Cycling apparel with a conscience

It's always nice to see companies with a conscience. One such manufacturer is OORR (Out of the Rat Race) out of Australia. The owner, Tim, is creating a line of cycling clothing made from 75-100% recycled plastic bottles.

What I find interesting is that the bottles are broken down and reformed into polyester yarn. This material can be recycled and reprocessed again and again without degradation to quality. It only takes three steps to manufacture polyester yarn from plastic bottles. While converting oil into polyester yarn takes 9 steps. So not only is OORR keeping the bottles out of landfills, they are also using less energy to produce the yarn that constructs their products.

 

OORR is in the process of producing prototypes of their jerseys and bibs and should be ready later next month. As a contributing writer and product reviewer of RoadBikeRider.com I'm lucky enough to be receiving one of the prototype kits to test out. I'm very excited to see how it feels, wears and performs.

Trek is another cycling manufacturer that is helping the environment through recycling carbon fiber. Back in 2010 they started partnering with Carbon Conversions to recycle 60,000 pounds of scrap metal each year. Read more about their process here.


Let's hope that more manufacturers in the cycling industry and throughout follow suit and start using recycled or sustainable materials for their products. We all have a responsibility to leave this world a little better than how we found it.

Enjoy the ride.
Sheri

Naked has no place in cycling

I would never use "prude" to describe myself, nor do I think anyone has called me one. Hey, in the 80s I hung out for three summers at a nude beach on Long Island. But for some time I've been bothered by the Assos ads for their women's cycling apparel. I kept asking myself, is it really necessary to have a virtually naked woman modeling women's cycling shorts, tights, and bibs in very provocative poses? Please, give that woman a sports bra or jersey. Have her sitting on a bike or next to a bike with clothes on. Don't have her half covering her breast and wearing a "come do" me pout. Common on guys!!! Really???

Really....Is this necessary?

So I was elated to read that Assos has a new CEO, Phil Duff, that started in September, who's married with three daughters. He has come forward to say, "We are now going to portray women the same way we do men...as athletes."  Amen to that!!! The timing couldn't be better as USA Cycling named Assos the official cycling apparel partner for their team. Yep, time to clean up their act.

Ella Cycling Tips did a recent interview with Phil Duff and it sounds like he'll take the company in the right direction. It truly amazes me that women still need to fight to be seen and treated equally. The cycling industry is so male dominated that it continues to be a battle all women cyclists should fight. As consumers you can do it with your dollars and your voice. Support companies that see women as athletes, not a sex symbols.

Check out the article on Assos. I'll be watching closely to see if Mr. Duff is true to his words.

Share your thoughts and comments about the Assos marketing and other cycling ads. Does it bother you? Do you think it's okay? Voice your opinion below in the Comments.

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri

When going it alone can make the adventure

Below is an article I wrote for my cycling club's monthly newsletter regarding my recent vacation. I thought I'd share it with you as so many people couldn't believe I went on my own. Well, it was go it alone or cancel a vacation. This girl needed a vacation and badly. It was a great trip and while I'm sorry that Mitch and I couldn't share it together, I met some great people and had a wonderful time.

Enjoy the read,
Sheri

When it’s time to kill the Groundhog

We’ve all been moaning and groaning about spring taking its own sweet time getting here and that Punxsutawney Phil must go. In late March, Mitch and I looked at each other and said we need to get outta here!! So we pulled out a map and looked what was a day’s drive from Chicago. Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina all looked inviting. I got to surfin’ the internet looking for invitationals and bike clubs. I found the Burnsville Metric Century in NC but it wasn’t until April 30^th. Too long to wait, need Spring NOW!!! I emailed the contact listed on the site asking if we could get cue sheets ahead of time and if there was a club to ride with. Immediately I received this wonderful email from Marc offering maps, cue sheets, himself as a guide PLUS bikes if we needed them. Wow, that’s southern hospitality.

Next I asked him to suggest places to stay since it was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. He provided a handful of suggestions running the gamut of prices and “luxury”. We opted for this cute cabin 3,400ft up in the mountains flanked by national forest. Marc had said that one of the owners, Mary, was a cyclist, so we booked the place for a few days. Mary, was beside herself we were bikers and insisted on taking us on rides each day. Not to mention she was a native Chicagoan. Bonus!!!

We had the first half of the week figured out. Next was where to go for the second half. I contacted the Louisville, KY bike club. But did not get warm and fuzzy responses about riding with them or lodging. So we opted for the Bluegrass Cycling Club in Lexington, KY. First off, the Event Director for the Horsey Hundred is also a Pearl Izumi Ride Champion with me. Second, she’s a member of the Bluegrass club. Third, they had rides day and evening just like the Wheelmen. So done deal. Arrangements made.

A few days before departure, Mitch found out he wouldn’t be able to get off work. So since I really needed a vacation, I decided to head out on my own. So began Sheri’s Quest to find Spring.

Day 1:

Weather in Chicago was low 30s and sleeting. So it was a lot easier to head out on the 650 mile drive across five states to reach Johnson City, TN. I wasn't sure how long the drive would take me so I opted to stay overnight in TN and take the remaining 50 miles across Iron Mountain the next morning when I was a little more fresh.

Day 2:

Ate a good breakfast at the hotel knowing Mary had planned a climbing day for us. So I took the narrow winding road over Iron Mountain into Bakersville, NC. The speed limit was 55 mph and all I could think of was WTF? There's no way to take some of these switchbacks at anything more than 20mph. I also started to get a little freaked out thinking this was the type of road we'd be riding on for the next few days.

Arrived at Bakersville, literally a one stop light town. Yep, I was in the middle of nowhere and that was just perfect. I found Bird Town Cabins at the end of a windy road and Mary was already in her cycling gear ready to roll. I continued up this gravel road to Little Bird cabin. Yikes, it was like straight up the side of the mountain. The cabin was beautiful. Full kitchen, sitting area, bedroom and indoor plumbing. The view was breathtaking.

I quickly got changed and we were off for our first ride. No time to get acclimated to the altitude or warmed up. Three mile climb off the bat. The scenery was beautiful until I turned the bend and there were two armed Sheriffs with a chain gang picking up garbage on the side of the road. Not something we see on our WW rides.

The ride was 35 miles with 3500 ft of climb, including three CAT 4 climbs. I definitely felt the altitude which was another thing I had not accounted for.

We had a quick rest stop at a cemetery that even had some Civil War veterans buried. Took a selfie by the sign and headed home. Post ride I got to feed their 3 goats and then enjoyed a hot tub to soak my quads.

Elevation chart of the ride

Day 3:

Woke up to rain. Crap there goes my 10 years of vacation karma. But by 11am the sun came out, vacation karma still intact, so Mary, Alli and I planned to meet Marc for a ride along the Cane and Toe rivers and then a 6 mile climb they call Spivey Gap. I was thrilled to meet Marc since he started this whole adventure. Very sweet man who's retired and training for RAM. Very strong cyclist, racer and for you men, has 20 bikes.

The first 11 miles we did about 1000 ft of climb. Then some downhill to the rest stop. The store we stopped at had everything a girl could want, live bait, ammo, a burn permit and indoor plumbing.

The 6 mile Spivey climb boasts CAT 2, 3 and 4 sections. I just put it in a small gear and started up. Marc would ride ahead and then do track stands in the middle of the road waiting for me to catch up. Only 2 cars passed us the whole time so he was safe to hang out there. Once at the top we were at the Tennessee boarder and the Appalachian trail head. We stopped for pics and then turned around and headed down the mountain. A little eventful for me as I tried not to wipe out on the sand and gravel that peppered the pavement from the earlier rain. But I also got chased by a pack of 3 dogs and dive bombed by a kamikaze wild turkey trying to make it across the road. The count was now chased by 8 dogs and 1 wild turkey in two rides.

Final stats for the rider was 53 miles and 2,600 ft of climb.

Elevation Chart

Day 4:

I decided to skip the ride today and just start my 5+ hour drive to Lexington, KY.  I said goodbye to my new friends and cute cabin in the woods and headed northwest.  I arrived in Lexington about 4pm and went for a walk on the Legacy Trail. It's a multi-use paved path that is about 15 miles with plans to expand.

I checked Yelp for a place to eat dinner and found where the locals go. Nestled in between horse farms, was an amazing BBQ joint with a fun vibe.

Day 5:

I decided to hook up with the Bluegrass Cycling club. They boast 1000 members and have a huge offering of day and evening rides. Today's ride was 5 minutes from the hotel and ended up being 12 guys and me. They split into groups depending on speed. One racer guy, Chuck, said just get on my wheel. So I did and about 7 of us set out as the fast group. They were a great group of guys and dialed it back a bit for me on some of the climbs. Had a nice paceline going through quiet country rollers flanked by huge horse farms. There were tons of foals out in the pastures which really added to the beauty.

Towards the end of the ride the guys asked if I had ever been to the Kentucky Horse Park. So we took a detour at the end and sauntered through the massive grounds. There are polo fields, arenas, cross country courses, you name it. It was a nice way to end the ride. Stats for the ride were 36 miles and 1700 ft of climbing.

That afternoon I went to Keeneland Race Track. It's always a rest stop for the Horsey Hundred but the racing season is over by then. So in seven years I've never seen the track open. After that I headed to downtown Lexington for dinner and Thursday night live music fest. I met up with a couple of the Bluegrass members and had a lovely evening.

Day 6:

This was my last ride before heading back home. David's Fork Baptist ride reminded me of our Honey Do. About 50 riders of varying speeds, going different routes and distances.  A couple of the guys I rode with the previous day told me to come with them. Some gal Sarah had a 26 mile route she wanted to try. They said the pace would be 17mph average and they wouldn't drop me. BTW, there was no cue sheet or map so they better not drop me.

Well, there were about 20 riders in a double paceline screaming down these country rollers. The first half of the ride we averaged 19mph. Thankfully they dialed it back a bit on the second half to 17/18 mph. Another beautiful ride with a great group of people. But my legs were tired and it was time to head home.

I'd say my Quest to find Spring was successful. The groundhog is dead and Spring has finally arrived in Chicago. This past weekend we had back to back 70 degree days, sunny and low winds. Couldn't ask for anything more.

Enjoy the ride,

Sheri

No boyz allowed!!!

It's been a very slow process, but more and more bike and apparel manufacturers as well as tour companies are recognizing that there's a barrier for women to embrace and become cyclists. They are now doing more than "shrink it and pink it." Bikes, apparel, and saddles are now designed for a women's body proportions, apparel is becoming more feminine (not just pink) and clubs are organizing women's only rides or clinics.

Women's only clinics, tours and camps are a great way to gain skills without crazy testosterone added to the mix. Several years ago I attended a Vision Quest camp out in Santa Rosa, CA. The vibe was amazing. Women want to learn, we are like sponges. Throw men into the mix and you've got everyone just trying to bump up the pace and be KOM. Don't get me wrong, I love riding with both men and women, but there's always a time and a place for each.

Now that I'm learning to ride single track, I want to find an environment that isn't intimidating. Last summer I went to a Dirt Days event. It's a group of women who MTB and want to encourage more women to try out the sport. They encourage women of all levels to come out for a day of trail riding and coaching. They provided tips to improve my bike handling skills and how to read the trails.

Then in early March I went to Ray's MTB Park for a Women's Weekend Clinic. (January 26 blog) and (March 6 blog). The camp and the clinics were a relaxed and non-intimidating way to learn and better my skills.

If you are looking for a women's only event, ride or camp, you'll find a host of  companies and organizations that now cater to women. Just Google "Women's Cycling Tours" or "Women's Cycling events" and a huge list appears. Terry Bicycles also has a great list posted on their site.

In the midwest, two women's cycling organizations have recently popped up. Women Bike Chicago and Wisconsin Women Cycling. And The Chainlink has added a women's resource area to their site.

There's also a bulletin board specifically for women cyclists -- Wheelwomen Switchboard. You can post questions, jobs, rides...anything related to women's cycling. I used it when I was planning a trip out to South Dakota last year and wanted some suggestions on areas to bike.

And of course there's countless blogs and Facebook groups for women cyclists. One I've joined is called For the Love of Her Bike.

Many companies are also launching ambassador programs. Women cyclists encouraging and promoting cycling to other women. Pearl Izumi, Liv, Ella Cycling, and Pactimo are just a sampling of companies with ambassador programs. 

I’m proud to say, I was one of the women selected to be on the 2016 Pearl Izumi Ride Champion team. As a PI Ride Champion we are committed to spread the love of cycling and encourage other women and girls to try a sport they may never considered or were afraid to try. Using a one on one approach, the word is spread through our riding and community. And since women tend to communicate differently than men, social media channels are the key to messaging. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and Strava are all ways the Ride Champions will share their experiences and passion for cycling. Keep an eye out for #EndureAndEnjoy and #Ride365.

Finally, check out the League of American Bicyclists 2013 study called Women on the Roll. Here are just some of the findings from this report.

• 82% of American women have a positive view of bicyclists From 2003 to 2012, the number of women and girls who bicycle rose 20%, compared to a .5% decline among men 
• Women are the new majority: 60% of bicycle owners aged 17-28 years old are women. 
• Women accounted for 37% of the bicycle market in 2011, spending $2.3 billion. 
• 45% of local and state bicycle advocacy organization staff are female. 
• 89% of bike shop owners are male, but 33% of shops are run by a husband/wife team. 
• Women are still underrepresented in leadership positions, including the boards of national industry and advocacy organizations -- and their membership.

As female cyclists we owe it to the sport to encourage that next generation of girls to embrace  cycling. It doesn't matter if it is for recreation or competition, everyone should experience the freedom, thrill, and empowerment a bicycle provides.

Enjoy the ride,
Sheri