A neophyte's guide to March Madness

Jan Bridge offers suggestions for those new to cycling and to March Madness. It's not just for the century-a-day set!

Any one can ride March Madness - There are some who think March Madness is only for the 'serious riders' - the ones who churn out 100 mile days, day after day; who always wear lycra, always pedal unbelievable cadences, always lead the pack - but this is not the case.  As a medicare-eligible woman who only returned to riding three years ago - let me tell you that anyone can ride March Madness.  It is good for you, good for the club, and definitely good for the students who will receive the new helmets.  So, if you haven't signed up, go out and do so today.  

Protect yourself - you need a helmet, sun screen, gloves, water bottles, a good saddle, and a healthy bike.  A bike mounted odometer helps, but if you lack one, and don't want to invest, plan to map and measure your rides for no cost on http//www.gmap-pedometer.com

 Make it easy to get ready to ride - the abstract busyness of getting everything ready for your ride can take time away from your riding investment.  So, make a place where you keep it all together.  Put everything there now, use it for your ride, return it to that spot when you come home.  

Know your own warm up/cool down loop - Have a simple ride, perhaps all right turns, that takes you out of your driveway, and around several blocks, and back to the driveway.  It is nice if it measures a half mile or a mile.  Use this loop as your warm up - to check out how your bike is riding for the day, to make sure you have remembered your water bottles, helmet, gloves, etc.  Then head out for your ride knowing that your systems are 'go'.  You can readily use the same loop as a cool down when you return from the ride.  

Be aware of incremental changes - If you are an occasional rider, or perhaps are riding a couple of miles three or four times a week, then jumping in to 20 mile rides several days in a row is not the best idea.  Take your time, start with a few 5 to 8 mile rides, and then move up to more.  Your hands, knees, shoulders, and bottom will sincerely thank you for the consideration.  

Every mile counts - It is great to be able to do 20 miles every day.  But most of us don't have that much time to invest in March Madness.  Plan now to do as many errands as you can using your bike.  Most of us live within 3 miles of 90% of the errands that we have to do.  So, get a bike basket, panniers, or a back pack and plan that trips to the drug store, bank, lunch, or post office will be done by bike.  You will quickly learn that in Davis, the time spent on the bike can be subtracted from the time you would have spent trying to find a parking spot near your destination . . .And you get to log in another 5 miles or more.  

Be aware of the road surfaces - Not all surfaces are created equally.  Some of the bike lanes in Davis are excellent - some a grooved chip seal that can be down right treacherous.  Bike Lanes on regular streets are usually in much better condition than the bike paths which run through parks and along side of the streets.  The better the surface the easier the ride.  Choose accordingly.  

Know your directions - March is notoriously windy  . .  .as in gale force winds!  Most often the heaviest winds are from the north.  On the windiest of days, you could talk a friend into driving you and your bike to Knight's Landing and then you could simply sail home with the wind at your back.  But if that doesn't work, then chose the east west routes for the day or you will be VERY tired and VERY disappointed when you get back home.  

Reward yourself with a ride - for those of us who began riding as 'exercise' sometimes it is important to remind ourselves just how enjoyable it is to get out on the bike and ride.  So if the day has been stressful, instead of taking that nap or eating that snack, get on your bike and ride!  You will feel better for it, and you will have added miles toward your goal.  

Plan to Attend the March Madness Banquet - it really is a great time, and it feels really good to meet all of the other riders and to know that your efforts have joined with theirs for a really good cause.   

Document Actions
Personal tools