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.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
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.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
April is the Cruelest Month
I like the way Michigan flip flops months. March was mild. All the snow melted and we had several days where we could ride. Of course, since March is winter, any day you could ride stands out. But the ground was bare and I don't remember any snow. April has been different. Even though it was spring we had a major snow storm and then snow flurries on Easter. While the Tigers have been trying to play baseball, the weather hasn't made it out of the 40's. Decidedly not biking weather.
The Metro Grand is on May 3. It's going to be a scramble to be in shape to ride 45 miles and forget about 62 miles. There is going to be a new route for this year's Metro Grand. We'll be going west instead of east. This will mean that we won't be seeing Lake Erie, but it also means that we won't be riding on the potholes of Huron Valley Drive and I've been promised that there will be fewer railroad tracks on the route. Maybe this year we will have a tail wind on the second half of the route.
I'm going to try to ride tomorrow. I'm getting a crown put in but it is supposed to reach 60 and be sunny. Hope springs eternal. If worse comes to worse, at least I can pick up my cold crop plants that I'm getting from the Garden Resource Program for my garden. I still haven't done anything with my plot yet, but then again the plants haven't been harden off either.
The Metro Grand is on May 3. It's going to be a scramble to be in shape to ride 45 miles and forget about 62 miles. There is going to be a new route for this year's Metro Grand. We'll be going west instead of east. This will mean that we won't be seeing Lake Erie, but it also means that we won't be riding on the potholes of Huron Valley Drive and I've been promised that there will be fewer railroad tracks on the route. Maybe this year we will have a tail wind on the second half of the route.
I'm going to try to ride tomorrow. I'm getting a crown put in but it is supposed to reach 60 and be sunny. Hope springs eternal. If worse comes to worse, at least I can pick up my cold crop plants that I'm getting from the Garden Resource Program for my garden. I still haven't done anything with my plot yet, but then again the plants haven't been harden off either.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
PALM Meals and Bus Rides
When the applications were sent out, I made a point of telling everyone that you didn't have to order the meals and bus rides right away, all you had to pay was the registration to get on PALM. We've received a lot of applications without meals or bus rides. Now we're beginning to get applications adding meals and bus rides. It's now April. If you want PALM meals or bus rides, now is the time to order them. Officially you have until May 15 to order additional meals and bus rides, but do us a favor and order them now or as early as you can. The site people have to know how many meals to have on hand well in advance. We have to get the proper number of buses and trucks well in advance. May 15 is pushing it, especially if there is a last minute rush.
To order meals and bus rides, download the application from the web site, fill in at least your name(s) and, if you can, your rider number(s). Select the meals and bus rides you want, include a stamped self addressed envelope, a check for the right amount and mail it to the PALM address (PALM; PO Box 7161; Ann Arbor, MI 48107). You don't have to reenter the rest of the information nor sign the waiver again. You will receive a new confirmation letter that will now include your meals and bus rides when we process the request. Remember you can pick and choose just the meals you want.
Speaking of April, it's time that I got my garden in shape. I haven't done anything yet. I put the garden to bed before winter and the leaves that I cover it with as a mulch are still there. I have seeds already and I'm going to get cold weather plants at the end of next week. No May 15 deadline here, I better get started. Well, after Easter anyway. I'm going to my brother-in-law's place on Harsen's Island for Easter.
To order meals and bus rides, download the application from the web site, fill in at least your name(s) and, if you can, your rider number(s). Select the meals and bus rides you want, include a stamped self addressed envelope, a check for the right amount and mail it to the PALM address (PALM; PO Box 7161; Ann Arbor, MI 48107). You don't have to reenter the rest of the information nor sign the waiver again. You will receive a new confirmation letter that will now include your meals and bus rides when we process the request. Remember you can pick and choose just the meals you want.
Speaking of April, it's time that I got my garden in shape. I haven't done anything yet. I put the garden to bed before winter and the leaves that I cover it with as a mulch are still there. I have seeds already and I'm going to get cold weather plants at the end of next week. No May 15 deadline here, I better get started. Well, after Easter anyway. I'm going to my brother-in-law's place on Harsen's Island for Easter.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Snow
It has to be ironic that we get hit by our first snow in over a month on Opening Day of the baseball season. We were supposed to get 7 inches but the temperatures were so warm that we had only 3 or 4 inches of very wet snow. It was very heavy to shovel. It was good to remind the North Carolina fans who were here for the Final Four what they are missing by not living here. No hurricanes though.
We had a PALM meeting on Palm Sunday. I got more applications from Vickie who is back from Florida. We now have 696 people registered. She informed me that the final number will be about 825 people. Now you are probably asking yourself how a ride with a 700 rider cutoff can register 825 people. One reason is that we don't count staff. Last year we had 71 staff people including the SAGs (18 of them), truck drivers, and site people. In the last 3 years when the ride closed early, we've had about 50 or so cancellations. We already have 4. If that happens this year, we will be a little over 700 riders, where we want to be. Do you see why we don't have a mailing list?
As Monday's snow reminds us, April is a month when we have to bike when we can, not when we want. I hope that you have gotten your bike out of mothballs by now and had it tuned up. If you've waited until now to have a mechanic check it out, that's another reason you can't bike when you want. If you are like me, you have to get used to sitting on a bike every year. Don't wait for consistent weather, start to bike now for PALM. There will be good days even in April.
We had a PALM meeting on Palm Sunday. I got more applications from Vickie who is back from Florida. We now have 696 people registered. She informed me that the final number will be about 825 people. Now you are probably asking yourself how a ride with a 700 rider cutoff can register 825 people. One reason is that we don't count staff. Last year we had 71 staff people including the SAGs (18 of them), truck drivers, and site people. In the last 3 years when the ride closed early, we've had about 50 or so cancellations. We already have 4. If that happens this year, we will be a little over 700 riders, where we want to be. Do you see why we don't have a mailing list?
As Monday's snow reminds us, April is a month when we have to bike when we can, not when we want. I hope that you have gotten your bike out of mothballs by now and had it tuned up. If you've waited until now to have a mechanic check it out, that's another reason you can't bike when you want. If you are like me, you have to get used to sitting on a bike every year. Don't wait for consistent weather, start to bike now for PALM. There will be good days even in April.
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