Welcome to Spring and the start of the 2016 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 is in Burlington, Vermont the weekend of July 7th.  It is a lovely ride through picture-perfect countryside (pictured).

In the meantime, enjoy the wonderful Colorado Spring weather.  As you get out on the bike, use good sense to avoid injury.  The piece 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 look forward to seeing you all out on the road!

Tom Kissinger
JDRF Rocky Mountain Chapter Ride Coach
tom_k@pipeline.com