(No) Wait List

I had a few days break before the next batch of applications arrived. I'm up to rider 643 as far as processing applications and mailing out confirmation letters are concerned. I probably have 100 more people to register. We've been returning late applications with regrets that the ride has filled.

A word about wait lists. PALM does not maintain a wait list. Instead we accept about 40 more than the 700 cutoff and expect cancellations so that we get down to the cutoff. Sort of like the airlines but, unlike the airlines, if not enough riders cancel, we live with it. If you check the counts from the previous 3 years on the website, you'll see we are generally above 700. One of the reasons is that we don't count support people as part of the 700. I expect one more batch of applications, then all that are left are applications with problems. Generally 10% of the applications have errors but this year there have been more, probably because of the rush.

I spoke too soon about being caught up. I got another batch of applications just now that take me up to rider 719. When I get though this batch (it could take me a couple of days), then I am caught up except for problem applications and you know who you are. Everyone who sent in an application should get a confirmation or a returned application by this weekend. If not, email us. We'll try to track it down.

Alternatives to PALM

As many of you know, PALM filled very quickly this year, and we have turned away a large number of potential riders. I think that PALM is a fairly unique ride in that we keep most of our daily distances to a maximum of about 50 miles, and we try to have a ride that appeals to a wide variety of ages and abilities. However, there are other rides in Michigan and our surrounding states that you might decide to try as an alternative to PALM. I will list some of them in this blog entry, and you can get details by checking out the web sites. As far as I can determine, these rides are not filled as of today (March 9).

The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure. www.goba.com. June 14-21, a 7 day loop ride. From what I have been told, this ride attracts the same variety of participants as PALM does. This year's route starts in Lorain County, southwest of Cleveland and follows roads down to the Mansfield area. Each year GOBA follows a different route, and this year's will be fairly hilly. The 7 days include 5 riding days of 45-60 miles each, with 2 layover days that include optional loop rides or alternate activities. The ride limit is 3000, and the fee does not include meals. GOBA has an excellent web site, with lots of details about the ride and an excellent rider handbook.

Across Ohio Bicycle Adventure (XOBA). July 19-26. www.outdoor-pursuits.org/xoba/ This year's route follows the Underground Railroad route from Cincinatti to Sandusky. 50 - 71 miles per day.

TRIRI. Ride across rural Indiana. June 22-28. www.triri.org. This year's route is in south central Indiana and has a rider limit of 500. The ride includes 3 days of 65 miles, and 3 layover days with optional loops.

Rides sponsored by the League of Michigan Bicyclists. www.lmb.org. The League sponsors several rides, including a weekend ride on May 31-June 1, and the Sunrise Adventure June 20-22. Their other 3 rides all have longer days and challenging hills.

If you want even more options, you can go to www.nbtda.com, and search for rides all over the country.

We sincerely hope that all of you find a biking adventure that you can enjoy in 2008. If you will not be on PALM this year, we also hope that you will be able to join us on PALM in 2009.

Ellie, PALM Mail Granny

Bike things in winter

Last weekend was a pretty good weekend for people who like biking. Saturday was the Bike Feast in Dearborn. It's a potluck dinner that had about 100 people who would rather be biking but at least could talk about biking with people who would listen. There were several speakers. One was the guy who organizes the Ann Arbor - Saline Classical Bicycle Swap Meet. He brought in several biles from the 30's and 40's. They were pretty amazing. He said most of the bikes were found in people's garages. He encouraged us to look in the garage. We had Robert Krzewinski from the League of Michigan Bicyclists reminding us of the work that they do and asking us to join. (LMB hosts the PALM web site.) Dale Hughes talk about velodromes and bicycle track racing. There will be a 3 day event at the velodrome in Bloomer Park in Rochester Hills at the beginning of May that he encouraged us all to go to. A good night for a winter night.

The next day was the PALM meeting. The route has already been laid out (and the maps go to the printer on April 1. No fooling.) The planning on all the sites (New Buffalo, Dowagaic, Sturgis, Coldwater, Hudson, Tecumseh, and Sterling State Park in Monroe) is well under way. The ride reached its 700 rider cutoff on February 19, earlier than last year. So far confirmations for 589 riders have been sent out.

Kevin Degen said that at long last his new bike (a trike) is being built. They had to change the design from a two wheels in front one to a two wheels in back one. Here is an picture of the frame. There will be a Bike Presentation and Celebration on March 30, 2:00 PM at Father Bill Borowski Activity Center at St. Hubert Church in Harrison Township. You can get there by taking the Metro Parkway exit off I-94 (exit 236), turning east, and going 3 miles. It's on the right side.

Managing Winter in Michigan

Being a cyclist and making it through a Michigan winter can be a challenge. Some ride in their basement on an indoor trainer they got for Christmas, some ride at the gym, some even go out of state to get their ride fix. Some don't ride at all.

There are a few hearty souls that ride outdoors, in the snow and cold. You just need the properly equipped bike, and the right clothes. Yes, I am one of these seemingly crazy people. I find the hardest part not to be the actual riding, but getting up the motivation to gear-up and leave a warm house. Once outside (and after the cold first mile), the tranquility of being out in the woods, on the frozen lake, or a quiet country road takes over and is quite enjoyable.

However, I did try out riding indoors this year. No, not on a trainer, rollers, or an exercise bike. I'm talking about real riding. Mountain biking in fact. My son and I went to Ray's indoor mountain bike park outside of Cleveland and spent the weekend. Rays is a unique 90,000 square foot facility that puts your bike handling skills to the test. We road almost 40 miles, and while that doesn't sound like much, remember it was all indoors.

Now that PALM is full and spring is fast approaching, I being asked for training tips and how to prepared for PALM. Here is what I tell people:

PALM is geared toward families and beginners and the daily mileages reflect that. However, how easy the ride will be for you, and especially how much you enjoy yourself, is directly proportional to how well you prepare.

The first thing you should do is to be sure your bike is in good working order. If you don’t know much about how to work on your bike, take it to your local bike shop. While there, ask them to see if the bike is properly setup for you. Have them look at the seat height, tilt, and fore-aft position, as well as the handlebar position to be sure everything is set up properly for you when you sit on the bike. Remember that these are starting positions and as you ride you may want to make additional adjustments. Ask the shop what adjustments affect what so you might be able to do them yourself.

Now that your bike is ready for you, you need to get ready for your bike. There is no rocket science involved here. It basically comes down to spending as much time in the saddle as possible. Start riding in the spring as soon as the weather permits. Try to ride at least 3 times a week. How far for each ride is up to you, but in the beginning, try for at least 10 miles. After 2 weeks, add 5 to 10 miles to each ride. Again, after a few weeks add another 5 to 10 miles per ride. Continue this gradual building up until you get to at least one 50-mile ride each week right up to PALM.

The “secret” is to not only build up your muscles and aerobic capacity, but to become comfortable in the riding position and especially on the saddle. Everyone, even Lance Armstrong, gets a sore posterior. Remember, PALM is not a race. Wear proper bike shorts. Take a “butt break” every 15 minutes or so while riding. Stand on the pedals and stretch. Get off the bike for a few minutes every 10 to 20 miles. Take in the sights along the way. Stop for lunch or do some shopping.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at sproketsandspokes@tir.com

Spring morning in winter

When I got up this morning it was almost 50 degrees and you could see the sun. This after a week where we've either had snow storms or lows around 11. Sunny, but cold. The forecast is for falling temperatures and snow by dinner. You've got to love Michigan. It forces you to live in the moment. Which brings us to PALM. PALM allows you to live in the moment. You have very little responsibilities on PALM. You get up. You eat breakfast. You pack up. You ride. You setup. You finally have the time to look around you and notice that it is summer and you are in Michigan.

Things are changing here, but slowly. I run in the morning. Because the days are getting longer (and because I work), I'm now running at dawn. The last couple of days have been sunny so that I've started to hear the dawn chorus of birds. I swear I heard robins although I can't imagine what robins do when it is 11 degrees and the ground is covered with snow. I've also taken my bike into the shop to get ready. Maybe the weather will get the idea.

So far I have entered applications for 579 people. (I mailed confirmations for 75 people this morning. I'll mail the confrimations for 80 more once I have checked the confirmations against the applications to make sure I haven't made mistakes.) I have 140-160 more people to process. I may only be 2 1/2 weeks behind, hey almost caught up.

It never ends

Just as I finished up the last batch of 75 applications on Monday, bringing us up to rider 368, I got another batch of applications to process (which will bring us up to rider 445). This is like standing in front of a fire hose. So far 90% of the applications are for people who have been on PALM before. These are easier to do because their names and addresses are already in the computer. All I have to do is enter the emergency contact (very important) and not mess up the t shirt sizes or meals. Later on most of the riders will be new so that I'll have to enter all the information and things slow down. Even after processing all these applications, I'm probably still 3 weeks behind. Hold on. I'm getting to you.

One of the last things I do is compare the confirmation letters I generate with the application to be sure I entered everything right. Then I stuff the self addressed stamped envelopes (you remember to include one, right?). My cat really likes this. He sits on the applications and swats at me as I manipulate the letters and confirmations. I have to wait until he goes to sleep to work. Fortunately cats sleep 16 hours a day.

Daylight savings time starts on March 9. That's the start of summer, right? I'm beginning to get antsy to ride. I try to ride at least once a month throughout the year. I've already missed October and February is in danger (even though I went to Florida last week). Winter has been so long that 40 degree days seem like biking weather especially if the sun is out. (These are two conditions that haven't occurred much this year though.) There is something I can do: I'm taking the bikes into the shop to get ready for the season.

Back from Florida

When we last tuned in, I was getting ready to go out of town even though I had just received applications for 200 people to process. I went to Florida for a little winter R&R. On my last day I got up early, so early that I could still see some stars and all the planets, and ran on the beach as the sun rose. I was on the Atlantic side so I got to see all the sunrise colors as the sun slowly slipped out of the sea. The next day (at home) I got up early and got to run at sunrise with overcast skies, past boarded up buildings in 15 degrees. Vacation over. (The only way you can tell that the sun has risen in Michigan in the winter is that the street lights turn off. There is no sun.) Do you know when I got back, the applications for 200 people were still waiting for me?

I've gotten through the applications, thru rider number 298. We got an email from a rider who sent in his application on January 29 and wanted to know if we got it. He wasn't in the batch I just processed. This means that I am still processing applications that were mailed before January 29. If you mailed in your application after that, I haven't gotten to you yet. Don't worry. By the way I received another packet of applications to process. The application for the January 29 rider was in that packet. I'm sure I am still processing January applications.