Welcome to Spring (a Colorado Spring complete with a foot of snow!) and the start of the 2017 ride season.  I am looking forward to riding with you all and hoping that you are all finalizing your decisions on which JDRF ride to participate in.  If you have any questions or are looking for some guidance, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.  The first ride this year will be in LaCrosse, WI the weekend of August 10th.  It is a lovely ride through picture-perfect countryside.

This is a big year for our chapter.  After years of nagging, National has put a Colorado ride on the calendar.  It is going to be SUPER!  The best ever!  If you haven’t signed up for the ride… WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

In the meantime, enjoy the wonderful Colorado Spring weather.  As you get out on the bike, use good sense to avoid injury.  The article below was written by my good friends at Boulder Cycle Sport.

“When the sun is shining it is so enticing to leave behind the gloves, warmers and extra layers. And, after a long winter, sometimes 60 degrees feels downright tropical! It’s tempting to dress lightly. The sun is out, temperatures are soaring and you want, uh, NEED, some good ole’ vitamin D. As we crawl out of winter and into spring, it is important to remember to take care of your body and not jump the gun on the summer riding apparel.

Here’s the thing though. We are warm-blooded critters. As our muscles do work, our blood warms and flows through our body. We get (feel) warm. But there are places on our body that don’t get this warmth. They also lack the nerve endings necessary to let you know there are some cold spots on your body. We’re talking about our knees and the wonderful cartilage, ligaments and tendons in those knees that help us pedal our bikes. The reason this is important is that even if you feel warm, you may still be causing cold weather damage to your body. Coldness creates stiffness, and reduces and restricts movement.

Our on the bike tip is if you ever reach down and feel your kneecap is cold, you need to cover it up. The general rule of thumb is if it’s below 65 degrees pull on some knee or leg warmers. They are easy to stuff in a jersey pocket and much less expensive than knee rehab!”

I will be starting group rides later this spring.  Last year, I lead Wednesday evening rides in Denver and Sunday morning rides in Boulder.  I hope that you will join me and your fellow chapter riders.  The rides are purely social and are no-drop.

If you are thinking about signing up for a JDRF ride or have some other bicycle related question.  I am happy to help.  Please feel free to email me at jdrfcoach@pipeline.com.

I look forward to seeing you all out on the road!

Tom Kissinger
Ride Coach
JDRF Rocky Mountain Chapter