Way to Start the Season

It's been a slow start to the 2011 riding season. Last Tuesday night was the first CTS grope ride. The weather has not been working in our favour this spring. It has been too long since my tires have hit the dirt and it seems that the straps on my camel-bak have shrunk. The first ride is alway so rough, no mater how much I train during the off season it's just never the same as being out there on your bike, and this first ride was no exception. Nine hardcore CTS members joined me for this premier trek into Copeland Forest. I can't speak for the others but the trails owned me last night. Wet and sloppy are just some of the words that come to mind. The climbs where killer, I was constantly gasping for air trying to stay on my bike to keep from shame of being seen walking it. Though I found my bike handling really opened-up in the down hills and it all started to come back. That rush I have been waiting for the past five months, it was back. My hat goes off to John who smashed his face on a tree when he was coming around a corner (Photo above). Thank you to The Study Lounge for the amazing beer and wings after the ride, it makes it all worth while. I hope to see you all out next week.

How do you size up?

Looking for a new mountain bike the fits you correct? Checkout this mountain bike size sheet I found. This calculator at ebicycles.com will help recommend a mountain bike size based on your measurements. Use this information as a starting point when shopping for a bicycle. But, remember Every rider is different. Consult your local bike shop for a professional fitting.

MTB & Trail Etiquette

Can't we all just get along? We love to ride, and we hate trail damage. Let's not damage relationships, either! Trail access is important to everybody! Mountain Bikers need to be careful about offending other trails users. Face it, we're dangerous. We have chosen to engage in risky behaviour. People have a right to fear us, and they do. We engaged in a sport where we hurtle our bodies at speeds often well above a fast run, in places that normally never experience anything faster than a slow walk. So let us show lots of courtesy for the others out there and hopefully we can all get along.

Hikers and joggers: These trails wouldn't exist without their support. Don't pass at excessive speed, and don't surprise them. Be sure to announce your coming with a kind greeting or a bell. Get their attention before you can pass faster than a walk. Always thank anyone who yields their right-of-way to you, or holds pets or young children as you pass.

Horses: Try to look human. Talk to the rider, and talk to the horse. Get out of shadows so the horse can see you. Most horse riders will appreciate and thank you for dismounting.

The Environment: Don't leave anything on the trail, other then sweat! Don't leave energy bar wrappers, bike parts, gel tube tops, patch kits or anything on the trail!

Other Mountain Bikers: Never, ever tailgate. Pass with care. Announce yourself. The rider heading uphill, even though they are going slower, always has the right of way (though they often yield it to a fast downhiller.) The group with children has right of way. Next, the larger group has right of way (CTS). Last, the group with the most rigid frames has right of way! (You might have to stop and count to achieve this level of etiquette!)

Trains and Train Tracks: Trains go really, really fast. Aside from the pain your family and friends might feel if you get killed by a train while mountain biking, it's also true that train engineers are real people too, and they don't deserve to have to suffer the emotional trauma of ruining your bike and killing your sorry ass. Dismount and cross tracks quickly at a 90 degree angle after stopping, looking both ways. Don't try to bunny-hop tracks even if you're good at it. Don't ride on or along tracks even if they look unused to you. Stay off highways too.

Small Children & dogs: Toddlers an dogs do very strange, unexpected things. You really have to slow down near them. If you hit a kid or dog, it's your fault. Period. So unless a parent or owner has seen you approach and has grabbed the child or dog, there's nothing you can do but keep slowing down as you approach so that as you pass, you are going at a walking pace.

THE DON REPORT Post 001

***IMPORTANT NOTICE: NO TRAILS WERE HARMED

IN THE MAKING OF THIS REPORT***

Not about the Don but by Don Legere. I was one of those customers who mentioned that the trails were mushy 2 weeks ago but things have changed. I rode today from Nursery Rd east towards the Board of ED. and the trails were perfectly dry until I came to that bend in the trail before the train tracks where there was a small section of ice. It was dry all the way to the Board of ED where I rode behind the building in sand as dry as the middle of summer. From there I went down into the valley near HWY 27 where I encountered 2 or 3 small patches of snow or ice and a little bit of mud on the climb up near the stream which was easily avoided without going off trail, but there’s almost always a little bit of mud there anyways.

Once back at the top I went to the big sand dune lookout and rode down the hill, over another patch of ice at the bottom, and then down into the valley where the long bridge crosses the swamp. Down there it was completely dry and firm riding, and then climbing the sandy hill which was only a little damp back to the top. I went back up to the Board of ED and over to the west then crossed the train tracks and down the trail on the right. I then rode along the ridge line before heading back up to Nursery Rd and crossing it near the new Municipal buildings. Now over on the west side of Nursery Rd I went to the trail that’s like a mini roller coaster which again was in great shape with only 2 very small patches of snow. Now at the bottom of this trail and over towards the pond it was pretty wet in a few spots so I walked my bike to the crazy humpback whale feature but I didn’t go any further than that because it was very wet there. I’m pretty sure if I went pack up the top where the soccer pitches are I would have been on dry trails once again but I called it quits for the day.

I put in just over 10k of riding while I was there and at no time was there any damage to the trails. So all I can say is ladies and gentlemen get on your bikes and ride our season has finally started and I hope to see some of you out there this weekend weather permitting.

Don Legere

Mountainview MTB Racing

Hello Fellow Singletrack Slayers!

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Thomas, the man behind the name behind the Mountainview Cycling Club, the Mountainview MTB trails, and Mountainview Racing Events. As I've (and hopefully you have as well) read on the CTS blog, goal setting is a fantastic way of improving yourself, both on and off of the bike. On the bike, this can mean challenging yourself to clean a tough rock garden, ride that nasty climb in Copeland without using your small chainring, or riding 10 zillion kilometres during the month of February.

For some of you, these goals could involve racing. Personally, I've been mountain bike racing since I was 8, and I can confidently say that nothing will help improve your riding quite like pushing the bike for every last bit of speed through a corner, bouncing through a rock garden at race speed, or gritting your teeth to power up a climb so that you can save precious seconds.

Of course, gritting your teeth up a climb could lead to blowing up and needing to slow down, and bouncing through a rock garden could end up with you over the bars...so surely, there is some pressure that you won't find in other riding situations. As such, it might not be so appealing to try out racing in a high-pressure World Cup, or even at a place with hundreds of people such as an Ontario Cup, 8-hour, or bigger race series such as Hardwood Hills on Wednesday nights. It is here that I present the Mountainview Thursday Night Series.

Mountainview offers low-key racing. We cheer as hard for winner as for the last-placed rider. Nobody is going to push you into a tree to gain a position, and nobody is going to cuss you out if you spin out on a rooty climb. However, don't be surprised if someone offers you a beer in the parking lot afterward, gives advice on how to clean that rooty climb, or ask you to come for a cool-down spin after the race.

Mountainview offers progression. Whether you want to blast around on flat twisties for 15 minutes, or challenge yourself on some of the gnarliest singletracks you can race on a race course in Ontario, we offer that. There are 4 courses to choose from each week for varying ability levels. The courses are changed up once a month, so even if you come out every week, you won't get bored.

Other perks include weekly draw prizes, results that are tracked throughout the season, and a year end bbq/awards celebration, with a slideshow of great racing photos taken during the season. The races cost 10$ a night (including HST), and season's passes are available. To race, you must have an OCA/UCI licence, or you may buy a one-day insurance permit for 5$.

Of course, beyond that, I think the trails speak for themselves. Hope to see you starting next Thursday!

Thomas Wood

www.mountainviewmidland.com

Trailhead Premium Lager

Next time you're in The Beer Store make sure to pick up a case of Trailhead Premium Lager from Ontario's very own Wellington Brewery. Wellington Brewery is the newest CTS sponsor. We will all be enjoying Trailhead Premium Lager at the CTS group banquet and Riders Choice Awards on September 10th, 2011 thanks to our new sponsor. Trailhead is a Vienna-style larger which is characterized by a careful balance of malt sweetness and clean, crisp hop bitterness. Very refreshing after an epic ride.

Water

Water makes up 55-75% of our bodies and every system in our body depends on it. It is the most crucial health element in our everyday activities, not to mention key to promoting peak athletic performance.

We all know that we lose water through urination and sweat, but did you know that your lungs expel between two and four cups of water each day just through normal breathing? Your feet can even lose a cup of water through sweating in your shoes!

Lack of water in our bodies leads to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don’t have enough water in your body to carry out normal bodily functions. Dehydration is technically defined as losing 10% of “water weight” from your body, although dropping as little as 1 or 2% of this water weight can hinder athletic performance drastically. Energy is lost, muscles are weak and may cramp, fatigue sets in and dizziness and headaches are experienced. Even your cognitive thinking abilities are compromised.

Now that the side effects of not taking in enough water has caught your attention, let’s go on to educating you on how you can prevent these negative effects from taking you off of your “game”.

How much water do you need?

A few options to consider are:

a) Replacement approach

• the average urine output for adults is 1.5 litres per day
• another litre is lost through breathing and sweating
• therefore, just to maintain balance we would need 2.5 L or approximately 9 cups of water a day.

b) 8 x 8 Rule

• Eight x 8oz glasses of water per day
• This doesn’t take into consideration any loss of fluids from physical exercise (which would require more)

c) Average Dietary Recommendations or Approximately 1 L/50lbs of lean body weight

• Males 3 Litres/Day
• Females 2 Litres/Day

Obviously we have other factors to consider over and above our day to day activities. Exercise would require at least another litre of water per workout. A good rule would be to consume 2 glasses of water an hour or so prior to exercise and follow with 2 more afterwards. Your Environment may affect how much water you require. Hot or humid weather will require more water to keep your body cooler and replenish the water lost through sweating.

Finally, depending on your thirst to gauge how much water you need isn’t reliable. During vigorous exercise, an important amount of fluid reserves may be lost prior to feeling thirsty.

Remember one last note: coffee and alcohol are diuretics and will dehydrate you even further, requiring more water intake to replenish.

Hope this helps... See you on the trails!!

Jay

Spring Officially Begins?

Dust off your mountain bike and grab your helmet—it's time. As spring officially begins, The CTS mountain biking season is set to start. I predict we will be riding in Copeland by April 25th at the latest, and we may do a Don Valley trip even sooner. Make sure your bike is tuned-up and ready to go, you don't want to miss the first outside ride of the year. Get into your favourite bike shop soon, at this time of year many people begin their search for the perfect mountain bike , also many bring in their existing bike in to get tuned-up. Bike shops can quickly get a back log of bikes. Beat the rush so you won't be waiting on your bike when we are out ridin'. If you are looking for that new bike this year be aware that there are many mountain bikes on the market, so it might be difficult to find just the right one. Make sure to visit The Bike Zone or Total Sports they will be able to help you with all your needs.

Bike to Work Day 2011

FREE TO ATTEND!
The first 100 attendees will receive a FREE t-shirt.

Register on-line at http://midlandbikeday.ctsbikeclub.com before May 16th 2011 and you will be entered to win sweet prizes from our generous sponsors.
8:00 am Friday May 20th, 2011, during National Bike-to-Work Week, cyclists will meet at 104.1 The Dock’s parking lot. The collected cyclists will bike down King Street, “Live-to-air with Meg Whitton” from the morning show and finish at the Midland town docks. The event is designed to increase awareness of cycling and promote healthy living in our community.
Anyone under 18 yrs old who wants to participate must wear a helmet and we encourage all riders to wear a helmet.

GREG BREWER | 705.528.6888.241 | greg@ctsbikeclub.com
104.1 The Dock | 355 Cranston Cres. Midland, On L4R 4L3