"I Have Burned My Last Calorie"

As we made the final push up Mt. Vernon (see recent post here), we had the sensation of our own "low fuel" lights coming on, and the quote above was heard. We were reminded of Coach David Ertl's advice for base-training: Don't forget to eat!

"Yeah, right, like you would ever forget to do that.  But if you haven’t been doing much riding and all of a sudden start doing two hour rides, you may find yourself short of energy, especially if you aren’t eating enough carbohydrates to last you through your long rides.   Short rides of 90 minutes or less don’t need much special nutritional preparation but once you start riding 2 hours or more, you will need to make sure you increase your carbs and make sure you eat 2-3 hours before your long rides.  Although most of us have enough body fat to fuel a 2,000 mile ride, fat doesn’t burn fast enough by itself to keep you riding so you do need to make sure you have some carbs in your system.  Failure to do so will result in low blood sugar, or, as we like to call it, the ‘bonk’" (http://ragbrai.com/2011/03/11/ragbrai-training-time-for-base-training/).

We've come a little too close to the "bonk" a few times, which has motivated us to do some research on healthy, hearty pre- and post-cycling eats. Our first step was to determine how many calories we've been burning on a roughly 4-hour ride. We set up accounts with My Fitness Pal, which has helped us estimate the number of calories burned, incorporating our individual weight, height, speed, etc. We were shocked that we were often burning upwards of 2,000 calories... no wonder we were so hungry!

This brings us to the importance of a solid pre-cycling meal. We've been guilty of rushing out the door after just an apple or banana, and we've paid the price! A quick Google search proved pretty informative: lots of tips about what and when to eat - check it out and let us know what you think. What are your favorite pre-exercise meals?

Now, what about eating on-the-go? While we are not advocating eating while cycling, it's important to have pit-stops for hydration and refueling. We're big DIY fans (and enjoy a little creative time in the kitchen), so we're going to try out the recipes in this post from Adventure Cycling.

Scenic St. Mary's

Before this last ride, we had both cycled down to Maryland's southern-most tip on the western shore, but never together. This time, we charted a loop course that took us by St. Mary's County farmland, Maryland's first capitol, St. Mary's College and the Potomac and St. Mary's Rivers. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and we made great time on our way south. Once we made an about-face, however, we realized why we had made such great time. We quickly saw the importance of calculating the direction and speed of the wind when setting a route. While our ride south followed the straight and speedy Route 235 (which also included a strong tail wind), our route north followed Route 5 - rolling hills aside the river, facing the wind head-on. Needless to say, we didn't make the best time on our return north!

We thought we'd share some photos with you of our scenic ride. Wide shoulders, low traffic, smooth roads and great views all make this a fun trip worth considering (and doing again)!

Pausing for a timer shot across from St. Mary's College

Wide shoulders and low traffic made it possible to keep your head "on a swivel!"

Checking out the sailing team on the St. Mary's River (plenty of breeze for them!)

Entrance to St. Mary's College

Views from the road - St. Mary's County, Maryland

Rolling hills and farmland - St. Mary's County, Maryland

Adventure Cycling

We recently visited Rhodeside Grill in Arlington, Virgina for a presentation by Adventure Cycling's Executive Director, Jim Sayer. The event was sponsored by the local Potomac Pedalers Touring Club. Jim's presentation covered the past, present and future projects of Adventure Cycling, including routes around the U.S. (and inspirations from other more cycling-savvy countries). He also clued us in on cycling news in the political sector, as he was attending the National Bike Summit in D.C., which featured some political heavy-hitters.

Perhaps the most exciting part of his presentation (for us, anyway), was learning about Adventure Cycling's visitors policy: Every cyclist who drops by their headquarters in Missoula, Montana gets their picture taken and added to the famous photo "wall"... oh, and they serve free ice cream!!! We made sure to tell Jim and fellow staff member, Ginny that we'll be swinging by for a free scoop this summer.

If you're considering a cycling trip in the U.S., we highly recommend checking out Adventure Cycling's carefully planned maps and tips (membership fees apply). We'll be using several of their maps for our west-to-east ride this summer. Perhaps we'll be wearing the T-Shirt we won after Jim's presentation to show our gratitude and support!

Climbing Mount Vernon

For our most recent weekend ride, we decided to follow the Mt. Vernon Bike Trail. This is a great ride for anyone who is a little nervous about riding alongside motor vehicles, as the majority of the route is on paved trails. The few times that you do need to access roads, you're in low-traffic areas for very short time periods. Be aware, however, that the trail can be somewhat narrow (for a two-way trail), and the rolling hills around Mt. Vernon can help you really pick up speed. Cyclists should be well informed of trail etiquette, including:

• Pedestrians always have the right-of-way.
• Be sure to use an audible signal when passing another cyclist or pedestrian (i.e. "On your left!" or the use of a bell).
• Double-check for on-coming traffic before passing.
• Utilize clear, predictable and timely hand signals.

When riding to a popular tourist spot, we learned that it's important to do your research about bicycle access before your leave. Mt. Vernon, for example, does not permit bicycles past the parking lot. We were able to sneak a photo outside of the ticket lines:

If you're thinking of making the trip to Mt. Vernon by bike, here are a few things to consider:

• The entire route is along the water - Consider bringing or wearing another layer to account for the breeze.
• While most of the route is relatively flat, the homestretch toward Mt. Vernon is pretty hilly - Get those quads (and gear shifters) ready!
• The route cuts through Old Town Alexandria, which could be a great place to stop for a stretch, bite to eat, or some window-shopping (you're on a bike, after all!).
• Bring a camera! You'll get some great views of everything from crossing the Potomac to descending on D.C.'s monuments.

Two Thumbs Up

Burrito Quest

What's better than a 40-mile ride on a gorgeous pre-spring day? ... A 40-mile ride on a gorgeous pre-spring day, then BOGO (buy-one-get-one) at Chipotle! That's not all: we discovered the pockets of cycling jerseys seem to be made with Chipotle's burritos in mind...

We're seriously considering sharing this evidence with Chipotle in hopes for corporate sponsorship of our ride. What other companies do you think would make great sponsors?

Our trek began and ended on the Metropolitan Branch Trail, or mbt. This great new paved trail provides a straight shot Downtown from Northeast D.C. Since it follows the red Metro rail line, you get some nice views passing over different neighborhoods, and it conveniently led us to our burritos at Union Station (great motivation for those last few miles!). A word of caution - Since the trail is still fairly new, low-traffic and off the beaten path, we recommend taking a buddy or two, and finding another route at dusk (or later). The solar-powered lights are a great idea, but provide minimal visibility to an already set-apart area.

The bulk of our ride was split between the Capital Crescent Trail / Georgetown Branch Trail and Sligo Creek Trail. These trails provided scenic, easy-to-follow routes, peppered with wooden bridges and running creeks. The unpaved sections (crushed stone) of the Capital Crescent meant we'd be cleaning our bikes later, but it was worth the view of the Georgetown Waterfront, C&O Canal and wooded areas of Bethesda, Maryland.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), a lot of folks shared our opinion and decided to hop on the trails for a walk, run or ride that day. Our fellow rider was T-boned by a pint-sized beginning cyclist (No worries, all parties survived unscathed)! We decided that these high pedestrian traffic trails will probably not be ideal for our continued training as the days continue to get warmer and longer.

Speaking of traffic... We were also witnesses to a scary runner vs. vehicle accident (Again, all parties were physically unharmed). A runner's decision to cross a major intersection (not labeled as a crosswalk!) resulted in a fender bender between two cars that otherwise might have struck the runner. It was a strong reminder about how important it is to adhere to the rules of the road - whether you're a pedestrian, cyclist or motorist - for everyone's safety and well-being.

In lighter news (zing!)...
We're two days away from Daylight Savings Time... and what cyclist isn't excited about that?!

Deciphering the Derailer

The Aurora has been having some difficulties shifting into the largest front chain ring, so we've been doing some research about how to investigate (and maybe fix) the problem. A good friend shared this handy article with us on derailer first aid. Make sure to check out Sheldon Brown's note at the bottom regarding the spelling of derailer. You can read the interesting story about the spelling here.

Do you have any advice/tips for shifting issues?

Meet Aurora

The good folks at Proteus Bicycles recommended that we ride a new bike for about a month, and then bring it back to the shop for a free tune-up (included with the purchase of a new bicycle). Last week, we dropped off our 2009 model Jamis Aurora to do just that. So, we thought it might be nice to introduce you to the second of our two sweet rides...

We know... It's a pretty bike. Even if you're not a cycling buff, the vintage color (specs call it "bone") and custom-designed suede saddle are pretty eye-catching. But don't let the aesthetics distract you from the important stuff.

Since our tour will be fully supported (all of our stuff will be in a van that accompanies us along the way), we weren't necessarily looking for a heavier, sturdier machine. Some folks might even suggest sticking to aluminum to save a few pounds. However, Jamis (and all of the employees we talked to at Proteus and College Park Bicycles) recommended a steel frame for its smoothness and durability over a long period of time.

When we began shopping, we were very careful to stay within our modest price range. These were our first touring bikes, after all. We learned that January (and the beginning of the year, in general) is a great time to shop for new bikes. Many shops offer significant discounts on the last year's models to make room for the new year's bunch. We bought the Aurora for 60% of its original price.

The biggest challenge in finding bike #2 seemed to be finding a bike that was small enough for a 5'1" female, while also being fitted for a cross-country tour. Apparently, a 47' touring frame is a little tough to come by. In this situation, having a full fitting included in the purchase of the bike was a big deal. One month of riding led to the discovery that having relatively long legs and a short torso can result in some strain on the shoulders/deltoids from trying to reach for handlebars with locked arms. Along with the full tune-up, we decided to roll back the handlebars and angle the nose of the saddle down a bit, which was a huge improvement... and just in time for our longest ride so far.

There are two other characteristics of the Aurora that make it short-rider friendly. For one, it has Tektro safety levers, which we thought were purely for convenience. It turns out that these safety levers (also called extension levers) have a pretty neat backstory (courtesy of Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Info):


In the early 1970s, many people bought bicycles with drop handlebars, for reasons of fashion, even though drop bars did not suit their casual riding style. Given the frame and stem designs commonly available at the time, it was generally impossible to get drop handlebars high enough up to allow a low-intensity rider to reach the drops comfortably.

The problem was worse for many women, whose shorter torso made it hard to reach forward to the drops. Though a taller handlebar stem with less forward reach might be installed, this often did not occur. Also, small hands could not comfortably grasp typical drop-bar brake levers of that time.

Dia Compe invented bolt-on extensions that allowed Weinmann-type brake levers to be operated from the tops and middle of the handlebars, making this type of bar bearable for casual cyclists, since they never had to use the drops. This was so popular that Weinmann traded licensing with Dia Compe, so that each could copy the other's products. (Check out the full story here.)

The drop handlebars on the Aurora are also very ergonomically designed. On most bikes, it is common for cyclists to experience numbness and tingling sensations in their arms, hands and/or wrists during long rides because of the angled grip needed for the curved bars. A close look at the final curve of the Aurora's drop bars reveals an inverted line, serving two purposes: a straighter angle from the rider's wrist to shoulder and and easier reach to the Shimano Tiagra STI brake levers. With both the extension brake levers and uniquely shaped drop handlebars, the Aurora makes for a pretty comfy ride!