Granite State Wheelmen - New England's most active recreational bicycling club

Bike to Work Day is May 17, 2013

Click the link below
for our May/June Rides Calendar Summary

Rides Calendar - Summary for May and June
Ride details are sent to all members and guests upon request.

Please email the GSW Office for a listing so you
can try our rides, then join the club!

Registration now open for September 21-22
Seacoast Century Weekend.

Seacoast Century scenic coastal route

Slideshow of 2012 SCC photos

2013 GSW General Meeting Information and Schedule

The GSW 2012 meeting schedule concluded with the October 8th General meeting and 2013 Board election. Meetings are normally planned for the second Monday of the month, March through October, from 7-9 p.m. The agenda is flexible but usually follows some basic guidelines:

Introduction of all attendees
Brief review of recent and upcoming GSW events
Update on BWA-NH bicycling advocacy and education efforts
Short program on bike maintenance, products, nutrition, cycling tips, etc. Question and answer period
Social time to “mix and mingle”

Free snack items will be provided by the GSW

May 13 Meeting
57 Regional Drive, Concord
Paula Bedard and Ken Colburn
March National Bike Summit presentation

June 10th Meeting
57 Regional Drive, Concord
Open meeting
Year end event and Seacoast Century discussion

As for all GSW general meetings, members and guests are welcome to socialize, meet Board members and ride leaders, learn more about the club, and enjoy some free snacks.

For more information about a meeting or the club in general, contact the
Granite State Wheelmen at:
GSW-office@comcast.net, or call 603-898-5479.

About 80 people will be needed to work five-hour shifts in support of this annual and very popular event.

If you can help from 7 AM to noon or noon to 5 PM either Saturday, September 21, or Sunday, September 22 or help with pre- and post-event support, please contact GSW-Office@comcast.net or call 603.898.5479.

All volunteers will receive a free event registration for themselves (or another lucky person) plus TWO T-shirts -- the standard "participant" shirt and a special "volunteer" shirt.

All shirts will be ordered on August 31 so volunteer early to get your right size.

Find and Plan your Favorite Activities.
JoynMe uses your existing networks to
enable participation in your favorite
activities with friends and new people nearby.
For more information see www.JoynMe.com

The popular "Traffic Skills 101" safe cycling classes are back! Two classes have been scheduled - one was in April, at the Trek Bikes store in Portsmouth ( 775 Lafayette Road), and another in June, at 57 Regional Drive, in Concord. More information HERE

IS YOUR MILEAGE CORRECT? It is your responsibility to make sure your mileage is correct. To insure that your mileage is correct in Pedal Talk you must record your mileage after each ride on the ride sheets provided by the ride leader. If the sign-up sheet is not around, call your ride leader immediately to record your mileage on the sheet. If unable to reach the ride leader, then call Hetty Andrews at 603-889-3222 or email: hwa44@comcast.net to get credit. It is also your responsibility to print your name legibly on the ride sheet. If I cannot read the name, you will not get credit. Rides must be listed in Pedal Talk for the mileage to count with GSW. If you have a question about your mileage, feel free to call me. If you send a printout of the dates, locations and mileage, I will be glad to compare it to the computer records. Sometimes sign-up sheets have not been received. If you have a single GSW membership and a spouse/significant other, son or daughter goes on a ride with you, please indicate that relationship on the sign up sheet, so he or she will get mileage credit. RIDE LEADERS: It is very important that you do not hold ride sheets and send them all in at once for the month. Please submit sheets on a weekly basis. Also, all sheets must be in to me before the deadline of Pedal Talk to be accounted for in the mileage totals. Also note: Mileage pedaled on exploratory rides earns mileage credit.

Fitness Goals - A first Step Towards Better Cycling Performance
In the world of cycling, nothing is more important than being in the best physical condition possible in order to get the most out of each and every ride. However, the type of shape you should be in depends entirely on the type of cycling you wish to partake in; a beginner cyclist who simply wants to ride as a hobby has vastly different fitness goals compared to a professional rider. No matter what type of shape you’re in or wish to be in as a cyclist, fitness as it relates to cycling comes down to many different aspects of the training. Factors such as speed, endurance, and muscle strength all play key roles in developing a person’s cycling fitness.

Where to Begin
The main problem most cyclists run into when they want to enhance their fitness is that they begin with no set plan or goals. Simply getting out and riding will not get the job done if you’re looking to make significant improvements over time. For instance, someone who is training for a mountain-bike race will not have the same regimen as someone who is an avid criterium racer. Experts like physiologist Jack H. Wilmore, author of the popular book “Physiology of Sport and Exercise,” mentioned that studies show the more specific an athlete’s training is for a specific event, the better that they will perform. How exactly does this relate to cycling? Depending on what your goals are as a cyclist, you should aim to focus on the most important factors in training that will help you to become the best cyclist in whichever specialty you choose. Other experts, such as endurance coach and author of “The Cyclist’s Training Bible” Joe Friel, say that in order to maximize your fitness as a cyclist, you should start by focusing on your weaknesses. Do you tire out quickly when cycling long distances? Focus on training that will help to improve your cardiovascular system and endurance.

Utilizing Altitude Training For Better Performance
Very common and popular method of training for many cyclists is altitude training. While you may think that altitude training should be used only by those who will be cycling at high altitudes, it can actually be used by anyone from novice to experienced riders in order to help improve physiology in the body. The main reason why altitude training is essential for cyclists looking to improve their fitness levels is because it drastically helps with endurance. For instance, a 2009 study by the Australian Institute of Sport’s Physiology Department showed that athletes training at higher levels of altitude showed increased levels of red blood cell count, higher heart rates, and more. Over a period of a few weeks with the athletes’ bodies experiencing these changes, their bodies soon became adjusted and showed noticeable increases in their overall performance. Researchers from the Australian study note that those who are looking to get into altitude training should include short bursts of high-interval exercises no longer than two minutes and quickly follow with a period of long recovery. Does this mean that altitude training is the only way to go? Not necessarily. To help improve your fitness goals, simply focus on exercises that can help strengthen your weaknesses. While more experienced riders may want to focus on regimens such as base training, novice riders can begin working on their flexibility, strength, and anaerobic threshold. With a variety of great outdoors training opportunities, you can easily find the exercise regime you will like while gaining and maintaining your cycling fitness at your desired level.

How Important Is Diet?
As a cyclist, you can have the best training regimen in the world, but without proper hydration and diet, all your hard work won’t end up paying off as well as it could. For instance, Jack Wilmore, the physiologist mentioned earlier, states that with just 2 percent dehydration, an athlete’s peak performance can decrease by 6 percent or more. This is why it is essential always to carry some type of fluid with you during your cycling outings. Along with proper hydration, all experienced cyclists that care about peak performance will aim to have a proper dietary regimen. You should aim to have a properly balanced amount of macronutrients each day that consist of a healthy amount of fats, carbohydrates, and protein. Carbohydrates should make up the largest part of each meal as these will give you energy for your training.

With more and more people using the rail trails in New Hampshire thanks to on-going development and a lot of hard work by volunteers, we hear of incidents which make biking or walking on the trails less than the best experience. Sometimes guidelines are posted at trailheads, parking lots, etc. but they are commonly not seen or ignored if they are seen and read – unfortunately. The following list has been compiled from various on-line sources and might provide some guidance for the next time you are using a rail trail – or at least you could tell someone else about stablished guidelines. Just like on-road cycling, a little common sense and courtesy goes a long way! See Tidbits page

Effective March 1, 2011, the GSW Ride and Mileage Credit Guidelines enacted on April 12, 2004 are hereby amended. Section I, item 9 has been modified as follows and item 10 is deleted. 9. In the event of a scheduled ride having no one attend except the ride leader, that ride will not be allowed mileage or ride leader credits. A minimum of two people (the ride leader plus one other rider) are required to allow credits. One erson riding alone is not considered a club ride but rather is a fun or personal ride. Options include rescheduling the ride to a time and place for better attendance or else eliminating the ride from the schedule due to a lack of interest by the club membership or guest riders.

The above clarification was reviewed and approved by the GSW Board of Directors on February 19, 2011. If there are any questions, please contact the GSW President.
Please see the updated guidelines R & M Guidelines

Develop your leadership skills — Build up your resume.
Bring the GSW to new heights.
Send in your name for nomination to:
GSW-Office@comcast.net
or to:
Granite State Wheelmen
215 S. Broadway # 216
Salem , NH 03079 -3322
603.898.5479

Join the GSW E-Group. Simply send an e-mail message to:
gswbike-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. You will then have Club notices sent directly to your e-mail account.

Reminder

GSW mileage tracking year ended September 30, 2012
October 1 starts the 2013 mileage tracking season.

Commuter mileage includes using your bicycle, rather than a motor vehicle, for transportation on any errand or to reach any destination such as work, school, shopping, to pay a bill, or to reach a GSW ride site, etc. The GSW encourages commuting and recognizes high mileage commuters at the Annual Fall Banquet. Commuter mileage is tracked from October 1st through September 30th of the following year.

Our Pedal Talk Editor, Laurie Daley is also a certified Yoga Instructor! Click HERE for more information

Click on the rides links above or select the category of your choice in the left-hand column then join the fun! Are you wondering how to get started with the GSW? Check out the "Where Do I Start?" page for some suggestions. Please view our Meetings page. Once you see everything offered by the GSW you may just wish to join the club for only $15.00 a year. Click over to the Memberships page to read more about the club. Check out our many rides and events including some local bicycling news and non-bicycling activities listed on our Special Events, Weekend Events, and "Tid-Bits" pages.

You may be interested in some of the many rewarding opportunities to volunteer in club activities. Check Volunteer Ops.

Comments welcome!

Don't see a ride to your liking? Then volunteer to lead your favorite rides, sharing it with new friends. GSW is always looking for energetic, creative volunteers.

Check out our site, and let us know what you think. Please e-mail your comments or ideas to the Web Publisher