Articles from the Feb 2007 issue of Pedal Patter
by Catherine Kitchell
To meet Pedal Patter deadlines I am writing this column two weeks before the PPTC Annual Meeting at the beginning of January but you'll get your issue after the meeting. So I can't really report that the meeting went completely smoothly but I'm sure it will -and presumably I actually was installed as your Chair! If you didn't come to it you should have because I'm sure the food was great and everyone had a wonderful time! This issue of PP is also remarkably small - nothing is apparently happening in mid-winter in the local biking scene though we've had remarkably good weather except for Dan Lehman's New Year's Day ride.
The Executive Committee voted in the December meeting to award Brin Luther the Good Shepherd Award for 2006. Brin epitomizes good ride leader shepherding. She leads lots and lots of rides, she always looks out for new members and makes sure everyone has a good time and that everyone gets back. She often plans social events afterwards at her house. Plus she's just a hard-working cyclist with a big heart. Bad weather, too many hills, too many miles, lack of companions, nothing really stops her. I've ridden in the back with her many times and she's just one tenacious rider. She is also tenacious in her advocacy work for the W & OD trail - don't get her started unless you want to hear the whole story! Members who have not been on a ride with her should go on them and everyone should congratulate her on her dedication.
The Ex Com also voted to recognize Marc Currie and Steve Wartik on their work on the new PPTC website. It's been a long time coming but hopefully it was actually revealed at the Annual Meeting and will soon be completely rolled out. It's all about the details and Marc and Steve have been remarkably patient at hammering them out. The content management system is running well, the cue sheet and ride start locations are online and the membership directory is in place. The whole project has been the bane of the existence of many an Ex Com and they both deserve a huge round of applause for, well, shepherding it through to completion!
Linda Tischer and Mike Heib received life-time memberships to PPTC for their work on three PPTC centuries. They are a phenomenal team and the Century really is a landmark event for the club - it's a great and beautiful ride and has provided an opportunity for many members of the club to come together as a team. If you really want to meet new people in the club mark your calendars for September 16th next year and resolve to volunteer more! As a matter of fact, the club is still looking for a Chair for the 2007 Century - the framework of the ride is in place and Linda and Mike have done such a great job that it should make next year's ride much easier. To volunteer, please contact me at ckitchell@earthlink.net.
PPTC is a charity and the Ex Com, along with the Community Services Committee, this year decided to grant $2200 to Trips for Kids and $1500 to Bikes for the World. Many thanks to John Ordway and Pat Childers for soliciting bids and evaluating them. Both of these programs promote biking in the area especially to under-served youths and are well worth us supporting. The committee needs new members so if you are interested in volunteering please let someone on the Ex Com know.
I would like to thank all the out-going members of the 2006 Ex Com. Butch Counts, Clara Martinez and Emil Regelman have all contributed much more to the club than a few hours the third Tuesday of every month. Please express your appreciation to all of them. (Especially thank Emil for ordering up those new PPTC caps that were delivered at the Annual meeting that hopefully took place!) I'm sure once the weather gets better all will be leading more rides with their new found extra time!
Lastly, if you haven't met Sigrid Haines, the outgoing Chair of PPTC, well you've missed a great person. We've worked well as an Ex Com this year and she and I have worked personally well. I will miss her a great deal at the meetings but with any luck I hope to, uh, shepherd her into other roles in the club!
Also, let's congratulate the new Ex Com members for 2007 - Marc Currie hopefully knows what he's agreed to by being the new Chair-Elect. Gary Timmons has some idea what to expect as the new Recording Secretary since he has attended meetings for a year already. And please be kind to Steve Jones, Steve Wartik and Deb Reynolds. All of them are enthusiastic so please let them know your ideas for making the club better. But don't forget to praise them for the jobs they are already doing well!
Happy Cycling to everyone in the New Year!
Pedal Safely Vol 1 Issue 6
by The Black Tie Bicyclist Copyright 2006
A good way to start off the New Year is with a new helmet.
Of course you should always cycle with a helmet. Helmets, like seat belts, need to be replaced if they've been involved in a crash. Also, though, did you know that helmets that have never been crashed should be replaced every 2~ 4 years depending upon use and other factors? A helmet is nothing more than a Styrofoam cup for your head. It has a pretty and smooth outside cover to protect the Styrofoam, to let the helmet slide should you fall, and not snag maybe causing your neck to break. Take your Styrofoam coffee cup and put it inside the microwave for 6 minutes. It does melt. Every day and every season the Styrofoam in your helmet does the same expand and contract like that coffee cup and after a few seasons it's not as strong as a new one. This is damage that can't be seen by the naked eye. The more you wear it, the more sunlight, heat, and cold it's exposed all shorten the helmet's lifespan. If you can see cracks, dents or damage you need to throw it away. If your budget allows, you should have a couple of helmets just in case you notice damage to one you have a back up and won't miss a ride.
A helmet for normal errand rides around town and maybe one with a lot more vents for those fast club rides is a good combination to have on hand.
According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute more than 10 % of bicyclist's emergency room visits involved head injuries. Two-thirds of cyclist's deaths are from traumatic brain injury. Estimates of cyclists brain injuries that could have been prevented by a helmet range from 45 to 88 percent! The greatest number of cycling deaths occurred in the 35-44, 45-54, and 55-64 age groups, increasing as much as 21% from 2004 to 2005. These 3 age brackets account for nearly 50% of all fatalities. Helmets are not just for kids!
Remember like seat belts, the helmet is your last safety item. Defensive pedaling, sound equipment, bright lights and clothing are all used for your safety. If one or more of them fail then the helmet is the last thing to protect you.
The technology that makes helmets safe isn't expensive. In most cases it doesn't matter if you paid $20 or $200+ for your helmet, your head will be equally safe. Just make sure it has a sticker stating that it meets the standards of the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) or ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). Higher priced helmets may weigh less and have more air vents but they won't save your head any better.
So the price you pay is for fashion or high tech doesn't matter when compared to the price you pay if you are in an accident and don't wear a helmet.
Helmets to work properly must fit properly: Snug Level Secure are the key words. It may take 10-15 minutes to make sure the helmet you choose fits you properly.
Place a helmet on your head without clipping the straps. It should fit like your baseball cap, not flop around but if you hit the front of it upward it will roll up and back over your head without falling off. That's the size you need. Snug enough to stay on and centered if you turn your head left or right. Not so tight that it will give you a headache when you wear it for hours in the heat. Use the pads that come with your new helmet to obtain that correct fit. Most come with thin, medium, and thick extra pads. Depending upon the manufacturer this could change a medium helmet from medium to medium/small or medium/large.
Make sure that your helmet is always level. You should be able to have only one or two finger widths of forehead between your eyebrows and the bottom of your helmet. Too many people lift the helmet up exposing the forehead to potential harm in a forward crash. Usually it's a good test to have the helmet on and walk into a wall (slowly!) the front of the helmet should touch the wall before your nose does (depending upon the size of the nose).
Secure the straps. Use the straps and pads to get a secure fit. When they are secure you should be able to only get one finger in between your strap and your neck when your mouth is closed. It should be secure enough that if you open your mouth all the way you can't get a finger in there. With your mouth open wide you should feel the helmet pulling down on top of your head. The straps should form a Y around your ear. The front and rear straps should be evenly balanced and secured with the ear the center point. There should be no play left to right, up and down when you shake your head. If you can tap your helmet up more than an inch in the front, leaving your forehead not completely protected, you need to tighten the front straps, if you tap it in the rear and it rises back there more than an inch you need to tighten the rear straps. Raise the helmet in the front - it should cause the skin above your eyebrows to tighten/stretch with the movement (remember not more than an inch) if it doesn't, put in thicker pads or choose a different helmet.
Just like a car's seat belts won't work if you don't click them on, it doesn't matter if you have the most expensive helmet, fits right, is on level and you look good in it, if you don't fasten it on it won't save your life.
Always always always fasten your straps.
The helmet you wear should be specifically designed for cycling. A skateboard helmet might work great if you are only going the speed of a skateboarder but most cyclists easily go much faster. A helmet designed to withstand an 8 MPH crash won't you do much good in a 15-to-45 mph crash.
Remember it's sometimes called a Brain Bucket for a good reason. It's carrying the most important part of your body. They can install a prosetic arm or leg, transplant and eye or heart, they can even now give you a new face, but they can't do much for you if you shake, dent, or damage your brain.
Wear it around the store while you do the rest of your shopping. It should be so comfortable you forget you are wearing it. You don't notice you are wearing a seat belt when you are in a car, or even remember that you are wearing shoes when they fit right, the same thing applies with helmets. If you don't remember you have it on you have a good one on.
For more information and links to helmet videos visit the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute website.
Pedal Safely!
Is 2007 the PPTC "Year of the Family"?
by Kevin Brugman
I was struck by how many of the articles dealt with children and bicycling in the January issue of Pedal Patter. Besides this monthly column, Pat Childers wrote about his experiences with Bike Rodeos over the past 15 years and leading rides specifically for children. There was also a job vacancy for a Youth Bike Program Director for Bikes for the World. Finally there was an article by Craig Degenhardt that should be mandatory reading for every parent buying a bike for their children.
As I look over the riders at many of the rides or at the annual meetings, I imagine that many of us are at an age when we learned to ride as children to play with our friends. We used our bikes as transportation to our friend's house, to the baseball/football/playground area. Sometimes we just got on our bikes to ride somewhere to get away from Dad, Mom, sisters, brothers or life in general. Bicycles were our tickets to freedom. I still see kids wanting to ride to get away from it or to it. They will ride to the playground down the street or around the block to get away from family life. But the days of heading out for a day of riding without supervision may be gone forever in the Washington DC area. So how do we encourage the next generation of cyclists?
Pat has taken the step of introducing children to biking through the Bike Rodeos. There are a lot of kids that come to the rodeos as a day of escapism. Safe riding, seeing the police as friends not someone to avoid, exercise are all things kids crave. Not just want, but CRAVE! If you are involved with or hosting a Bike Rodeo this year, please let me know at least 6 weeks in advance and I will try to reference it in this column.
Pat and Julie took it a step further and took children out for rides. Even these children know the difference between being out riding a bike and going for a bike ride. For many of these children, this is an adventure escape from everything.
Bikes for the World is an outstanding organization that arranges for unused bikes in the US to be gathered up and sent to third world countries. I read once that there are more bikes sold per year in the U.S. than automobiles. If this is true, then there are a lot of unused bikes in garages and back yards. This program provides cheap, efficient transportation to hundreds around the world and generates local enterprise. Now they are expanding to youth programs. No longer will bikes be something just for adults, they will be available to children for fun, for getting out of the neighborhood, to meet more friends and find out that the kids down the road are just as fun as the kids next door.
Finally, Craig's article on bike helmets was right on. As much as I want the local bike stores to get as much support as possible, I recognize that many bikes and helmets are bought at large discount stores. Unfortunately, these shops do not have the staff, time, or expertise to properly fit helmets to children or adults. Even for those who do buy a children's helmet at a bike store and get the staff to properly fit the helmet, children grow fast and what fit six months ago, now needs to be readjusted. I frequently see bike stores offer free bike adjustments when you buy their bikes, I would bet that many would be willing to help with helmet adjustments as well. Just do not go in at the busiest time and insist on an immediate refitting. After all they want return customers as well.
So what else can we do as PPTCers to make 2007 the year of the family? First, if you have children, go out for bike rides with them; offer to take a neighbor's child out with you for a ride. Do local rides around the neighborhood. A half mile may be all some of the smaller ones can do to start with, let the rides expand as experience grows. Second, arrange to ride with other families; there are a few PPTC specific family rides held every year, plus there are some D-rides that are short enough or slow enough to encourage multiple families with children. Third, lead a ride yourselves; get the children involved with organizing the ride. I am getting my own two boys into organizing some family rides this summer and figuring out how to make them more fun. Their number one suggestion: Bring their friends along! Be the Johnny Appleseed of biking. Fourth, get involved in community events helping children ride. Assist or lead a Bike Rodeo, get involved with one of the groups leading youth rides, or find some other way to preach the gospel of bike riding.
Let's make 2007 a year of growth for family biking.
(Editor's note: the Ride Leader Guidelines are available in the PPTC reference manual. They are being reprinted here to remind new and experienced ride leaders of the best practices for all rides. The riding season will start up again in earnest in March - resolve to spend February preparing for it! - CAK)
Ride leading is exciting, rewarding and available to members only. It is the heart and soul of our Rides Program. Ride leaders should be especially welcoming and attentive to those who are new to our rides, members or not, as first impressions are important and lasting. The ride leader is the face of the club for all new and prospective members. Advance planning, up to seven weeks, is necessary in order to meet Pedal Patter deadlines. The specific dates for each issue are available on the web site under Ride Schedules/Ride Coordinators heading, or from ride coordinators.
Date/Route
Decide your ride classification and contact the appropriate coordinator with a date and route. If you don't have a favorite ride in mind, and would like suggestions for one, the coordinator and/or the cue sheet librarian will be happy to provide you with a route from a particular start location and specific length. Ample lead time allows for better planning. Sometimes there are conflicts with rides, start locations or local events, and there needs to be enough time to make changes.
An important purpose of the classification is to allow riders to re-group at rest stops so that new or prospective members do not end up riding alone (except by choice.) Not being alone mitigates other safety issues: getting assistance for repairs or a medical emergency; not getting lost, not running out of food or water. In the past, rides have been listed with multiple classifications, but there must be a separate leader for each class "B" and lower on a multi-class ride, so a co-leader should be found. If you cannot do this yourself, contact the coordinator of the other classification and they will try to find a co-leader for you. This should be easy since you are doing all the pre-ride work and your co-leader just needs to take responsibility on the day of the ride.
Ride Description
Once the date and route are decided on, then you need to submit a ride description to the coordinator. There is a standardized format to follow for the first line that lists the class, distance, locality, start time, location and weather notes. Example: B * 45 * MD * 10AM * Poolesville HS (POO) * 50/35%. Terrain indicators, eg. (F) Flat, (MF) Mostly Flat (MH) or (H) (Mod Hilly, Hilly) may also be used following the ride classification.
Next is the title and body. These can be time tested ones, or you can exercise your writing talents, or a combination. A title is required. Then the basics are noting scenery & landmarks, rest stop(s), if there are bathrooms or not, other facilities, terrain, special occasions, etc. Specify where your pace will fall within the published range. You can invite other ride levels in the body of the text, as long as readers will understand how they will conform to the expectations of that classification (if you will lead from the front or sweep from the back). Include any other info, weather restrictions like wet roads, if you are planning a lunch or other gathering after the ride, helmets required, etc. Finally, include contact information - name, [email] phone xxx/xxx-xxxx (follow this format) so that riders may reach you if they have any questions.
Pre-Ride
Because conditions change, it is best to preview (via bike or car) your ride prior to leading it, so you can make last minute changes to the cue sheet, or be able to alert riders the day of to detours, road work etc.
Prepare sufficient copies of your cue sheet, generally 30 will be fine, more depending on weather conditions and what other rides are offered on the same day. Your sign up sheet will be automatically mailed to you. If it does not arrive from PPTC in time, make a copy from the reference manual or web site, and write in the date, ride name and leader at the top.
The Day of the Ride
Although helmets are not officially required by the club, you can set your own policy for your own rides and deal with any rider without a helmet as you see fit. Set a good example ALWAYS wear a helmet.
You can never be sure who will come on any ride. Every ride draws some riders who are faster than the advertised class because they like the location and/or distance. Tell them lead off and otherwise do not worry about them. You are not responsible for keeping close tabs on everyone; but you should have some sense of how people are doing. This is usually done by natural regrouping at rest stops. If you are going to the front, you may ask someone to sweep. Some leaders circle back and forth, but it is not expected. If there is someone seriously lagging and alone, some guidance may be needed.
Encourage others to lead rides, or join the club. Give names of those who you feel might be interested to the ride coordinator so they may be contacted.
Virginia Publishes Official Bicycling Map
By Jeff Day
Cyclists looking for ride possibilities in Virginia have a new resource – the commonwealth's first official bicycling map.
Developed by the Virginia Department of Transportation and Virginia Tourism Corp., the statewide Bicycling in Virginia map shows major on- and off-road bicycle routes and includes elevation charts for featured routes. Major mountain biking locations are also noted.
The front side of the large format map – 45 inches by 19 inches – shows the entire state and offers thumbnail descriptions of surface types of major bike routes, as well as the location of adjacent parking areas, public restrooms, and drinking water access. It shows Virginia's 838 miles of United States Bicycle Routes 1 and 76, among other roads and trails designated for bicycle use.
Also featured on the statewide map are names and general locations of national, state, and major local parks near bike routes, as well as the general locations and names of bicycling clubs that can provide advice on local rides and surface conditions
The reverse side includes a map of Northern Virginia bike routes, advice for bicycling safely and legally in the state, short descriptions of selected Virginia bike routes, and recommendations for obtaining more detailed information about biking in the Old Dominion.
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine announced the map's release Nov. 21 in conjunction with the opening of the first phase of the planned Virginia Capital Trail.
That pedestrian/bike facility will connect the Canal Walk in downtown Richmond with Jamestown and Williamsburg, by way of the James River/Route 5 corridor and the Colonial Parkway
The trail will link Virginia's current capital with its colonial capital and the site of the nation's first English settlement. The 400th anniversary of Jamestown's founding will be celebrated in 2007.
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The map is available free of charge by mail or in PDF format by visiting VDOT.