Time for Venus

Recap
Wednesday night most of us ended up a little dirty and greasy after the hands on clean your bike clinic. We revisited the drive train cleaning lesson from last week too. I think we turned a few heads on the trail with that many clean bikes. The ride through Cherry Creek State Park was so beautiful except for the bugs. We thanked Cheryl for sharing her bug spray.
On Sunday, Dawn, Deb, Robyn S. and I rode 41 miles as our last longer ride before Venus. We made good time down and on the way back. The heat pushed us to keep moving and we finished feeling great about this ride and the upcoming challenge of Venus. Thanks for the great ride!


This Week
For the last two sessions of the beginner’s summer season, we will skip the clinic and opt for longer rides. I would like to challenge you in two ways. The first would be to see if we can get all the way to REI on the bike path. We will meet at the store at 6 pm this Wednesday the 26th and take off at 6:10 pm. This is a pretty flat ride but can be a little sneaky. On the way out, it’s got enough downhill to make you think it’s really easy but then you turn around and realize there is a small, steady climb all the way back to the store. I would encourage you to try this. We’ll have more time and this is the easier ride of the two challenges. The total mileage will be between 15 and 20. Don’t worry if you’ve never gone that far before because it’s still a no drop ride.
The second challenge will be to go the long way around Cherry Creek State Park. It is similar to what we did last week, but instead of exiting the park at the Parker side, we will turn around and go back the way we came. This is the more challenging of the two rides. The distance is between 20 and 25 miles. There are gentle hills and a few short steeper ones too. This will again be a no drop ride. We will meet at the store at 6 pm on the 2nd of September and leave by 6:10 pm. Let’s finish out our summer season by seeing how far we’ve come and how much each of us has grown this summer.
Sunday August 30 is the grand finale for the Intermediate/Advanced group. We will be in our custom jerseys ready to ride Venus de Miles with clean bikes. I can’t imagine a better way to end the summer.

Jersey Update
Dawn has a call in to the printer to see when they will be done. When we find out, I will send out a plan to get them returned to you by Saturday morning.
The Day of Venus
Let’s meet at Vic’s Coffee Shop at 6:30 am, and then we can walk to the park and find a nice place for a few group and individual photos. I plan to start as early as possible to give myself enough time to do and enjoy the ride. I can’t wait to see us all dressed up and together at this event!!

RMNP Weekend
Put September 19 and 20th on your social calendar for this summer’s last outdoor event. We are invited to Patricia’s cabin in Grand Lake and will ride in Rocky Mountain National Park. We will have an organizational breakfast meeting to figure out the details on September 12th at 7 am. We will meet and discuss the details over breakfast at the Village Inn at Southlands Mall. Please plan to be there if you would like to participate.
Tips
Getting ready for an event or a race is just as important as all the training for the event. Here are a few simple check lists for your bike and yourself to think about this week.

Bike and Gear
Check the condition of your tires and brake pads
Check the contents of your flat repair kit
Clean and lube your drive train
Check that the screws holding your cleats in place are snug
Make sure your outfit is clean and will hold all you need/want to carry
Stock up on your favorite energy foods and drinks or find out if you can use just the food and drinks from the rest stops

Your Person
Don’t stop training
Do a few easy rides to keep your legs loose and mobile, walking and swimming are two other good ways to do this
Don’t change anything about your diet the week prior to the ride
Get a good night’s sleep two nights before the event, because you will be excited and nervous the night before and probably won’t get the best sleep
Plan out when you’ll wake up, leave the house, eat breakfast (at least 2 hours prior to starting), where you’ll park, and what time you’ll take off
Set all your gear out in the garage, the living room or another part of the house so that you can see it all in one place