Epic Rides Spark Excitement

By Dean Schott

An epic bicycle trip transports you in two directions at the same time - outward and inward.

An epic ride may be your first ride of 50 miles or more in a day. An epic may be a ride over challenging terrain. It may be a ride with spectacular scenery. Or it may be a week of bicycle touring. In short, an epic ride is one you won't soon forget because it was your first, longest, toughest, fastest or grandest ride ever.

When you take that epic ride down a deserted rural road between green pastures under a summer sun or roll along a cool, shaded path through the woods, you're taking in the world around you at the same time you're learning about yourself. That's why an epic ride is more than just a ride; it's a time to experience the world beyond and the world within.

Riding an epic ignites an internal spark, letting you know in a special way that you are alive and your senses are firing on all cylinders filling you with energy and excitement.

Sometimes, though, epic rides are not just about fun. They can be personal challenges, a test of your skills, physical stamina and mental toughness. That's when you really must look inside to see what you have to reach your destination.

Questions abound on these epics: Can you climb that last long hill of the day, can you finish those last 10 miles of a century ride or can you find the energy to race to the finish? By riding regularly and challenging yourself in small and different ways, you learn more about your personal abilities and potential for riding longer or tougher courses.

When riding, your body is a constantly sending messages to your brain. Listen to those messages, and you'll learn more about yourself, your physical conditioning and how to respond. Are you drinking enough to stay hydrated? Are you eating enough to maintain the energy necessary for pedaling a long distance? How much you drink and eat is a matter of individual need, experience and weather conditions.

What you drink and eat are also individual choices. Your decisions come down to what is nutritious, what tastes good and what your body will tolerate. Some riders prefer going low-tech, drinking water, eating fruit, bagels and snacks high in carbohydrates and low in fat. Others prefer a more hi-tech approach, drinking special sports drinks and eating energy bars or gels.

The key, though, is not to wait to drink or eat until you're thirsty or hungry. By then, it may be too late to stay hydrated and fueled for riding farther. Also, it is important not to drink too much because that can cause problems just like not drinking enough. These are all the things that you can learn about your body when doing an epic.

The body may also send pain messages. For beginners, the messages may be numbness in the hands, tightness between the shoulders and aches in the knees. To avoid numbness in your hands, relax your grip on the handlebars, wear padded bicycle gloves and frequently change your hand positions. Also, be sure to ride with your arms relaxed and elbows slightly bent.

Tightly gripping the handlebars and stiffening the arms contribute to the pain in your shoulders and neck by absorbing all the shocks and bumps from the road or trail. Also, it's important to distribute your weight evenly on the bicycle and avoid putting all your weight forward on your handlebars.

A common ailment for many beginning cyclists is knee pain. If your knees are otherwise in good condition, they may still ache during or after a ride. The culprit may be the height of your seat. If your knees hurt in the back, lower the seat. If your knees ache in the front, raise the seat.

Set your bicycle seat so that your leg is bent slightly when the ball of your foot is on the pedal at the 6 o'clock position. Mark you seat post so that you'll remember what the proper seat height should be. Another key to avoiding knee pain is to spin easy in a lower gear and not pedal hard in a higher gear. You'll do much better on a long ride with an easy pedal stroke.

To ward off these aches and others, make sure your muscles stay warm. Stretch your arms, neck, shoulders, lower back and legs before, during and an after a ride to avoid stiffness or cramps.

Paying attention to all these messages and responding wisely can help your body stay fit, making your epic even more special to remember.

How many epics are there in your life? Consider some of the possibilities:

• Riding your first 100 miles in day, known as doing a century, is a high point for many cyclists. Before doing 100 miles, consider doing a metric century, 100 kilometers (62 miles).
• Do your first century as part of one-day invitational ride with a local bicycle club or charity. The rides offer distances of 10-100 miles with free t-shirts, marked routes, maps, rest stops, sag support and more.
• Take an organized bicycle tour for a weekend or a week. Tours are available across the country and overseas at varying prices. For even less money, go bicycle camping with family and friends on your own.
• Commute to work.
• Take your bicycle on a business trip or on vacation or rent one when you get there. It's a great way to get off the main road and find the unique character of a place.
• Take your children on a trail ride through the woods, along a river, past a prairie or to a special garden. Pack a picnic that you can enjoy along the way.
• Mark off a three-mile flat course without stop signs or traffic lights and determine how fast you can cover the distance. Take the test at least an hour after you have eaten, and warm up for at least 30 minutes before taking the test. Your results can serve as a benchmark for measuring your conditioning and cycling skills. Take the test later in the season over the same course and see if you have improved.

For information on Illinois bicycling events, bike trails and more, go to the website of the League of Illinois Bicyclists (LIB): www.bikelib.org. The LIB is a statewide advocacy voice for all Illinois bicyclists and promotes bicycle safety, access and education. Other resources:

• The Illinois Department of Transportation offers nine regional maps with bicycle routes and trails. For a free set, call, 217-782-0834 or go online at www.dot.state.il.us/bikemap/bikehome.htm.
• The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (CBF) publishes the most detailed bicycling map for the Chicago metropolitan area for $6.95. To order, call 312-427-3325 or go online at www.biketraffic.org .

(Dean Schott lives in Glenview, Illinois, rides regularly on and off road and is a LIB member. If readers have comments or questions about bicycling, they can send an e-mail to: schottcycle@aol.com.)

A Microsoft^® Word version of this press release is available.