2020 Riding On Your Own: Weather, Route and Food

With your bike ready and waiting for the road (Riding on Your Own – Repair Ready), now you can start thinking about the ride. As I prepare to walk out to my garage and pick the bike for today’s ride, I run through the following mental checklist: Weather, Route and Food. Whether it’s going to be quick workout ride, a social dinner ride or an all day outing, the same check list applies.

Build a ride from roads you know.

Weather: As in what are the conditions now and over the course my ride. What gear do I need to wear now, will I remove it if conditions improve, or will I need something, like rain gear, just in case the weather changes earlier than planned.  And depending on when you start, you might want a jacket or vest to finish an afternoon or early evening ride.  And when picking the gear, don’t forget sun protection, either worn or applied, for the day ahead.

Route:  Where, how far and how long do plan to ride? This will determine what you need along in gear and food.  If you are doing a quick hour workout ride, you may not be changing or removing clothing.  But if the ride is 2-3 hours with an early start, a jacket or arm warmers may be coming off as the day warms.  Along with your gear, route and riding time will help with your final check list item - Food

Scoring a fun lunch along the way.

Food (and Drink): When you are riding up to 1 ½ hours, fluids will be your primary need.  However, as your rides increase to 2 or 3 hours or longer, you need to consider having snacks along.  It can be fresh fruit, like apples, bananas or oranges, or any of the popular energy snacks.  Many riders will have an extra energy bar stashed in their seat bag, just in case.  Your route may also determine what you carry along, since you may not have shops and store along the way or they may have erratic hours.

With your bike equipped, and after completing your weather, route & refuel checklist, you are ready to ride.   Here are some more helpful tips to consider.

• Pace yourself:  If you are used to doing your longer rides in group, pace yourself when solo.  Many riders don’t realize the boost they are getting riding  the group.  Don’t be surprised if the first few miles feel slower.
• Watch the wind:  Just like riding with a group, the wind can surprise you.  Pay attention to those outbound miles that feel “too” easy.  A 10 mph tailwind will hardly be noticed heading out but will feel like a gale when you turn around after 90 minutes.
• Take Breaks:  You will learn what work with for your body, but a regular break (i.e. every 10 miles, every hour, etc.), even for 3-5 minutes at the side of the road, is an important part of pacing yourself and judging your condition.  And is even a short break will allow you to recover for the next leg.
• Remote Start:  For fresh perspective, even riding solo, drive to a remote start location.  When you aren’t repeating the same miles at beginning and end, it can help you mentally to ride farther. Riding somewhere new is always easier.
• Courtesy to Others: Depending on the length of the current emergency, please be considerate by including a bandana or other face covering for when required, and carry a small hand sanitizer too.  

Riding alone or in small groups can be very rewarding, and open new aspect to your cycling.  And the confidence and experience you gain riding self-supported will add to your riding enjoyment on your next group ride or tour.

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2020: Riding on Your Own – Repair Ready

Riding on your own, or Self Supported riding, has taken a whole new meaning at this time.  With the likely hood (as this article is written) that most of 2020’s large scale bicycle events and organized rides will be canceled or rescheduled, your riding this year is going to be either solo, with family and close friends, or on smaller unsupported group rides.

You can have some amazing rides, even with
just your shadow for company.

Having started my riding as a teen in rural Michigan, learning to ride self-supported was just a fact of life.  I can remember leaving home on multi-hour rides with a few dollars in change, a single water bottle, and my simple tool kit of tire levers, pump and a patch kit.  I explored hundreds of miles of local roads by bike before I had a driver’s license, even crossing a state line on a ride to my grandparent’s in Toledo, Ohio.

If your riding experience has primarily been with groups and tours, or short rides close to home, it may be intimidating to think about extended rides on your own.  But you already have the base; a bike and the enjoyment of cycling.  To start adding to that, you need to know your bike (and you!) are Repair Ready, and the 3 items to check off before you ride – Weather, Route and Food.  You may also want to scan my endurance riding blog series, #10weeksto100, for some additional tips and tricks.

Your first step in self-supported riding is to have your bike Repair Ready.  First and foremost, this means you can fix the most common bike repair, a flat tire.  This requires a spare tube and/or patch kit, tire levers, and inflation (bike mounted pump and/or CO2 inflator).  Additionally, you should have a multi-tool, that allows you to adjust your bike’s seat, straighten a twisted handlebar (knocked askew when your bike falls over during a stop), or tighten any one of the half dozen or more fittings on your bike that might work lose through vibration. There are a couple of video links from Park Tool and Bicycling magazine at the end of this article showing how and the tools you need.

It's the most common bike repair.

These basics, and a saddle bag, are typically available for under $75, and are a very good investment for any level of cycling.  Even before you learn to use the tools, carrying a spare tube for your bike will make it that much easier for another rider to help you.

And on the subject of bike essentials, don’t forget water bottles and daytime running lights.  You will typically need at least 16 oz of fluid per hour of riding (and more in warmer conditions).  If your bike has 2 cages, mount both, you won’t regret this as you extend your riding.   My favorites are the large (26 oz.) insulated style, however smaller bike frame may not accommodate large bottles.   Another option is a hydration pack, which; they are typically insulated with insulated, and some riders prefer them since they allow (almost) hands-free to drinking while riding.

I also highly recommend Daytime Running Lights (DRLs), front and rear,  for road riding.  When properly designed and positioned, the latest DRLs may have you visible 2/3 of mile or more.  At a typical combination driving/riding speeds, an overtaking car will be alerted to your presence for 30 seconds or longer, and this extra does change the way most drivers will behave around you.

Once your bike is ready for the open road, it’s time to start thinking about heading out for the ride.  Look for the next blog, Riding On Your Own: Weather, Route and Food for more tips on self-supporting your next ride.

Self-Supported riding resources:
Park Tool - How to Fix a Flat Tire on a Bicycle  https://youtu.be/58STtUM-Wow
Bicycling Magazine – How to Change a Flat Bike Tire - https://www.bicycling.com/repair/a20013517/bike-repair-how-to-fix-a-flat-tire/

My series for endurance riding starts here - #10weeksto100 - Preparing for Your First Long Ride or Century.  Don't be intimidating by the 100 miles, since this series is designed for building your confidence for any ride over a couple of hours.  

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2020: About That Canceled Event

I have been in weekly contact with a lifelong friend who is the Director for a long running Michigan cycling event.  Here are a few of the challenges that he, and his volunteer committee, are dealing with in making decisions for 2020 and beyond.

• Public and private facilities opening schedules
• Changing Food Service requirements 
• Pre-paid, unrecoverable marketing expenses
• Pre-paid insurance expenses
• Refund processing expenses
• Volunteers concerned about working in large group settings (and many volunteers are in at-risk groups)
• Participants concerned about large group settings (and many are in at-risk groups)
• Social distancing and group size limitations, and when they might change, and change again
• Extended merchandise delivery schedules
• Supporting businesses and sponsors financial commitments
• Bankrupt/closed business that provide mid-route meals/support

Most, if not all of these events are fund-raisers for a non-profit or small bike club, and few but the largest maintain a large year-to-year reserve of funds.  A large financial loss in 2020 might mean a permanent end of the event, or even the supporting organization.  

Please remember that most of our favorite bicycle events are volunteer staffed and run, and all of those same volunteers are dealing with the pandemic in their regular lives, just like you are.  And as a source of day-long (and longer) recreation, meals and fund-raising purpose functions go, most of these events are already an exceptional dollar value in every aspect. Under normal circumstances, these events require months of meetings and hundreds of hours of preparation.  And now they have to make very difficult decisions in a compressed time-line with no more information than you have.

Your "hosts" of these events are just as disappointed as you are, and working hard to find the best solutions they can in these challenging times.  Keep that in mind as you contact then and comment about your canceled plans for this year.

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