6 Things That Really Piss People Off In Group Rides

This blog idea was requested by a reader... thanks and keep the ideas coming!

Most of you have watched the Tour De France... Unless of course, you live under a rock or in some bunker in a remote desert, awaiting a nuclear attack.

Have you noticed how many crashes there are during the first few days of the tour????

Some of you might be thinking... what's the deal!!! These guys are pros, don't they know how to handle their bikes for Christ Sake????

Well they do... But, there are a million factors at play, causing these crashes.

Nerves for the first several days are high. The rookies are nervous as hell, in some cases... scared shitless. Nerves as you can imagine... impacts bike handling.

Also... pack dynamics are different for every pack. As a new pack, they have to settle in with each other... that takes several days.

A few squirrely moves, a bad line, a aggressive nudge and 10 guys go down in a blink of an eye.

The same thing, but to a lesser extent, goes on in the group rides we are involved in... and guess what??? Each time a new rider joins the group, the pack dynamics change again.

It's easy to lay the blame of the group ride at the feet of the group leader. But... the responsibility of the group ride, really belongs to all of the riders in the group.

The group leader, however ... Is responsible for 2 important things

#1. Communicating the rules of the ride to the group

#2. Taking a quick head count at each regroup point... and if anyone is missing, either waiting or sending out a search party.

Now... I don't know about you... but there are 6 things that really irritate the hell out of me, that normally take place in group rides...

#1. Taking off like bats out of hell from the parking lot

This just irritates me to NO END!!! In the first 15 seconds of the ride... the group is already strung out all over the road and anaerobic, trying to catch the leaders who are motoring down the road at 25mph.

The Peanut Gallery Solution:

If you are in the lead don't be a moron!!! This is not the start of a race, start out the first 10 minutes of the ride at a steady pace... keep the group tight and safe. Let everyone warm up... then after 10 minutes steadily pick up the pace.

#2. Take No Prisoners, We're Here to Race Mentality

These are the guys and Gals who treat the training rides as races... They come to the group rides looking to tear the wings off their victims, attacking at every opportunity and totally screwing up the dynamics of the group.

The Peanut Gallery Solution:

Play by the rules of the group you are riding with... or go find a group of like mind souls of “ Take No Prisoners, We're Here to Race” and ride with them.

#3. Leaving Riders For Dead out on the Road

This is a cardinal sin of group rides... and never, never should happen. Regardless of the group ride... there should be designated regroup locations.

Top of climbs, Stop Signs, Stop Lights....

The Peanut Gallery Solution:

Each regroup points should be accompanied by a quick headcount. If someone is missing, then one of two things happens. The group waits... or 2 riders go back and look for the missing rider.


You don't leave anyone out on the road!!!! At least one of the 2 riders going back should have a cell phone... in case the rider back is hurt or has a disabled bike.

#4... Jumping onto a posted “No Bikes Allowed” Highway/as a shortcut – And other equally bush league moves.

The Peanut Gallery Solution:

Stay on the right side of the law... find a route the doesn't involve highways...!! If we want to be protected by the rules of the road... we HAVE to play by them... not play with them.

#5. Attacking the pace line from the back and then splintering the group to hell. This is a clear message that Mr “Joe Go Fast” doesn't feel the Pace Line is going fast enough... and needs to attack the entire group to make it go faster... brother, I really hate when that happens.

The Peanut Gallery Solution:

The next time Mr. Joe Go Fast has that “urge”... jump behind a vehicle and moto-pace at 45 mph for the next 20minutes and burn off a little excess energy and get it out of his system... but please don't wreak havoc with a pace line, that is up to that point working well together.

#6. Sprinting the final 2 miles to the parking lot.. and then crawling into your car after a 40 mile ride with your legs filled with lactic acid.


The image above is what happens when your system is filled with lactic acid... the image below is what happens when your system is properly cooled down. I would prefer to, warm down for 10 minutes... vs. crawl into the car with my system filled with the crap in the top picture... wouldn't you???

Have fun out there, ride safe

I'll talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

Should You Double Down On Your Missed Training?

I went to Colorado State University, and like any University setting… some dorms were like the Marriott, and some dorms were like the Motel 6...

The dorm I lived in my freshman year better, resembled the Motel 6.

The day I moved in, there was hay spread the entire length of the hallway leading to the rooms.

I didn’t want to know what was under the hay, but I figured it was either to keep the smell of something undesirable down or to soak something very undesirable up... either way... there was lots and lots of hay and... it stayed there for the better part of a week.

I grew up as a Army brat, one of four kids… so, camping out was considered a vacation.

Motel 6 was fine by me but I wasn't totally thrilled with all that hay in the hall, but on the other hand, I figured as long as it wasn't in my room... I could live with it being in the hallway.

It seemed that all the kids who were housed in Motel 6 traveled in the same financial circle as I did... that being... the financial circle of broke... so I was in great company.

We were all working our way through school with part time jobs, student loans big enough to choke a horse, you know the deal...

It really wasn't so bad.... my part time job was autoclaving petri dishes that 3rd year biochem students had grown weird experiments in.

At the time I wasn't aware how hazardous the job was... for some odd reason, the little red warning indicator never went off in my tiny little brain.

You would have thought the little red warning indicator would have gone off at some point when they gave me my paper bio hazard suit, or when they gave me the rubber gloves, or the paper face mask, or even the stacks of waivers to sign... or even the big speech about never handling the petri dishes... or for GOD SAKE... never ingest what is the dish!!!

I've decided that little red warning indicator features matures in most women at age 32.

It attempts to develop in men at age 21, but then atrophies and dies due to neglect.

My red warning indicator light malfunctioned when I was young, my parents attempted to warranty it several times... I believe that's where the phrase... “Oh, for Christ Sake”... came from... but, I'm off topic...

One of my 4 roommates had a boy friend who was a self prescribed math wiz…

You see... Mr Math Wiz was responsible for the payment of year 2-4 ... Mr Math Wiz's Parents were going to pay for year 1.

Now... I would bet his parents had probably worked their butts' off for the better part of their adult lives, to save up one years worth of tuition to help this lazy meat head... and here’s where the story gets interesting.

You see… there was a dog track down the road…

So, this genius cooks up this hair brained plan… you guessed it…

He’s going to take his 1 year tuition to the dog track and decides he wants to turn it into a 4 year free ride tuition...

Brother… did this guy have a set on him or what????

And his genius mathematical strategy was???

To keep doubling his bet whether he won or lost until he hit his goal or went bust.

The crazy thing was… he actually pulled it off.

I kid you not!!!

He almost busted… I’m not sure how he picked his dogs, but there was a dog that he bet on that turned out to be a ringer and this kid honest to God made it happen…

And the really hysterical thing about this story is… His parents never had a clue that he took their hard earned money and bet it all at the DOG TRACK and then won his 4 year tuition!!!

He actually led them to believe, he was working a part time job and earning the money to pay for his tuition!!!

So my guess is, they continued to send him $20 bucks from time to time, here and there… As he slaved away at his part time job… BROTHER!!!

Wow… I have to tell you.

So… here’s the million dollar question today???

If you miss a workout… do you double down on your training?

In other words… do you try to make up for it in the next day by doing twice the workout or twice the “load“ or effort???


Here’s my thoughts on the subject.


Now this may fly in the face of what your coach may think… and that’s why I’m the Peanut Gallery… and your coach is your coach…


Doubling down is for the most part, is not a good idea. Particularly if you are on a training plan.


If you have a set training plan and you miss a work out… then “it is what it is…” you can’t make up for it.


You just pick up on your next day of training and continue on with your schedule.


If you start doubling down and adding what you’ve missed on top of your scheduled training… guess what, you are now altering your training schedule by a exponential factor, and that then has a significant ripple effect on your training plan, fatigue, rest, etc.


If you miss more than one day and try to then alter several days of training by doubling down or making other modifications… like… oh… let’s go for a 5 hour marathon hill ride with intervals tossed in and try to catch up on all of that missed training, due to work or whatever… then, why don’t you just go dig a big hole right after the ride and jump head first into the grave your just dug for yourself… because that’s about as much progress you’ve probably made for the week, with all that cram course double down training you’ve tried to do.

As a athlete, our work ethic can be a double edged sword. It is both our greatest strength and weakness.

We need to have the discipline to stop ourselves from trying to “make up” for lost work outs… there are no “make up sessions, your body won’t allow for that.

If a certain work out is that critical, than it should take the place of a work out… vs. doubling on top of a workout.

Trust me, I have tried to double down, do sneak training… even train and deny it to my coach… none of it works… it all comes back to haunt you in the end. You know why????

Your body is the ultimate gate keeper. It will break down when most need it and you least expect it to… So…. Take it from someone who knows…

The double down rarely works and if it does… only in Dog racing and in casinos…

This blog was inspired after a conversation with a friend and customer of the shop who is injured.

Regarding an injury....

Trying to figure out when to "return to play", test the injury, or make up for training is always the million dollar question.

The answer to the above question is always the same...

Listen to your doctor, coach, body. And... if it hurts... don't do it... your body is telling you something!

Have fun out there, Ride Safe

I’ll talk with you soon.

The Peanut Gallery

DODGING BULLETS

Today’s blog is going to be different from my typical blogs…

This one is totally serious. No sarcasm, wise guy comments, or goofing around… the subject matter demands too much respect for that and I hope you all agree.  Ok... there will be sarcasm... but no goofing around! 

So, let’s get to it…

Earlier this week, I participated in a group ride with about 10 other fairly seasoned riders. We were about 10 miles into a 40 + mile ride. We were on a 2 lane back road, strung out single file… traveling at close to 25mph… we were all sitting as close to the solid white line as possible, so I can honestly say at the moment, we weren’t impeding traffic.

I was on the Fleas’ wheel and that’s when “it” happened.

A car passed at high speed, then abruptly cut out to the left and then just as abruptly cut in to the right and then alarmingly attempted to run over 4 of us, as she tried to get into her driveway.

At the last possible second she locked up her brakes, causing the tires to smoke like hell… and then she hammered the horn…

It all happened so fast!  I didn't have the chance to shout out a warning, never mind flip her off... I was too busy dodging the bumper of the car... all I saw was the Saab hood emblem...and felt the heat from the grill of her car.

She clearly felt it was our duty to have stopped and let her into her driveway.   She was pissed... we were pissed.... thank God no one was hurt or dead!  We just dodged a bullet.

Every year the sad reality is, cyclists get hurt or killed due to accidents just like what almost took place a few nights ago … some accidents due to the fault of the drivers, some accidents due the fault of the cyclists.

So… let’s talk about what we can do to protect ourselves… And the answer isn’t to start carrying  guns... although the state of NH would clearly allow us to do so. 

We as cyclist have to get smarter and be a little more courteous and yes… even a little less arrogant at times.  Because, there are situations where we do own some of the blame.  We are responsible for our own safety out there.


Last night was not our fault... and the jerk I described above and others like her, I despise... more than words can describe.  To be candid, there is very little that gets me angrier and can incite me to riot than an asshole behind the wheel of a car, who is so casual and careless with the lives of others.

But come on… There are some situations of bad road riding etiquette, that we unwittingly play into, that result in a butterfly effect:  The driver gets a case of the butt, makes a bone head move in their car, puts us in danger, other drivers in harms way, worse yet… they continue to take it out on some unsuspecting rider up the road who had nothing to do with anything… they just happened to be the dog that gets kicked because this moron had a bad moment.

We can't fix the drivers who will "never get it"... but we can each improve just a little and increase our own odds of dodging another bullet and that means another day of riding.

So... Let's work together on this...
As a reminder, here’s a few group riding rules of etiquette that are good to keep in mind:  

The Ride Leader should know how many people are in the group before the ride departs and take a count at each stop... know if they are leaving someone on the road

Although some state laws allows 2 abreast riding on roads, riding single file is the safest… use your heads when riding 2 abreast

Advise when a car is back

Advise when a pedestrian is on the road, or a car is parked on the road

Stay alert at all times... don't drone off into some weird zone

NO Time Trial bars in a group ride... EVER!

Hold your line

Don’t overlap wheels

Don’t look back! EVER!

Relax!! Over gripping the bars translates into twitching riding

Focus on the rider(s) ahead

Beware of pot holes in the road and shout them out

Don’t brake unless absolutely necessary

Pass carefully

Always move through the pace-line at a steady pace and make sure you are clear of the front rider before pulling off

Clothing removal, etc. should take place when you are in the back of the pace line…

If you are hassled by a car and have time to take a picture with your cell phone, of their license plate... take it and then send it to the local police department.   

The world of cycling is a family...  Let’s work hard at lowering the statistics of cyclists injuries and deaths this year by doing our part  
and lets keep dodging the bullets.

What we do is suppose to be fun. Let’s keep it that way. I would hate to have to deliver this blog to your hospital bed… or worse yet, write it from MY hospital bed!


Have a great Easter.

Have fun out there, ride safe.

I’ll talk with you all soon.

The Peanut Gallery

So, Should We Ride Naked Today???

You know… I consider myself a somewhat responsible adult.

Sure… I tear the tags off my mattresses even though the label clearly states I could go to prison or something along those lines… but I figure… it’s my mattress!!  I can freaking burn the damned thing to a tiny little crisp if I damned well feel like it, and if they want to make a federal case out of it, then BRING IT ON!

Wow… It’s early in the blog and I’m already off track… so sorry about that, not enough coffee!

So, getting back to being a somewhat responsible adult… burning my mattress to a tiny little crisp doesn't sound too responsible now does it???

Well, in the vein of being responsible… As a somewhat responsible adult, for years… I have been dressing myself without any assistance.  My guess is… the same holds true for many of you…

That is… EXCEPT before a group ride or race…

I’m not sure how or why.  But, it seems when we arrive at the designated ride location, the second we crawl out of our vehicles, the minute we spot another rider... a circular dialogue starts to take place, amongst previously decisive adults.... and it starts out and usually ends something like this…

Rider #1 “So, what are you going to wear?

Rider #2 “Don’t know.. What are you going to wear?”

Rider #1 “ Hm, not sure… maybe a base layer… but it might be too hot for that, what do you think?”’

Rider #2 “Yeah you might be right.. might be too hot for a base layer, not sure. ”

Rider #1 “ Well.... let’s see, what the other guys are wearing.”

Rider #2 “ Ok.. Yeah, let's wait and see what the other guys are wearing."

The larger the group of riders... The greater the discussion of what to wear. Before long, you will see folks either rapidly disrobing or adding clothing, based on the outcome of the discussion.

I often wonder... if someone suggested to ride naked... and someone else agreed... if the group would in fact roll down the road naked. It's a possibility! There are naked races... I've been to a few!! I'm not quiet sure how the neighbors would react... guess it would depend on the neighborhood.

Now… here’s something else I’ve discovered. The higher the stakes.. (meaning if it’s a race vs. just a training ride)… the bigger the discussion of, “what to wear” amongst the riders.

Now, you would think we would “know” what to wear by now, wouldn’t you???? But it seems we don’t trust our own instincts… We have to huddle and discuss.

So… from time to time, I like to screw with my competitors a little right before a race by uttering 5 simple words and then walk away.   Those 5 words are...

“You gonna race in that!?”

That’s normally enough to cause my competitors' head to explode… second guessing their race kit choice.

I've actually seen folks go running back to their cars tearing off crap, thinking they've totally either over or under dressed.

Don’t get me wrong… I am not immune to the above circular dialogue. The truth is, the Flea and I normally have this very discussion while I am standing inside of the Blue Steel van… tossing clothing in so many directions it looks like the Tasmania devil was the interior decorator.

The Flea has gotten use to my chaotic organization skills. We finally land on the proper dress code for the day… which usually means… “ lets wait and see what everyone else is wearing”.

We just make our decisions in private!!! Without a herd of other riders listening in…

I will tell you this, it's advisable to listen to your instincts. Instincts are good. That's why God gave them to you. They are part of your survival skills.

Several years ago, I went for a training ride in Western MA in mid April with a group of 5 other guys and we had the circular dialogue... the day was sunny and based on the consensus, I shed my jacket and we headed out for a 50 miler.

An hour into the ride the sun totally vanished, the winds came up from nowhere and it started to sleet, and believe me things only got worse from that point on..

I swear if I had the energy, I would have thrown an absolute full on tantrum. I don't know what I was angrier about... the fact that I made the decision to leave my warm weather CRAP in my car or the fact that my lips were blue, my fingers were numb, we were scrounging through garbage cans trying to salvage newspapers and plastic bags to line the inside of our jerseys, shorts, and socks to try to hold in as much body heat as possible and to boot, I had no freaking clue where in the hell we were!

It was a toss up... I was just plain pissed about everything. I guess it was better to stay mad than to cry. So I focused on being mad.

We ended up riding like that for another 3 hours... hypothermia was an issue and we had to cut the pace down to keep everyone together... Oh... I forgot to mention, not a single Einstein bothered to bring a cell phone either. I'm surprised none of us become friends with the local Coroner.

Brother I will never forget that day!!!! That's why I look like a Sherpa when I ride... my pockets are full of crap, just in case it gets cold!!!

So... that's a MacGyver tip, that you hopefully don't want to have to use.

If you get caught in a bad situation like the one I just described... use newspaper and trash bags. Stop in a grocery store if you have to... line the inside of your jersey and shorts, it will cut the wind and hold in body heat. It does make a difference. You see the guys grabbing newspapers and jamming them inside of their jerseys to this day, in the tour, when then come off the high mountains. They aren't grabbing the paper to catch up on the news... :)

So… with Mother Nature still straddling the fence and teetering between Spring and Winter… here are a few dressing tips.

As it's beginning to warm up...

As tempted as you may be in displaying the Quads that you have been working on all winter in the gym… don't go flying out the door in shorts and a short sleeve jersey so fast SKIPPY!!

The rule of thumb if the temps are below 60 degrees : You should always have a wicking base lay (topside) and at least knee warmers (to keep your joints warm) The fluid around our knees are slow to warm up… and our knees are critical to our riding, so you can’t treat them too kindly.

So... I'm really not sure what the point of my knee picture... but I thought it would be cool to have a picture of a knee for your to look at.

Oh... lookeee here... ya don't want to be a member of the Badknee club now do ya????

Apparel combinations to consider for your Cool/Cold weather riding:

Cool: 64 to 54 degrees

Cold degrees Freezing: 42 to 0 degrees

Head:

Cool/Cold: Castelli Thermo Skully or Gore Wind stopper head gear

Legs:

Cool: Riding shorts and leg or knee warmers or lightweight knickers

Cold: Super Tights / Bib Tights or Bib Knickers

Freezing: Stopper Tights or Bib tights with a poly base layer or padded short.

Feet:

Cool: Gore Wind Stopper Socks 
Cold: Lycra Booties or Toe covers with wool or Polyester wicking socks 
Freezing: Wind Stopper Booties, with wool socks

Hands:
 
Cool: Fingerless glovesCold: Thin full finger gloves or fingerless gloves with a liners beneath
Freezing: Wind Stopper gloves

Arms/Body:
 
Cool: Sleeves base layer, short sleeve jersey and arm warmers and leg/knee warmers
Cold: Full sleeve base layer and full sleeve jersey and a lightweight wind Jacket or wind/thermal Vest 
Freezing: Full sleeve base layer, jersey and a Wind Stopper Jacket

 

If you find yourself short on any cold weather clothing (including gloves)… we will be taking 20% off all of the cold weather clothing in the store during the upcoming TREKFEST SPRING SALE during the week of April 9th - April 14th. Quantities will be limited, so drop by early for best selections.  We'll be taking 10% off of everything else in the store (excluding bikes)... so, it will be well worth a trip in... if you need anything.
Have fun out, ride safe

I’ll take with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery

The Junk Yard Dog

Have you ever been on one of those group rides when a dog comes bolting down a driveway like a bat out of hell?


Just when your sphincter is beginning to slam shut, a guy you are riding next to calmly say’s, “don’t worry… the dog has an invisible fence, he won‘t bother us!”

Two seconds later… the dog with that “magical invisible fence”… comes racing into the street… causing the pack to scatter like a flock of foaming at the mouth screaming chickens, that just got blind sided by a rabid weasel.

So… I got to thinking…

I am a dog lover. I really, really do love dogs... BUT... there are two places I don’t like dogs much at all. It’s only two tiny, itsy, bitsy little places I would really prefer they keep away from.

#1. Out of my wheel

#2. Off of my calf


In my 25+ years of riding, I've come into contact with a ton of dogs while riding and I've decided that dogs fall in categories just like racers, and just like racers, as the category increases, so does the danger level and the chance of crash or injury.


So... here's how the categories break out 

Cat 1/2 - the porch lounger. Much like a Cat 1 / 2 Pro… this dog is low danger. A Cat 1 / 2 dog will simply lay on the porch, watch traffic, people, a rider or anything that goes by his porch.

On occasion he will get up, stretch… yawn… sniff around, even go take a pee. But, the porch is where they wants to be… and the porch lounger simply isn't interested in anything that isn't on their porch.

Cat 3 - The Happy Chaser.  These dogs are the equivalent to young racers who have just upgraded.  All paws, ears, tongue and tail.  These dogs are well intended… they just want to play and run along with you… however, some of them have faulty internal navigational devices… similar to a misguided nuclear warhead. 


Which makes some of them dangerous, because they can shoot off into your front wheel or turn off into their yard, but you don't know which... So, this makes them unpredictable!!

What do you do???   My advice… Stop and tell the dog to “go home”… most of the time, they will give you a lick and happily comply.

Cat 4 - The mixed bag of car chasers, dogs on runs, chains, ties, etc. The larger the gauge of chain, the greater the concern…

You see, the reason these dogs are tied up,  is because they don’t like staying in their assigned location.  And in particular… their owners have discovered, their "pets" like chasing after moving objects… particularly… screaming moving objects, like hysterical bicycle riders!!!!

So… Assuming one of these escape artists has gotten off their restraining device… what do you do???? 

Well… this is a tricky one. In my experience, I have found that Cat 4 dogs are audible chasers… in other words, they bark the entire time they chase you.  So you have a fair bit of warning.

So, if you trust your sprinting skills ( and you have a head start)… you can always try to outrun him.   If he cuts you off (and I have had a dog snap a large gauge chain and cut me off in the road)… outrunning may not be an option. In that case...  Put the bike between you and the dog and start yelling your head off at the dog, to "go home!!".   Hopefully the owner will hear you and call the dog off, or the dog will get tired of screwing with you and head back to his yard.  

I have been bitten by these dogs, so be careful in which option you choose.  If you choose the sprint option… keep sprinting and don’t look back!!!


Cat 5 - The Junk Yard Dog. This dog is full on butt ugly. Helen Keller would recoil in horror, if her hands brushed the lumpy, matted head of one of these lost souls.

I swear if these dogs had thumbs, they would carry switch blades but then again… they wouldn’t need to, since they come equipped with a full set of fangs and claws… These dogs are the 4 legged version of a Street Thug.

The Junk Yard Dog is by far the scariest and without a doubt most dangerous of any dog you will encounter. They will track you progress and attack from an angle, make zero sound as they come up on you, and are fast as hell.

It’s not unusual to find them with a missing eye, ragged or totally missing ear, and 3 legs. Don’t let that missing leg fool you… I’ve been chased by a 3 legged, one eyed Junk Yard Dog for 2 miles and I almost crapped my cycling shorts trying to stay in front of this mangy snapping flea bag from hell!!

I would bet Junk Yard Dogs that chase cyclist, have tiny little trophy stashes of lycra swatches that they’ve snatched from the asses of riders they’ve chased over the years.

What do you do if you come across a Junk Yard Dog… RIDE LIKE YOU LIFE DEPENDS ON IT…

CAUSE IT DOES!!! These dogs are full on predators, that have unfortunately been mistreated all of their lives and don’t have that domestic sense ingrained into them… If you get cornered. Get your bike between you and the dog and do whatever you need to do, to protect yourself. This dog is not to be messed with.


PS,  If something like this is chasing you... don't stop to pet it! Something bad might happen.  Ugh, what an ugly dog... 

Have fun out there, ride safe.


I'll talk with you all soon.




The Peanut Gallery

Don't Roll Out Of The Door Without These!

I don’t know about you, but with the recent time change, and a string of warm weather days… I have a case of full blown Spring Fever!

Let me tee up a scenario for you.    I’m not saying you’ve done this… but as you will see, this has happened to me at least once.

The work day is over, it’s beautiful outside and I’m itching to ride.

 

As I’m driving home, I start to eyeball how much daylight I have left. 

I start calculating my drive time, factor in the traffic, add in the time to get dressed and get my bike ready... and the idea begins to bubble up... I have time for a ride... :)... not just "a ride"...  but the

"OKAY… I HAVE TIME TO GET IN A QUICK HOUR RIDE!!!!"  

Now isn’t it a magical thing… for me it’s always that hour mark. 

Not 45 minutes…

Not 57 mins…

It’s gotta be an hour to make it worth my while.  

Not sure why, but for me, that 1 hour ride is… 

I don’t know… “worth it”, anything less… Is a waste of time.  

So, even though deep down inside, I know that I really don’t have enough daylight left in the day and the traffic is at a total standstill… today’s ride, somehow has become something I cannot live without. 

I have now decided, that I MUST get home and get on the bike for my hour ride...  AT ALL COST!!! 

So... Now, I am a total menace on the road, not to mention, probably an exhibitionist.  Or something else bordering on close to illegal...   In addition to lead footing it home by ignoring the posted speed limit, I decide to save time by partially undressing in the car.

To my neighbors horror,  I roll up to the door of the house with half of my cloths in my hands.  I explode out of the car with my hair on fire and race into the house with a yard sale of stuff flapping behind me.

From that moment on… it’s a full on fire drill, grabbing everything and anything that vaguely resembles riding crap because now I figure I have only 40 minutes of actual daylight left, but damn it, I’m riding for my hour!!!!

I hit the door at full tilt, grab my bike, pivot and race out the door as if my life depends on it, I hop on my bike and I am now rolling down the street and I’m damned happy about it.  Because... you guessed it… I’m going for my one hour ride!!!!

8 miles into my ride guess what happens… you got it… I flat, not just a small hisser.  A major banger!  The type the leave the tube hanging out of the tire like a fish that just got  gutted.  You know what else…. Ohhhh, yeahhhh!  I dashed out the door without any of my reeeeeepaaaaairrrrrr crap!!!!!  

NO TUBE!  NO PUMP!!  NO PATCH KIT!!! NO CELL PHONE!!!  NO FLASHER!!!! NO NOTHING!!!!

Just little ole me…. And lots of these!

So guess what…  now?????   My nice little one hour ride, turned into a miserable 2 hour swear session thumping home on my rim!!!

What… What!!???  What was I suppose to do, pull a Magyver?   Sure…  If I had something, anything to work with... I might have had a freaking chance, but I was a complete idiot, I admit it. 

I was focused on getting in that one hour ride and completely forgot that I didn’t have anything I needed in the event of a break down.

So… here’s the deal! 

Now that the riding season is upon us, again.   It’s time to take stock of what you have in your repair kit or jersey pockets. 


Also keep in mind… take a flasher for the next few weeks, because day light drops faster than we anticipate.

I also did a bit of research on some pretty clever road side Magyver tricks that may come in handy that I will share with you.  


Don't leave home without this stuff


*  Tube or two
*  Patch Kit
*  Pump or CO2 w/head
*  Tire levers (2) 


Good Idea to have these along


*  Quick link
*  Multi - Tool
*  Chain Tool
*  Tire Boot
*  zip ties
*  Electrical tape/duct tape
*  ID (RoadID  Bracelet  (This is a great idea, just go to the RoadId web site)  It’s a way to have your contact info on you all the time in the event of a medical emergency and they need to contact your next of kin in case of emergency.
*  Cell Phone

Magyver Fixes

Slashed Tire -  Use a used Gu Pac, folded dollar bill, potato chip bag, coke can, anything you can get your hands on to line the inside of the tire and stop the tube from poking through.

Patch - if you've flatted and have no spare and no patch kit, this is where duct tape or a piece of electrical tape will work as a patch in a pinch.  You may have to stop and refill the tire a few times on the way home... but it will at least get you home.

Broken Spoke -  Wrap it around the spoke next door and open the brake so the wheel doesn't rub too badly and head home.  

TACO'D WHEEL - Odds are the wheel is toast and can't be fixed.  If the tire is still holding air the chances are that if you give the wheel a few good whacks you'll be able to straighten it out enough to get it straight enough to ride home.

Derailleur Hanger/Chain - if your derailleur hanger or your chain breaks you can set up your bike as a single speed, cut the chain to work as a one speed or by pass the derailleur and shorten the chain to fit.

Lost Bolts -  If you lose a bolt out of your cleats... try one of the bolts from your water bottle cage, it seems that many of the bolts are universal.

Forgot your tire levers -  Use the flat end of your sewers... just be careful... if you snap the skewer lever... you will be screwed, because you won't be able to get your wheel back on. 

If you are stuck out in the middle of “no where” with nothing and are forced to ride home on the rim… 

Exhale a lot

Don’t sit on the seat

Try to unweight the wheels 

Think light thoughts… and for god sake… 

Don’t be a boob and ride through any pot holes.  

That’s a great way to fold a perfectly good wheel. 

Have fun out there,  Ride Safe

I'll talk with you all soon

The Peanut Gallery