Charles River Wheelers

Bicycling Aches and Pains: Hot / Painful Feet

2024-03-28 4:35 PM | Wheel People (Administrator)

By John Hughes

Today we’ll focus on hot / painful feet. And, as with the other cycling maladies, we’ll devote some time to discussing how you can avoid it.

Let’s Start With An Example:

My buddy Roger got me started riding in California in the ’70s. One of our favorite double centuries was the Mt. Lassen DC – the slogan was “Where a Sag’s a Drag.” We rode 200 miles, including Lassen National Park, and subsisted on what we could buy at mini-marts.

After they stopped running the DC, Roger and I decided to ride it on our own. Lassen is an active volcano, and the pass on the shoulder of the mountain is half-way through the ride. We continued north and descended through the devastated area (which features lava fields resulting from multiple eruptions between 1914 and 1917).

We stopped at Old Station, about 135 miles into our adventure, to refuel. The next store was 42 miles away through remote country, so I ordered a large pizza and a pitcher of Coke. Roger had very hot feet, so he soaked his feet in the stream while we waited for the pizza. I didn’t know much about riding nutrition or physiology back then!

Although it was only around 70F that day, half an hour down the road Roger had hot feet again.

Causes of Hot Foot:

Numb toes and pain under the ball of the foot generally results from squeezing of the nerves between the foot bones in the ball of the foot just behind the toes. This can result from:

Swollen feet: On longer rides, most riders develop peripheral edema, which is nothing to worry about as long as it goes away after the ride. How long a ride before it develops depends on the individual.

Poor technique: If a rider “pedals squares,” then the pressure on the sole of the foot is constant. If a rider pedals with a round stroke, then at the back of the stroke the rider is lifting the foot to unweight the pedal (thus relieving the pressure a bit on every stroke).

Foot shape: Forefoot varus is when the ball of the foot is elevated relative to the outside of the foot when not bearing weight. As many as 87% of us are built this way. If the foot is not supported properly, then pressure on the nerves may result. Narrow, bony feet lack padding, while wide feet may be crammed into too-narrow shoes. Any of these anatomical issues in the feet could result in hot foot.

Pedal size: Since road shoes are made with stiff soles, the size the pedal isn’t an issue.

Solutions: Some Options, Starting with the Easiest

1. Improve technique: Learn to pedal with a round stroke, which will also increase your power as you call on different muscle groups to move you down the road. If you develop hot feet while riding, try exaggerating a round stroke with less pressure on the downward part of the stroke.

2. Don’t stand: When standing, you are only applying downward force, which increases pressure on the balls of your feet, and all of your body weight is on the pedals.

3. Loosen shoes: If your feet swell when you ride, then loosen your shoes and/or wear looser socks to allow for the swelling. Prevention is best: I start with shoes that are slightly loose.

4. Take shoes off: If you stop at an aid station or mini-mart, park your shoes with your bike and walk around in your socks – they’re washable!

5. Move cleats back: If possible, slide your cleats back so that the ball of your foot is in front of the center of the cleat. I’ve custom-drilled holes in my shoes to move the cleats 1 cm back. This costs me a fraction of a percent of efficiency and power, but greatly increases how long I can ride. Remember when moving the cleats back to also lower your seat a bit to compensate for the effective change in leg length.

6. Orthotics: Orthotics, especially those with a metatarsal bump, often distribute the load more evenly. A metatarsal bump is a slightly raised spot just behind the ball of the foot. I have forefoot varus and for years used custom orthotics; however, now I use a Specialized footbed. These come in a wide range of sizes. Each model is customizable for different longitudinal arches and metatarsal support. Most riders don’t need custom orthotics.

7. Podiatrist: If the problem persists, see a podiatrist.

8. Larger shoes: Twenty years ago, I wore size 45 shoes; however, on long rides my feet would swell so I also got a pair of size 46 shoes. For RAAM, I also took sizes 47 and 48. As we age, our feet get larger – and I now wear size 49. When I bought the shoes, the sales person told me they were too loose. Not for my kind of riding, I explained.

Follow-up on a Reader Comment on Lower Back Pain

Rando Richard commented: I completed a 600 K brevet, 375 miles with 32,000 feet of climbing in about 45.5 hours. It had six continuous climbs (2,000 – 4,500 ft. each). Despite putting on 10,000 miles on my road bike last year, this one really threw me for a loop. My lower back was killing me on the last two climbs, a new problem for me. I stopped to stretch 6 or 8 times on the last climb. As I neared the top of this 4,500-foot climb (6-9%), the grade angled back a little and my cadence increased and my back pain immediately vanished. As I remember, my heart rate was unchanged as the angle decreased, so I was still pushing as hard. Was the back pain due to too slow of a cadence (due to fatigue)? Or was it due to just total exertion, without regard to cadence? Despite installing a cassette that yielded lower gearing before that ride, it was not enough. If I ever do another, I plan to put on an even bigger cassette.

My Reply: Your legs are levers, and the pelvis is the fulcrum. The more force you exert per stroke, the more other muscles work to stabilize the pelvis so that all the force goes into the pedals rather than moving your pelvis. The muscles that stabilize your pelvis are either in your lower back or your core.

The amount of force on the pedals is a function of gear selection and cadence together. If you were in your lowest gear and just pedaling slower because you were fatigued, then the force was the same as riding with a higher cadence. In your case, because the grade eased the force per stroke was less.

Lower gears and a higher cadence definitely will help – as well as a stronger core. On brevets, there are periodic controls, at which stretching for a few minutes at each stop will also help.

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Extreme Exercise and Atrial Fibrillation

2024-03-28 4:33 PM | Wheel People (Administrator)

By Gabe Mirkin

Virtually all doctors agree that exercise helps to keep you healthy and to prolong your life. People who exercise into later life live longer than non-exercisers and are at reduced risk for high blood pressure, heart attacks, premature death, diabetes, strokes and even some cancers (Circulation, July 25, 2022;146(7):523–534).

Endurance bicycle racers who participated in the Tour de France from 1947 to 2012 have lived an average of five years longer than their countrymen (European Heart Journal, 2013;34 (40):3145-3150).

People who exercise regularly are far less likely to develop irregular heartbeats called atrial fibrillation (European Heart Journal, July 2021;42(25):2472–2483; Circulation, April 22, 2015).

However:

Competitive athletes appear to be almost two and half times more likely than non-athletes to experience atrial fibrillation (British Journal of Sports Medicine, Oct 2021;55(21):1233-1238).

About 20 percent of almost 1000 long-term competitive endurance athletes, mostly middle-aged men, said they had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine May 2023, 33(3):p 209-216).

Long-term female competitive endurance athletes are at increased risk for atrial fibrillation (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2023;57:1175-1179).

Older endurance cross country skiers are at increased risk for atrial fibrillation (Circulation, Aug 26, 2019;140(11):910–920).

Extreme endurance exercisers such as bicycle racers, cross country skiers and long-distance runners who compete into their 40s and beyond may be at increased risk for atrial fibrillation (American Journal of Cardiology, October 15, 2014;114(8):1229–1233).

The incidence of atrial fibrillation appears to be more common in older athletes than in the general population (J Am Coll Cardiol, 2005;46:690–6).

Articles in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and other popular media have suggested that some athletes who continue to do extensive fast mileage or train for extreme endurance events in later life may be increasing their risk for atrial fibrillation.

What is Atrial Fibrillation?

Each heartbeat starts when a “battery” in the upper heart (atrium) sends an electrical impulse through the upper heart to make it contract to squeeze blood toward the lower heart (ventricle). Then the electrical impulse reaches another “battery” in the lower heart to make the lower heart squeeze blood forward. Atrial fibrillation means that the upper heart quivers and does not push blood forward, while the lower heart beats independently. Many people with atrial fibrillation have no symptoms and do not know that they have this condition until it is discovered during a routine physical examination.

Symptoms may include:

Palpitations (a feeling that the heartbeat is racing, uncomfortable, or irregular)
Muscle weakness
Reduced ability to exercise
Fatigue
Lightheadedness
Dizziness
Confusion
Shortness of breath
Chest pain

These symptoms are often harmless, but on rare occasions an irregular heartbeat can cause sudden death by stopping the heart from pushing blood through your body or worse, can cause a clot to form in the upper heart that travels to another part of the body to block the flow of blood to that part of the body.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common irregular heartbeat. It occurs in 1.5-2 percent of the general population, and risk increases with age. It affects 10 percent of 75-year-olds and 20 percent of those over 85, because aging increases the risk factors for atrial fibrillation such as blocked arteries, high blood pressure or diabetes.

How Atrial Fibrillation Can Harm You

When a person has an upper (atrial) heart that is fluttering, blood pools there and a clot can collect and pass to the brain to cause a stroke, or to the lungs to block blood flow through the lungs. This is so dangerous that most doctors prescribe anti-clotting agents to everyone with atrial fibrillation. I believe that athletes with atrial fibrillation are far less likely to suffer clots that cause strokes than non-athletes with atrial fibrillation, but I have not seen any studies to support my belief. Healthy athletes can have occasional irregular heartbeats that will not harm them, but at this time, doctors treat atrial fibrillation in athletes the same way they treat other patients with this condition.

Extreme Exercise May Increase Atrial Fibrillation Risk

Two studies raised the concern about extreme amounts of exercise in older athletes. In the first study, 29 elite athletes were given MRIs to look for heart muscle scarring that increases risk of atrial fibrillation. They were Olympic or national team runners and rowers who had competed throughout their lives, including some who had competed in more than 100 marathons. In the older group of 12 athletes ages 50 to 67, half showed some heart muscle scarring (J Appl Physiol, June 2011;110(6):1622-6). Those who had trained the longest and hardest had the most scarring. Neither the 17 younger athletes (20-42) nor the control group of 20 older non-athletes showed this heart muscle scarring.

In the second study, on rats, a 16-week program of daily one-hour treadmill running caused widening of the upper part of their hearts and scarring in the heart muscle that could increase risk for irregular heartbeats (J Am Coll Cardiol, July 2013;62(1):68-77). The scars in the upper heart remained after the rats stopped exercising.

Risk Factors for Atrial Fibrillation

High blood pressure is the most significant risk factor for atrial fibrillation (Hypertension, 2012 Feb;59(2):198-204). Blood pressures greater than 140/90 significantly increased risk (J Am Soc Hypertens, 2015 Mar;9(3):191-6).
Diabetes. High blood sugar levels can damage heart muscle itself (Cardiovascular Diabetology, Jan 18, 2020;19(9)).
Overweight (J Am Coll Cardiol, Jul 7, 2015). A program getting people to reduce their excess body weight markedly reduced symptoms in patients who already had atrial fibrillation (JAMA, 2013;310(19):2050-206).
Alcohol.
Smoking.
An over-active thyroid.
A very low heart rate, below 50 beats per minute (Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol, 2013, Aug;6(4):726-31).
Abnormal coronary artery calcium score, even with no heart symptoms (Am J Cardiol, 2014 Dec 1;114(11):1707-12). This test for plaques in heart arteries can be ordered by any doctor.
Lack of exercise. Exercise helps to prevent atrial fibrillation; fit men had a 23 percent lower susceptibility for atrial fibrillation (Am J Cardiol, 2012 Aug 1;110(3):425-32).
Aging. The older you are, the more likely you are to suffer atrial fibrillation. Walking or cycling is associated with a decreased risk in older people (Heart, 2014 Jul;100(13):1037-42).
Possibly extreme ultra-endurance exercise.

My Recommendations

Exercise reduces the chances of a person developing atrial fibrillation. Nobody has shown that exercise in itself causes atrial fibrillation, and it is only extreme ultra-endurance exercise that some doctors believe may increase risk for atrial fibrillation. I think that nutrition, exposure to pollutants and other lifestyle factors are also important. I do not believe that just exercising will give you adequate protection from heart disease. To protect your heart, you should follow all of the rules that apply to everyone whether you compete in ultra-endurance events, exercise moderately or just sit on a couch.

eat lots of fruits and vegetables
severely restrict sugar-added foods and drinks
restrict red meat and fried foods
avoid smoking, second-hand smoke and third-hand smoke
restrict alcohol
avoid overweight
exercise

The scientific literature recommends exercise for most people, but prolonged exercise through pain and exhaustion may increase risk for atrial fibrillation. If you have, or suspect that you may have, atrial fibrillation or any heart disease, always check with your doctor first about exercising.

Never ignore symptoms that could be caused by heart disease, such as:

sudden heart palpitations
unexplained shortness of breath
a drop in exercise performance
chest pain

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Eating to Win: Nutrition Tips for Competitive Athletes

2024-03-28 4:23 PM | Wheel People (Administrator)

By Nancy Clark, MS RD CSSD

I'm wanting to run the best I can at the Boston Marathon. Any nutrition tips to help me reach my goal?

How do Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady eat to perform at such high levels...?

I once heard someone say the best athletes have the junkiest diets. Is that actually true?

These are just some of the questions I get from athletes who want to eat to win. My (biased) answer is, of course, what and when you eat really matters! While many very good athletes seem to do well with random fueling plans, the question arises: How much better could they be?

While wise fueling plans certainly can enhance athletic performance, many other factors determine whether or not you will get to the winners' circle. Physiological factors include: muscle damage/soreness, lactic acid build-up, depleted muscle glycogen, low blood glucose, inability to concentrate/poor brain function, under-hydration, high body temperature, gut distress, and injury. Now add environmental factors that you cannot control: heat, humidity, wind, floods, and altitude, as well as the game start-time, time between games, jet lag, and travel-fatigue. No wonder eager-to-win players want to rule-out making any food mistakes. Hence, this article focuses on nutrition strategies you can control to benefit your performance.

Whole grain breads, pasta, sweet potato, quinoa and other starchy carbs—plus fruits and veggies—should be the foundation of each and every meal. Stop thinking carbs are bad, fattening, a waste of calories. False! The body prefers carbs to replenish muscle glycogen stores that get depleted during hard exercise. Training or competing with "dead muscles" is needless and hurts performance.

All athletes need a well-fueled brain. If you have not eaten a meal 3 to 4 hours pre-exercise, at least eat 200-ish calories of carbs within the hour before you play to help keep your brain sharp so you can focus and stay motivated to work at a hard pace. For a personalized fueling plan that maintains your blood sugar (and feeds the brain), consult with a registered dietitian (RD)/board certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD). To find your local RD CSSD, use the referral networks at eatright.org or healthprofs.com.

Implement your fueling plan during training, so you have time to tweak it. During a sports event, you don't want to be guessing if a new gel will digest well...

Commercial sports foods (sports drinks, gels, chomps, jellybeans, etc.) are pre-wrapped and convenient, but not magical. "Real" foods (dried pineapple, crystalized ginger, peppermints, granola bars, diluted grape juice) also work just as well, if not better, before and during extended exercise.

During extended exercise that lasts longer than 60-90 minutes, plan to consume a variety of sport foods/fluids. Each type uses different gut transporters and can reduce the risk of GI distress. A variety of tastes also minimizes flavor fatigue (when you just can't tolerate one more sip of Gatorade or one more Gu...) You can only compete at your best if you can train at your best. That means fueling well every day.

Learn in advance what foods/fluids will be available at the event. (Check website for sponsors.) You'll likely be better off bringing plenty of your own tried-and-true foods that you know will settle well and be readily available—and bring enough to share with your teammates?

Maintain adequate hydration during repeated days of hard training. Your goal is to void a significant volume of light-colored urine first-thing in the morning. That indicates you're starting the day adequately hydrated.

Whether programmed drinking (according to a plan) is preferable to drinking to thirst (as desired) depends somewhat on how long you will be sweating. Endurance players can develop a big mismatch between sweat losses and fluid intake, so programmed drinking can be a good plan for them. Players who exercise for a shorter exercise time (<60 minutes) are less likely to become dehydrated, so drinking to thirst is acceptable.

In laboratory-based research, >3% loss of body weight is linked to reduced performance. In real-life, many athletes perform well at higher levels of dehydration. Their motivation to win over-rides the effects of being under-hydrated and lessens its negative impact. But the question remains unanswered: Could underhydrated athletes have performed even better if they were better hydrated?

If you think a sports supplement will take you to the winner's circle, think again. So-called ergogenic aids are only for athletes who first have optimized their daily sports diet. No amount of supplementation will compensate for a poor sports diet.

That said, some supplements might enhance performance. These include:
- Creatine monohydrate. Supplements have been shown to increase muscle creatine stores by ~20% and can help you do more repeated sprints. Creatine supplements can be particularly helpful for vegetarians, given dietary creatine is found primarily in meat. NOTE: Sporting organizations tend to discourage the use of creatine in younger athletes, not because it will harm them, but because they have yet to learn what their bodies can do naturally. Youth athletes should focus on improving skills more than on taking supplements.
- Caffeine can reduce the perception of pain, effort, and fatigue—even in athletes who regularly drink coffee. You can consume caffeine via gels, caffeinated energy bars, pre-workout supplements, tablets, and of course, coffee. The problem with coffee is the caffeine content is highly variable, making it hard to define a specific dose. The "best" dose varies from athlete to athlete.
- Simply rinsing your mouth with a sugar solution (then spitting it out) stimulates reward centers in the brain, allowing you to work harder, perform better. Sugar doesn't need to be absorbed into the body to offer benefits.
- Menthol-containing mouth-rinses every 5-10 minutes during prolonged exercise in the heat can allow athletes to feel cooler, work harder, and run faster. But be careful. If you feel cooler—but actually are not, you might over-exert yourself and end up hurting your performance in the long run.
- Anti-cramping agents such as pickle juice, capsaicin, cinnamon, ginger, or hot or spicy tastes may “distract” the nerves involved with the cramping muscle and may reduce the risk/severity of a muscle cramp. (More research is needed.)

The bottom line "Wise Fueling" strategies can help get you to the winners' circle. If you are struggling to find an effective fueling plan that supports your athletic goals, consult with an RD, CSSD. Sports dietitians can teach you how to eat to win!

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes in the Boston-area (617-795-1875). Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a popular resource, as is her online workshop. Visit NancyClarkRD.com for more information.

Reference: Burke , L.M. Nutritional approaches to counter performance constraints in high-level sports competition. Experimental Physiology 106 (12):2304-2323 (open access)

Copyright: Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD March 2024

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Ride Leaders Corner

2024-03-02 11:01 AM | Wheel People (Administrator)

By Barbara Jacobs

Ride Leaders Corner includes updates and information for current Ride Leaders.

Have you received your "socks"? 2023 Ride Leader gifts were handed out to ride leaders at the Thank You event in November. If you haven't received your socks and want them, please contact the VP of Rides.

Did you know that you can take attendance at your ride using the Wild Apricot Admin App? Just download the Admin App to your phone and when you bring up your ride, there is a registration list tab. Choose this and a listing of all the people who have signed up for your ride will be there. Click on the circle next to the name (do not click on the name) and the registrant is checked in.

Get the Admin App for Apple phones here.

Get the Admin App for Android phones here.

New Instructions for setting up a Ride Event and Recurring Rides are now posted on the Website.

If you want to set up a "Single Ride Event" use the following instructions.

If you want to set up a "Recurring Ride" use the following instructions.

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Tech Tips

2024-03-01 8:02 PM | Wheel People (Administrator)

By Barbara Jacobs

It is almost a year since we introduced the new CRW Website. Things are moving along with its implementation, with new items being updated or added regularly. Here are some tips to help you use the website and the Mobile App for Members.

Mobile App for Members: The easiest way to register for a ride is through the Wild Apricot Mobile App for Members.

Get the Member App for Apple phones here.

Get the Member App for Android phones here.

Completing your ride/event registration: When you register for a ride or an event, you need to make sure you complete the registration process. You must click on the Confirm button, and the next screen actually confirms that you are registered.

You will then get a confirmation email with the Ride Description and details. The day before the ride/event, you will get a reminder email about the ride/event.

Password Problems: The current CRW Website uses your email address as your Username. The password is not the same one that you used on the old site.

If you are having a problem logging in to the website. Try the following:

Restart your computer
Close and reopen browser window
Try a different browser
Delete autofill username and password and type these in manually
Review the directions to log on by email, Facebook or Goggle below the login area.
Click on the "Forgot Password" button. Wild Apricot will send a link to your email address connected to your CRW account. Reset your password.
Use the Wild Apricot help located here:

https://gethelp.wildapricot.com/en/articles/22-passwords
https://gethelp.wildapricot.com/en/articles/1710

Finally, if none of these work, fill out the "Contact Us" form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

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Riding Forward: A Month of Momentum with CRW

2024-02-29 10:30 PM | Randolph Williams Admin (Administrator)

As spring approaches, bringing with it longer days and warmer rides, we're excited to share the latest happenings and upcoming events for the Charles River Wheelers community. This month’s WheelPeople includes information on Century plans, the Winter Challenge, a unique online gathering to kick off the season, a special ride honoring International Women’s Day, and other club news. CRW continues to thrive thanks to all our members' enthusiasm, commitment, and spirit. Here's a look at what's rolling this month:

Celebrating Our Centuries

Dates have been announced for our signature Century Rides! These landmark events test our endurance and celebrate our collective spirit and passion for cycling. Stay tuned for more details and start gearing up for experiences as rewarding as they are challenging.

❄️ Winter Challenge Updates

As our Winter Challenge draws to a close on March 15th, we're eager to update you on the progress and announce the hard-earned winners. Your dedication has been the fuel that keeps our wheels spinning through the cold. Let's push through to the finish line together!

Attend Our 2024 CRW Season Preview, March 20

Save this date! We invite you to a special online meeting on March 19th. We will share plans for the upcoming season, showcase our various ride programs, and highlight volunteer opportunities. Join us for a night of fun, inspiration, and community building.

International Women's Day Ride, March 8

Mark your calendars for March 8th as we honor International Women's Day with a special Women’s/Nonbinary Program ride. Open to women, nonbinary, and female-identifying riders, it's a chance to celebrate the achievements of women around the globe and within our community.

Let's Ride Into Spring!

As we pedal into this vibrant season, let's carry forward the momentum, joy, and unity that define us as Charles River Wheelers. Every ride is an opportunity to explore, connect, and grow. Here's to many more miles and smiles ahead. Keep spinning, WheelPeople!

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CRW is Looking for New Ride Leaders

2024-02-29 3:15 PM | Barbara Jacobs (Administrator)

The weather is improving, and as I travel around, I see more and more people on bicycles. This leads me to think about all the rides that CRW offers to its members. Last year CRW offered over 500 rides - with 365 days in the year, that means some days there was more than 1 ride offered.

Can we do more in 2024? I think we can....

Feedback from the 2024 Member Survey showed that members want more weekend rides. Please consider helping us reach this goal by becoming a ride leader!

On March 28, 2024 the Ride Committee will be offering a Ride Leader Training from 7:30 - 9:00 PM. This training is usually about 1.5 hours, is presented virtually, and presents information on: How to become a ride leader, Ride Management, Safety, Route Selection, and so much more.

Please join the ranks of Ride Leaders - we need you.

Registration opens on March 4th and will be announced in the ChainLink.

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Announcing the 2024 CRW Century Series

2024-02-28 12:39 PM | Wheel People (Administrator)

By Erik D'entremont

The CRW 2024 Centuries are currently being planned and will provide the same great riding experience to our CRW members this year. Riders last year might have noticed some new featured water stop sponsors: The New England Classic Charity Bike Tours at Georgetown, The NEC 550 at Mt. Wachusett, and Friends of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail, as well as many new CRW volunteers!

We appreciate all of our volunteers who make centuries possible and welcome more. Thank you CRW volunteers, you rocked it!

We intend to continue with these great folks and add more, with a new dedicated SAG from Bikes not Bombs at all our centuries.

In addition, CRW riders were rewarded with new cool CRW century sprockets for finishers of any of the routes in the series. We also hope to develop some new routes including a gravel option and a 30-35 mile route to one or more of our century rides.

Here is our 2024 century series which you will be able to register for using our cool CRW app or on the CRW website (as the registration process opens, it will be announced in the ChainLink).

The North to New Hampshire Century (N2NH) on May 19^th starting at the Wakefield High School or Technical School. The spring flat century will have several routes to get you ready for all your summer century rides.

We plan to run a fully-supported event with 3 beautiful routes, 100 miles, 62 miles, and 50 miles. You will enjoy food and drink at rest stops along the route at American Legion Park Georgetown, Shanahan Park Groveland, and Sawyer Park Kensington NH. There will be an After-Ride Party at Wakefield High School from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. How about that Hearth Pizza last year, yummy!

The Climbs to the Clouds (CTTC) on August 11 will test your biking abilities with lots of climbing and a climb up Mt. Wachusett. This Devo semi-supported ride will have 2 beautiful routes, 100 miles and 63 miles.

The CTTC hilly rides will climb up Mt. Wachusett for those wanting a challenge. There will be unsupported rest stops including Berlin Orchards and at the base of Mt. Wachusett. Come climb Massachusetts iconic mountain with views of New England. Of course we expect it to rain; would it be fun without it?

The Cranberry Harvest Century (CHC) on October 13^th our fall classic in Plymouth MA with beautiful routes passing cranberry bogs to Mattapoisett and back.

Come join us for another fully-supported event with 4 beautiful rides, 100 miles, 62 miles, 53 miles, and new 35 mile route. The CHC captures some of the most charming roads in New England. It is also relatively flat and very manageable for riders of all abilities. All rides start at Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth and travel through the cranberry bogs in Rochester, Wareham, Carver, and Acushnet.

Rides include rest stops at Eastover, Tamarak, and on the beautiful wharf in Mattapoisett. You will enjoy food and drink at rest stops along the route and after party at College Pond at the finish. We will rock out by the pond with sandwiches, pickles and beverages while enjoying the view of College Pond.

So there you have it, another great year of centuries is coming up, register early and volunteer. We appreciate and look forward to seeing you at our centuries.

Cheers from the Century Committee,

Erik D'Entremont and Mark Nardone

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2024 Winter Ride Challenge Update

2024-02-28 12:33 PM | Wheel People (Administrator)

By John O'Dowd

It’s done. The numbers are in. The 2024 Winter Ride Challenge is now part of CRW history. Sixty-nine members rode their bikes from December 15th through March 15th .

The results are:

Racers: 14 (includes three whose hours on the 15th didn’t get onto the leaderboard)

Weekend Warriors: 13

Recreationalists: 18

Participants: 24

The top scores (hours) for each of the categories were:

Racers:

Pamela Blalock - 203.25

Nickolas Linsky – 168

Nick Lepeshkin – 155

Weekend Warriors:

Robert Herold – 91.77

Jim Iannone – 78

Sunny Statsny – 76.97

Recreationalists:

Amy Juodawlkis – 49.65

Guillermo Munoz – 48.96

Clyde Kessel – 45.8

Participants:

Lisa O’Connor – 24

Riccardo Mazzolini – 22.5

Jack Vinson – 20.93

Raffle Winners were:

Racers (CRW gloves): Beth Rosenzweig, Doug Cornelius, Harold Hatch, Nickolas Linsky, and Nick Lepeshkin

Warriors (lights): David Wilson, Erik Sobel, Larry Kernan, Mike Laurin, and Sunny Stastny

Recreationalists (ear buds): Guillermo Munoz, Jeanne Peihl, Jenna Maurer, Joan Sarles, and Randolph Williams

Participants (inner tubes): Ron Molin, Sylvia Lustig, Michael Weintraub, Susan Linz, and Lynne O’Riorden

Raffles winners were selected using a highly sophisticated, state of the art random number generator operated by highly trained Ed Cheng. Special thanks to Randolph Williams (President) and Amy Juodawlkis (Executive VP) for providing technical support and crowd control, and Harold Hatch (Devo ride leader) who came up with the whole idea.

We had a nice little post challenge get together at the Mighty Squirrel on St. Patrick’s day where winners received their prizes and were served drinks and appetizers.

Keep in shape this season so you will be ready to take on next winter’s challenge!

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Women’s/Nonbinary Program Hosting Ride on International Women’s Day

2024-02-28 12:32 PM | Wheel People (Administrator)

By Amy Juodawlkis

The CRW Women’s/Nonbinary Program is happy to announce it is hosting a ride on International Women’s Day, on Friday, March 8, 2024 at 6:30 AM.

International Women’s Day is “a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all those committed to forging women’s equality” (source: IWD website). The day is commemorated in many ways around the world, from conferences and luncheons to online dancing and fun runs. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Inspire Inclusion.” Organizations and groups are encouraged to find ways to “…ensure the needs, interests, and aspirations of women and girls are valued and included.”

The Women’s/Nonbinary Program’s goal is to invite more women, nonbinary, and female-identifying folks onto the road, foster connection with other women in the club, and act as an on-ramp to co-ed areas of the club. Its co-leads are Robyn Betts and Amy Juodawlkis.

“International Women’s Day falls on a Friday this year, so it is a no-brainer to pair it with our program’s Friday AM social ride, the Praline Croissant,” said Amy Juodawlkis. “To celebrate International Women’s Day, we will host a coffee stop at the end of the ride.”

Leaving from the Minuteman Bikeway terminus at Alewife in Cambridge, the Praline Croissant is a weekly, 19-mi no-drop ride with 600 ft of climbing. This weekday ride leaves at 6:30 AM, and is open to women, nonbinary, and female-identifying riders. The pace is 13-16 mph, and leaders pause in set locations to keep the group together. Though urban in nature, it is a lovely route, passing through seven towns, and past Spy Pond, Horn Pond, and the Mystic Lakes. ***Breaking: We are actively looking to also schedule a similar weekend ride open to everyone. Watch ChainLink and the Calendar for more information.***

“Our ride on March 8 is a chance to ride in solidarity with International Women’s Day, and to elevate women’s participation, growth, and empowerment in cycling,” said Robyn Betts. “We hope to see a great turnout for this event.”

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