EBC Club Miles Cycled in 2011

The final tally for 2011 EBC club cycling miles during 2011 was posted by Joanne Blake. The full membership accounted for 168,519 miles during club group rides, up from 165,214 in 2010. The increase in mileage was entirely due to an increase in miles during December's snow drought. The full report can be viewed at the Club Miles webpage

December EBC Club Miles

2010 - 1,000
2011 - 7,309

Among the members of our group with posted miles, John and Felix were the leaders with 8,372 and 6,605 miles, respectively. John led the club in miles and Felix was third, with Felix leading among those that had to work during the week.

Club Miles
	2010	2011	change
John		5,559	8,372	2,813
Felix		4,182	6,085	1,903
Dave		2,068	4,440	2,372
Randy P.		1,705	3,516	1,811
Cons		1,065	3,203	2,138
Martin		1,097	3,006	1,909
Heidi		2,618	2,804	186
Rich		1,682	1,618	(64)
Hugo		1,630	1,189	(441)
Gary			1,062	1,062
Randy W.			382	382
Total		21,606	35,677	14,071

Ride report 1/28/2012

Elliot and his friend Andrew were the only ones who made it to Panera this morning...So they wrote a ride report. I bet they had more fun on the open road, then we did at Vision Quest.

"This morning the roads were a bit icy, but it was sunny with crystal clear skies, so we started out from Panera for a challenging ride North. After finding some of the residential streets to be pretty sketchy, we stuck to Sheridan road. Riding north, we were facing a steady cross - headwind that was gusting to 25+mph. Riding into that wind with only two riders made us really appreciate the idea of a peloton. In Highland Park we stopped at Higher Gear to check out the new Specialized Venge and the Scott Foil. Both were incredible aero-road bikes, and were pretty awesome to see first-hand. After warming up a bit at Higher Gear we turned it around and headed south. Going South, the headwind turned into a fantastic tailwind and we practically flew back to Evanston. We finished off the ride at the Other Brother Coffee Shop over some warm drinks. Considering that it is almost the end of January, it was an excellent ride!"

Get Ready to Bundle Up on Sunday - 1/29/12

1/29/12 Update - Ride Cancelled -- Too Much Snow In The Forecast

1/28/12 Update - We'll make a decision by 7:00 am tomorrow on whether or not to try and ride outdoors. Snow is in the forecast, so roads may be a bit dicey.

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Let's keep our fingers crossed that the roads are clear of Friday's precipitation by Sunday. It's supposed to be a partly sunny day with only a 10% chance of snow. Given that the high for the day will only be 25 degrees, it will be chilly, but still better than being on a trainer. The cold weather will make our stop for hot chocolate or coffee (Panerea in Lake Bluff?) all the more pleasurable. Also, we can't let Heidi, who rode through the 8" of snow last Saturday on a Surly Pugsly, put us completely to shame as the only member of the group willing to take on nasty weather.

saturday in the snow

While you were all taking it easy at VQ on Saturday (probably checking your text messages etc while riding), I was out on a Surly Pugsly trying to tame the 8" of snow on the Skokie Valley Trail...it was a ton of fun and the operative word is "trying".
After an hour and a half I was EXHAUSTED and not a bit cold....and definitely felt like a 12-year-old. Probably fell at least 40 times.

PS Strictly speaking I should not post this here because 20 mph was not reached

this is pretty funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GMCkuqL9IcM

Idea for this year

VQ is offering again four supported rides in Wisconsin this year. This is an opportunity to ride the official Iron Man Wisconsin course. We could consider doing it once as a group with a time goal. Let me know if it sounds like something you would consider doing. If there is enough interest we can decide on a date and register.Here is more information from them:VQ Madison Ride Series

Madison Rides

Vision Quest Coaching would like to invite you and your friends to a series of rides on the Ironman Wisconsin course. Between the months of May and August we will be doing the course four times, with a specific goal for each ride. For those doing IM Wisconsin, this is a great time to preview the course and learn its unique geography. And if you are not planning on IM Wisconsin or you are a cyclist, join us for some solid mileage with great hills to climb.

2012 VQ Madison Ride Dates

Saturday, May 5th
Wednesday, June 6th
Saturday, July 21st
Saturday, August 11th

Here is what’s included with these rides:

• A fully marked 40-mile loop course, turn-by-turn
• A turn-by-turn route map in case you miss the markings
• Aid stations along the way for your nutritional needs
• Fully supported SAG in case of breakdowns or other situations you may have along the way (all SAG and AID stations will be supported until 1:30pm)

Ride Registration

• Vision Quest Members ride free as a part of their monthly membership.
• Individual ride registration – $25
• 3 ride package – $70 (Save $5)
• 4 ride package – $90 (Save $10)
• Multiple ride options will be given during the enrollment process for the first ride you will be attending

Ride Recap - 1/15 to Fort Sheridan

Felix and I did an afternoon ride up to Fort Sheridan. Road conditions were not too bad, but Felix claims he still has a salty taste in his mouth from breathing the salt dust on the road. The roads were fairly dry and Felix had his fenders on, so I was drafting behind him as we headed through HIghland Park. We hit a little slushy spot, and boy did I regret the fact that I was breathing through my mouth. His back wheel launched a perfectly aimed gritty, salty gob of slush right into my mouth. Fortunately, that was the low point of the ride. Other than that, it was an enjoyable ride.

The wind was out of the south, and it gave us an opportunity to get in some good training on the way home. Going through Fort Sheridan we had to really work just to maintain an 18 mph pace.

Green Bay Road, Sheridan Road, and Patton Road (through Fort Sheridan) were all basically clear of snow. They may get a bit messy tomorrow if melting snow flows onto them.

We May Move The Sunday 1/15 Ride To 1:00 pm

11:00 am 1/15 update - The ride is on. We are meeting at Panera Bread at 1:00pm. It will probably be a shortened ride. Tentative plan is to cycle up to Fort Sheridan and stop at Starbucks.

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We may schedule a ride for Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm.

We'll make a decision by late tomorrow morning based on the condition of the roads. Check back in again on this website late tomorrow morning

The past two months of good cycling weather have gotten us accustomed to being able to ride on weekends throughout this winter. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will be able keep the streak going on Sunday afternoon.

Do You Count Trainer Miles?

The EBC Wednesday Show & Go ride attracted 9 riders this morning who took advantage of the last day of the snow drought to get in a good ride. We rode through the Botanic Gardens and took the Skokie Valley Bikeway on our way to Bluffingtons. The question of "Do you count trainer miles?" when setting and calculating mileage goals generated a wide variety of responses on both sides of the question.

Personally, my opinion is that only rolling miles should count.

Feel free to join the conversation by posting a comment.

Ride Recap - 1/8/12 Panera to Panara

We had another nice sunny day for cycling. Felix, Martin, George and I rode to Panera Bread via the Skokie Valley Bikeway. Considering that it was a mid winter ride, it had a bit more of a training aspect to it than usual for a January ride. George is preparing for his annual June ride in the National 24 Hour Challenge and Martin is training for the sprint racing season at the Northbrook velodrome. It seems incredible that they can both be so matter of fact about: 1) riding 360 miles in just 24 hours (heck I often have months in which I do not get in 360 miles), or 2) getting a track bike up to 39 mph.

Rob was on a solo ride and met up with us at Panera Bread in Lake Bluff. The five of us had a pleasant mid ride break.

As mentioned in a previous post, given how many members of our group are training at Vision Quest on Saturday's, our group rides will be primarily on Sunday's for the next 7 weeks. Next Sunday is predicted to be another snow free day. Come out and join the ride.

How Global Climate Change May Impact The Cycling Season

The snow drought this winter has been a real boon to cyclists. Almost 90% of the days this winter have been suitable for cycling (at least for some of the heartier members of the EBC). Given the natural variability of the weather, it is challenging to judge whether global climate change is responsible for this year's snow drought. However, according to a research paper on The New Climate Dice, the probability of unseasonably warm winters is up by about 66% compared to only about a 16% probability for unseasonably cool winters. The same goes for summer, with an increased probability of warm summers and a decreased probability of cool summers. The weather will still be variable, just with more seasons skewed to being unusually warm. As examples, the summers of 2004 and 2009 were unusually cool across the U.S.

Global warming causes the atmosphere to hold more water vapor, thus allowing for more extreme precipitation events when these occur. A factor affecting the perception of winter warming is the fact that global warming increases snowfall amounts, and there is a tendency to equate heavy snowfall with harsh winters, even if temperatures are not extremely low.

Given the increased likelihood of extremely hot days during summer, over time it may be appropriate to move some of the EBC's longer rides out of the summer and into the fall and spring. The midday temperatures during summer seem increasingly likely to be sweltering and unhealthy. On the plus side, the spring and fall seasons are likely to be extended.

While global climate change may increase the number of days with nice cycling weather during spring, fall, and winter, it obviously has a horrendous downside for humanity. The above post may make it seem like I have blinders on that limit my view of global climate change to the impact on EBC rides, however, I also touch on the impact of the extreme weather caused by global climate change on a financial blog I author at Will Extreme Weather Events Have A Measurable Impact On The Economy in 2012?

Saturday Rides During January and February?

There is a question about whether we should plan on Saturday rides during the next 8 weeks. A number of the members of our group will be training at Vision Quest on Saturdays, and participation on Saturday rides may be a bit thin. Of course, the weather may also play a role in whether there are group rides during January and February.

The EBC will continue to their Show and Go rides on Saturday's, so there will still be a fast group going out, however, without the members of our group participating it probably won't be at a 20 mph pace.

Please indicate in the comments section opinions on whether we should continue to schedule Saturday rides for the 20+ MPH Group.

Of note, we will definitely be riding on Sunday's.

The weather this weekend is predicted to be pretty good. Hope to see you at Panera at 8:00 am.

Did The Snow Drought Facilitate A New EBC Record in 2011 For Most Annual Club Miles?

We seem to be paying for the nice cycling weather during December with a brutal start to 2012. All Evanston Bike Club rides for the first three days of 2012 have been cancelled.

Given that I am not out on a ride as planned this morning, I had the time to take a look at the Club Miles page on the EBC website. According to this summary tabulated by Joanne Blake, the combined mileage on club rides via sheets turned in as of 12/18/11 is 161,421. This leaves the annual total just 3,793 miles short of the club record of 165,214 set in 2010. However, in speaking with Felix, he is reasonably certain that once all the sign-up sheets for 2011 have been submitted, the final total will set a new record for most club miles in a year. The moderate December weather allowed for lots of casual, moderate, and fast rides during the holiday season. The EBC has lots of hearty folks that were glad to have an opportunity to extend the season (my role model is Joanne Davis who taught me the Scandinavian theory that "there's no bad weather just bad clothing")

The snow drought allowed for a huge increase in December miles this year. Felix was able to get in 20 rides for a total of over 800 miles. By himself, he almost accounted for as many December miles as the entire club racked up in 2010.

EBC December Miles By Year

2011 ?
2010 1,000
2009 2,417
2008 1,678
2007 2,270

The EBC Club Miles page features lots of historical data via the tabs at the bottom of the page. If interested in viewing, cursor down to the bottom of the page and click on the tabs.