Hi Girls.
Great job by everyone who participated in Bike 4 Betty yesterday! Lots of Gears Girls kits visible on the route...and lots of money raised for a great cause! Lisa uploaded the 75km route to the GG Facebook page - check it out if you're interested.
Gears Girls Jerseys and Jackets
If you ordered a jersey and/or jacket - they're ready for pick up from Gears. I can't wait to see everyone out sporting their Gears Girls colors!
Ride Information
Rides will take place as usual this week. Check the blog http://gearsgirls.blogspot.com for updates regarding cancellations due to rain or bad weather.
Important Information
Please remember to arrive on time and prepared for all rides. Many of you are arriving last minute to rides without having set up your bikes, pumped tires, filled water bottles, etc. Please be considerate of your fellow riders. If you don't own a floor pump with an easy to read pressure gauge I recommend investing in one - everyone who owns a road bike should also own a floor pump! Please also be sure to bring one (or ideally two) spare tube and one (or ideally two) C02 cartridge on every ride - if you do get a flat you'll need the tube and cartridge.
With the temperatures rising this week, it's very important to bring two full water bottles to each ride - one should be filled with a high-quality electrolyte powder. You should also bring some form of on-bike nourishment, such as a bar, gel or energy block; if you're riding longer than an hour it's a good idea to have a bite of something mid-way through a ride. It's also very important that you pump you tires - with a floor pump - to the approrpriate psi prior to each ride. Air escapes from road tires (especially in warmer weather) at a surprisingly fast rate - if you ride 5 times a week, you should be filling your tires 5 times a week! It's quite likely that you'll get a flat if your tires are improperly inflated.
Also important to note - if you leave your bike inside your vehicle (or on the roof) during a warm/hot day (ie. if you bring your bike to work and then drive directly to Gears for a ride), empty some of the air out of the tires in the morning and then pump them back up just before the ride. In hot conditions, air expands inside a tube (think of how warm it gets inside a locked car or van) and could potentially cause the tube to blow while the bike is sitting inside the vehicle.
Forecast is calling for nice all week. I think we'll finally get to see the sun!
Mel
http://gearsgirls.blogspot.com/
