Hey! Look! It’s light – and even warm and sunny sometimes. Looks like we’ve survived another Mid-Valley winter. APRIL FOOLS! Those of us who have been here for more than a year or two know that there is still some "seasonable" spring weather (rain, rain, rain, and hail) left to slog through before those fenders come off.

But seriously, things are looking up, and many of us are starting to extend our rides just a little longer than we did a few weeks or months ago. For some of us, longer rides are part of a Grand Plan that involves goal rides – Davis Double, Monster Cookie, Loop Tour, RAMROD…for others, it’s just a matter of riding because we can, and being able to enjoy it longer. Either way, it’s a simple fact of life that if you’re gonna ride, you gotta eat. And the longer you wanna ride, the more you gotta eat. Seems simple, but eating enough is probably the third most neglected item for cyclists. (Okay, you ask, then what are #1 and #2? She answers, drinking enough (I’m guilty!) and checking your equipment before a long ride to make sure you’re really ready (I’m guilty, but improving)). Last weekend I talked to someone who races occasionally. She mentioned that no matter how fast or slow, she simply couldn’t extend a ride past 2-1/2 hours. I asked her how much she usually eats on the bike. Answer: "Eat? On the bike?!?!"

So how much do you need to eat, really? Well, here’s some math. An average mile of cycling burns somewhere between 25 and 30 calories of food energy. In general, the faster you go, the more calories you’re burning per mile and per minute. Uphill work needs a lot of fuel – climbing a steep hill may "cost" four times as much as riding on the flats. (So don’t feel bad if you have to slow down!)

In addition to feeding your legs (which power the bike), you must also feed the rest of the body – the heart, lungs, guts, and – yes – the brain. The amount of this "overhead" varies from person-to-person, and small people get off easy in this regard.

An average person on an average 60-mile ride, then, might burn up somewhere between 1800 and 2500 calories. Wow – that sounds like a lot, but what does it mean, really? Some of us, who have been training hard, might be able to crank out all of those calories from our body’s stores of fat and carbohydrate ("glycogen"), and not really need to eat. Larger people have an advantage here, by the way – even though they have more "overhead", they also have more storage capacity. For most of us, though, we would need to eat something to stave off the dreaded "bonk". Generally, one or two hundred calories per hour will add enough fuel to your ride. Since you are probably burning somewhere around 500 or 600 calories per hour, this will leave you with somewhat of a deficit at the end, which leaves some "wiggle room" at the end of the ride to reward yourself with something really good. For longer rides (more than a century), you probably can’t let that much of a deficit build up – your body just can’t wait that long. Successful ultradistance racers often eat 400 or even 500 calories per hour – not very much below their output.

Okay, but WHAT to eat? This is a matter of personal choice. Listen to your body (unless your body likes to say "corn dogs". You know who you are.). Seriously, experiment with different foods and you’ll find that some fill your tank better than others. Very fatty foods don’t digest very quickly – so they could still be lounging in your stomach while your legs get progressively madder at you. Fruit works well for me. So does bread. Cheese sandwiches? You bet! Cookies, too. There are a lot of specialty foods out there – bars and gels and whatnot. They are very convenient if you are going long, and have limited space. Some of them taste okay, some of them…don’t. Again, a very personal matter. You can also get most of the energy you need from a sports beverage if you drink it instead of, or in addition to, plain water. (Bonus: it forces you to drink.) Here I’d recommend something "engineered" for sports, rather than fruit juice or Kool-Aid. Sports beverages contain a mix of carbohydrates, instead of just "simple" sugars. This allows them to pack more energy into the beverage without upsetting your stomach. Sports beverages also contain sodium, potassium, and other salts seen escaping through your jersey.

In any event, when you get back from your ride, make sure that you emphasize the foods that you didn’t eat while on the road – especially vegetables, which supply fiber and vitamins. Come to think of it, a nice, heart-healthy glass of red wine wouldn’t hurt, either, now that you’re home, showered, and basking in the glow of a successful ride.

So, enjoy the longer hours of pedaling. Eat, drink, and be merry – and don’t forget the sunscreen.

The MVBC’s own Susan Christie won an Alice B. Toeclips award from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance at their February awards banquet. Susan was one of ten winners selected from a statewide field of 32 nominees. Alice B. Toeclips Awards are presented each year to citizens, business people and government officials who work to make bicycling safer and more accessible. Susan was recognized for her unflagging effort on behalf of bicyclists in the Corvallis area. Susan serves on the City of Corvallis Bicycle Advisory committee as well as the City's Downtown Parking Commission. As a member of Getting There Susan contributes regularly to Bicycle Commute Day and the annual sale of lights and locks at Corvallis Fall Festival. Susan has done a LOT of good work for Corvallis area bicyclists. The next time you see her congratulate her, she richly deserves the recognition of the BTA.

First Day of Daylight Savings Time

It's the first day with the hours earlier than they should be

my alarm goes off, but I don't want to be up

I'm cold, I'm tired, I lack motivation

It's spring, I'm supposed to be bright and happy

There are people riding their bikes today

But I'm just a day, and I'd rather still be asleep

Just like the people who are trying to be awake

And so my bright sun is filtered through fog and clouds

And one of the people, the author of these words

somehow makes his way out of bed, to the shower

and slowly, with some struggle, into shorts and a shirt

pumps air in his tires, starts out his ride

would he be doing this if he hadn't set a time with friends?

And the fog burns away, the sun is so bright

Spring burns all around, with daffodils pointing toward the road

bees hum in flowers

a hawk swoops down in a field and comes up with a snake

And the sun, facing head-on with a reflective Stop sign

gives its light to the sign, a glowing ball at the end of a street

brighter than the sun itself, screaming its message to halt

but I roll on through it, a sin

do I curse myself to clouds and rain?

Present: Alan Acock, Richard Burgess, Susan Christie, Lyle Dalton, Rob Gandara, Martha Hankins, Sandy Kenny, Nancy Meitle, Mark Newsome, Joe Monteleone, Walt Prichard

(Note: this is a condensed version of the meeting notes. A full version is available upon request.)

Covered Bridge: The first meeting was two weeks ago. Plans are going well, except that some key volunteer positions need to be filled. Anyone interested in helping should contact John Morris.

Boys and Girls Club – Closing the Loop: Joe spoke with Steve Bason at the Boys and Girls Club, and asked him to submit an invoice, to facilitate our paying for use of the facility for the tandem rally. Joe has not yet received a letter or an invoice. The Board discussed concerns about how the tandem rally budget and financing were handled. Most decisions were never documented and the final budget was not put in writing, thus different assumptions have been made about how to handle our commitment to the Boys and Girls Club. Our tax liability is still a concern, as well. This event needs closure. Richard Burgess agreed to go to Steve Bason and ask for (1) an invoice for $2000 and (2) an outline for how the additional $1000 for this year will be applied to cycling education. We also need the final accounting for tandem rally so that Dick Running can complete our tax-related paperwork. Sandy will contact Tim, to see if he contacted Jim Lawrence about the final accounting.

Tax Exempt Status – Mark Newsome: Sandy requested help with this issue. Dick Running is working on it; it’s about 90% done. Mark agreed to call Dick Running to follow up. Mark will contact Sandy after his discussion with Dick.

Treasurer’s Report – Mark Newsome: Checking account: $2697.88. Savings account: $3227.64. Upcoming expenditures include $200 for the loop tours, for campground reservations. Richard Burgess has paid and needs to be reimbursed. Mark presented a draft for a reimbursement submittal form. The Board agreed that it looks fine. Sandy requested that an expense and income statement be prepared for the April Board meeting. Mark will do it. We still have $86.84 in our bulk mail account at post office. The board chose not to close the account because we still might want to do bulk mailing for some things, for example, the Covered Bridge tour.

Newsletter – Martha Hankins: Martha reported that she spent $99 to mail the last newsletter. For bulk mailing, the price is closer to $50. However, we spend more on printing for bulk mail, in order to have 200 copies. Martha will do the next newsletter. Articles are due April 3. The newsletter will go to print April 7 and will be in the mail April 10. "Stuffing and stamping" will take place Sunday or Monday (second weekend in April). Betsy Reid will serve as interim newsletter editor for the remainder of the year, until October elections. Betsy will probably publish the newsletter in Microsoft Word, as she did in the past.

The board discussed whether or not to publish the unabridged version of the minutes in the newsletter. Since the full version contains much of the Board’s discussion, as well as formal decisions, it would take up several pages. The Board decided to send the full minutes to Melinda Martel, for publishing on our website. The newsletter will publish the abridged version, with a note that the full version can be found on the website.

The question arose as to whether we should continue to send the newsletter to nonmembers, now that we have discontinued bulk mailing. At the next meeting, the Board will review the list of nonmembers who are now receiving the newsletter and decide who should continue to get it. We also need a policy statement to guide us in making this decision. Rob Gandara will draft a statement for us to review at the next meeting.

The Board discussed having copies of the newsletter available on Saturday rides, to hand out to new riders. The final decision was to tell new riders that copies of the newsletter are available (we will leave some in the binder at the Beanery). Riders can take a copy then, or we can take their name and address and send one later.

Feedback from March General Meeting: This excellent presentation was well attended. Richard thought about 20 people were there. The Board discussed what "worked" to make this general meeting a success. The answer was uncertain, but in part it was because the word got around that the speaker would be good. The conclusion was that a really good program will be well attended if people hear about it. Building on this success, the April general meeting will be an introduction to bike touring and preparing for Loop Tour. At the May general meeting, representatives from the bike shops (Corvallis Cyclery, for sure) will come and talk about new equipment.

Advocacy Report – Walt Prichard: Walt met with John Koch, OSU, earlier in the day. John is very supportive of Monroe Street as a bicycle-friendly east-west route to downtown and the riverfront. He also is very much in favor of making Jefferson a two-way street between 3rd and 4th, so directions to campus via Jefferson would be consistent coming from either north or south.

Ride Captains/General Information Sharing: Alan Acock and Rob Gandara said there is nothing new to report.

Update on rides starting at the Circle Street Beanery: The Beanery staff haven’t complained, but last Saturday, people were gathering on the sidewalk, going in to buy coffee, and signing the ride book inside the shop and out. The ride captain should take the book outside for signing, away from the front door.

Ride start time: The Pigout ride will be at 9:00 a.m., but after that all rides will be at 8:00 (beginning May 13).

Scenic Cycling Adventures, Sandy Green: In a recent contact, this touring organization offered to send us a $100 gift certificate to use as we please. They will also send brochures and a catalog of their rides. In return, they would like a link on our website and they will link us to theirs. The Board voted to do this. There was some discussion on what to do with the gift certificate. This item will be on the agenda for the next meeting. Lyle will respond to Scenic Cycling Adventures, accepting their offer.

Riders—print your names clearly. Rob Gandara developed a spreadsheet with 195 names. Scrolling through these names and trying to match them with scribbles is a lot less fun than riding!

Please stay out of the Beanery unless you want to buy something—they like that. Stay away from their front door. I’ve heard reports from riders that our bicycles have blocked the passage of Beanery customers with canes.

It would be good to tell the Beanery how much you appreciate them letting us use their shop for Saturday Rides.