Last Sunday was the last PALM meeting before the ride. We've been talking about (and planning) PALM since last September. This is the meeting where you realize that PALM is really going to happen. It is the meeting that you stuff all the packets that get distributed at registration: 813 packets, each with a participant's name on it. I spent Memorial Day weekend creating packet labels and rider info sheets. I had to use two reams of paper. The packets contain the map booklet, the ride patch, and the Milestone booklet that describes what is on the route, all visible proof that PALM is real and will be happening soon. I also created all the meal lists for the sites. I don't know about you, but I'm getting excited.
I've added some statistics about this year's participants to the website and you can compare this year to previous years. This year we have 263 first timers to PALM, 32%. As you can tell by looking that the statistics from previous years, this is normal. We did a survey one year and found that this was the first week long tour for about half of the first time riders. So if this is your first time on a week long tour, you'll have plenty of company.
You can also see that PALM participants come in all ages, that if your kids are on the ride, they won't be alone, and that if you are over 40 (or 50 or 60 or 70), you won't stand out. The smallest age brackets are riders in their 20's and 30's which has always surprised me. The great majority of the participants are from Michigan, 75%, but we have people from 28 states and one province. This year we have participants from Louisiana, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Go figure.
So even if the weather is a little cool, get out and ride: 3 more weeks to PALM and we mean it.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Getting Ready
It’s been over 80 degrees the last two days with more sunny, warm weather in the forecast and it’s only 4 more weeks to PALM.
No more excuses to not ride your bike.
By now you should have had your bike into the shop for a tune-up. Maybe you did it yourself. You should have a number of rides in and are taking advantage of this great weather by riding, at least a little, almost daily. Maybe you’ve completed a longish organized ride like the Metro Grand Spring Tour or the Zoo-de-Mac. If so, you are well on your way to being prepared for PALM.
If not, do yourself a favor and get started. The more you train now, the more you will enjoy yourself on PALM.
For more on preparing for PALM, check out this PALM web page ( if nessesary, copy and paste the link into your browser):
http://www.lmb.org/palm/training.html
As you ramp up your training, please review my web page on Cycling Safety:
http://www.lmb.org/palm/safety.html
No more excuses to not ride your bike.
By now you should have had your bike into the shop for a tune-up. Maybe you did it yourself. You should have a number of rides in and are taking advantage of this great weather by riding, at least a little, almost daily. Maybe you’ve completed a longish organized ride like the Metro Grand Spring Tour or the Zoo-de-Mac. If so, you are well on your way to being prepared for PALM.
If not, do yourself a favor and get started. The more you train now, the more you will enjoy yourself on PALM.
For more on preparing for PALM, check out this PALM web page ( if nessesary, copy and paste the link into your browser):
http://www.lmb.org/palm/training.html
As you ramp up your training, please review my web page on Cycling Safety:
http://www.lmb.org/palm/safety.html
Sunday, May 10, 2009
PALM Change Deadline: May 15
If you have registered for PALM, May 15 is the deadline for any meal or bus changes. After May 15, whatever you got, you got. May 15 is also the deadline for cancellations. Before May 15 individuals on an application can cancel and get their money back except for a $15 cancellation fee. If everyone on an application cancels, the cancellation fee is $20 for the whole application. (The idea behind this is that if a family has to cancel, it should cost them $20, not $15 for every member of the family. It's part of making PALM a family friendly ride.) All cancellations have to done in writing and mailed to the PALM address (PALM; PO Box 7161; Ann Arbor, MI 48107) . No email cancellations will be accepted. What this means to me is that registration finally ends. All I have to do is create meal and bus lists, packet content sheets and labels and I'm done. After the last PALM meeting on May 31, all that's left is riding the PALM. I'll be processing odds and ends up until then, some of which I'll be getting today.
It's time for the big garden push. I have to extend the garden on one side because a tree is starting to shade it on the other. I have to put in the warm weather vegetables, some of which will be plants that I'll be getting this week. I have flowers to plant in the front yard to hide the vegetables that I have there. The irony is that with all this garden work, I've done nothing on my lawn. I haven't even cut it yet. Since I've stopped putting weed killer on it I have every weed in the world growing there and almost no grass. My neighbors must think I'm crazy especially when they see me going out for a bike ride instead of working on my lawn. On the plus side the turnips, lettuce and greens that I planted from seed on Tuesday have already sprouted. Maybe I can plant my entire front yard in turnips and zucchini.
It's time for the big garden push. I have to extend the garden on one side because a tree is starting to shade it on the other. I have to put in the warm weather vegetables, some of which will be plants that I'll be getting this week. I have flowers to plant in the front yard to hide the vegetables that I have there. The irony is that with all this garden work, I've done nothing on my lawn. I haven't even cut it yet. Since I've stopped putting weed killer on it I have every weed in the world growing there and almost no grass. My neighbors must think I'm crazy especially when they see me going out for a bike ride instead of working on my lawn. On the plus side the turnips, lettuce and greens that I planted from seed on Tuesday have already sprouted. Maybe I can plant my entire front yard in turnips and zucchini.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Metro Grand
Sunday was a good day for bicycling. There was sun and the temperatures reached into the 60's. It was a good day for the Metro Grand. I registered on the day of the ride and I wasn't alone. The one year I signed up early it was 43 degrees and raining. Some people rode anyway (not me). They looked like textbook examples of hypothermia. But not this Sunday. Because of construction the route had to go west inland instead of east to Lake Erie. We rode thru New Boston, Romulus (no, not by the airport), Belleville, and Ypsilanti Township. I now know where the Rawsonville Ford plant is. What I remember about past Metro Grands is how bad Huron River Drive is and the number of railroad tracks. Yesterday there were only two sets of railroad tracks which we crossed twice, once on the way out and once on the way back. And I found out that Huron River Drive is just as bad going west as it is going east.
The most I had ridden this year before Sunday was 30 miles. The most Judy had ridden was 24 miles. We rode 47 miles. Fortunately it was pretty flat and the winds weren't too bad (10 mph) but still we were tired by the end. Actually I was tired half way thru, Judy was OK. Thank God for SAG stops and cookies. You know, when you're tired you don't notice the route much and it's not as much fun. You just look at the road about 10 feet in front of your bike and try not to think about how far you still have to go. This is not the position you want to be in for the PALM. PALM is meant to be enjoyed. You are on vacation and touring Michigan by bike. My advice would be to be in better shape than I am now when you do PALM. I plan to be.
A little garden update: my radishes are up. I took heart and planted some beets and turnips after the bike ride. I should develop a garden plan. Mostly I look at the open ground, look at the seeds I have, pick out one I want, and plant a row. Zen gardening. I'm getting a little better: I try not to plant the same plants in the same place, especially tomatoes and greens, and I try to avoid the shadow of the tree that's beside my garden. This year's experiment will be putting a raised bed behind my garage where there used to be an alley. Putting together the raised bed involved a hand drill and took me a couple of hours. My sister the graphics artist probably could have done it in 15 minutes.
The most I had ridden this year before Sunday was 30 miles. The most Judy had ridden was 24 miles. We rode 47 miles. Fortunately it was pretty flat and the winds weren't too bad (10 mph) but still we were tired by the end. Actually I was tired half way thru, Judy was OK. Thank God for SAG stops and cookies. You know, when you're tired you don't notice the route much and it's not as much fun. You just look at the road about 10 feet in front of your bike and try not to think about how far you still have to go. This is not the position you want to be in for the PALM. PALM is meant to be enjoyed. You are on vacation and touring Michigan by bike. My advice would be to be in better shape than I am now when you do PALM. I plan to be.
A little garden update: my radishes are up. I took heart and planted some beets and turnips after the bike ride. I should develop a garden plan. Mostly I look at the open ground, look at the seeds I have, pick out one I want, and plant a row. Zen gardening. I'm getting a little better: I try not to plant the same plants in the same place, especially tomatoes and greens, and I try to avoid the shadow of the tree that's beside my garden. This year's experiment will be putting a raised bed behind my garage where there used to be an alley. Putting together the raised bed involved a hand drill and took me a couple of hours. My sister the graphics artist probably could have done it in 15 minutes.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Hot Weather Training
After last weekend I think I'm ready to ride in the summer. I got to ride three times when the temperature was in the 80's. I learned to sweat and I emptied two large water bottles while riding 25 miles. I still can't sit on a bicycle seat but I can stay hydrated. The other thing I am ready for is wind. I don't think I've done a ride yet where I didn't have to buck a 20 MPH headwind. And last week I caught in the rain on my bike. I got one 30 mile ride in which is good since the Metro Grand is this Sunday and I want to ride 45 miles. I should be a tired puppy come Sunday afternoon even without wind.
Just a reminder: if you have registered for PALM and want to add meals and/or bus rides, you have only until May 15 to do so. If you want to add/change meals and/or bus rides, download an application from the website, fill in your name and address (and your rider number if you can find it), the meals and/or bus rides you want, mail it to the PALM address (PALM; PO Box 7161; Ann Arbor, MI 48107) with a check for the correct amount and a stamped self addressed envelope. You don't have to sign the waiver or pick a t shirt size or include an emergency contact or anything else. We have a May 15 deadline because we have to let the bus company and the sites know the number of people well in advance. There are more people taking the bus on June 20 to the start than ever before. We are going to have 6 buses, over 280 riders. It's going to look like a wagon train.
Just a reminder: if you have registered for PALM and want to add meals and/or bus rides, you have only until May 15 to do so. If you want to add/change meals and/or bus rides, download an application from the website, fill in your name and address (and your rider number if you can find it), the meals and/or bus rides you want, mail it to the PALM address (PALM; PO Box 7161; Ann Arbor, MI 48107) with a check for the correct amount and a stamped self addressed envelope. You don't have to sign the waiver or pick a t shirt size or include an emergency contact or anything else. We have a May 15 deadline because we have to let the bus company and the sites know the number of people well in advance. There are more people taking the bus on June 20 to the start than ever before. We are going to have 6 buses, over 280 riders. It's going to look like a wagon train.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Applications Done
At long last we have entered all the PALM applications except for a handful of problems. We are up to 806 people who have registered. I sent out the confirmation letters on Friday which means that should start receiving them on Monday. This has been an ordeal to say the least. We reached our cutoff before we even started processing the applications but we've closed early before and haven't had this much trouble. There were extenuating circumstances like broken hands and lots of problem applications but still this has taken way too long. This will be something we improve for next year.
I've worked up some preliminary counts. We have 260 first time PALM riders. Typically 35% of our riders have never done PALM before so this is normal. I was worried that because we closed so quickly that first time riders wouldn't have a chance to get on the ride. People who have been on PALM before have applications mailed to them automatically so they would have an advantage. But lots of people who had never ridden PALM before got on the mailing list and received applications when they were first mailed out. That balanced things out.
This year the largest age bracket is 60 to 69 with 183 riders, followed by 50 to 59 with 179, and 10 to 19 with 117. The number of teenagers on our ride has been trending downward since we've started closing early. One of PALM's missions is to promote family biking and to offer a inexpensive family vacation. With this in mind we will need to find out ways that families can know about PALM and feel comfortable registering their families in February for a bike tour that is going to take place in June. If you have any suggestions for how we can accomplish this, please email us.
This year we have 69 riders in the 70 to 79 age bracket and 11 in the 80 to 89 age bracket. This is typical and shows that bicycling is an enjoyable activity that has no age limits and that doing PALM is with in the reach of any active person, not just trained athletes. Roughly 40% of the people who ride PALM are women and women of all ages. (22 of the riders over 70 are women.) The variety of people who do PALM are one of the things that make it a special social and recreational event. It's not just a ride for 20 year old males. And you get a t shirt.
I've worked up some preliminary counts. We have 260 first time PALM riders. Typically 35% of our riders have never done PALM before so this is normal. I was worried that because we closed so quickly that first time riders wouldn't have a chance to get on the ride. People who have been on PALM before have applications mailed to them automatically so they would have an advantage. But lots of people who had never ridden PALM before got on the mailing list and received applications when they were first mailed out. That balanced things out.
This year the largest age bracket is 60 to 69 with 183 riders, followed by 50 to 59 with 179, and 10 to 19 with 117. The number of teenagers on our ride has been trending downward since we've started closing early. One of PALM's missions is to promote family biking and to offer a inexpensive family vacation. With this in mind we will need to find out ways that families can know about PALM and feel comfortable registering their families in February for a bike tour that is going to take place in June. If you have any suggestions for how we can accomplish this, please email us.
This year we have 69 riders in the 70 to 79 age bracket and 11 in the 80 to 89 age bracket. This is typical and shows that bicycling is an enjoyable activity that has no age limits and that doing PALM is with in the reach of any active person, not just trained athletes. Roughly 40% of the people who ride PALM are women and women of all ages. (22 of the riders over 70 are women.) The variety of people who do PALM are one of the things that make it a special social and recreational event. It's not just a ride for 20 year old males. And you get a t shirt.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
70's At Last
I rode on Thursday. The temperature crept into the 60's but the wind was blowing so hard that I had to put on my jacket to stay warm. I should have worn tights but I thought that I could get away with not wearing them. The wind was against us on the way out and was especially brutal on Belle Isle. By the time we got it to our backs, it was too late to do us any good: we were already tired. This was not the case Saturday. It was in the 70's. I wore shorts and a jersey for the first time this year. I even put on sunscreen, just like it was summer. I rode on Hines Drive. There were plenty of bikers, just like summer. I could even hear frogs croaking in the ponds. I could get to like this.
I picked up my cold weather plants from Earthworks Garden and the Garden Resource Program on Saturday. I got 6 packs of Collards, Kale, Broccoli, and two kinds of lettuce. I have to harden these plants off before I can plant them. In the meantime I finally dug up my garden beds and even planted radishes. See what a day in the 70's (and the prospects of three days of rain coming up) will do. I'm trying to move my garden over to get it away from a tree in my backyard. Last year the tree really leafed out and shaded part of my garden. I could see how available sunlight affected the growth of plants, especially the ones with large leaves. I also need to draw up a garden plan so that I don't plant the greens in the same place as last year to make it harder for the bugs to find them. Something else for me to do while it rains.
I picked up my cold weather plants from Earthworks Garden and the Garden Resource Program on Saturday. I got 6 packs of Collards, Kale, Broccoli, and two kinds of lettuce. I have to harden these plants off before I can plant them. In the meantime I finally dug up my garden beds and even planted radishes. See what a day in the 70's (and the prospects of three days of rain coming up) will do. I'm trying to move my garden over to get it away from a tree in my backyard. Last year the tree really leafed out and shaded part of my garden. I could see how available sunlight affected the growth of plants, especially the ones with large leaves. I also need to draw up a garden plan so that I don't plant the greens in the same place as last year to make it harder for the bugs to find them. Something else for me to do while it rains.
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