great ride on SRT yesterday and safety update

WE had 4 folks on the trail yesterday and ended up doing 45 miles. Beautiful weather and not many folks on the trail. We saw no hoolligans on the trail and felt safe.

I am not able to do any more rides this week. Taking my bike to my wheel guy for truing on Thursday and his shop is in Phila.

I think if you ride early in the day, you are safe on the trail. I know there has been publicity about kids attacking riders.

But if these kids are like most kids, they are NOT up early and not near the trail early. SO to avoid problems, head out early to the SRT. I did not see any police or security folks yesterday and had seen them previously.

the need for food and hydration

From time to time I bike with ladies who have not eaten breakfast prior to a bike ride and do not have enough high calorie food with them for the ride at hand. I have no idea how you can get on a bike in the morning without having eaten breakfast. Make time for it, get up a half hour earlier so you can eat a big bowl of cereal with bananas and orange juice too or eat a nice stack of pancakes.

In the summer on your ride, I recommend TWO large bottles with something other than water, try diluted Gatorade if you hate the taste or some such beverage. YOU NEED calories to ride.

Snacks should be high sugar food, nuts or high protein bars are not necessary either. Just good oldfashioned sugar, candy bars, twizzlers, bananas or any kind of protein bars on the market providing they have a good sugar content as well. Some ladies carry just regular candy bars.

On a ride you need food that will make it to your system fast, protein will not, so eating nuts on a ride will not give you the quick sugar blast that your body needs.

Most of us can bike 20-25 miles without food but with a good drink. But once we start doing 40-50 miles, you need FOOD.

Feel free to add a comment here of what you have found works for you on a ride.

West Chester Shines this weekend

High Street in West Chester, PA

Hey Portland, Oregon, maybe just maybe, your town is getting some competition as far as biking goes. All I read about is Portland and its fabo biking, well, game on!

OK folks, West Chester is slowly becoming the place to be and the place to be seen. We can thank Bam of the movie "Jackass" for bringing West Chester to the young folks and making it a place where kids hoped to see Bam on the streets.

But this weekend, West Chester is gonna be BIKING KING. At Hot Foot Saturday morning, 70-80 riders will take off for rides with the West Chester Cycling Club.

The Iron Hill Criterium will take place from 3 pm to 11 pm with activities for all ages and a first class Crit. See some exciting bike racing up close and personal.

Sunday provides Community rides starting from Hoopes Park at 11 am. Picnic to follow and available for all.

It just does not get any better for a town in regards to biking. And it is right here in our backyard.

changed cue for saturday

cue #165, less miles, got a lot of standing to do at the Crit and then I have a ride on Sunday and I do not want to collapse!!!

Free Emergency Medical ID Wallet Card ( ICE ) in case of emergency

http://www.medids.com/free-id.php

Please take the time and create a free medical alert ID card, print it and put it into your bike bag. Take a few minutes to make one, it could be invaluable if you are in an accident.

emailed the site, privacy policies are clearly stated on the webpage if concerned

what to bring for a bike ride

Biker Chicks ride leader, Libby, would like to remind riders in her group, please come with the following:

1. ID bracelet or something similar, drivers license or insurance card

2. cell phone with contact name ICE (in case of emergency)

3. any special medical information that the ride leader would need if you were to be in an accident, have this information on a card in your bike bag

4. ICE contact being someone who will answer the phone and be able to come get you, that means that they need a map or such if they are unfamiliar with the roads in chester county, i dont want have to give directions to person on phone other than the location of where we are or take the time to teach contact how to use google maps

5. BRING CUE and make sure you know where we are going and let your contact know where you are going as well

i do all of the above for every ride i go on, most do not, but if riding with me, make an effort to do the above, thanks and appreciation is given beforehand

Rides for week of July 5 BIG BIG weekend (July 11,12) for Chicks

I am not offering any evening rides this week. Instead I am riding the Schuylkill River Trail.

Looking for newbies to ride with or oldies. EMAIL me if coming, libby.maxim@gmail.com

Tuesday morning 10 am Betzwood Bridge NEWBIE ride. SLOW and EASY and will combine this ride with a faster pace afterwards and continue on the trail for a total of 30 or so miles.

Wed, Thurs, depending on weather, SRT again, fast paced ride 30 or so miles.

Saturday July 11 730 AM cue#165 NOTE the early start time, got the Iron Hill Crit in the afternoon

bring cue

July 11 5 pm

Sunday Iron Hill Community Rides 11 am - HOOPES PARK in WC boro, W Ashbridge St

1. Tour of the Alleys and Gardens of West Chester
Cue Sht 64-10 miles

2. Tour of the Parks of West Chester
Cue Sht 63-7.5 miles

3. Hill Hell Tour
Cue Sht 59-30 miles

4. Stargazer Winery Tour-Randy Roday
Cue Sht 62-28 miles

5. Quaker Tour-Libby Maxim
Cue Sht 61-23 miles

6. Two Towns Tour-
Bob Lamb
Cue Sht 60-32 miles




JULY 12 Twitter Party and Bike Clinic 4 pm

email Connie Snyder for directions and details

ccsnyder123@verizon.net

chester county at its finest

Chicks rode 42 miles today through countryside so pretty, it should be illegal. Just one horse farm after the next, went through a covered bridge and biked along the Brandywine River.

The weather today was unbelievable, it is as if someone hijacked West Chester and moved it to the central coast of California.

Cool, bright blue and dry. You could not order a more perfect day.

Biking in Chester County is one of the activities that should be promoted more by the tourist bureau, cuz until you have biked on the back roads, you have no idea what you are missing.

A real gem!

o say can you see

-Francis Scott Key, 1814

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever when free-men shall stand
Between their lov'd home and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

today's version

Oh, say, can you see by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,

O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

fabo ride tonight

We had one fine ride tonight, weather was perfect, cool and dry, and then I get home and sit down in front of the TV and BOOM, skies open up and it starts pouring rain.

We were lucky to have such a picture perfect ride. But when I got home, I ran a battery check on my bike lights and put fresh batteries in my lights.

Even if lights are still working, they get dim over time unless you keep fresh batteries in them. So go out into the garage and change the batteries in your bike lights.

how to be safe on the road

Someone emailed me about what to do when an angry motorist harasses you on the road?

I am not sure there is much we can do about jerks on the road but there are some things you can do as a cyclist.

1. You must be constantly aware of where you are on the road, you MUST use a rear view mirror so you can monitor what is coming up behind you. Don't talk so much with friends that you forgot that you are just like a motorist on the road and need to BE alert.

2. Never stop in the middle of an intersection, stay to the right and if turning left, carefully take the lane when no cars are coming.

3. Bike straight, bike predictably on the road, use hand signals ALL the time when turning.

4. If biking with friends, YOU must ride single file when cars are coming.

5. Be aware if you are riding on a curvy road and you have a long line of cars behind you, consider pulling off and letting them pass, BE COURTEOUS and someone might be courteous back to you.

6. OBEY all traffic signs, signals and I mean, STOP at lights and wait for green. Don't talk on the cell phone or make sudden stops.

7. If you are still harassed by a motorist, IGNORE them if possible. If they are abusive, and you can think fast enough to get your cell phone out and snap a pic of their car and license, you can make a police report.

8. My strongest advice to all female riders is to ride in pairs and to never interact with a motorist. If riding alone, stick to well traveled roads. Lots of cars are actually sometimes safer than no cars.

calling all chicks

Fourth of July Weekend, what is your excuse for not riding on Saturday? you have an extra day to do chores and whatnot, and forecast for Saturday is supposed to be SPECTACULAR.

Ride starts at 7:50 am, that means we leave at 7:50, if you get to the lot at 7:52, we will be gone.

WCCC is trying to space the ride departures, so we have to take off on time. Cue is #161,39 miles and we get to go through a covered bridge. Great , great ride.