What to Pack

You've raised your $1,800 minimum for our great beneficiaries, you've trained and finetuned your bike for your triple century. Now it's time to pack the gear, clothing and accessories to guarantee a comfortable ride in all kinds of weather.

We can't control the weather, but you can pack a range of fall clothing that will give you the flexibility to adapt to even severe changes in the weather.

You can ride in a 55-degree drizzle quite comfortably, but not if you forget raingear, and you can even survive a hot Indian summer sun if you wear fabrics that dry quickly and let your skin breathe.

Our favorite tip: Pack each day's change of clothing in a 2-gallon zip-loc plastic bag and throw a few spare bags into your duffel bag. They'll cost a few bucks, but keep your clean clothes dry (essential if it rains!) and provide great storage for your sweaty duds.

You may carry one bag weighing a maximum of 70 pounds. Securely attach your sleeping bag and ground pad to your bag. Soft-sided duffel bags work best!

Each bag should contain: socks, shorts, undergarments and jersey. In a separate bag pack shorts, sweatpants, Ts and other tops to change into after a long day in the saddle.

Remember, we don't have access to washers and dryers on our route and we can't guarantee perfect overnight weather to adequately air dry the clothes you handwash. (Do you really want to put on those grubby bike shorts that clung to you over 100 miles of road the day before?)

Essentials

• 3 pairs bike shorts
• 3 ride jerseys (tip: NEVER wear cotton.)
• 3 pairs socks (see above! Buy socks that wick the moisture from your feet)
• bike gloves. They should fit snugly.
• a rain jacket and pants. They can range from $10 disposable rain gear to breathable Gore-tex. (Tip: don't wait to try out your gear on the ride. Especially with inexpensive rainwear, ride in it on a rainy, chilly day to test for leaks, and see how it holds up to wind and wear.)
• disposable latex or plastic gloves, the kind you find in doctor's offices and hospitals (Ask your doc if she can spare a pair or two! Pack a few pairs in your bag in case of a cold rain. If you're not packing waterproof gloves, these are great worn under your bike gloves to insulate your hands from the cold.)
• sneakers for camp
• Comfortable clothes for camp, including jeans and sweatpants.
• optional: Camelback or other lightweight backpack for carrying extra gear and water.

If you choose to camp

We will provide an 8- by 8-foot three season tent with a full rain fly if you choose the camping option. In the event of severe weather we will provide indoor accomodations for our campers. In either event, you will need to supply:

• Sleeping Bag rated for 30 degrees
• Thermal Ground Pad
• Flashlight
• Optional: an 8 x 8 ground tarp to line the inside of your tent or a 10 x 10 ground tarp to place between your tent and the ground.
• Optional: a banner, flag or other lightweight decorations to distinguish your home-away-from-home from the other identical blue tents. (Not essential but nice at 3 a.m. when you're stumbling back from the bathrooms.)

If you choose to stay in the bunkhouse

Sheets, pillows and pillowcases are provided. Each room accomodates four to six people. You may reserve a room for a group of four to six, on a first-come, first served basis. Otehrwise bunks will be assigned by room based on gender.

If you choose to stay in an area motel

You are responsible for reserving your motel room and for all associated costs. The Green Ride will provide a free shuttle van from Black Rock Forest to the motel in the morning. before breakfast, and again in the evening, after dinner has been served.

Toiletries and extras

• toothbrush
• toothpaste
• mouthwash
• deodorant
• disposable safety razor
• shaving cream
• soap
• shampoo
• blister kit or moleskin
• bug spray
• sunscreen
• sunglasses
• Don't forget eyeglasses, if you wear them, your prescription medicines, and packets of brand name OTC drugs you can't live without. We do have the ability to refrigerate prescription drugs if needed.
• towels (tip: some riders pack two towels in a 2-gallon zip-loc baggie. They won't always dry overnight, and this way you'll have a fresh towel every day.)
• washcloth

Training

Please click here for training information.

Nutrition

Tana Kokol, of New York City, is a registered dietician with a degree in Nutrition and Food Science from Hunter College. She is also a graduate of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM. We asked Tana about the best diet for the typical rider, who may ride for an hour or less during the week and spend more than six hours on a bike on weekend days.

Q: Let's talk about carbohydrates. We're told that foods rich in carbs, like breads, pasta, even carrots, are the foods that make you fat. How much carbo-loading should we be doing?

Tana: The basics are always healthy eating. The important thing is the quality of the carbohydrates you eat. Nobody ever got fat from having good complex carbs like oatmeal at breakfast or even a bowl of pasta at lunch.

Q: So what about the big bowl of pasta the night before a long ride?

Tana: It's not about carbo loading the night before. You want to increase muscle glycogen a few days before your ride with strategic eating. If you're doing a long ride on Saturday, start carbo loading on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
At breakfast, have two or three servings of fruit with a hot cereal like oatmeal, low fat milk, and wheat toast, which is a complex carb. That's a healthy high carb breakfast.
For lunch, have a whole wheat sandwich with lettuce and tomato and three to four ounces of lean protein: chicken or fish. Drink a cup of grape juice, which is rich in complex carbohydrates.
For dinner, pasta with a vegetable sauce, bread, vegetables and a small sorbet with fruit.
That's an ideal diet for more than an hour of riding a day.

Q: How much of our diet should be made up of carbohydrates?

Tana: If you ride an hour a day, 60-percent of your diet should be carbs, and if you ride more than an hour a day you should have 70-percent carbs.

Q: What do the carbs do for us?

Tana: Carbs are an immediate energy source for the body. They convert to glucose. The excess glucose gets stored as glycogen in your muscles and the liver. What you want to do before a big ride is have as much glycogen as possible stored in your liver and muscles.

Q: What happens when we "bonk" during a ride and run out of energy?

Tana: You bonk because the glycogen levels in your liver are depleted. The way to prevent that is to have something every 15 minutes when you're riding. Fruit juice, Gatorade, dried bananas, dried fruit, figs, all in addition to water. European athletes pop cubed pieces of fruit.

Q: Some riders describe bonking as running out of steam. But we've seen degrees of bonking. Sometimes riders say they feel an undescribable exhaustion, to the point where they can barely find the energy to climb a few steps.

Tana:That's not bonking, that's crashing! That means you've also depleted the glycogen levels in your muscles. You can recover from a bonk. It's much harder to recover from hitting a wall. It can take four or five days to rebuild your glycogen levels after you crash.

Q: We've been told that there's a window at the end of a long ride when your body most efficiently converts carbohydrates to glycogen. How much time do we have after we stop riding to eat complex carbs?

Tana: For about two hours after a ride of 90 minutes or longer your body can convert carbs into muscle glycogen faster than normal. After the window closes, the process slows and you need an entire day or more to restock. If you miss the window and ride again within 24 hours, you're only doing so with partially energized muscles. You're weaker and you'll get tired sooner.

Q: What should we eat at the end of a ride?

Tana: You need 50 grams of carbs during the first two hours. 20 ounces of Gatorade would give you 35 grams of carbs. 20 ounces of Cytomax gives you 30 grams. A six-ounce cup of yogurt gives you 30 to 40 grams. A cup of fruit juice, or a 1/4-cup of raisins or dates will also give you between 25 and 30 grams.

Q: Does it matter if we drink or eat?

Tana: There's no difference if the carbohydrates come from liquids or solids, but liquids also rehydrate the body.

Hydration

• Signs of Dehydration
• dizziness and light-headedness
• nausea and headaches
• muscle cramps
• increase in body temp (which can lead to heat exhaustion)

So what can you do to prevent this?

The American College of Sports Medicine encourages frequent drinking before, during, and after training or competition to prevent dehydration and heat stress. It is amazing to realize that 55 percent of our blood volume is water and constitutes 34% of our total body weight.

Here are some other tips to avoiding dehydration:

• Drink beyond your thirst
• Don't rely only on your thirst to tell you to drink. You need to drink before you get thirsty.
• Thirst is deceptive - quenching thirst doesn't completely replace lost fluids under extreme conditions.
• A good rule is to drink one water bottle (22 oz, 0.65L) of water or sports drink each hour while biking, for example, or 4 quarts (3.8L) a day.
• Drink frequently on your bike. I have my heart rate monitor set to beep every 15 minutes to remind me to drink.
• Your urine should be clear or light colored - if it is dark or you're urinating less - you need to drink more.
• Coffee, tea &alcoholic drinks are not the same as water, they cause you to lose fluid
• Don't take salt tablets. Formerly believed to replace salt lost through sweat, salt tablets only accelerate dehydration.
• Take frequent break, especially in the heat of summer.
• Take along more than one water bottle and stop to fill it up as you drink or take along an hydration pack (such as a Camelback).
• If you have to get up once in the middle of the night to urinate, you're probably staying well hydrated.

from Kevin H. Weiss, Ph.D. bicycling.guide@about.com

Bikes

Tips On Buying A Bike
by Vicki Pierson

Road Bikes. They used to be known as the "ten-speed," however road bikes now range from 12 to 27 speed. Within this category of bikes are touring, racing, and sport bikes

Touring Bike. This bike is not built for speed, rather, it's designed to provide comfort for the long haul. A touring bike is an excellent bike for long distance riding. The drop handlebars provide comfort, good control and allow for multiple hand positions. Twenty one speeds will take you over any type of incline you'll encounter and cantilever brakes can stop you even when you're heavily loaded down.

Racing Bike.This bike is built for speed, sporting an aerodynamic, thin and ultralight frame. A short wheelbase allows the bike to respond to the slightest movements and 12 or 18 gears will get you, and keep you, at top speed. If you're into winning races, this is the bike for you.

Sport Bike. This bike falls between the touring and racing bike. Not as light as a racing bike but more responsive than the touring bike. The sport bike's drop handlebars provide comfort and control and the aerodynamic design allows for faster speeds. If you're into taking rides of 10 or more miles while turning up the intensity by adding some speed, this bike can take you there.

Mountain or All Terrain Bike. This bike is rugged. Built with a sturdy frame, straight handlebars and fat, knobby tires, it can tackle the rigors of off road riding. The upright riding position on the bike makes it comfortable while giving you leverage for steep inclines.

Hybrid Bike. This bike is a cross between the road bike and mountain bike. It’s lighter than a mountain bike, but not as fast as a road bike. Straight handlebars, medium-width tires, 21 gears, and upright riding position makes the bike perfect for short distances, running errands or commuting.

Know Your Type

First, you'll need to decide what you want to use the bike for. Where will you be riding your bike most, on road, off road, or both? The answer will help you determine the type of bike to purchase. There are five basic types of bicycles in three categories that you need to be aware of.

The Perfect Fit. Once you know which type bike you want, make sure the bike you select fits you properly. There's essentially two ways to accomplish a good fit. If you want a perfect fit, for about $50, have a quality bicycle shop calculate your bike size using a computerized program called the Fit Kit. They'll take various measurements such as, length of your legs, torso and arms then give you a printout of your measurements and which frame height and length best suits your body.

Frame Height. Straddle the bike. You should have one to two inches of clearance between the top bar of the bike and your crotch, three to four inches if you're going to be riding on off-road terrain. If you want to be a little more exact, measure your inseam, straddle the bike, pick it up until the top bar touches your crotch, then measure the distance between the bottom of the tires and ground.

Frame Lengths. Be sure when you sit on the bike you can comfortably reach the handlebars. If the handlebars are too far away you won't have adequate control, if they're too close you'll be uncomfortable and tire easily.

Seat and Handlebar Adjustment. A quality bike shop will make the necessary adjustments for you to fine tune the fit of the bike. A critical adjustment is seat height. Your knee should have a 25-30 degree bend when the ball of your foot is on the pedal at its lowest position. The handlebars should be one inch lower than, or the same height as, the seat. Check to be sure you can comfortably reach the brakes and that the width of the handlebars are approximately the width of your shoulders.

Take a Test Ride. Just like purchasing a car, this is where the rubber meets the road. You should feel comfortable and in control. Your elbows should be relaxed with a slight bend and squeezing the brake levers should be easily accomplished. Slide your rear back off the saddle, stand up on the pedals, flex and round your back, and move your hands to various positions on the handlebars to assure you can move around on the bike easily while it's in motion.

Accessorize. Once you select the bike to purchase, you’ll want to get some accessories to go with it. Most important is a helmet. You may also want to consider a tire pump, tube repair kit, pressure gauge, seat pack, water bottle and cage and a lock. The bicycle shop can help you select these and install them on your bike. Depending on how much you spend on your bike, you may be able to convince the salesperson to throw in some of the accessories at no charge.

"How to Buy the Perfect Bike," Fitness, October, 1996 p.76

Buying a Bike: Rec. Bicycles FAQ Part 2/5

A Bike That Fits

Maintenance

Bicycles require routine maintenance to keep them operating properly and looking new. Get into the habit of inspecting your bike on a regular basis

• The following checklist will help you keep your bicyle in good condition
• Keep all nuts, bolts and fasteners tight.
• If your bike has a coaster brake, keep it firmly attached to the frame and lightly oiled.
• Hand brakes work better if the rims are clean.
  Brake pads should just clear the rim.
• Hand-brake levers should not touch or "bottom out" on the handle bars. If they do, the brakes need adjusting.
• Keep hand-brakes lightly oiled.
• Fill tires to correct air pressure marked on the side of the tire.
• Replace worn tires.
• To check for a leak in a flat tire, first fill the inner tube in water and watch for air bubbles.
• Turn your bike upside down and spin the wheels.
• The wheels should spin evenly and not rub the forks or the frame.
• Replace broken spokes.
• Tighten spokes evenly to prevent wheel wobbling. Get repair person's help if major spoke repair is required.
• Keep the seat clean and lightly oiled.
• Handlebars should be tight. Cement or glue loose handle grips to the handlebars.
• Keep the seat bolt and clamp tight. The seat should not move when twisted.
• Replace any cracked reflectors or worn out batteries or bulbs.
• Clean all surfaces with a damp rag and then wipe dry.
• Store your bicyle indoors in order to prevent rusting. Too much exposure to sunlight will also cause a bike's tires to crack.