Tag: bike riding

Bike Ride Recap of the 2019 Buckeye Breakaway

August 10, 2019 / Chris Brown / 4 Comments

Fun. Challenging. Hot. Lots of food and laughs. Exhausting. Sleep Depriving. Happy. Silly. Tiring. Inspiring. Great.

The recap of the bike ride for 2019 Buckeye Breakaway with my team the SOB’s was all these things and more. Take a couple minutes to watch the video below with the Skiers on Bikes, read this recap and learn about my experiences this year!!

About my bike:
My bike is a 1988 53″ Cannondale with downtube shifters that we bought from Craigslist in 2012. The previous owner barely rode it and it was like new. Except for the bent fork. I suspect during one of their first rides, they ran into a ditch and then didn’t ride again. Then 24 years later I bought it. The bike is 31 years old (half my age!) and still has a lot of umph left.

My Goals for the Buckeye Breakaway:

This year for the ride, I used the idea of an A, B and C goal to help me define success. Overall, I met with success because I

A) HAD A LOT of FUN! Lots of silly times and fun jokes along the way.

B) Met my fundraising goal and even went over. Thanks to all those who provided support.

C) Rode all 75 miles the first day, but only 36 miles the second day. So this goal fell a little short, but I feel the effort was an overall success.

This was my annual big ride event (you can read about all my yearly experiences here.) It’s like reading 9 years of a bike ride recap! Click thru to find out:

How many MS rides have I ridden?
Why do I ride?
What’s it like?
What do we eat?
Where do we sleep?
How long does it take?
Is it hard?
Is it fun?
Is it hot?
Did it rain?

There were many funny and inspiring stories from the 2019 ride that I want to include in this bike ride recap:
Here are just a few stories:

Second morning as we were riding out of town, the sun was coming up. A little rooster was Cack-a-Doo-Doodle-Doing all over the place seeing all the bike riders going past. It was like he was talking to us! While the seat was uncomfortable, the weather was perfect.
We rode past a whole group of goats (flock? gaggle?) and I had to stop to get a photo. Reminded me of goat yoga. I think I’m the only one that thinks Goat Cycling is funny. Okay, I’ve got a quirky sense of humor.
We got a corn photo too, and got a SAG driver in trouble for stopping to take our picture!
There was a blue bike on the ride that had a seat approximately 9 feet off the ground. I don’t know how the guy even got on it!
While riding up some steep hills Sunday morning I was super inspired by the handcyclist in front of me. I don’t know that she had MS, but she sure had a whole lot of spunk, heart and determination! I think she did better than I did on day two for sure this year!
I also met a guy who posed under the big orange inflatable for a photo. He had a bunch of medals around his neck from many different years. When I congratulated him, he said, “Yeah, I’ve ridden this 15 years… 14 of them after I was diagnosed with MS.”

Wow. That’s inspiration.

I’m glad I did it. Although I’ve spent the last few days trying to get my “oomph” back, I’m already to commit to next year! How about you? Want to join us?

Do you have a big physical challenging event each year? What is it? How do you prepare? If it doesn’t go exactly to plan, how do you regroup? What’s next on your goal list? Let me know by leaving a phone message at 330-970-6662 or an email to Chris@BecomingElli.com. Thanks!

Looking Forward to Spring Bike Riding

March 30, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

When spring rolls around I start thinking about riding my bike outside. For me, happiness is bike riding.

It reminds me of when I was 10, 11 and 12 years old. Lots of good memories of riding bikes as transportation to go visit friends, using the construction site around the corner as my personal BMX course, and having freedom to go where I where ever my bike could take me.

Just seeing the weather get a little more sunny and a little less cold has me thinking about bike riding.

Doing something you love, that just happens to help you get fit, is a real lucky thing, I think! This time of year is full of anticipation for me.

I’m going to do a big ride in August as a fund raiser and my team will begin riding soon, I’m pretty sure. Before that, I’ve got a checklist:

The bike itself:
handlebar tape
chain
tires
tubes
rims
brakes
shifter

Bike gear:

spare tube, co2 and tools
rain gear
shoes
bike pants
light
reflector
water bottles
helmet
snacks
sunscreen
phone rain protector
bike gloves

I’m going to be gathering my equipment and checking out my bike. Now that the sun sets well after 7 pm, it gives me a chance to get a little riding in after work!

Do you enjoy bike riding? Does it remind you of your childhood? If you’re not a bike rider, what do you look forward to in the spring?

Staying Cool During Summer Heat While Bike Riding or Running

June 30, 2018 / Chris Brown / 3 Comments

The weather forecast was supposed to be the low 90’s today and my bike group has a long bike ride planned in Cleveland, starting before noon and probably not finishing until well after 4 pm.

Of course, we won’t be riding the entire time. We’ll be taking photos (there are 3 Cleveland signs on the route) and probably stopping at a marina on Lake Erie for lunch.

Being able to participate in a long day during the heat, without any ill effects, can be a challenge.

Heat gets to me, so I try to do several things to stay cool during summer heat. You probably are doing most of them already. (Some aren’t so pretty.)

Here are my heat tips for bike riding or running a race when it is HOT:

Bring two water bottles and skip drinking the beer. Nothing dehydrates you quicker than alcohol. Refill the water bottles at lunch and ask for ice from the waitress. (Tip well.)
Hydrate well 2 nights prior to the ride or race. Salt my food. Make sure I have magnesium and potassium in food/supplements ahead of time and after.
I use a cooling scarf with gel beads inside. I take it off and dunk it in a cup of water at each aid station during the MS150 ride. It swells when it gets wet, then I tie it around my neck. I move it around so the wet part is around my skin. It’s usually dry by the next aid station.
Wear tech clothing that wicks. Today, I’ll have a bike jersey that is great for not sticking to me. A cotton shirt seems to just stick and will chafe. I also use chafing cream.
I also am not shy about dumping water over my head when it is super hot. (Remove helmet and sunglasses first for best results!)
A baseball cap helps to keep the sun off the top of my head and face. Sometimes getting that wet helps, but I prefer water directly on my hair if needed. My hair isn’t long enough for a ponytail, which would probably be a better look. A baseball cap helps!
Sun screen on my arms – but very little on my face. Sun burn makes the heat worse. Sunscreen on my face seems to block my pores and I can’t sweat correctly. (Anybody have any suggestions?) I know I probably should protect my face more, but I have overheated from using sun screen on my face. I recently read that you shouldn’t use sunscreen over 50, but the article didn’t explain why. Does anyone have an idea about that?
I have an insulated Nathan water bottle that I freeze the night before so as it melts, I am sipping ice water. I’m going to put it on my belt where I store my epipen.
I usually drink electrolytes during a race, usually as Gatorade. Some people use Tailwind, but I haven’t tried it yet. Others use Powerade, depending on what the race or aid stations have. I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with this today. I haven’t bought any salt tablets, but I know that some people do.
Pickle juice helps with the salt when I’m bike riding and they often have it at the aid stations but, I’ve never seen it at a run however. Maybe I will see if I can get a pickle or two with my sandwich at lunch.
Aim for the shade when and if possible. Today’s ride will be mostly in the sun.
Slow down as necessary. (I’m already pretty slow.)
Getting electrolytes back in me and cool down inside the core with something like ice really helps

Have you ever had heat problems? Sometimes it’s called heat exhaustion or heat stroke. It starts out just being hot, but progresses to when your face is incredibly red and you are way overheated. I’ve had it and don’t want to repeat it. In fact, I have gotten it when it has progressed to the chills. Definitely time to “call it.” Sure sign of a heat problem. No amount of pickle juice helped at that point!

It was on a bike ride in pure sun when it was just too hot (around 88 degrees and 3pm!) Most of the bike ride was behind me. Luckily there was already something in place during that ride called a SAG (support and gear) which is a van that has a bike rack ready to give any bike rider needing assistance a ride with their bike to the next aid station. Although I missed the last 15 miles or so of a 65 mile ride, it was much better to do that than have a REAL problem.

If you are having a problem with the heat, I believe it is NOT a time to try to try to suck it up, try feel better and keep riding! If you have heat problems, don’t try to tough it out! If you’re really faced with a heat problem, your brain stops working correctly and you can’t make decisions well. Ride with people you trust and trust your friends when they say you need to take care!

PS. I just checked the forecast and it has changed from earlier in the week for the better. Looks like we have beautiful high 80’s for the riding today in Cleveland Ohio – MUCH BETTER riding weather! May try to swing by the Cleveland Jazz Festival and listen to some great music too! It’s free down near Playhouse Square today!!

Tell me, how do you handle exercise during summer heat and still have fun with outdoor activities?!