Tag Archives: cycling

RoadSpokes First Spring Ride 2015

Meet at Montpellier High School parking lot at 5:15pm.

Ride begins promptly at 5:30pm.

ROAD SPOKES 2015

RoadSpokes, a cycling club organized and led by Linda Freeman in conjunction with Onion River Sports in Montpelier, Vermont, meets Tuesday, May 26^th, 5:15 p.m. to dark, to and including the Onion River Century ride, July 25, 2015.

MEMBERSHIP -Though guests are always welcome; RoadSpokes Club members receive discounts and incentives in addition to establishing themselves as part of Central Vermont’s cycling community, team players in a supportive and friendly group of riders. Register at Onion River Sports on Langdon Street in Montpelier prior to your first ride.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION – Unless otherwise specified, group convenes at Montpelier High School parking lot beginning at 5 p.m., suggested training notes at 5:15 and ride-out promptly at 5:30. (If you must arrive late, join us as you are able.)

3 GROUP LEVELS – Group self-identifies as Advanced – fast, often pace line, more aggressive; Intermediate – moderate pace but purposeful; and Relaxed – appropriate for newcomers to the road as well as any rider who needs a more relaxed ride that day. (Note: new riders should be able to maintain a pace of about 12 mph and to ride 10-12 miles minimum. Newbies should practice with their bikes prior to first session, utilize bike paths and quiet roads to gain experience and then join us to move to the next level with confidence.)

Riders should ARRIVE with bikes in good condition (tires inflated before each ride), know how to change a tire, wear appropriate and highly visible clothing, wear identification and emergency contact/medical information, and be prepared with the usual current and fitted mandatory helmet, bike light(s), water and fuel.

Onion River Sports will provide a support rider/mechanic for every ride. Each of the groups listed above will have a leader and/or support rider with them. There is a designated sweep for each evening. We offer a NO-DROP ride.

RAIN POLICY – if raining, organized rides are cancelled, but individuals may choose to ride independently.

WAIVERS – Non-members are welcomed but must stop by ORS to sign a waiver prior to their ride; members sign at joining.

CYCLING AT OTHER TIMES: Perhaps the biggest benefit is that this is a group of riders meeting riders and becoming friends. RoadSpokes provides the opportunity to connect, to arrange for other rides at other times, to share information, and to enhance their cycling experience individually and collectively.

Questions? Contact Linda, linda@lindafreemanfitness.com or ORS, at 229-9409.

RoadSpokes 2014 with Onion River Sports

April 16, 2014

RoadSpokes will begin, weather permitting, May 6^th and 7^th. For the season Formerly Cycling 101, RoadSpokes is the same concept with a different look.

This year RoadSpokes is a club. Visitors are welcome, but in order to receive additional benefits, riders have the option to join. See below for details.

Riders are encouraged to purchase a RoadSpokes jersey (beautifully designed by Carrie at ORS), to train for all or part of the Onion River Century Ride on Saturday, July 26^th, to form friendships and find compatible riding buddies for rides other than midweek and to observe responsible cycling practices at all times. Remember; when you ride you demonstrate what is best about the cycling community in Central Vermont. You represent RoadSpokes, Onion River Sports, and, in fact, all of us.

A well-maintained bike, sufficient emergency equipment, spare tube and tire repair items, fore and aft lights, RoadID, water bottle, and, of course a helmet are strongly recommended and/or mandated.

As you will read below, RoadSpokes 201 will meet from 5 p.m. at Montpelier High School on Tuesdays. Following discussion and training tips or plans for the evening’s ride, bikes will roll out at 5:30. As we work with daylight hours, traffic, and our improving conditioning throughout the weeks, these rides will vary a bit, but will mostly follow Route 2 to 100B to Moretown, perhaps over the Duxbury Gap or out Route 12 towards Elmore. Each ride will be designated in advance.

RoadSpokes 101 is a gentler ride, a training hour or so dedicated to the less experienced or the timid, the rider who wisely choses to add a modest ride to his or her weekly schedule, a cyclist who is rehabbing an injury, or for those who are not geared for a road bike – yet. The timing is the same: arrive 5-5:30 pm., MHS. Training begins at 5:30.

I will be present for both 201 and 101 as will a staff member from ORS. We stand by our “no drop” policy and will leave no one on the road. (The penalty for stopping at the Creemee Stand is that you must buy us a creemee too.) ORS will assist with maintenance issues that can be performed on the road, but we urge you to have your pre-season tune up and any subsequent necessary maintenance done by the staff in the shop at ORS.

All riders must sign a release before first ride.

Registration forms are to be made available in the shop (ORS on Langdon Street) by the end of April.

If you have any further questions, please contact me by emailing linda@lindafreemanfitness.com, or speak with any staff member at Onion River Sports, 229-9409. See you soon! Linda

Linda Freeman Fitness

NOTES FROM ORS 2014

Onion River Sports’ Road Cycling Club open to everyone who rides a bike. We strive to get more folks comfortable cycling on the road and help them improve bike handling skills, group riding skills, and fitness while offering the opportunity to meet other local folks who love to ride.

What you get: a 10% discount on cycling accessories and clothing at Onion River Sports and the best price we can manage on bikes, discount on a club jersey, free clinics, group rides, and weekly emails with training info from our ride leader, Linda Freeman. If it all works well, we’ll throw in a celebration at the end of the season, too!

What it costs: $15

Group RoadSpokes Club Rides

Onion River Sports offers 2 weekly group rides for RoadSpokes club members. These rides are your best source of information and a wonderful place to grow your cycling skills in a friendly, supportive environment. Rides are fully supported by an Onion River Sports mechanic and are led by Linda Freeman.

Weekly rides are offered for individuals whose skills run from beginner through those comfortable riding a paceline. A season’s group ride series includes instruction, goal setting, bike maintenance advice, and information about training for an event. Our rides use the Onion River Century Ride on Saturday, July 26, 2014 as a training goal.

RoadSpokes 101 – Wednesdays beginning May 7th, weather permitting, through July 23

Used as either an introduction to cycling on the road, or as a relaxed ride for anyone who chooses to meet, RoadSpokes 101 is appropriate for all levels and for all bikes. These rides are supported and include instruction on many things that make riding more fun, comfortable, and easier, including: how to care for your bike, what to wear, safety on the road, how to fix a flat tire, and tips to improve your fitness with targeted training.

RoadSpokes 201 – Tuesdays beginning May 6^th, weather permitting, through July 22

These rides are for individuals who are already comfortable on the road with road bikes recommended. (Don’t let the type of bike stop you, but riders on road bikes will be able to ride faster and target their training more effectively.) Rides will start at an appropriate pace and will increase in distance and intensity as we train for the Onion River Century Ride on July 27. We start from the same place and end at the same place, but riders spread out along the way to ride at their chosen pace, alone or in groups. Again, we honor our “no-drop” policy.

POST RIDE SAUNA

P2EC 2014 – Achieving Goals

I had the best seat in the house. On Sunday morning 3/2/2014 I was seated on my Spinner® flanked by my good friends and fellow instructors Mark and Mark, facing a studio full of riders who had committed to a cause, an event, a Pedal to End Cancer, and to community. I saw discomfort, friendship, authenticity.

Cancer has touched us all. Every one of us. Those pouring their energy and their resources into this ride refused to sit by helplessly. They did something, made a statement against victimization. It might be only a drop in the bucket, but enough drops will ultimately overflow.

Fitness, sports, athletics, competition, wellness, performance – whatever your focus – give us reasons and tools. Spinning®, for example, is so much more than sitting on an indoor bike. It is about skills and training, about learning to manage strength, energy, intensity, power and recovery.

Whatever our sport(s) of choice, we do best when we are informed, practice and then use what we are working for. I always encourage setting goals – not just abstract euphemistic ideals, but real, definable, measurable goals with a date and a distance. Knowing what lies ahead is enough to put aside an excuse to skip class or training, enough to bond with others on the same journey, enough to give us pre-race jitters and then enough to wash over us with exhilaration when the goal is achieved, the event completed.

Dig deep. You might surprise yourself. And, you know that oft repeated advice to “be in the moment?” Consider this: live for the moment, sustained by the past, and optimistic about as yet unknown future possibilities.

In the midst of challenge, we dig deep in other ways too. Ellie Stubbs posted this on Facebook just after her ride:

“Post ride sauna, feeling good after an amazing 3 hour ride this morning at the Pedal to End Cancer event. In 3 hours there’s lots of time to reflect on the purpose of the ride, to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Time to be thankful for family and friends who are cancer survivors and time to be mournful of those who lost their battle with cancer. This is my third year participating and I’m thankful for the support from those who donated for my ride, my friends who helped organize the ride again, especially Linda Freeman and Scott Hess, my partners on the road, and to the many local businesses providing donations. I hope all of our efforts help to make cancer a disease of the past.”

This is community at it’s best. This is what it feels like to go outside our comfort zones, to reach for an attainable goal that is, in fact, a reach – and then to achieve that goal. This is about caring and empathy, not about offering words of wisdom, but about saying I’m sorry for your pain and I’ll do something, I’ll offer my own discomfort in hope, I’ll grieve with you and I’ll celebrate what is.

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Thanks to a team of dedicated volunteers led by Ellie Stubbs including: Scott Hess (also our leading fund-raiser by far), Linda Freeman, Kate Harbaugh, Frank Partsch, Sherry Goulette, Deb Raymond; Kathleen Burroughs and “kids” for memory flowers.

Thanks to Mark Bates, Linda Freeman and Mark Simakaski for leading the rides.

Huge thanks to all participants!

Thanks to friends and family who helped support each rider and each team

with financial contributions and encouragement.

Thank you to our sponsors within the Central Vermont community:

FIRST IN FITNESS

ONION RIVER SPORTS (MUSCLES NOT MOTORS)

HUNGER MOUNTAIN CO-OP

National Life Group

Artesano

Sarah Bothfeld, Massage Therapist

Community National Bank

Farrell Distributing for vitamin waters

FitWerx

Steve McKinstry, Personal Trainer

Morse Farm Sugarworks

Denise Palmer and the staff at Ameriprise Financial

Road ID

Stowe Kitchen, Bath & Linens

Three Penny Taproom

Twin City Subaru