag our butts home from playing during the week... we're busy planning our WEEKENDS!!!  YEAH BABY!!!

But!!!!  


Not, to be the proverbial wet blanket!!!  Yes, you guessed it... I'm taking a left turn and we're going on to a less than fun topic... Time for the sad face... 

When you play long and hard enough, you will get hurt.  And, every once in awhile... you will even ring your bell.  


I have found from personal experience  that the big bulbous thing perched on top of your shoulders, that is intended to protect our tiny brains... doesn't bounce very well.  And when we bang it hard enough to get that "dazed and confused feeling"...  That's officially when you have been entered into the: 


You Just Got your Bell Rung Fan Club, and when that happens... it's now in your best interest to follow some very clear guide lines.  And those are called the:  Return To Play Rules
  
Of course, you can be a total boob... and choose to ignore the guidelines (like I did)...  Be a hero, hop back on your bike and start racing around like a wild man (or wild Peanut in my case) ... and see if it bites you in the ass later....

It's a well documented fact that I'm a boob... and here's how it bit me in the ass back in 2009!

The timing was, January 2009... exactly one week before the World Master Cyclocross Championships, which were being held in Belgium. I was racing in a Cyclocross race in Germany, as a final prep...  for Worlds.

I was the reigning Master World Champion at the time and I was hoping to defend the title.

The course I was racing that day had some really tricky sections on it, but that's not where that crash took place. The crash happened in an open section of the course... where the grass was surprising short, the ground was smooth and there was no traffic. My speed was high and I was taking a large sweeping arcing turn to the left... It was late in the race and I was tired. so my concentration was off a bit and I swung too wide... I never saw it coming...

In Europe... for the smaller races, course builders use close line in place of course ribbon and large wooden landscaping stakes in place of plastic bendable stakes... it was cheaper and I guess that was the material that was donated by the locals.

So... when I swung wide... my bars caught onto the taut close line and that drove me right into the stake... when my bike hit the stake, I did a Super Man style launch over the bars and hit the ground head first... lights out...next thing I remember, I was waking up in a heap on the ground.

I never had a chance to get my hands off the bars. I went down so hard, I landed right on the top of my head and totally blacked out... I must have been out about 10-15 seconds.  When I came too... I tried getting up on wobbly legs... looking through this fuzzy tunnel vision and listening to a weird ringing in my ears and immediately puked... I'm trying to locate my bike... I actually trying to get back into the race... I clearly was not thinking straight!!!


At this point, a crowd had gathered and the spectators had totally take charge... They gently disengaged me from my bike and were busy getting the medics... They've seen this thing before and they were not going to let me get back on the bike... I puked a second time on my way to the medical tent... I could hardly walk, they had to half carry, half walk me to the tent.

They wanted to take me to the hospital, but I fast talked my way out of a trip in the ambulance by telling them Tom Stevens (my coach) was my husband and he would keep an eye on me... (Kathi, his real wife would have been thrilled)... My greatest fear was being taken to a foreign hospital and not speaking the language.  

There was no doubt I was suffering a concussion... the million dollar question... was if there was any bleeding in the brain???  Tom's wife was a sports Doc at the time... so we spent several long distance calls consulting with her during the night... confirming that we did't need to go to the hospital... but it was still a bit of a tricky situation. 

Fast forward to today...

I dodged a major bullet that day... It turned out, I suffered a fairly significant concussion from that accident...

I did race that following weekend (against better judgement)... and won my second Master's World Title... but at a cost... 

To this day, as a result of the crash... I now suffer from migraines, and  will be on medication for the rest of my life to manage them.  I have never had a migraine before the injury...never understood them... but I have total respect for them now!

For anyone who suffers from migraines... they'll totally get it when I say... when a full blown migraine hits... I sometimes consider, driving a nail through my hand... just to take my mind off of the pain.   So...

What do you do if you get your bell rung??? And... what can you do to minimize any potential long term injury.

First...

#1. Any crash that results in you smacking your melon on the ground... is serious.  SERIOUSLY!!!


#2.  If  you make contact hard enough with your head... to lose track of time... even for a few seconds...


That means you might have blacked out, and that is serious... not something to mess with...



DO NOT...  get back on your bike!!!  Call it a day.  Pack it in Skippy.  End of story. 


If you have someone with you, have them drive you home.  You might consider calling someone to come get you.  This is no time to play hero.  So... Don't be a boob!


Not to be an alarmist or anything... but according to the 

The all seeing eye aka GOOGLE...  states:

If the following happens...  



If you suffer from nausea, dizziness, loss of memory of the event (smacking your melon), vomit more than once (guess they allow you to vomit free the first time before you are penalized... hmmm... who knew),  restlessness or agitation, increasing pressure in your head, disorientation, or if you are getting a headache that is getting worse over time... Then...

BUT GET YOUR BUTT TO A DOCTOR ASAP!!! 

 

#1.  You are not allowed to do any activity until you are at least a full 24 hours head ache free... Then... 

Sooo... What did I do wrong???  


2 major things....


1.  After the accident the head aches were so significant... once I got back home, I should have gone to see a doctor, end of story.  I thought I could address the headache with regular over the counter stuff... but in reality, the headaches became immune to them and just became stronger and they turned into migraines... after 6 months I finally broke down and went to a doctor... it was too late, they had already set a pattern. 


Learn from my mistake... if you ring your bell badly enough... go see a doctor right a way. 


2.  I blew rule #1... I raced Worlds with with a screaming head ache... I wanted that title so bad I could taste it.  


Would I do it again????  Yes, I would... It was a calculated risk and I accepted the consequences but If I could change history, I would have gone to see a doctor as soon as I got back.  I'm not saying it was the right decision...  because I clearly broke the rule :)... so I'm clearly still a boob.



It goes without saying...  If you smack your head... and ring you bell... your helmet is toast.  Even if it looks fine, the basic structure is fractured and you need to replace it.  The helmet did it's job... it protected your head.  Now do yourself a favor and get a new one.  Many helmet companies will give you a crash replacement rebate if you return the helmet with your story.

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

The Blame Game                                                                                   

                                                                                      

I know it's been a few months since I contributed to the blog but after 5 weeks of our Tuesday group ride getting rained out I thought this would be a better idea than fashioning a hangmans noose.

First things first, Peanut laying blame on the Big Pit for entering the Weeping Willow MTB race.  I guess when you dehydrate and do an endo on your warmup in addition to losing a quart of blood and a pound of flesh in the actual race it's always a good idea to blame someone.  When these things happen to me I always blame Senor Jorge , our resident Mexican national MTB Champion.  It's worked for me for years. Jorge is also the originator of MTB orienteering, you haven't experienced mountain biking until you're lost in the woods at night without lights in the pouring rain and Jorge is nowhere in sight.  All you have to do is find your way out before the mosquitos consume half of your blood.   So I guess what I'm saying is Jorge talked all of us into our first MTB race in 25 years, thank you Jorge!

I don't know about you but I was on the floor reading Peanuts blog about the Hobo stick.  I find it interesting how the little things that happen to us when we are young manefest into much larger things as we age.  Peanuts Hobo stick is one such thing.

This is Peanuts Hobo stick at age 5.....

and this is Peanuts Hobo Stick at the X-Nationals 2012....

BTW can anyone spot Tom aka The Mad Scientist in the above picture?

When we first decided to go to the X Nationals Peanut kept telling us to bring two of everything 'cause you never know what to expect.  Boy was she right, years of experience will do that for you.  We just didn't realize that she meant two of every friggin' thing that you own.  And by the way don't forget where you left the keys when you have a Hobo stick that large.

I know it seems like I've been taking a lot of shots at Peanut but truth be told the Flea and I have endured,  I mean,  benefited immensely from Peanuts wisdom born from her years of cross racing.  Racing  every weekend with people who share a common love of their sport has been an immeasurably rewarding experience.  So anyone out there who is contemplating cyclocross get off the fence and come check it out at Peanuts Cross Clinic at the end of this summer. You just may be glad you did.

                                                         Thanks for listening
                                                              "The Big Pit"

YOUR HOBO BAG aka TRAVEL KIT

I wasn't a bad kid... let's just say I was a very active child...

I mean... I was never arrested, never set the house on fire, never joined a gang, never threatened the lives of my brothers or sister 

…uhhh.... check that... 

Not that my parents found out about anyway...

My father was prematurely gray at 30...  I'm pretty sure that, in large part... was due to me.

I would bet... The initial idea for the Speed Pass for the tolls...started when I was around 4... due to my frequent visits to the Emergency Room. 

They probably realized, it was easier to give my poor mother a scan card vs. having her fill out the reams of paperwork for the casts, stitches, dog bites or the occasional marble extraction from the nostril procedure...

Just like any of you, many of my childhood memories are fuzzy.    But... a few select memories do stand out so crystal clear, it could have happened yesterday... and this particular memory will stay with me until my dying day...

I was about 5 at the time and my sister and I were still sharing a bedroom. I don't recall exactly what she was doing to bug me... but whatever it was she did... caused me to haul off and punch her right in the eye.

This is NOT my sister!...  But this is a really good illustration of the shiner I gave her.  :)

I have to say... for a 5 year old... I had a pretty nasty right hook and I landed that baby square center on target! My sister's eye started to slam shut, even before she opened her yapper and got out the first howl... and that's when all hell broke loose!!

For the most part, I did my level best to stay out of what qualified as "BIG" trouble... and my mom did more than her fair share to cover for me,  but... there were times that I would manage to get myself into a pickle that was too ugly... even for my mom to smooth over... and that's when DAD WOULD FIND OUT.

This was one of those unfortunate incidents, that my mom wasn't  going to be able to hide... 


This was major and it was going to require a “pre-call”,  from my Mom, to my Dad at work... to give him a heads up...


Brother...  The "pre-call"!!!   

There was a chance, I was not going to see the age of 6...

So... now that the call was made, the whole damned family was on high alert that the World was going to come to an end, for little Kath...  

The day went into immediate slowwwww motion...We were all waiting on Dad's arrival from the AAAARRRRMY!!!!! 

First, we would have dinner.  In TOTAL SILENCE! 


THEN!!! We would be sent upstairs..... until he was ready.... only to be summoned downstairs later...

We all knew who the prisoner was... ME!!! 

First... the speech, then It was simple... I was going to get killed!!!

When we were finally called downstairs, my father was standing in the hallway with a stick and attached at the end of the stick, was a Hobo bag!!!! 

My Mom was standing next to my dad, and she was pale as a ghost and fighting back tears!!!

My Dad took one look at me... and with no expression on his face, advised me that in the Hobo bag was, one pair of underwear and one pair of socks... AND...  unless I apologized for what I did wrong, I was going to be sent out into the darkness of night, never to be allowed back into the house and further more... and I would never have a family again!

Now... in my short little life... I had never had a stick with a Hobo bag, and the threat of family exile, ever been offered out as punishment.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of it!!!

The entire household stood in total silence!!!

My Dad is Hungarian and Mom is French Canadian...

The Hungarian's are incredibly stubborn and the French Canadian's are a bunch of wise guy's... and when the DNA was cast... in my cell split at inception... I apparently got more than my fair share of the stubborn/wise guy blend...

So to my father's surprise and my Mom's shock, I apparently took about 2 minutes to collect my tiny little thoughts, blinked a few times and then launched into a farewell speech that would have been suitable for a Grammy Award Ceremony.

And to top things off.... It seems that it closing, I even had the nerve, to ask if I could take Tony...  the dog with me, for protection of course!

Of which my dad quickly shot back with a flat out “NO”, in hopes of breaking my spirit.

At which point, I grabbed the stick and Hobo bag and marched out the door... slamming it behind me.

I will tell you this... halfway down the block... I burst into tears, I was mad as hell they didn't let me take the damned dog!!!

It seems the second I left, the house went into a full on panic.

Mom started to cry and then shouted at my Dad to go find me... how could he let a 5 year old roam the streets, in the middle of the night with nothing but a Hobo bag, for GOD SAKE!!!!

Dad was still standing there in shock, he never expected me to walk out...

My sister... and her newly appointed seeing eye dog Tony, had already rocketed upstairs... she was busy rearranging the bedroom... She figured I was gone and the room was now all hers!!! OH BROTHER!!!

My little brothers are both crying cause my Mom was crying... They actually were too young to have a clue about what the hell was going on...

Me... I was busy walking down the street with my stupid Hobo bag, wondering how long it will take before I was either captured by Zombies or eaten alive by a pack of wild dogs.

About 5 minutes later, my father rolls up... in the station wagon... I'm of course, trying to ignore him... I'm just marching down the sidewalk with my damned underwear and socks in the stupid Hobo bag.

"Kathy... Get in the car”

No answer....

"Honey... Please, get in the car... or Mom's going to kill us!”

This is Dad's version of an apology... even to a 5 year old... I get that.

I hop in the car, burst into tears... mumble an apology and hug my dad! At 5, I know that I love my family... yeah even my sister... it's totally worth the apology, to go home.

We both learned our respective lessons... I won't punch my sister in the eye... at least for awhile, ... my Dad understood he was looking into a mirror of himself and to be careful for what he dangled in front of me, because he might get what he asks for.       

My sister was pissed... She had to rearrange the entire bedroom back to the way it was....  She had a very cool shiner for about 2 weeks... there is a God!!! 

So... Your Hobo aka travel kits.

If you are planning on taking to the air to race, or traveling somewhere with your bike on vacation and planning on taking your bike on a plane.

There are some things that you should absolutely pack in your Hobo kits.


In other words... These are the things you should take on the plane with you... in the event your luggage gets separated from you, when you arrive.

What should go into your Hobo Kits??? Welp... it's the stuff that you can't easily replace when you get to your destination for a ride... Just the basic essentials.

Underwear and socks... my preference is 2 pair of each :).  My Dad was a minimalist.

Saddle height jotted down on a piece of paper.  This is important, you don't want to WAG (wild as guess) your saddle height.

Helmet

Shoes

Pedals

1 Jersey

1 Pair of Cycling Shorts

Sun Glasses
Your Garmin... I wouldn't pack this baby in my luggage and risk losing it or having it stolen. 

In a pinch... the rest of the stuff... you could probably borrow, rent... whatever. But the stuff I've listed above are easy to pack... easy to carry and easy to take on a plane and in a pinch.. can make the best out of a bad situation... even if you bike and luggage doesn't make it... you have some of your gear to get in a ride and all is not lost.


So... there you have it.  

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I'll Talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery