The Sub-5 Century Challenge ride is NOT a race. It is a team/group challenge to complete a distance within pre-determined time goal. Safety should be everyone’s top priority. The following points should serve as a guide to ensure everyone has a safe and successful Sub-5 Century Challenge ride.

1. Each course will be clearly marked with colored route arrows. The Sub-5 course is comprises of three laps of the same loop and the course for the recreational ride comprises of three separate loops. The route marker colors are indicated as follows:
   1. Sub-5 Century
      Loop (33.5 miles)
   2. Recreational
      Loop 1 (24.7 miles)
      Loop 2 (24.9 miles)
      Loop 3 (26.9 miles)
2. Keep the speed moderate for the first ten miles. Some of the best endurance athletes can take up to half an hour to warm up. Riding too fast from the start could drop some potentially strong riders from the group, who will be SORELY missed towards the end of the ride.
3. Accelerate slowly from stops and turns to make sure those towards the back of the group don’t get dropped. Long pace lines have a lot of inertia, requiring riders further back to accelerate faster than those at the front to prevent gaps from forming.
4. Take your turn and share the pull at the front, but don’t get caught up with “Pull Inflation.” Keep the pulls short and don’t be tempted to spend longer at the front just to show you can last longer than the previous person. Conserve some energy so that you can accelerate onto the back of the group when you’ve finished your rotation.
5. Don’t forget to eat and drink. This is a necessity to complete a century and avoid the dreaded bonk. Make a point of drinking, and consume the occasional energy bar, Gu sachet or dry trail mix when recovering in the middle of the group.
6. Communicate!  Let others know how you are doing or if a rider has popped off the back of your group.  When you’re ready to peel off the front make a clear hand gesture and don’t drop your speed until clear of the next person behind you.
7. Hills are noted for splitting up ride groups. Every rider will find their own rhythm for attacking a hill and there’s little assistance offered by drafting. Take care to ease up and regroup at the top. In the case of gentle inclines, shorten up the rotations and ride to the pace of the slowest rider.
8. If you need a longer break between pulls, consider resting longer at the back of the pack. As riders rotate from the front signal for them to rotate back into the group in front of you. Conversely if you’re feeling stronger than others in the group, pull for a longer period, as opposed to increasing the pace to the point of dropping riders.
9. Don’t expect the group to compromise its time goal just for you. If you become physically exhausted or feel that you can no longer maintain the group’s pace let others know before dropping off the back.
10. If you develop a flat or a minor mechanical issue with your bike the SAG wagon can provide support, but it will be your responsibility to catch up and rejoin your ride group. Whether you are dropped from your ride group due to a flat, fatigue or the ability to maintain the pace, you have the following options.
    1. Continue to ride at your own pace to the feed zone. If you haven’t lost much time you may be able to rejoin your ride group. You may also elect to retire or wait to join the next ride group.
    2. If you are caught by the following group, either on the road or at the feed zone, you can decide to complete the ride with them. Note that the new group may be riding a more moderate pace and time goal.
    3. Irrespective, tell the trailing SAG vehicle what your plan is. If necessary, SAG in!
11. Keep the time spent in the “feed zone” to a minimum (6 min. or less). Unless you need to use the rest room stay with your bike. We suggest carrying two wide-mouthed water bottles; one for water and one for an energy drink. Volunteers will fill your bottles and offer high-calorie snacks from grab baskets while you straddle your bike. If you need to use a rest room someone will be on hand to hold your bike.
12. Course marshals will be posted at the busiest intersections of the Sub-5 course. Wherever present the course marshals will provide a clear indication, using handheld “STOP/GO” signs, as to whether it is safe to enter the intersection. They will NOT have the directive to stop traffic. For those intersections where a course marshal is not provided riders MUST obey all applicable traffic laws.
13. Sharing the road:
    1. There is a short stretch on Big Timber Rd., between Widmayer and Ketchum, where riders from the Sub-5 and Recreational loops will be required to share the road. We’ll have course marshals at the intersection of intersection of Widmayer and Big Timber, where recreational cyclists will be required to yield to those riding the Sub-5.
    2. The section of Harmony Rd., between Harmony Hill and Hampshire roads on the Sub-5 century loop, is moderately busy with traffic. It is recommended that the ride groups form a single pace line over this section.
    3. With the number of ride groups, the relative speed and staggered start times there is a remote possibility that the fastest group (<4:40 time goal) could pass the slowest group just before the fastest group completes their century. This is more likely to occur if the fastest group is ahead of its time goal or the slowest group is behind. If this occurs the faster group should use caution and choose an appropriate quiet section of road to safely pass the slower ride group.

“DA RULES”

1. STOP at all stop signs. This includes the hand-held signs used by course marshals.
2. WAIT until there is sufficient gap in the traffic for the entire group to cross an intersection before proceeding.
3. REDUCE speed when approaching left and right turns.
4. LEAD RIDER must ensure that entire group yields to traffic before turning left or right
5. DO NOT CROSS the center line of the road.
6. OBEY the course marshals & ride-group captains.
7. RESPECT all volunteers

“RIDER ETTIQUETTE”

S. P. A. R.

• SMOOTH – As in ride smoothly, maintain your line, DO NOT accelerate when pulling through, “feather” your brakes to maintain proper gap when drafting.
• PROJECT-As in don’t make sudden moves, make it easy for those behind you to anticipate what you’re going to do
• ANTICIPATE - Look up the road for hazards, anticipate loose gravel at all turns, watch the shoulders of riders that are 2 places ahead of you
• RELAX - Don’t choke the handlebars, keep shoulders relaxed, enjoy the ride, have fun.

5-2-2-1

• “5” – It should take about a “five count” for you to pull through
  More than that … you’re getting tired, sit in to recover
  Less than that … you’re going too fast, not maintaining a proper pace
• “2” – After your pull, reduce your pedal stroke by 2 rpms when returning to the back of the pace line.
• “2” – Watch the rider who is at least two positions ahead of you. This is opposed to the rear wheel of the one directly rider in front of you.
• “1” – To receive the maximum benefit from drafting,  you should maintain a 1-ft. distance between your front wheel and the rear wheel of the rider ahead of you.

“EVENT REGULATIONS”

1. Arrive early and be ready to roll as of 7:00 AM.
   If you are late for your start time, you will be placed in the next available ride group, which may be targeting a more conservative time goal.
2. Bikes
   a)     Only regular road bikes should be used for the Sub-5 ride. This event is not a “team time-trial.”
   b)    For reasons of safety aero bars shall not be used during this event.
3. Wheels & Tires
   a)     Everyone should inspect their tires to ensure that they are in good condition, properly inflated and glued (if tubular).
   b)    SAG vehicles will carry spare wheels.
   c)     Coordinate with your Ride Group Captain to ensure that you have an adequate amount and type (9/10 speed; Shimano, Campy or Sram).
   d)    Place your last name on each wheel (I use a magic marker) to ensure that “borrowed” wheels are returned to you.
4. SAG Drivers & Vehicles
   a)     These are provided for your safety and will FOLLOW your ride group.
   b)    In the event of a flat, the SAG driver will assist you with a wheel change.
   c)     Will not allow you (if dropped, or flatted) to draft their vehicle to catch your Ride Group.
   d)    Will not pass food and water bottles to you while you’re moving.
   e)     Will carry first aid kits.
5. Ride-Group Captains
   Ride-group captains will ensure everyone obeys “Da Rules” (see above).
6. Feed Zone
   a)     Volunteers will fill your bottles.
   b)    Water and Gatorade or 50/50 water and Gatorade only.
   c)     If you or your team has special needs, place your cooler (with your name clearly marked) in the Feed Zone.
   d)    Volunteers will pass sandwiches, bananas etc. to you. They are there to serve.
7. Flush-toilets
   a)     There will be four portable flush toilets at the Sub-5 feed zone.
   b)    Those located in the sports concession building are for the recreational riders and volunteers.

The 2011 Sub-5 jersey at the Bike Psychos Century

As we close out the final week leading up to the sub-5 ride, the organizers and volunteers are busy making the final preparations for ride day on Sunday September 11th.

The Sub-5 ride is unlike other invitational rides. For this reason the two articles referenced in this special version of the newsletter should be considered essential reading. They attempt to make you aware of what to expect on the day of the ride.

The first article is the “Rules of the Ride.” This document outlays the rules, group etiquette and the extent the support crew can assist in making your day a success. This is followed by the “Sub-5 Survival Guide,” which provides general guidelines toward ensuring everyone has a safe and successful ride.

Arrival – Sunday Morning

Upon arrival at Hampshire High school all riders should enter via the north entrance on Big Timber Rd. Sub 5 riders should arrive no later than 6:30 AM in order to leave sufficient time to prepare their bike.

Check-in

In addition to packet pick up you will need to pin a bib number across your rear jersey pockets and attach a wireless ID tag to your bike. Although we will have volunteers available to assist with the wireless tag attachment, please consider reviewing the special instructions in the PDF file prior to your arrival. You should be ready to roll at 7 AM. At this time there’ll be some announcements and a pre-ride briefing.

Start Time – Sub5

Ride groups will begin departing at 5-minute intervals starting at 7:30 AM.

Start Time – Recreational

At their discretion recreational riders can arrive as late as 8 AM. This group departs together at approximately 8:30 AM once all the sub-5 ride groups have been staged.

Friday Night (9/9) Reception

As a reminder, don’t forget to RSVP at info@sub5century.org for the upcoming pre-ride reception this Friday Sept. 9th, at Two Brothers’ Brewery Roundhouse in Aurora. The festivities begin at 6:30 PM. The event is free to all registered riders and volunteers and offers a great opportunity to meet other riders as well as members of your ride group. Guests pay a small fee of $20.00 at the door. Paul Ruby will be there as well as our official starter, Mr. John Vande Velde. John will be wielding some interesting collectibles that he picked up on the pro-tour circuit. These will be made available as draw prizes and will won by some lucky individuals.

As a final note we should remember that ride day is also the decade anniversary of 9/11 and the attacks on the World Trade Center. Please bear a thought to reflect on those citizens and emergency response heroes, who tragically lost their lives on that fateful day.

The forecast is looking promising and we look forward to seeing everyone.

Last Sunday (8/21) we enjoyed one such ride that included a large group from the Evanston Bike Club. Captain Felix Angelov and his team have been regular participants in the training rides. Throughout the season we’ve witnessed this crew’s ride skills and performance really develop. As a further indication of their dedication they recently produced a special edition version of their new club jersey. It includes the banner, “Sub 5 Century Team.” The photo at left shows club members Felix and Bob modeling their new EBC jersey at the end of last Sunday’s ride.

We hope to hold a couple of more training rides the last two weekends. There is one scheduled for this Sunday, (8/26). If you haven’t had a chance to ride the new course and don’t have anything planned this will be one of your last opportunities to do so prior to the event. You can consider riding 1-3 laps, depending on the time you have available.
In this week’s news René announces the long awaited details of the pre-ride reception that is being planned by our sponsor, Two-Brothers Brewery. This will be at their newly acquired facility, the Roundhouse in Aurora. The reception will be held the Friday evening prior to the ride (9/9). All registered riders and volunteers are free to attend.

The purpose of this event is to thank all of our sponsors, key volunteers and participants who have made the Sub5 Century Challenge for Parkinson’s happen. We’ll introduce the Team Captains and announce the team rosters. You’ll meet fellow riders in their street clothes that you won’t recognize on Sunday. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet Paul Ruby.  And, we’ll be previewing this year’s commemorative jersey.

We’ll conduct drawings for autographed pro team jerseys provided by John VandeVelde. John got these for us in July when he was at the Tour de France. You’ll also have a chance to win prizes and promotional items provided by our sponsors. Remember, you will receive ONE CHANCE TO WIN for each $100 that you raised in contributions for the Paul Ruby Foundation. As an example: Ruth Gleicher is currently our top fundraiser with over $2,000. She will receive 20 chances to win. So, you have roughly two weeks to boost your contributions.

It may seem strange, but developing the ability to ride fast is much harder than developing endurance. The good news is that you won’t need the speed of a professional bike racer to complete a sub 5 hour century and you’ll see immediate gains from the interval workout described below.

To complete your sub 5 century, you’ll want to be able to cruise in a group at somewhere between 22 and 24 mph. You’ll pick up 10-15% additional speed by riding in the draft of the rider in front of you. Since you’ll be adding to your overall speed while cycling in a group, you probably want to focus your interval training riding at a pace of 21 mph or so. You might want to complement your training by practicing the skill of drafting off other riders in a pace line as a separate component of your training.

Ready to start training? Try this test: when you’re feeling fresh (that means no “big” rides in the last few days, a few nights of good sleep) and warmed up (20 to 30 minutes of easy riding), see how long can you ride at 21 mph before you can’t hold that speed any longer. Let’s say it’s ten minutes. This is a great place to start and understand just how much training you’ll need to put in.

By concentrating on holding that speed for progressively longer periods of time, you’ll develop the ability to sustain that level of effort for hours on end. This is an attempt to increase the speed you can accomplish within your “lactate threshold” – or 20 minutes of intense riding. This is another way of saying how long your cardio-vascular system can deliver enough oxygen and energy to your muscles in order to process the lactate (the waste product dumped into your blood stream) produced to put out this level of work for an extended period.

The key to increasing this time is by doing a series of “Lactate Threshold Intervals” this summer, so you’re ready to ride fast on September 11th. Got it? Let’s keep going.

Perform your lactate threshold intervals once or twice a week separated by two days’ recovery time. Find a road loop of about five miles with no traffic lights or stop signs to interrupt your effort. It is best to measure your performance and progress by using a power meter, such as a Power Tap, but if you don’t have one, choose a flat course and measure your speed instead (on windy days, allow for variations in your results).

Here’s a simple and productive interval workout:

Get in a good warm-up of 30 minutes or so, with a short burst of speed somewhere toward the end. Start with two 10-minute time trials with a 10-minute rest in between. The rest period should be riding at something like 10 to 12 mph in a low gear, spinning the pedals easily. Do each time trial as hard as you can but not so hard you can’t maintain the same steady pressure (power output) all the way through both of them. Your power output should be consistent over each interval, while your average power for the second should be the same or higher than the first. At the end of these intervals, you should feel totally exhausted. Ride home afterward at the same speed with which you were resting between intervals. You might feel a little sore the next day. The intervals need to be done on your own because to be effective, you need to ride these at a pace you can just barely sustain for both intervals, and that pace will be specific to you only.

After completing three of these sessions, add a third 10-minute time trial. After doing three or four sessions of 3 intervals, switch to two 15-minute intervals, while keeping the 10-minute break in between. Build to three 15-minute intervals after another three or four sessions. Finish the series with three or four sessions of two 20-minute time trials, again separated by 10-minute rests. You’ll start to feel the progression.

Other riding during this time should be long, steady base miles at which you’re working, but not too hard to talk (75% of your maximum heart rate). These rides will develop your overall fitness and endurance. Be sure to get plenty of rest every third week or so by cutting back on your overall mileage. This will help your body consolidate your gains in fitness.

Over this period, if you’re using a power meter, you should see the relationship between your power output and your heart rate improving. That is, you should be able to put out the same amount of power at a lower heart rate or be able to put out more power at the same heart rate. This is the best definition of fitness improvement for cycling. You’ll also find yourself better able to keep up with rides you previously considered “too fast” for you.

With a little strategy and a lot of hard work, you should be able to see amazing improvements in your speed over the next few months. It’s great to improve at your sport and have an ultimate goal in mind, but most important of all, always remember to have fun!

Step #2: Determine Your Solicitation Strategy
Online Solicitations - Use the events.org tool and template to send an email and monitor your fundraising progress. Embed a link in the message that directs people to your “MyFundraising” page. This page can be found and accessed from the event’s main page at: http://www.events.org/sub5century. You can login to edit the default content of this page, change the title and add a photo.

Writing Campaign - Write a personal letter to those closest to you telling them why you’re riding, the extensive amount of training involved and ask them to match your commitment by supporting you.

Celebratory Giving - As a birthday, anniversary or special holiday approaches, in lieu of a gift, request that your friends and family show their affection by making a donation in support of your ride.

Fundraising Party - Invite friends to your home or host a party at your favorite restaurant, bar or wine shop. Ask if your favorite restaurant will donate a percentage of their sales from the event. Explain why this ride is so important and invite your friends to join you on this journey through their financial support.

Matching Gifts - Many employers match all or part of their employees’ charitable donations. Ask your employer and encourage your donors to do the same. The applicable Tax ID and mail address can found at the Paul Ruby Foundation web site.

Spread the Word - Use your personal communication style (FaceBook, Twitter, E-mail, face-to-face), announce to your friends your goals – riding and fundraising – and keep them up-to-date on your progress.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask - Most donors will contribute because they know you and will want to help.

Step #3: Say “Thank you”
Thank each donor for their support as quickly as possible with a personal e-mail message or phone call. Handwritten notes are even better. After the ride, share pictures and stories about your Sub-5 experience. Let them know how much their support lifted your spirits and confidence. By properly thanking donors, you make them feel special and appreciated.

Please visit our website at www.sub5century.org for more information.

When riding in a group each member spends just short periods at the front, exerting an elevated effort, in order to propel the group at a higher speed than if they rode alone. Each ride group ideally consists of 12-20 riders; the absolute minimum being 10, and the maximum 25. They are separated on the Sub-5 course by intervals of five minutes beginning with the fastest. Each group is accompanied by its own trailing SAG vehicle.

Everyone participating in the Sub-5 ride is eventually assigned a ride group that matches their Time Goal. This follows the close of registration on September 5th.

Team Sign Up
The registration process offers a team sign-up option. This feature is merely used to communicate that a number of people would like to be assigned the same ride group. It is particularly handy for those that are associated with a bike club or shop. Those wishing to be in the same group simply use the same Team Name and Time Goal when registering. One member of the team should also check the box as the “Team Captain.” The team captain merely provides a focal point for any questions that may arise. If a team grows in number to contain a full complement of riders it will qualify as a self-contained ride group. Otherwise a ride group may consist of one or more smaller teams and individuals riders. A group only becomes exclusive to a team if the team comprises the maximum number of riders.

Adding More Riders to a Team
All registered riders are offered access to our Yahoo Group site. The database area of the site contains a list of all those currently registered for the 2011 ride. In addition to the names the list includes geographic location, team name (if they have one), time goal and phone contact. The list was made available to the Sub-5 community to give team captains, and riders unaffiliated with a team, the opportunity to hook up. A good choice would be riders one might have ridden with on one of the training rides held at Hampshire School. Requests to change team affiliation and/or time goal should be made prior to the close of registration, and directed to registration@sub5century.org.

Even after the ride groups have been defined they may still remain somewhat fluid right up to the day of the ride. There’s the occasion someone does not make it to the start on time to leave with their ride group. Or they may be suffering from allergies that morning and request a slower group. We also accommodate substitute riders, who may not be up to the same Time Goal as the person they are filling in for.

Team Work –The Recipe for Success
Ad-hoc ride groups (made up of individuals) form all the time on invitational rides. If they are unable to stay together it is usually because they are not matched. For this reason we make a big effort to make sure everyone is matched in a ride group.

The groups most successful in last year’s inaugural ride contained a core of riders that registered as a team. Although these teams took on other riders to make up their ride group, they were strong enough in number to maintain control of the group. Team members train and ride together throughout the season. They know their limits and can dominate the pace of the group. Riders unable to keep up will be dropped, and the group will resist responding to surges in speed that threaten to splinter it.

Those who participated in last year’s inaugural ride recognize the strength of building up one’s own team and are using the team sign-up feature to attract the riders they want to ride within their group. To further encourage team work the organizers are introducing a group time for the 2011 ride. The group time will be the time of the rider, who represents when 60% or more of his ride group has finished.

A “team” is made up of 4 or more riders. Whether you’re riding individually or as part of a team, you’ll be grouped with other riders and teams with similar time goals into a Rider Group. Rider Groups will not exceed 25 riders.

Why Ride in a Team?

• Training and fundraising motivation and support to keep each other on track;
• Generate visibility for your team and have a larger impact as fundraisers;
• Collaborative effort leverages the resources of the entire team. You can tap into each others strengths as one member may excel at riding while another may excel at fundraising;
• Teams may organize several training rides per week giving you more options to improve your group riding skills. If you miss one day you can always catch another;