Rockwell Relay Rehearsal

The famous camera on car picture.

Today 3 of the 4 members of the Rockwell Relay Pamperfest team "Kickin' Asphalt" got together for a bike ride. We rode part of one of the legs that I will be doing Saturday, from Wanship to Echo Reservoir. It was a warm afternoon, but the sun was covered by clouds most of the time which was very nice. We had a headwind on part of the way out, so a bit of a tail wind on the way back.

Cyndie

Cyndie and I met at my house and put a seat back in the van and the bike rack on the back. She is always great to help like that. Then we loaded the bikes and headed for Paula's house. We'd never met Paula before, and when an original member of our team dropped out, Cyndie found us another rider, Liz, from among the ladies from the Canyon Bicycle group. When Liz dropped out, lol, she found her own replacement, Paula Jacobs.

Paula has been biking over two years and loves riding. She rides with her husband, girlfriends, and her 72 year old dad. Don't we all hope to stay in shape and ride bikes at that age. Going with Paula today was awesome. She taught Cyndie and I so much about many of the mechanics of biking in such a short time. I tried to be a sponge. I have so much to learn, what I absorbed today is really going to help me Saturday and beyond.

Paula

Where to start with the suggestions and things she taught us. Since there was some distance between Cyndie and I, I don't know exactly what she shared with Cyndie, but I am assuming some of the same things. She alternated riding by us both. One of the things Paula helped me with is better shifting timing while climbing and descending hills - which is all we did on this ride. She stressed the shift before you need to so that I would be ready. Timing of shifting is important, but she also helped me understand I am striving to keep my cadence more even the whole time I am riding.

Another thing I started practicing, and this will take me time to learn, is how to stand up while riding the bike. I was good at this at spin class on a stationary bike, lol, but on the road, on a bike that is actually moving it's a whole new ball game. One of the key points is how you take a solid grip on the handlebars to be able to stand. I was pretty wobbly because of tired legs and inexperience, but I did get up a few times and I will be practicing this. Then you ride kinda like you are running.

On the downhill I learned to use my gears more efficiently, use the downhill to rest and also to prepare for the next uphill. One of the key things Paula taught me for the downhill is body position. This will help with my "speed" phobia. Now wait, how can I write this in a positive way so my mind forgets that piece of information. I am going to be improving my downhill speed by positioning my body back further on my seat. How was that Paula?

Paula also showed us how to stretch our calves while riding, a way to improve the circulation in our legs. How to pedal different ways to use different muscles. This is something Cyndie also showed me when I first started riding. I know I will need some review on this, my sponge got quite full in the hour and a half we were out riding.

Lowering Cyndie's bike seat.

One of the great things about riding with her today was she really watched the mechanics of how we were riding and offered suggestions. With Cyndie she noticed that her bike seat was too high. That is a huge deal. The mechanics of a bike fit are so important. It will make all the difference for Cyndie.

Paula had planned to ride 35 miles with us, but we were pretty tired and slow so she was a great sport about only doing 20 miles. Cyndie and I were getting rubber legs. Cyndie was riding 15 miles that morning while I was planning the afternoon ride with Paula, so this was her second ride for the day.

Our three bikes on the back of the van.

I had a great time riding today. And I almost forgot, Paula also talked about riding nutrition. 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein to keep the blood sugar and energy stable while riding. She gave us lots of suggestions of prepared bars and drinks, and also some actual food combinations too. We talked about recovery drinks and how they work. I have been doing a lot of this already, but I did not know about the 4:1 ratio and how important it is.

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Speed
Summary	01:52:41	19.69	10.5
1	00:05:06	1.00	11.7
2	00:04:47	1.00	12.5
3	00:04:19	1.00	13.9
4	00:06:12	1.00	9.7
5	00:06:44	1.00	8.9
6	00:03:20	1.00	17.9
7	00:04:18	1.00	13.9
8	00:09:22	1.00	6.4
9	00:05:49	1.00	10.3
10	00:15:24	1.00	3.9
11	00:03:20	1.00	18.0
12	00:03:30	1.00	17.1
13	00:05:52	1.00	10.2
14	00:04:20	1.00	13.8
15	00:05:22	1.00	11.2
16	00:03:07	1.00	19.2
17	00:05:00	1.00	12.0
18	00:07:42	1.00	7.8
19	00:03:55	1.00	15.3
20	00:05:03	0.69	8.2