Chicks that ride 65 miles...

...in the heat.   It was HOT HOT HOT on Saturday, but with Amtrak fast approaching we needed to get the miles in.   We decided to join the OCW Saturday ride, for a flat ride from Irvine through Orange County and Long Beach to the San Gabriel River Trail then to the coast by Shoreline Village and along the beach and PCH back to Huntington Beach, by Back Bay and back to Irvine.

Normally on a day with this kind of hot forecast we would forgo a ride.  But you never know what the weather will be like on the day of the Amtrak so we may as well train in all kinds of conditions.

Everyone brought two water bottles each and snacks.   Even the riders that tend to drink very little on rides ended up going through bottles and refilling several times.  We made one stop at a Del Taco who filled us up with ice and water and then another stop along Huntington Beach so we could stretch and get out of the sun for a bit.  One last stop at a Jack 'n the Box to fill our bottles again.  Seems that fast food places are very accommodating when you aren't needing to use their paper/plastic cups.

There were no mechanicals and this made for Becky's and Karen's longest ride to date.   Ask them both about that last overpass over the 405 fwy just before we made it back to the square where we started our ride.

We don't ever want to ride in that kind of heat again but at least we've done it and know what it takes.  Let's hope this week provides a break in the temperatures so we can continue our training.  There is a rumor that we might see Stacy and Jeri out again.

Chicks that learn

Congratulations to Chris, Becky, Karen and Pat who successfully completed the League of American Wheelmen Traffic Skills 101 class.

This was a free class sponsored by the Orange County Wheelmen and consisted of a Wednesday night classroom session followed by a Saturday on the bike skills lesson.

Traffic Skills 101 (TS101) gives cyclists the confidence they need to ride safely and legally in traffic or on the trail. Through TS101, students learn how to conduct bicycle safety checks, fix a flat, on-bike skills and crash avoidance techniques. The curriculum is fast-paced, nine-hours, and prepares cyclists for a full understanding of vehicular cycling.

Everyone thought the class was worthwhile and they each took away new found skills for riding on the road.    Next time you see them ask them about ABC Quick Check.

Following are some helpful items to remember when riding:

Five Steps to Riding Better

1. Follow the Rules of the Road
    • Ride with traffic and obey the same laws as motorists.
    • Use the rightmost lane that heads in the direction
       that you are traveling.
    • Obey all traffic control devices, such as stop signs,
      lights, and lane markings.
    • Always look back and use hand and arm signals
      to indicate your intention to stop, merge or turn.

2. Be Visible
    • Ride where drivers can see you.
    • Wear brightly colored clothing at all times.
    • At night, use a white front light and red rear light
      or reflector. Wear reflective tape or clothing.

3. Be Predictable
    • Ride in a straight line and don’t swerve between
     parked cars.
    • Make eye contact with motorists to let them
      know you are there.
    • Do not ride on the sidewalk.

4. Anticipate Conflicts
    • Be aware of traffic around you and be prepared
      to take evasive action.
    • Learn braking and turning techniques to
      avoid crashes.
    • Be extra alert at intersections.

5. Wear a Helmet
    • Make sure that the helmet fits on top of your
      head, not tipped back or forward.
    • After a crash or any impact that affects your
     helmet, visible or not, replace it immediately.

Chicks that count weeks

Did you know it's less than 6 weeks until the Amtrak Century?  Everyone has continued to consistently train and should be up to a 50 plus ride on the weekend.   It can be hard to commit to the time it takes to get a good conditioning ride in, but getting the hours on the saddle will really pay off come Century day.  Don't forget to refuel on your rides.  Eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty.

We will keep increasing the distances on the weekend and continue with hill and speed work during the week.   Jessy is getting a little concerned that the older women are going to drop her on the ride.  Being younger and with such an active social life, she can't get in the same kind of training that everyone else seems to be.  She is making plans to keep Pat up the whole night before and get Karen drinking, so they have to ride along with her in case her parents drop her.

It's time to start playing with your food and drink choices for the ride.   What can you eat for breakfast that stays in your system and you can stomach?  Do you prefer water for drinking or do you want an electrolyte replacement?  Remember the club rest stops will have water refills as well as an electrolyte drink.  They will also have plenty of easy to eat carbs plus a full meal at the lunch stop.   You will want to carry a few easy to eat snacks just in case you are delayed beyond normal rest stop time.

I just picked up a new Podium Camelbac water bottle.  The valve on it is wonderful - easy to squeeze, getting plenty of liquid.  Start thinking about the bottles you will carry and shorts and socks you will wear.

See you on the road.

Chicks in training

Lots of great summer rides.  We've continued to ride Monday and Wednesday evening and Saturday mornings. Our rides are getting faster and we are no longer afraid of the hills that we know will make us stronger.

Jessy has been joining us on our Monday evening and sometimes weekend rides.   Everyone wants to make sure they get enough saddle time for the Century in September. 

Although we tend to follow the same routes trying to vary, once in a while we do a different course and continue to check out the San Canyon trail waiting to see when it might open.  That's OK, we still find our own way around.

Chicks That Ride  has their very first sponsor - "Chicks That..." a t-shirt company owned by Jessy.  Shirts are retail priced at $20.00 and are available to Chicks that ride member's for a discounted price for $15.00 including tax.  T-shirts are white women's styles available in your choice of styles and ink color imprint.Place your order at the next ride.

On Sunday, July 15, Becky, Pat, Chris and Theresa did the Beach Babes Classic ride.  36 miles along the coast starting in Long Beach traveling through Seal Beach to Huntington Beach and back.  It was great to see so many women from all walks of life, all ages and backgrounds, riding all different kinds of bikes.   As we passed others on the out and back route, women would encourage the other riders.   We enjoyed some great fellowship and had a good lunch afterwards in Shoreline Village.  Thanks to Chris for driving us and our bikes to the start.

88 Bikes update

for those of us that attended the Rock 'n Road Diva night which was a fundraiser for 88 bikes, the bike's have arrived.  Check out the update on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.479887855359169.128033.100000138767344&type=1
It was a fun event.  We should plan to participate again this year!

Chicks that plan...

....or maybe we should say Chicks South of the Border. We've started training.  Almost everyone is signed up for the Amtrak Century ride - 100 miles Irvine to San Diego in September.  On Monday we decided we needed a planning meeting.  Since it was our regular Monday ride evening, we rode a little over 4 miles to Irvine Marketplace and decided to meet at "South of the Border" restaurant.  Since it was Happy Hour, we had to take advantage of the special priced margaritas and 1/2 priced appetizers.

We did talk about the Century ride, but we also did some chick bonding discussing moms, jobs and siblings.  There was a lot of laughing.

Theresa's sister, Kathryn came along for the ride, or maybe she was there for the drinks.   It was a musical bike trade around again tonight.

A short trip brought us back to the park.   Hopefully next week Jeri and Stacy will be able to join us. We only got about 8 miles in but we did get some good planning done.

Chicks that train...

Yes, we have begun training for the train.  Pat and Theresa have officially signed up for the Amtrak the second Saturday in September.  Karen, Chris and Becky have committed to riding as well.

This is a Century ride 100 miles from Irvine to San Diego.   We know a little short cut and for those who want an alternate route we can make it 87 miles.  Once we get to San Diego, if you want to add another 15 or so there will be opportunity to do so.

Try to get in 3 rides per week.  Short fast ones during the week and start lengthening weekend ride distances.   Try not to increase more than 20%.   Don't freak out if you miss a workout or don't quite get in enough miles, but get right back on the training schedule if life gets in the way for a couple of sessions. 

The ride to San Diego will take about 7 or 8 hours.   The biggest thing you need to do is get your petunia used to sitting on the bike seat for long hours as well as remembering to relax your shoulders, neck and hands.   We also want to learn to fuel your body.  That long of a ride you will be burning calories and you must continue to take in calories and hydrate.  There will be four well-stocked rest stops on the ride, but on our training weekend rides we need to remember to eat as the rides and mileage increases.

This ride is almost all on streets that are open to cars.  Keep your wits about you and remember you are responsible for yourself and you need to be constantly watching for traffic.   Stay safe, we need you in one piece.

Here is the training schedule.  Even if you don't plan to do the Amtrak, you may want to train along with us.
 

Week Monday Wednesday Weekend 1 12 15 30 June 17, 2012 2 15 12 35 June 21, 2012 3 12 15 40 July 1, 2012 4 15 12 50 July 15, 2012 5 12 15 55 July 22, 2012 6 15 12 60 July 29, 2012 7 12 15 65 August 5, 2012 8 15 12 70 August 12, 2012 9 12 15 75 August 19, 2012 10 15 12 40 August 26, 2012 11 10 10 87 AMTRAK 12 8 5 off