Blog Post

Shelley Says Goodbye

Shelley Bradfield celebrated her last day in Bloomington with a 35 mile OWLS ride on Thursday through Harrodsburg and points south and west.

Shelley at a regrouping stop at the Smithville Post Office

Shelley has been a mainstay of the OWLS the last couple of years.  Now she leaves us, fresh Ph.D. in hand, for a new job in Colorado. We wish her all the best!

Evolution

                                     o           __o        
             °\___o      /0~         -\<,        
___oo~_______ /\ /\______/ \_________O/ O_________





Thoughts on the Classic Cyclist

By Jim Schroeder


After RAIN 2010, I’ve questioned myself as to just what kind of cyclist am I.  Well, I just got done reading a great article in Hammer Nutrition’s Endurance News magazine.  It’s titled “The Classic Cyclist, Part One”, and is written by Chris Kostman.  Chris has ridden in races like RAAM, Iditabike, and 24 Hours of Canaan, and has organized endurance races including Badwater Ultramarathon and Furnace Creek 508.

I wasn’t a “classic cyclist” during RAIN 2010 and paid the price.  I was all the time before July 17 and will be in the future.
Here are some great excerpts:
“Road cyclists entering the sport over the past fifteen or so years have tended to come in by way of mountain biking, triathlon, running, or fitness, rather than pure road cycling.  As a result, most of these “cyclists” lack the knowledge which makes up the foundation of the classic cyclists’ repertoire and which builds upon the backbone of the sport.”
“The best way to start a ride, or conduct any aerobic activity, is to warm up properly…A classic cyclist will take the first ten to twenty miles of a ride, or even a race, to warm up properly, usually staying off the big chainring and two smallest cogs. As a result, he or she will actually ride better and more quickly than the current jackrabbit style of cyclist who catapult onto every training ride or event.”
“Most cyclists nowadays not only don’t know how to ride in a paceline, but that they don’t even understand why they should…Work together, and when it’s not your turn up front, covet that rear wheel of your buddy!  In the moment, you may think ‘it’s too hard to keep up at this speed,’ but the classic cyclist knows that riding solo instead of with another means more work and less speed.”
“This effort to keep the group together is specifically continued at checkpoints during events; those who arrive together, shall leave together.”
“The classic cyclist accepts suffering as in intricate part of the experience.  He or she certainly doesn’t whine in person…”
“The classic cyclist shares a bond with all fellow cyclists.  As such, other cyclists are always acknowledged along the road, usually with a tip of the head to riders in the opposing direction, or a cheery hello when passing or being passed.  Classic cyclists never ride hi-lessly, wavelessly, and nodlessly by… All on bicycles are appreciated and respected.”

It WAS a great ride, although in my case most of t…

It WAS a great ride, although in my case most of the credit goes to CE who let me draft most of the toughest miles and who waited for me and to my wife Betsy who was the consummate "domestique" at each stop.

The first 60-80 miles were great, even exhilarating. From lunch to Dunreith was very tough as we got tireder and the day got hotter. After Dunreith it became overcast and the sun got lower in the sky and that little bit of coolness gave me new life.

It IS a great event for the club, although if I can make one suggestion, next year RAIN ride Vincennes to Evansville! ; )

Inspiring Commitment and Dedication


I’m not a blogger normally, but just have to share that I have been watching Fr. Rick Ginther, pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church and St. Patrick Parish in Terre Haute, Indiana as he trained and prepared for the 2010 RAIN ride.  His committment and dedication to accomplish this goal is nothing short of inspiring.  Fr. Rick has an exhausting schedule with serving two parishes and the St. Patrick school, and yet he made personal time to train by himself and with others to grasp this opportunity to be a part of such a huge event.  I’m honored to call him my boss, my friend, and an inspiration to all around him!

From Jeanne Blackford, Parish Secretary, St. Margaret Mary Church

What an awesome event RAIN 2010 was. Hats off to …

What an awesome event RAIN 2010 was. Hats off to all who participated, organised, volunteered – the event was superb. Had the pleasure of riding with some of this years DeCycles riders too – I asked them how this compared to some of their days in the Pacific Mountains this year and they said it was EASY! If I had enough breath at the time I would have laughed. Shane snapped a rear wheel spoke before the 2nd stop – we thought we had it covered – we had a spare wheel right? Wrong. Eugene's spare was campy, Shane rides shimano. But Eugene had everything we (he) needed to swap the rear cassettes over and we were back in business in about an hour.
First Time Rain Rider and First Time finisher! 11 Hrs 42mins

A rider’s RAIN Report





By CE Taylor


Ken and I arrived for the start of the ride at 6:35 a.m. We were in line for the start by 6:50 a.m.  According to my GPS it was 5:50 a.m. because we were standing in the Central time zone.  We were at the back of the starting group, sort of.  We had ridden past lots of people still unloading their bikes on our way to the start.  The ride started on time but it was at least two more minutes before we could start pedaling.  The hills on the way to the first rest stop were not too bad.  We slowed down on the hills to save energy.  We rode and rode and rode.   It is always a relief to reach the first rest stop.  A quick fill up of water and snacks and we were back on the road.  The Plainfield rest stop is a little over 60 miles from the start.  That means there are less than 100 miles to go.  I mean that in a positive way.

It seemed like it took forever to get to the lunch stop, but it feels like that every year.  We had a really long lunch stop, but it is important to remember it is a ride, not a race.  Our wives had set up chairs under some pine trees waiting for us at the lunch stop.  I can tell you that the combination of a chair, shade and breeze felt really good.  (Note, our wives are the best SAG drivers ever.)  We saw Rob, Eugene and Shane at lunch.  One of them had a mechanical problem earlier in the day, which lost them about an hour.  Later, they zipped past us on the road as did a lot of people.  Remember, it’s a ride not a race.
We had our Camelbaks on after lunch.  I drank my 70 oz. of water by the time we got to Casey’s General Store 17 miles later.  It is important to stay hydrated.  One year I ran out of water after lunch and I didn’t want to do that again.  That is a hot stretch of road that seems to go on forever.  Leaving the hot county roads behind and getting back on hot US 40 is a huge relief.  You have to experience it to understand what I mean.  Turning back on US 40, only a block from Casey’s General Store and knowing that your SAG support is there is a huge boost to your spirits. When I get to Casey’s, I know I can make it to Richmond.  I don’t know why I feel that way, but since it is a straight, almost flat road to Richmond (there are a couple of hills that flat landers complain about) , the next 45 miles seem easier.  Of course you still have to ride them but the end is in sight.  We saw BBC’er Duane at Casey’s and he joined us for the remainder of the ride.

We took a break at Dunreith to cool off and rest.  Then, it was back on the bike for the final 29 miles.  Our pace was slower on this section, but we continued towards the finish confident of the outcome.  Turning into Earlham College for the final 50 yards is always a pleasant experience.  Ken led the way to the finish.  People cheered as we came in.  Tom Whitehead was there congratulating finishers.  It was nice to see him at the finish.  Kathy Cummins was helping with recording of the times and rider numbers and it was nice to see her too.  I asked her if she had any thoughts about riding next year.  Her answer was that she had thought seeing the finishers might be motivation for her to do it next year, but seeing all the tired, worn out riders coming in may have had the opposite effect.

My goal was for Ken and me to finish the ride.  We did it in 12 hours and 35 minutes.  That was the exact time I had on my first ride across Indiana in 2006.  We weren’t the first finishers or the last ones either.  I am proud of what we accomplished.  For an event like this, I feel that riders learn something about themselves that is more valuable than how long it took them to finish.

I am proud that my club puts on this event.  The event runs smoothly and every rest stop is hosted by friendly workers.  Proof of its popularity is seen by the increase in the number of registrations each year.  The volunteers are to be commended for their commitment to club.

Up Lentz

Twenty five riders; 27 miles; 3 good hill climbs; 13.5+ mph.

The route in Google Earth. (Click to enlarge.)

Elevation showing climbs up from Griffey, up Lentz, and up Kerr Creek. (Click to enlarge.)

Riders coming off of Boltinghouse Hill. What are those guys doing going the other way? 
(Click to enlarge.)