Century prep advice

So Saturday a few of us went out and rode part of the metric route. It was really nice, and i think it will provide everyone with a safe, fun experience. The route is beautiful, and there is a long downhill stretch from Spanish Fork to Salem on a nice farm road. There is one climb from Springville to Mapleton that is a pain, and some wind from there to the mouth of Spanish Fork Canyon, but it's smooth sailing from there. During the 45 miles saturday, i began thinking about a couple of things i should pass along to make your ride safer and more enjoyable. here they are.

1) Group riding dynamics. Groups usually will ride in a "paceline" meaning that for a lot of the ride, everyone will ride single file and close to each other to get the benefits of drafting. If you have limited experience with this, it can seem scary, but is not too hard. The idea is to get within a bike length of the person in front of you, and not run into them. It helps to keep your eyes up-- not at their tire-- so you can see what is coming up in the road. When you get to the front, ride there for a minute or so (take your "pull") and then check to make sure cars aren't coming, pull to the left, and drift back to the end of the line. It's not too hard, and will make a long ride easier and keep the pace a bit higher.

2) Road safety. You are responsible to not get hit by a car or run your bike off the road. Please be cautious and aware at all times. The course is open to traffic, and there are some sections where we could ride in a bit of traffic. Just be careful.

3) Shorts comfort. A couple of things about cycling shorts, for those of you who are new to the spandex mafia. First, although it might feel weird to have only a thin layer of spandex between you and the world, you should not wear anything under your shorts. Underwear of any kind rubs and chafes-- a bad thing when you are on your bike for 60 miles. Take care of yourself, and trust me on this one. Also, shorts are more comfortable with some sort of lubricant on the chamois (the pad). Bike shops sell chamois cream, i use bodyglide (you find that at running shops-- it looks like a stick of deodorant), and some people even use a bit of Vaseline, or something like that. It might feel a little slimy at first, but ten miles in you'll thank yourself. Sorry to get intimate on the blog. I just thought it would be a good forum to keep you feeling good on the ride.

Good luck in your final prep-- if you're doing any. We hope to see you out there two saturdays from now. It will be a lot of fun.

Spencer