Two Years Since My Last Post!!!!

Oh my! It hasn't been that long since we've gone on a ride. Truth though, we haven't been riding much and the idea of pedalling up a hill (any hill) is not appealling. I drove to Occidental today with my husband and could hardly imagine that I've actually riden up and over the hill from Graton to Occidental and back....several times! The last couple rides Rob and I went on were from my house on Olivet Road to Windsor and back....pretty flat and easy.

Amgen of California Bike Race

Rob and I met in Sebastopol and rode down the Joe Rodota Trail to Santa Rosa to watch the bike race and enjoy all the festivities. It was a fun day and perfect ride....short and flat. The wind came up in the evening and it was a cold ride back to Sebastopol after the race.

Mine and Rob's bikes at the finish line!

court house square

the winners!

Cycling Hotties

Very cute but where's her helmet and just to be a party pooper the i-pod is probably not safe either!

I found this on an interesting website Eco Chick. I must say I think the little "hottie" from Connecticut may be a little bit of a eco-fashion snob! Hating " spandex, helments and stupid bootie-shoes" oh my, such hate talk.....can't we all just get along?

2.8.08
Written by: Starre
Keeping warm in colder weather without looking like a North Face refugee
We all know riding your bike instead of driving is not only eco-friendly, but good for our butts and legs (and hearts!) too! But to really make a dent in how many global warming gases you produce, you have to ride your bike for more than just recreation, and treat it as a vehicle, and integrate it into your life.
I ride my bike all over my seaside Connecticut town, as do plenty of other folks, the difference being that I don’t ever dress like a ‘biker’. I hate the spandex, helmets, and stupid bootie-shoes that Americans seem to think they need to ride a bike around town or on the streets. (Yeah, I know, helmets will save your skull, but you know what? I’m old enough that I don’t have to wear one, so I don’t. They’re ugly and mess up my hair. So sue me.)
A great example of a great warmer weather bike ensemble!
Turns out, I’m not as iconoclastic as I’d like to think I am. European ladies in cities like Amsterdam, Paris, and Copenhagen regularly ride their bikes, looking as chic as ever. Women wear whatever they would normally wear (read: really chic outfits and heels, jewelry, and even makeup!) to hop on their bikes to get around town. The site, Copenhagen Cycle Chic, documents this style phenomenon. Love it!
I ride in skirts and tights with knee-high boots in the winter to go to the library, sundresses with bare feet or flip flops in the summer to ride to my local beach, and my cute bags get thrown in the basket in front of me. Just make sure your bike has fenders so you don’t get dust and mud all over your adorable outfits!
This entry was posted on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at 1:01 pm.You can find it under the following topic(s): Eco Travel, Fashion, cities.Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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HC said:
Great post — more people should follow suit! In fact, encouraging folks to all band together to bike more would help the earth and our bodies to an even greater extent. Check out PledgeBank.com or similar sites to find ways to rally people together in a coordinated way…February 8th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Curtiss said:
Hawt.
I don’t normally ascribe or concede to having any hard and fast hang-ups or easily defined preferences for the opposite sex, but cycle chicks have a hot and heavy place in my heart. Major points. All the more so if you can pull off the whole shebang in a skirt w/o having to ride side-saddle.
Mercy.February 10th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
lynda said:
um, wearing a helmet *is* a good idea. look at what happened to the woman from stereolab- poor woman died when some mofo hit her while riding her bike.February 16th, 2008 at 8:11 am
rabbit said:
I’m a graduate student living in cambridge mass and I regularly ride my bike everywhere i need to go, including the grocery store and to work.
I wear a helmet under all circumstances, in all weather, regardless of my outfit (and i do where my little skirts and heels on the bike.)not wearing a helmet on a bike is like not wearing your seatbelt in the car, but the consequences can be much much worse. Its all good to ride to the beach around your connecticut seaside town,or copenhagen where bikers have their own lanes, but biking is dangerous, and accidents happen all the time. I have been hit, backed into, side swipped, doored, not to mention screamed at and pushed for biking down the street. and my helmet has saved my head from injury in all these occasions.it is irresponsible and stupid not to wear a helmet, and certainly very unsexy.February 16th, 2008 at 8:12 am
Katharine said:
I also bike in my cute skirts, but I do wear a helmet. My father, who is a serious cyclist who bikes about 20k (each way) to work most days throughout the non-snow season, has lived through accidents TWICE mostly because of his helmet. (The second accident involved a neck brace and the replacement of two lost teeth — but no actual skull damage — almost certainly thanks to the helmet.) This ain’t Europe, and neither our streets nor our drivers are, in general, cyclist-friendly or even cyclist-aware, most days.February 16th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Gail said:
I’m a “biker” ; ride for pleasure and have commuted to work 10 miles each way for some time. I love the idea of dressing fashionably but my goodness “hating spandex and stupid booties” I’m sure all Americans don’t think they need to dress that way. Some find the spandex thing comfortable and their own “fashion statement”…cycling hotties are very cute but I agree, helmets are a safety must at any age.February 16th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Jessica said:
I am a cyclist too, but after killing two pairs of my most prized pairs of jeans and a pair of linen trousers with a lot of sentimental value in a week’s time through my thighs rubbing up against the seat (I didn’t even go that fast, only 10-16mph), I regrettably had to go and buy a pair of spandex shorts to do my bike commutes to work and school. I do still bike in the few skirts that won’t get stuck in my gears when it’s warm, but I’m afraid to bike in regular jeans or capris anymore after seeing so much of my wardrobe staples bite the dust.February 18th, 2008 at 1:42 pm

Where did the Summer Go?

I just peeked at the blog and see that I haven't posted since March!!! Rob and I have gone on several short rides over the summer but certainly not as many rides as in past summers. This last Sunday we left from my house and rode to Graton for lunch then because we haven't visited in ages we took the trail to Forestville so we could talk and not worry about traffic. We checked out the Face to Face garden in Forestville and see that they haven't harvested the huge goards yet. My last post was titled "Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous", well it was gorgeous yester day too; 80 "cool" degrees with the smell of autumn in the air....wonderful!

Gorgeous, Gorgeous, Gorgeous day!!!!

Rob and I had a wonderful ride today down Chalkhill Road. We met at Esposti Park in Windsor and headed out Chalkhill to highway 128 and didn't stop til we turned around!! This is a big deal for me. We've taken this ride several times before and always stop to rest and "regroup" after the hills. Today, over hill and dale we kept on keeping on!!!!

The ride was only 20 miles round trip and took us 2hours. .....a great ride with a few hills......good work out.

Next week Robin is riding with the Petaluma Wheelman cycling club from Petaluma to Pt Reyes where she'll spend the night at a bed and breakfast then ride back the nextg day.

Foggy morning Ride ....Sebastopol to Graton

On foggy mornings Rob and I try to start out on the Joe Rodata Trail. This morning we met at Analy High and rode west on the trail to Graton then too Green Valley Road to Thomas Road; a favorite loop. There are a couple gentle hills and very little traffic. Robin spotted a huge mushroom on the side of the road and we stopped to take some pictures.........one picture is sometimes not enough.........

huge mushroom!!!! Thomas Road, west of Graton 

up close 

........... 

.... 

as big as my helmet!!! 

Women's Cycling Clinic....Bici Sports, Petaluma.....Brenda Lyons

Rob and I participated in a cycling clinic sponsored by Bici Sports in Petaluma. Brenda Lyons a professional cyclists for Team Lipton lead the ride and workshop afterwards. We were a group of women with varied experience. This was the first ride over 10 miles for one young woman, another was celebrating her 54th birthday, a couple of the women have riden centuries and I believe one said she'd like to ride a two hundred mile ride....and then there was Robin and I. Of course I was riding my rattely, heavy Trek and Rob was riding her new skinny tired bike. I was a little concerned about keeping up with the group....actually I wasn't concerned about keeping up.........I know my was around the roads outside of Petaluma........I didn't want to hold anyone up and wasn't sure that the clinic was appropriate for my style of pleasure riding. None of this was an issue. Luckily for me I had Ashleigh to ride with.....this was her first "long" ride on her new bike so I actually was in a position to support her. Brenda was great; she had something to teach us all. Right off the bat she pointed out that I was holding my hands on the top of my handle bars and suggested that I put my thumbs down under as a safety measure in case of a crash or fast stop I could hold on and not go flying over my bike. She also commented on my cadence; too slow, using too much muscle. She later explained that if you use too much muscle you tire out on a long ride. Brenda also made suggestions to me and others with regard to our bike set up.....adjust seat, change handle bars etc. My worry about holding anyone up was unfounded. Once we got out of Petaluma the group naturally split into appropriate levels and Brenda sprinted back an forth between us couching each of us with information suited to our skill level. While I'm not anxious to ride in a pack I learned so much on the 26 mile ride and will jump to do it again. (this ride has me thinking that maybe, just maybe I might consider a skinny tired bike)

I thank Bici Sports for the clinic and great food at the end of the ride and I thank Brenda for all her patience and sharing her knowledge.

This is a follow-up email Brenda sent to the group...........thanks again Brenda, the email is a terrific reminder of all we learned.

First of all, I really enjoyed riding with all of you! Thanks for coming out for the clinic. It was truly my pleasure to share some of my knowledge and insight with you, and all of you absolutely amazed me with your will, determination, strength and ability on the bike!Here are some of the things we dicussed during our day.On the Bike: 1.) Handlebars and hand placement. Our "on the bike" positioning component of the clinic.--handlebars have three places for hand placement :Tops/Hoods/Drops --on the Tops, always hook your thumbs underneath the handlebar for safety. --the Tops are for seated riding only.--the Hoods are generally where you will have the hands for climbing both in and out of the saddle, as well as seated riding. --the Hoods are generally considered a good all-around place for the hands because you have great control and are usually able to reach the shifters and the breaks easily--the Drops are for in the saddle riding, and can offer you great control for descending and sprinting. --the Drops are rarely used when climbing.2.) Our "on the bike" riding concept for the clinic was to learn about Cadence and Understanding Pedal Stroke. --cadence is measured in RPMs (reps per minute)--a rep is a full revolution of the pedal stroke--there are three levels that I use for cadence --Low/Mid/High--Low cadence (60-80rpms) is generally for building leg strength. typically the heart rate stays low and the muscles do the load of the work.--Mid cadence (80-100rpms) is generally for building endurance. usually the aerobic system and the muscles work together more equally in this range.--High cadence (100-120+rpms) is generally used for building aerobic adaptation and leg speed. in this rpm range, the heart rate is the area that you will feel the most and the legs will only fatigue due to speed (or rate) at which you are pedaling, rather than because you are using alot of muscle--to calculate your rpms without a cyclometer -- count your rpms for ten seconds and times by six. this will give you your rpms for a minute. it is a good way to gauge for starters.--Training Note: it is important to remember that all styles of cadence have a purpose. So practice in all of those ranges will help you become a more well-rounded cyclist.3.) Our "on the bike" group riding technique for the clinic was to learn and practice a Rotating Paceline.--we learned a "rotating paceline" as our group riding technique for the clinic.--a rotating paceline contains two lines of riders side by side, continuously in motion. one line goes slightly faster than the other does. let's say you're the lead rider in the faster line. you should cross over to the slow line after passing the front wheel of the rider beside you (the front rider in the slower line). then you drift back with the others in the slow line. when the final position is reached (back of the line), slide onto the back wheel of the last rider in the fast line. (i found this description on-line and couldn`t have written it better myself!)--we also learned what it was like to ride "double file" (or two abreast) versus riding single file. we practiced the concept of merging into single file, from double and then back again. this is helpful and important to know how to do, so that when the conditions change, you have the know how and the skill to change with them (examples of changing conditions: cars coming / road narrowing)4.) Our "on the bike" skill lesson for the clinic was to learn a little more about Climbing: I didn`t get the opportunity to climb with everyone (since we were in different groups by then), but these are the things that were covered.--climbing in the saddle can keep the heart rate a little lower.--when climbing out of the saddle make sure that the hands are on the hoods. (best position for good control).--if a climb seems to hard, try tacking back and forth and climbing in a zigzag fashion. BE AWARE of your surroundings (cars and other riders)--it`s good to practice both in and out of saddle climbing to become more versatile as a rider.--when climbing becomes somewhat labored (ore when you are riding along on the flats and it starts to get harder), pay attention to your breathing and your body tension. take a moment to relax the shoulders and focus on exhaling. it`s a good techinique to aid in handling some of the tougher moments while cycling.--optimal cadence for climbing is "generally" between 60-75rpms (unless your Lance or some other superstar that like to climb at 90rpms!!)Off The Bike:While enjoying some tasty focaccia(!) after the ride, we discussed:1.) Riding to Improve: The point is to develop your endurance over time and to build gradually. Without having to do a specific "training program" I suggested that...--you "sprinkle" in some interval efforts during your regular rides. maybe choose to add in some high cadence and or low cadence specific time on the bike. or perhaps pick a five minute strethc to really give it a go and ride a little harder than you normally would. --also practice with your riding partner taking turns pulling for a period of time. make your pull an effort, then switch with your partner and take their wheel whiole they do an effort (start off with 2-3minutes and build from there) this exercise will build your strength on the bike, as well as your confidence to ride on another riders wheel!--always rest completely after your efforts--as for increasing your time on the bike --look at how many days you typically ride. if you ride three days a week --howabout adding a fourth day once every three weeks --or if you want to be able to ride for a longer period of time try riding an extra half an hour on your weekend ride every other week. --Training Note: Rest weeks are just as important as active weeks! ALWAYS listen to your body. If you have been working on increasing your endurance, usually once about every four weeks or so, you will start to feel the effects of your efforts and become fatigued. Take a break and ride 30-40% less than your usual plan for a week (measured in time or distance or number of days) and also, do not do any efforts that particular week. You will feel refreshed from the rest!--as for some other notes: I am (obviously) a big advocate for practicing yoga. --I would suggest that you add in an off the bike routine, incorporating a stretching component, as well as a strength building (or weight bearing) element to your weekly regimen. It doesn`t take much to improve and gain benefits. pick up a book. look a few things up on-line. there is plenty of information readily available and I firmly believe that you will be happy to have added a few new activities to your regular routine!Best wishes to you all. Please keep in touch. And hopefully we will meet again at another BiciSport event!

Brenda LyonsTeam Lipton Professional Women`s Cycling Teamwww.teamlipton.comBalanced Forces Yoga and Fitness Trainingemail:yoga_cycle@yahoo.commobile:707-322-0050

regrouping....... 

 

Brenda, a REAL pro and great teacher! 

heading back to Petaluma....somewhere past SpringHill 

yipeee!!!! Ashleigh's longest ride!!! 

hanging out after the ride 

our host at Bici Sports.......bike shop in Petaluma...Thanks!!! the clinic was great! 

Journal: 10/14/06 Roblar to Petaluma, out Cheleno Valley, up and over Spring Hill, Petaluma to Roblar...48miles

Great day! Rode into Petaluma for a woman's riding clinic. Learned a LOT!! Made it over Spring Hill without a stop thanks to my riding partner Ashley(?) and Brenda (the "teacher"). Rob and I agreed at the end of the day that the 48miles felt more like 60+ with the head winds all the way back to her house from Petaluma. We've been wanting to take a longer ride and this was a good one. I love Cheleno Valley and of course Spring Hill is always a nice challenge and surprise....it seems no matter how many time I ride it I forget how many climbs there are....good stuff ...I feel strong!

Finally an update!!!!

It's been a busy summer and I don't mean riding. My daughter Paige got married this summer and I haven't been on my bike as much as I would have liked. I noticed that the last post on this blog was in February 2006!!!!! Rob and I got some good rides in. We volunteered again as course "marshalls"(?) for the Wine Country Classic........that was fun. We took shorter rides from our homes and out. We volunteered for the Amalgen (?) tour of California when it came through Santa Rosa in February.....that was exciting. We rode in the Lung Association's Breathe Easy Ride in memory of our moms. We made our way up and over Graton Road to Occidental a couple times. Robin bought a "new" road bike (skinny tires) and has joined the Petaluma Wheelmen........great group of riders. I rode to work several times over the summer while Evan and I were sharing my car. I rode to work then into town to pick up my car from Evan at his work....it worked out just fine. I changed two flat tires this summer........too many for the few miles I rode!! Rob is now retired and riding more. The wedding is over (it was wonderful) and Rob and I are trying to get more riding in together. Rob and Barry are in the middle (nearing the end) of a big home improvement project so our rides are still short (less than 40 miles usually 20 or so). This recap of the summer is good, I'm ready for a longer ride and Rob and I agreed that we will do that as soon as their project is complete!!

Somewhere near Two Rock on the Breathe Easy Ride...cute couple 

Breathe Easy Ride 2006........Team Toby & LaVerne! 

John & Hahnah 

Wine Country Classic May 2006