Mock Tour de Cure - SUNDAY MAY 1st - CANCELLED

Apologies for any inconvenience, the May 1st Mock Tour de Cure has been cancelled.

Saturday 4/23 Hard Core Rain Ride is ON!

OK- training for the hard core - the Saturday Schuylkill training ride is ON. 

It'll be in the 50s and almost guaranteed to be raining! 

I just got over pneumonia, what's your excuse?  ; )

Let me know if you're nuts... er, coming.  I'll look out for ya.  215-913-6990.

Hydration - Don't Cramp Out!

Whether it's hot, or it's not, you will need to stay on top of your hydration needs for an endurance ride, including the Tour de Cure.  This does not just mean that you should drink water, but you'll need to take on electrolytes as well because you will be losing those along with your perspiration.

Don't end up cramping on the side of the road for your big Tour de Cure ride!  Give some thought toward hydrating properly.

Here are a few tips:

• Hydrate Before the Ride
  Don't go into the day of your ride dehydrated - you should keep on top of your hydration levels everyday, especially the week before the ride.  Although there is variation depending on your body makeup, activity level, and so forth, a good rule of thumb is the "8 x 8" rule - drink eight 8 oz. glasses of fluid per day (all fluids count towards this amount).  That's a half gallon!  And no - beer does not count.  Alcohol will dehydrate you, as well as excessive caffeine - so be mindful of this.
  
  
• During the Ride
  Drink 17-25 ounces of fluid per hour during the ride.  That's one small to large water bottle per hour.  The exact amount that works best for you will depend on the ride conditions and your individual makeup.  Figure out what works best for you on training rides.
  
  
• Don't OVER Hydrate
  Yes, you can over-hydrate.  And if you do, you can reduce your effective electrolyte concentrations and cause cramping this way as well.
  
  
• Take Electrolytes
  Electrolytes come in many forms - some are powder mixes you add to your water, some are capsules or tablets you take with water, some are fizz tablets you drop into your water.  Find what works best for you, follow the guidelines that come with your electrolytes, and fine tune for your specific needs during training rides.
  
  
• Work Out Kinks During Training Rides
  Get to know what your body needs by testing products, approaches, and amounts of hydration and electrolytes during training.  Then stick with this formula on the day of your ride, don't change things to an unfamiliar setup for ride day - your testing during training will pay off!
  
  

Here is a great article from Hammer Nutrition on hydration, electrolytes, and other tips to prepare for your big ride!

Find and use whichever products work best for you.  But as a suggestion, I've been using Hammer Nutrition products for over 3 years now and I have NEVER HAD A CRAMP while on their stuff - NEVER!  I am so impressed by this that I use almost everything they make - gels, long distance fuels, electrolytes, supplements.  And they have wonderful customer service and great information.  If you are thinking about trying Hammer, order through this link and receive a 15% discount on your first order.

Full Disclosure:  The Hammer referral program provides 25% of your first order as credits to my Hammer account. I've talked to Hammer about donating that money to the Tour de Cure, but their policies preclude that because they simply get too many such requests.  But what I will do is place those dollars toward bulk orders of day-of-event products for our Team Red members - Hammer Bars, Fizz electrolyte tablets, and so forth.  I'll get whatever I can and make them available in the Team Red tent at the Tour de Cure.  So, everyone wins!

*** Note that I am not a doctor, so please check with your physician before you start a strenuous training program and validate the suggestions I have provided here.

2 Rides on Saturday 4/16

OK, we've got two rides to choose from this Saturday.

There's Kevin's Weekly Schuylkill Ride at 10am from the Conshy train station.  Easy to moderate ride, will be doing 30-35 miles.  I'm just getting over my cold, so I may not be able to push it too much.

There is also Brady Gibney's ride at 9am starting from the Cadence bike shop in Manayunk. A hillier ride, but Brady will tailor difficulty for the group.


See the Training Rides tab (above) for more details.

Two Weekend Rides (4/9 and 4/10)

Two!  Count 'em, two rides next weekend - April 9th and 10th.

I have to go down to DC for some family stuff next Saturday, so Andy Poole will be leading next Saturday's Schuylkill Trail Ride at 10am.  Starts at the normal meeting place - see the Training Rides tab for more info.

Also, since I'll be away on Saturday, I was planning on moving the ride to Sunday.  But since Andy so graciously stepped in to lead the Saturday ride, I figured we'd have 2 rides next week and I'll still do a Sunday ride.  So, we'll have another Schuylkill Trail ride on Sunday at 10am.  I've added this to the Training Rides tab - see for more info.

Also, we've got a whole bunch of other rides listed on the Training Rides tab as well - check it out!  We have some great "Coming Soon" rides as well - details to follow.

Spring is here and the rides are getting fun!

Saturday (4/2) Training Ride to Start at NOON

Saturday's Conshy training ride is shifting to start at noon for this weekend, instead of 10am.  It should warm up to the 50s by noon, so that should make for a better ride.  Meet at the same place - under the Fayette Street bridge on the Norristown side of the tracks.

See you there!  Invite friends. ; )

Cheers,
k