OWLS Ride in the Rain

By Allan Edmonds and CE Taylor


OWLS were anxious to get the new riding season going. CE Taylor had mapped out a twenty mile loop starting at our usual gathering place in the parking lot of Sherwood Oaks Church on Rogers Road. The only problem was a weather forecast calling for probable rain. Despite the forecast nine eager riders showed up, including several new to club rides. The best OWLS rides have a mix of experienced riders and newcomers. CE took a quick picture on his cell phone and we were off about 5:50. The last of the nine riders was Dave, who showed up just as we were rolling out, too late for the group photo. Those in the photo are Mary, Manuel, Ken, Kathy, Allan, Shelley, and John.

We were still on Harrell when Dave got a flat. He waved the group on, but Shelley stayed back with him while he changed it.

Meanwhile the rest of us made it to Ramp Creek. (In retrospect we would have been a lot happier skipping Ramp Creek and just head out and back to Waterworks, as you'll see as you read on.) But soon we were sailing down the hill to lake level and then making the long climb back up to Fairfax Road. Allan and Kathy were talking the whole way up the hill and hardly noticed it. We were going pretty slowly, but still it seemed just about the easiest we had ever made that climb.



We all reconnoitered at the church on Fairfax. We were starting to hear thunder, but Shelley was counting seconds "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, ..." and assured us the storm was still nine miles out. Dave and Kathy caught up and we set out east toward Fluck Mill.

We tended to get a bit separated. But CE made a careful point of being sure no one got left behind.

By the time we crossed New 37 the thunder and lightning seemed closer. Naturally we were almost exactly at the farthest point from home. So we opted just to keep going. Soon it started sprinkling, and then turned to light rain. About half of us opted to move more quickly toward home while some held back to be sure everyone made it back safely.

It gradually started raining harder and got darker. The lead group got back to the area of the start by about 7:30, but we all split up to head home our separate ways.

The following group rolled in a little later, all well-soaked. John, who actually lives along the return route on Schacht Rd kindly gave a couple of others who lived further away a ride home, while the rest took whatever short cuts they could think of.

We were all pretty soaked. Fortunately it wasn't too cold. We all made it safe and sound. And we'll all be ready to do this same ride again some day later in the season.

We did learn a few lessons: By 7:30 it felt pretty unsafe out on the roads.

• On evening rides be sure to wear light colored clothing. (A couple of riders were wearing dark jerseys.)


• Remember to carry a flashing taillight. (Only two of us had lights.)

Even later in the summer when sunset is closer to 9 pm than 8 pm, it only takes a minor mechanical problem to delay a ride and leave people riding in fading light as they make their way home.

A Geeky Look at Wind Resistance

By Sam Hill

My friends and I spend a lot of time talking about things like aerobars vs. drops.

If anyone else is interested in the topic, here is some data. The photo, originally from Rolf Garthus's Hostel Shoppe in Stevens Point, WI, is a picture of  the same rider in five standard positions: sitting up, hoods, drops, aerobars, and recumbent.  



By imposing a grid on the pictures we estimated the frontal area the rider displays in each position. For example, assuming the rider is 6 feet tall in the upright position, this rider exposes 831 sq inches of frontal area when sitting up, 802 sq inches in the hoods, 763 sq inches on the drops, 607 sq inches on the aerobars, and 575 sq inches on the recumbent.  In lieu of a full spreadsheet we just give a chart that summarizes the relative frontal areas:




Bar 100%

Hoods 96%

Drops 92%

Aero 73%

Recum. 69%





A rider in aerobars would experience 27% less wind resistance to go the same speed as a rider sitting. The difference would be most noticeable at higher speeds.

Aerodynamics is really complicated stuff. They use wind tunnels because the equations are very nasty and still not very accurate. The only way to get real drag and  power output numbers  is to measure effects in a wind tunnel. But frontal area is a simple way to explain why it matters so much.

For anyone interested the actual spreadsheet with all the calculations is available for download at http://bloomingtonbicycleclub.org/private/blog/blogarchives/Rolf.xls

Stolen bike stories, continued

By Dave Abel (BBC member now in Flagstaff, AZ)

In 1996, my 1993 Trek 970 mountain bike was stolen when my apartment in Davis, CA was burglarized. (They didn't touch my commuter, a 1990 Fuji Saratoga touring bike (called "Conestoga" by my friends who had newer bikes)). Everything of value was taken, so the police came by, took fingerprints and serial numbers, and so I had a proper police report in case anything was ever recovered. I couldn't find my receipt for the bike, so I had no record of the Trek serial number.

I was upset by the experience, and I asked around at the many local shops, everyone said they had never heard of anyone ever recovering a stolen bike, and usually added something like: "your bike was probably out of town two hours after it was stolen".

That bike was a very small frame size and had a distinctive rake to the top tube. Even though I knew it was hopeless, I still glanced at every bike rack I passed. In Davis, that is a lot of bike racks. Long after I'd given up any realistic hope of seeing the bike again, about two years later, I was walking along the street on my way to a potluck, actually carrying a pot of food, and across the street and down the block, in the failing light, I looked up and saw an interesting bike with a distinctive rake to the top tube. My understanding girlfriend was used to my taking slight detours to check out promising sightings. With my pot in my hands, I crossed the street to look at yet another bike that wasn't mine. I still remember clearly the moment I recognized my old Trek. It was locked to the rack, and obviously had been sitting there for some time. I ran home, got my lock, and locked it up in case the "owner" returned for it.

I called the police who came to look at the bike with me. The serial number wasn't on the police report, so they couldn't give me the bike. Their procedure was to place a note on the bike and to leave it there for 30 days, and maybe if it weren't claimed by that time, and I found my receipt, they would revisit the problem. It didn't seem hopeful.

I managed to get a friend who owned a shop in Indianapolis to forge me a receipt with the serial number on it, in case it was the only way to get the bike back, but I'm a rule-follower, and never showed it to the police. I just waited for the 30 days to see what would happen. I even considered re-stealing it, but I'm too timid for that. Before the 30 days was up, the indulgent police agreed to meet me at the bike rack, so I could prove the bike was mine. I showed them the custom pannier's I had made, and how the hardware on the panniers had scratched the paint off the rack in just the right places. I can't remember everything I demonstrated that day, but I had a list of what I thought was compelling evidence. Nothing doing. The officer was a rule- follower, too. I had to wait for the 30 days, and then maybe something could be done, but they didn't say I'd get the bike back without a receipt.

When the day arrived, I met an officer at the bike, who turned out to be the same one to whom I'd shown all my proof of ownership. As he got out the electric grinder and a found a place to plug it in, he told me he KNEW it was my bike the first time we'd met, that it was obvious, but he just couldn't give it to me, though it made him feel bad. He told me it was so rare that anyone recovers a bike that he had wished he could have just given it to me on the spot.

File this under "Who cares" if you want, but I enjoyed thinking about this again. Thanks. I still ride the bike every day, it now has an XtraCycle on it, which I use for commuting, shopping, and taking the kids to school. Now it's too old to steal, but I still lock it up.

The Limestone Tour That Wasn't

By Stan Ellis, Ride Coordinator

Saturday, March 28, 2009, started as a grey cold morning, but no rain........until I stepped out the door to get on my bike. I decided to drive to Bryan Park since I didn't want to be the only dummy riding in the rain. But you never know if someone might show up.

We had 10 people standing in the drizzle ready to ride. The only question was should we change the route. I made an excuse that I wasn't too crazy about riding down the hills when the road was wet, so why not do something flatter? (Actually it was my first time on the bike this year and I wasn't sure if I could get up all of the hills on the Limestone Tour Route.)

We decided on the Muscatatuck ride, with many options available depending on the rain intensity. Brett didn't feel well, so he left us at the edge of town; Jen, Carl & Jodie turned around at Muscatatuck for an out-and-back; Mike F, Mark, Greg, Doug, Chris and I rode to Fry, then Buskirk to Dittemore Road. Chris was having shifting problems so he headed back to Bottom Road. The rest of us took Mike F's advice and added on just a few more miles to Chambers Pike, then to B-town on old 37 through Dolan.

The neat thing about riding with the club is you can almost always find some one to ride no matter the weather. I am sure everyone finished soaking wet and with a dirty bike, but we got in 34 miles on the long route. I met some new riders and it felt great getting back on the bike.

Stolen Bikes

By Allan Edmonds

This New York Times blog posting The Bicycle Thieves Among Us, that I accidentally ran into today, brought back thoughts of the time about 35 years ago that I my bike was stolen. I left it weakly locked to a rack hidden from street view and came back in the early evening to get it, and it was gone.

As with any other theft, I felt violated. My biggest mistake was parking it out of view. And second was not having a good lock.

The main result for me was that I bought a used Raleigh Superbe Three-Speed, which was actually a much better bike than the newer Raleigh that was stolen. I think it was considered their top-of-the-line bike back in the 50's and 60's. It had things like a built-in lock in the fork and a built-in generator in the front hub. And a great leather Brooks saddle that looked just like the one club member Carl Fields uses on his custom road bike. Here's a link to a blog that shows a picture of what could be my old bike (minus the big seat bag): Raleigh Superbe.

That Superbe lasted me a long time, twenty or twenty-five years, until I finally bought a Trek hybrid that was sufficient to get me started with Nice and Easy club rides and even on my first Nashville 90!

The NYT blog's main points are that you need to secure the wheels, which nowadays have quick releases, as well as the seat. I have to say that around Bloomington I don't usually lock my wheels or seat. I worry more about my detachable lights.

Does anyone in the club have a story about a stolen bike to share? Has anyone ever gotten a bike back after it was stolen?

Adopt A Road Update

By Jennifer Miers

You never know what the weather is going to do in March. Seven slightly demented BBCers showed up Sunday, March 29th to patrol our adopted stretch of highway while a mix of rain and snow pelted the area. Happily the precipitation stopped shortly after we got started. As it was the first cleanup up of the year, we feared the worst but were pleasantly surprised. The bulk of the refuse appeared at the Walnut/37 intersection. For the most part, the roadside was not in the awful state we found it in in '08. Recent rains had done a good job of washing plastic bottles and Polar Pop cups to central "collection" areas. We were quickly able to restore the limestone hillsides and volunteer tree stands to their natural state. Passersby now see redbuds where they were previously distracted by clumps of white Styrofoam.   Two tough hours were sufficient to complete the task. And the weather was so nasty, we didn't have to miss a ride to do it!   BBC is really making a difference on this road. I hope you will join us on our next outing: Sunday, June 14, 1:30 p.m.

Sebring Bicycle Race

By Brian Fitzgerald

I had the opportunity recently of going to Sebring, Florida to race in the 24 hour Sebring Bicycle Race which on the surface seems stupid.  Why ruin a perfectly good trip to Florida by staying up all night riding a bicycle?  I mean if you're going to stay up and at least drink until dawn, right?

I knew about this race and always wanted to go down and do the 12 hour ride but having completed the 2006 run of Rudy's Double Century, I decided that if I was going down there then I needed to do the 24 hour non-RAAM qualifier portion of the race.  The thing about this was that I had quit riding after the 2008 RAINSTORM to focus on running and I was continuing to run in November when Wayne Gallapoo of Seymour wondered if I'd be interested in going.  My initial answer was no but I thought it'd be a good excuse to hit the Southern climes in February but initially he was going to do the 12 hour event.  I said that if I'm going then it was the 24 hour race that I'd do and he was ultimately convinced to join me.  So it was the two of us plus Elizabeth Eaken of North Vernon who would race in this event along with Wayne's wife Sarah Gallapoo who would be our SAG, cheerleader, mom, caretaker, etc.  The decision was made in the middle of November so I had to get after the training in earnest.  I didn't know how to get ready for it but I knew that all of the training would be done indoors on the trainer since I'm too much of a wimp to ride outside when it's less than 50 degrees.

We made the trip down to Sebring starting on February 11^th and arrived in Sebring on the 12^th.  Given the day to stretch the legs, lay out by the pool, etc.  we were able to pick up packets on February 13^th.  Given that we've done RAIN and have helped out RAIN registration, we've had it spoiled with the efficiency of getting packets, etc. pretty quickly.  Of course in my case, I pre-registered for this event and they didn't seem to have anything on me, no paperwork, etc.  All though my check did clear, my paperwork apparently didn't.  Once I got everything straightened out I was hoping this would be the only thing that would go wrong for this race.  The race staff was helpful and apologetic that this did happen though.

5 am February 14^th came early.  After a hot shower and a final pre-race check, the three of us headed outside with over 200 other riders for the 6:30 am mass start at the entrance to the Sebring International Raceway.  This race track hosts the world famous 12 Hours of Sebring race.  It's a 3.7 mile road course that has hosted races since the 1950s.  We were given are last minute directions by the race director and at 6:30 am, we set out for a 3 lap circuit of the track before being turned loose onto the 89 mile out and back section of the course.  You head out on the section and not quite half way, you need to drop off a poker chip that has your ride number on there.  It ensures that the riders actually have ridden out to the checkpoint.  The nice thing about this loop and riding around this part of the state are the numerous orange groves that you encounter.  During the harvesting as you ride by, the citric acid and aroma is thick.  It smells good and you almost feel the citric acid in your eyes but one thing that we commented on was how cool it would be to live down here and have some orange trees in your back yard to pick every morning.

Anyway, back to the race, once we made the turnaround we headed back to the track, the wind wasn't too bad but the three of us worked well together so we all had turns dealing with a little headwind heading back plus we were protected a little bit by some trees.  We got back to the track in 6 hours and 8 minutes.  I was hoping we'd get back in 6 hours or better for our goals so we were close.  After a crossing of the timing mat, we headed back out on an 11 mile loop.  Heading out for a couple of miles into a block 10 mph headwind and going uphill for that matter was a little tough but then that last 8 or so miles was with the wind, plus by some more orange groves, and we were able to take it easy at about 14 miles an hour going into the wind and around 18-20 miles per hour with the wind.  We used that strategy a lot for a couple of hours as it seemed that we couldn't get people to work with us heading into the wind and they'd fly off and leave us once we had the wind but I guess people have their own goals but after 3 laps or so of that it got a little thankless for the 3 of us.

Sometime around 5 pm we were thinking that and were told that around 5:30 pm that they were going to open up the track, they actually opened it not too long after we got done with our 5^th lap so then we began what would be a rather long evening and morning on the track.  Safe from the traffic and close if we encountered a problem.  Some people know that at some point everyone tends to ride for themselves.  You want to stick together but sometimes it just doesn't happen depending on how people feel, etc.  Once the three of us hit the track, the only time I saw Wayne and Liz were in the pits or when they passed me on the track.  

It is a funny feeling riding past sundown.  You need good bright lights and having an iPod seemed to help out too.  I was concerned about the headlight that I had so the day before at Wal-Mart, I purchased a small LED miners lights and wore it.  I was hoping that it would work out and be comfortable for the overnight ride.  It worked better than I could've hoped.  Very light weight and very bright.  I eventually turned off my headlight and just went with the miners light.  The iPod was nice to have since I knew that at 1:30 am, I would get tired of telling myself to keep pushing and that I would need some music to keep me motivated.  Sadly I didn't adjust my playlist accordingly and on some parts of the ride, instead of some hard rock and roll, I'd have some easy listening.  Not a good situation to go through.

Riding at night on the track was actually pretty cool.  They had used blinking taillights to show you the route of the racetrack, provided that no one ran over them, and it proved to be a great asset to follow the direction of the track since they don't have any lights on the race track that we could've used.  That might also be true to since the track is near the airport as well.  But one thing that I noticed that although you were out there with other riders, their was a loneliness to the ride.  I could have drafted but the opportunity never really presented itself.  It is to some extent every person for themselves or maybe it's like you are condemned to suffer your race by yourself.

My goal was to ride 300 miles but it's always a priority for me to have a good time.  I was going to have fun regardless of the distance limit that I imposed on myself.  But when I finally got off the back for the final time slightly before 5:30 am on Sunday morning and having accomplished my distance goal, I was very ecstatic and very tired.  I finished with 307 miles for the day and my actual ride time was 19 hours and 12 minutes.

I'll definitely do this event again and we're already penciling it in for 2010.