Club Meetings

Our June club meeting was held at Los Teltecos in Winchester.  The following are the highlights of the mtg.:

            Old Business:

·     Shenandoah Valley Boys and Girls
Club Ride – June 6, 2010

      The estimated number of bicyclists for this year’s Boys and Girls Club Ride is 240.  Mike Perry has not yet received a report of the number of Winchester Wheelmen that had participated.

·        Boy Scout Jamboree – May 22, 2010

Kenny Morris reported approximately 1200 children participated in the Boy Scout Jamboree at the Woodstock fairgrounds, of which about 200 enjoyed the bicycling segment of the event.  A cyclocross course was developed and was very popular with the participants.  Mike Perry stated there were also lessons on bicycle safety, including the proper use of helmets and the wearing of reflective wristbands, donated by VDOT.

·          Bicycle Signage

Share the Road bicycle signage discussion has been tabled until more information is obtained

New Business:

·        Treasury Report

Checking   $2,569.70

Savings      $4,472.31

Race Team Account   $4,179.80

·         Meeting with Local Politicians

Richard Hardison had attended a Republican Committee meeting to speak with Beverly Sherwood and Jill Vogel regarding the enacting of a 3 foot law for bicyclists on the roads.  The argument against the passing of the 3 foot law is that it is difficult to enforce on the narrow roads, where there is not enough room for a motor vehicle to pass a cyclist, therefore not allowing the 3 feet for the cyclist to be passed safely.  Richard Hardison has offered to contact VA Delegate Joe May regarding this issue.

·         Wheelmen Clothing

At the race team committee meeting, the team clothing was discussed.  Champion has the best value, but the team may need to look at a new vendor for quality triathlete clothing.  Also, the sock colors do not match the kits; however, Champion has offered to upgrade the socks at the same price.  Another order for clothing will be placed; contact Erik Beatley if interested in placing an order.  Watch the listserv for details.  Expect 6-8 weeks for delivery.

·         Huntsberry Property at the 3^rd Battle
of Winchester

A farmer has leased the Huntsberry property for his cattle.  There is a proposal to incorporate more interpretive signage by 2014, which will be the 150^th Anniversary of the 3^rd Battle of Winchester.  Ed Bearss, Civil War battlefield historian, will be at the 3^rd Battle of Winchester site to lead approximately 40 people on a walking history tour of the battlefield.  More walking tours are expected on the property; therefore cyclists are reminded to yield to pedestrians on the trails.

·         Apple Harvest Cross Race –
October 3, 2010

The Apple Harvest Cross Race is designated as a MABRA event.  Volunteers are requested to help with setup on the evening of Saturday, October 2, as well as cleanup and take down of the course on Sunday, October 3, after the race.  Contact Kenny Morris or Steve Breeden if interested in volunteering.  Mike Perry has approximately 75 water bottles he would like to donate from the Blue and Gray Century, which was a supported cycling event some time ago.  The race team will take these to give at the Apple Harvest Cross event to the first 75 registrants.  A professional announcer is scheduled to be at the event.  Also, the race team committee is looking to invite Local 647 as a food vendor.  The race team committee is also looking for more sponsors, and any input or suggestions for improvement is welcomed from the Wheelmen membership.  Become a fan of Apple Harvest Cross on Facebook.

·         Bikes and BBQ

Steve LaDrew will host a ride, followed by BBQ, on July 3.  The lengths of the rides will range from 7 to 75 miles.  Attendees asked to bring a side dish.  RSVP required.  See the listserv and newsletter for more details. 

·         MS 150, Tour de Vine, Charlottesville –
June 12 & 13

Once again, the MS 150 fell on a hot and humid weekend in Charlottesville, VA.  Ten members of the Wheelmen team participated in this year’s event.  Richard Hartman reported the Winchester Wheelmen team, to date, has earned $4,835 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  Many thanks go to the Winchester Wheelmen and other donators for their support in this endeavor.

2010 Membership:   Membership fees for 2009, $16 for an individual and $20 for a family.   If you have any questions, please write to the PO Box or send an e-mail to info@winchesterwheelmen.org.

Dehydration and the Cyclist

Although it is possible to over-hydrate, sometimes with severe consequences - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16614865/, the primary concern to the aerobic athlete is dehydration.  When we drink water, or sport drink, which is better during long-term exercise, the bulk of that fluid crosses the intestinal wall into the bloodstream where it increases intravascular volume.  Maintenance of sufficient blood volume is crucial to aerobic performance for two primary reasons:  1) Cardiac output, which is the amount of blood pumped in one minute by the left (or right) ventricle,  increases in proportion to intensity of aerobic exercise due to increases in both heart rate and stroke volume. Cardiac output is an integral part of oxygen delivery to working muscles. When blood volume drops due to dehydration, so does stroke volume, and therefore cardiac output. In order to restore cardiac output, there is a reflex increase in heart rate above what would be normal for any particular aerobic workload. This helps to restore oxygen delivery, but puts the dehydrated athlete closer to maximal heart rate at a lower workload than normal. As a result, peak performance falls off. 2) During heavy exercise in hot weather, blood flow to the skin is increased to enhance evaporative cooling through sweating. With dehydration, blood flow to the skin is decreased, sweating is reduced, and cooling becomes inefficient. If dehydration progressively worsens during exercise, body heat rises uncontrollably, and peak performance falls dramatically. With extreme dehydration during heavy exercise, significant health risks arise - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17923731.  The text I used (Exercise Physiology; McArdle, Katch, & Katch) made some rough recommendations for amounts to drink before and during exercise, but it is subjective depending on temperature, the length and difficulty of the event, etc.  Basically, if you must stop to urinate every 15-20 minutes during a ride, you are drinking too much for the effort involved.  If you are riding a century on a hot day and you cannot urinate at any of the rest stops, you aren’t drinking nearly enough.                 

  -Dave Albecker

Future/Out of Area Rides         

SATURDAY, JULY 31^ST:
19^TH ANNUAL SHENANDOAH VALLEY BIKE FEST, Harrisonburg, VA.
Routes range from a 12mile “Family” ride to a 100mile “Hardcore” ride.  www.ourcommunityplace.org/bikefest   540-442-7727.  

SATURDAY, AUGUST 7^TH:
MT. MAMA, MONTERY, VA.  http://bikemountainmama.homestead.com  

SATURDAY, AUGUST 14^TH:
CUMBERLAND VALLEY CENTURY, BOONSBORO, MD. 
A ride to benefit San Mar Children’s Home, sponsored by Cumberland Valley Cycling Club http://www.bikecvcc.com/cvcc_century.html

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12^TH: 
28TH ANNUAL SHENANDOAH VALLEY CENTURY,
HARRISONBURG, VA. 
Start in Hillandale Park.  We hope you plan on joining us.  Portraits will again be taken and there will be door prizes and paninis at the end.  Massages will be available for a nominal fee.  Here's a link to our web site: http://www.svbcoalition.org/events/century/

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25^TH:
BEACH CENTURY BIKE TOUR, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.
For more information about the Beach Century Bike Tour, visit the website:  www.beachcenturytour.com or contact Jill Haag directly at 804-233-7111 for more details.