Greetings from beautiful Colorado Springs, CO
IS IT MAY YET?
Almost! We are less than 47 days away from KSU for the Midway departure from Ontario on May 13. I hope that everyone has prepared: Bike, self, family, etc.
There are so many things to do to prepare for a mission like ours. Mental preparation for the long days and short nights, the emotional experiences, the focus and attention needed. Physical preparation for the body to cope with demands we place on it along with hydration, nutrition, exercise, medications. Notifying family and friends of our plans, locations of hotels, contact names and phone numbers, medical power of attorney, and others.
Two things we can all do to prepare ourselves and increase safety – Core strength and skills. Have you started, or continued, to work on these?
Physical fitness is important for safe riding and one of the most overlooked, but the most important aspects of physical fitness is core strength. Riding long days, several days on end, demands a lot from our body. We sit in the same position for hours and days, focused on the road ahead, those beside us, traffic, speeds, etc. What keeps your body upright? Your Core.
The core is the group of trunk and hip muscles that surround the spine, abdominal viscera and hip. Core muscles are essential for proper load balance within the spine, pelvis, and kinetic chain. They spare the spine from excessive load and are essential for load transfer between the upper and lower body. The core is comprised of two areas.
- Core Trunk Muscles: Abdominals; thoracolumbar; lumbar and lateral thoraco-lumbar muscles
- Core Hip Muscles: Hip flexors, extensors, abductors, adductors and rotators.
Without these muscles being properly conditioned, strengthened, and toned, the rest of the body takes the stress, particularly the back. Most riders complain of back pain after long hours in the saddle, often blaming it on degenerative discs, previous back injuries, surgeries, weight, etc. All of these can certainly increase discomfort, and we all search for solutions to reduce the discomfort and pain like backrests, belts, coats rolled up behind the hips and lower backs, ibuprofen, acetaminophen. In reality, the core muscles are likely weak, putting pressure on the tiny muscles of the back and asking them to support the upper body, which they were never designed to do.
Start now and work every day for 10-15 minutes on your core. There are literally hundreds of exercises available online and from physical therapy, occupational therapy, physicians and other medical professionals. You don’t need to go to the gym, lift heavy weights, or run a marathon. You can do many of them sitting at a desk, standing at work or home, while washing dishes, even while laying in bed. Add some stretching to your routine as well, particularly the hamstrings. Physical Therapists estimate that as much of 70% of recurrent back pain can be eliminated by simply improving hamstring flexibility and core strength. Any athlete will tell you that the base for their fitness is core strength. Without it, all the training and weightlifting in the world won’t help them achieve the next level of greatness.
Your skills behind the handlebars improve as well with a strong core. When you need to maneuver, stop suddenly, avoid an object, lean into a corner at speed, and even balance your bike while stopped, you’ll need the skills to do so and the core strength to support the actions. Have you dusted off your skills? Have you been practicing in parking lots, on the road, or other areas? Are you ready? Skills are perishable and we can all do more to keep those skills sharp.
We are pleased to announce yet another opportunity to sharpen your skills. On Monday, May 12th, Bernadette Staples and I will be coordinating some practice sessions in Lot D, Ontario. We will have various patterns established with cones for you to knock the rust off and show yourself what you’re capable of. There will be some coaches available to give feedback and pointers to help you improve as well.
We will have two sessions available:
Since this is not structured, please come as you have time, for as little, or as long as you wish. It is not necessary to sign up, just show up when you have time after getting checked in at registration. Everyone is welcome. This isn’t for one group or skill set, this is for everyone. Last year we had a lot of fun, some laughs, some team building and some improvement. We had riders who had never navigated a cone, some who teach rider skills, and even one who races professionally. We all have room for improvement, and we can all benefit from being more skilled, safer riders.
Please consider joining us on Monday for some practice. If there are specific things you’d like to work on, let us know and we’ll facilitate that and help you improve. We can all ride, now lets all ride with skill!
I’m excited to see all of you in May!
Sincerely,
Lance ‘Batman’ Wheeler
Run For the Wall
Director of Risk Management
e: risk.management@rftw.us
Together We Ride!
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Midway Route Photos from previous runs are no longer available. 