Bike Diva

Steps To Keep In Mind If Involved In A Bike Accident

No one wants to think about being involved in an accident. But it is better to be aware of what to do next than to panic further. It is also worth knowing just in case you are ever witness to a bike accident.

 

Step one

 

The first step is to remove yourself from the danger. If you have fallen in the road then it is important that, if you can, you get to a safe place as quickly as possible. If this is not possible then you will want to make yourself as visible as you can. The traffic around you may fail to stop, in which case you may need to shout for help to ask someone to halt the oncoming cars.

 

Step two

 

Call for medical attention. If you are unable to do this then ask someone to do it for you. Even if you think that you are OK it is worth seeking medical attention. If you decide to make a claim for an injury such as whiplash then you will need to provide proof that you have sought medical attention first.

 

Step three

 

Look out for witnesses.  Having a witness is key if you decide to file bicycle accident claims. Try and catch people before they move on.  Ask for their contact details or a business card and explain that you may require their help in the future. Witness statements are an essential part of the court and police process.

 

Step four

 

Swap details with the other person or persons involved in the accident. Take down insurance details, names and addresses and vehicle registration details.

 

Step five

 

Retain copies of absolutely everything. Any witness statements, ambulance or doctors reports, police reports and any names and addresses you manage to take. They may all be of help in your claim.

 

Step six

 

Time to file for bicycle accident claims.Your bike may need replacing and you will probably have medical bills or care that needs paying for. Claiming compensation will help you to get back what you need. Keep receipts of any prescriptions, transport to and from appointments and any personal items that have been damaged. Your phone, your bike, anything that you had on you on the day of the accident. Speak with a good bike solicitor who will understand exactly what is needed. Ask your doctor for detailed notes which your bike solicitor can use in your claim.  

 

And remember two important things, don’t ride away from the accident. If you do, and you are injured, then the police won’t take you seriously. Also, try your best not to get angry. This could act against you. As much as you will feel angry, frustrated and probably in pain, getting mad won’t help your case. Keep your cool, try to think rationally and make sure that you follow these steps. Filing bicycle accident claims is not difficult, speak with a bike solicitor today to find out more.

 

Carry on Cycling can help you with your claim. Get in touch with the specialists today.

For walking and cycling for your health read safe roads for walking and cycling.

 

Author Byline 

Sarah Mcarthy is a writer for Carry on Cycling. You can find her on Google Plus here.

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Bike Diva's Tentative 2012 Race Schedule

Above: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, and her husband Rob finishing the swim leg of their first ever triathlon, February 2011.

Race Bike Diva Race

It's that time of year again. Time for reflection as I look back at the races I participated in 2011 and figure out which events I want to race in 2012. I've been racing since 2008, you can view my Bike Diva Race Schedule to see all the events I participated in since that time: http://www.bikediva.net/bike-divas-races.html.

I start planning my schedule for the following year in the early fall for a number of reasons:

1. The companies I am trying to obtain sponsorship from for the 2012 race season usually accept applications in the fall for sponsorship the following year. Every potential sponsor needs a general idea of the events you plan on doing.
2. I am married with children and need to plan my training and racing around my husbands work schedule and daughters school schedule.
3. I am not independently wealthy, and as an amateur athlete, I have to pay the entry fee to all my events. Being on a limited budget I have to decide which events are the most important to me each year.
4. I live in south Florida and could easily race year round. But that would be a recipe for disaster. Everyone needs an off season to rest and recuperate from their main racing season before gearing up their training for the next racing season. I was exhausted at the end of 2010 after doing 22 events, so I am trying really hard to scale back a bit. Fewer races should mean those races are better/faster than going slow and suffering when doing too many events.

  Above: showing off my bike in the transition area of the 2011 St. Anthony's triathlon.

Bike Diva's 2011 Races

As you can see, I still have a few races left to go for 2011. My "A" race of the year, the one which is the most important to me, takes place on November 13. I will be competing in my first half Ironman distance triathlon at Miami Man, 6 days before my 48th birthday!

1. 2/06 - Club Med Race Series #1 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
2. 2/26 - Race for Faith – 5k – John Prince Park, Lake Worth
3. 3/13 - 35^th Annual Shamrock Run – 5k – John Prince Park, Lake Worth
4. 3/27 – Club Med Race Series #2 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
5. 4/03 - Spring Training Triathlon - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
6. 4/17 - FAU Wellness Triathlon - sprint triathlon - Spanish River Park, Boca Raton
7. 4/23 - Egg Hunt Triathlon - sprint triathlon - CB Smith Park, Pembroke Pines
8. 5/01 - St. Anthony's Triathlon - Olympic triathlon - Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg
9. 5/07 – 10th Annual Race for the Arts – 5k – John Prince Park, Lake Worth
10. 7/04 - Independence Day - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
11. 7/24 – Club Med Race Series #4 – sprint triathlon – Club Med, Port St. Lucie
12. 8/06 - Loggerhead Triathlon - sprint triathlon - Carlin Park, Jupiter.
13. 8/21 - WPB Race Series - 15k time trial bike race - West Palm Beach.
14. 10/02 - Race the Troops - sprint triathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
15. 11/13 - Miami Man – ½ Ironman triathlon – Larry & Penny Thompson Park, Homestead
16. 11/19  25th Annual Turkey Trot - 5k run - Anchor Park, Delray Beach
17. 12/03 - Warrior Dash - 5k adventure run - Quiet Waters Park, Deerfield Beach

Above: my favorite part of the triathlon, the bike leg!

Bike Diva's Tentative 2012 Race Schedule

This is a very preliminary schedule. I don't have any dates yet for the Club Med series of triathlons or any of the Multirace.com triathlons. I'm not sure if I will commit to doing my first full Ironman distance triathlon the end of 2012 or 2013. If I don't do Ironman in 2012 then I will do the half Ironman again at Miami Man in lieu of Ironman Florida.

Also, if my  swim confidence has improved, then I'm looking at NOT doing as many Multirace.com events as I usually do and adding in some of the bigger tris, such as Miami International, Nautica South Beach or Escape to Miami to my schedule. BUT I will have to get over my fear of bridges, Miami triathlons are full of stinking bridges.

Also, my local chapter Team in Training is talking about doing the Moab century ride next September. That is a 100 mile road bike ride in the mountains in Utah. My husband is one of the Team in Training cycle coaches, so if Moab is a go, then I'll be training for that event in September in lieu of doing Nation's triathlon.

The Disney half and full marathon (AKA Goofy Race & a half Challenge) are the only events that I have already registered for in 2012. I am doing Goofy with my local chapter of Team in Training to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This leaves a lot of room for changes and additions to the schedule. But potential sponsors for 2012 race season need to have a general idea of what events I plan to race so I put together this tentative schedule.

1. 1/07/12 - Disney - half marathon - Orlando
2. 1/08/12 - Disney - marathon - Orlando
3. 2/19/12 - A1A - marathon - Ft. Lauderdale
4. 2/25/12 - 9th Annual Race for Faith - 5k - Lake Worth
5. 3/10/12 - 11th Annual Race for the Arts - 5k - West Palm Beach
6. 3/?/12 - 36th Annual Shamrock Run - 5k or 10 miler - Lake Worth
7. 4/15/12 - FAU - sprint triathlon - Boca Raton
8. 4/29/12 - St. Anthony's - Olympic triathlon - St. Petersburg
9. 8/?/12 - Loggerhead - sprint triathlon - Jupiter
10. 9/09/12 - Nation's - Olympic triathlon - Washington, DC
11. ??11/?/12 - Ironman Florida - Full Ironman triathlon - Panama City Beach OR
12. 11/?/12 - Miami Man - half Ironman triathlon - Miami
13. 11/?/12 - 26th Annual Turkey Trot - 5k - Delray Beach
14. 12/?/12 - Palm Beach Marathon - marathon - West Palm Beach

Above: my least favorite part of triathlons, the swim. I've only been swimming since January 3, so I guess I'm doing okay for just getting into triathlons. I am like a fish out of water in the water - LOL!

Additional Sponsorship Information

Here are links to articles I've written on obtaining sponsorship for amateur athletes:

• 2012 Athletic Sponsorship Opportunities
• How to Find Sponsorship Opportunities

 

Take care,
Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva

FAU Challenge Bike Ride

 

FAU Challenge Bike Ride SATURDAY, April 16th Presented by Bike America FAU Recreation & Fitness Center, 777 Glades Road Boca Raton, FL 33431 Click here for directions Bike Ride Start Time: 7:00 AM Bike Ride Distances: 25 & 50 miles

 

Registration

There are three options for registration:

1.  Registration can be completed online at imATHLETE prior to MIDNIGHT THURSDAY, April 14, 2011
2.  Download our registration and consent form and mailing them to Florida Atlantic University, Today & Beyond Wellness, SS-8, Room 222, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431. Make checks payable to Florida Atlantic University.
3.  In person at the Bike Ride start location on Saturday, April 16th at the Florida Atlantic University's Recreation and Fitness Center beginning at 5:30 am.

 

Entry Fees:

Individual Entry Fee	$30
Bike America MS 150 Team Members	$20
Full-Time FAU Student (ID required at packet pick-up)	$20
*make checks payable to Florida Atlantic University

Packet Pick Up

There are three options for bike ride packet pick-up:

1. Thursday, April 14^th at Bike America, East Boca from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
2. Packet pick-up will be available to guests who attend the Meet and Greet for Athletes on Friday, April 15^th.
3. During CHECK IN on Saturday, April 16^th, 2011 between 5:30 to 6:45 AM at the race site.

Review of Indoor Bike Trainers

Buying A Bike Trainer?…Know This First

After months and months of research into the world of indoor bike trainers, I've learned a thing or two about what a perspective buyer should be looking for. Having done a lot of indoor bike trainer reviews, I’ve discovered that the best bike trainers share some important commonalities. Let me tell you about them.

We'll Start From The Ground Level

Of course the 'foundation' of any product is important. In the case of bike trainers, we're talking about the frame. The better bike trainers like the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine and the CycleOps Fluid 2 certainly have a solid frame, but the folks at Blackburn would beg to differ. They've developed a frame that's twice as stiff as the rest of the market. If you're a strong heavy rider, increased rack stiffness may be worthy of consideration.

Whisper Quiet Please

In the world of indoor bike trainers , quietness is queen (or king). If we were to develop a noise hierarchy, fluid bike trainers would be at the top of the heap (that is to say they're the quietest), wind trainers would occupy the lowest rung on the ladder (they can sound like a roaring locomotive if you’re pedaling all out), and magnetic (mag) trainers are somewhere in between. If the cyclist lives in an apartment, the use of a wind trainer can become awkward, with invitations to social events beginning to wane the longer the rider torments his neighbors with his cycling workouts.

How Does It Create Resistance?

This is where the 'rubber meets the roller'. In short, the three categories of trainers are named for their method of resistance. The simplest are wind trainers, which get the rider huffing and puffing by pushing air around. One of the companies, CycleOps, has a wind trainer that has impellers in a 'Vortex' design. This is said to be quieter and develop more resistance than standard wind trainer designs. With wind trainers there’s no provision for increasing the resistance level other than pedaling faster.

Mag trainers develop resistance by rotating magnets past each other. The repulsion of the magnets as they come into each other's 'force field' is what creates the workout. Some models, like the CycleOps Magneto, have what's called Progressive Resistance. With the use of centrifugal force, the magnets move to the outside of the spinning rotor, which increases the resistance. You can 'switch gears' on other mag trainers by manually changing the configuration of the magnets, either by getting off the bike or by using a control lever that's mounted to the handlebars.

Fluid bike trainers work by rotating an impeller through a fluid. Kurt Kinetic uses silicone, which has the added advantage of getting thicker as it heats up (and the heat generated from a strong workout can be substantial). This thickening of the fluid, in addition to the basic physics of fluid dynamics, is what makes fluid trainer resistance increase exponentially. You can be assured that you’ll never get strong enough to exceed your fluid trainer’s ability to dish out punishment. Traditionally, fluid bike trainers could be counted on to begin leaking over time. However due to new designs and better parts, leakage on the best quality bike trainers has been minimized.

 

Three Conclusions

There at least three important considerations in the buying of an indoor bike trainer.

1. The integrity and stiffness of the frame should be considered.
2. The amount of noise that the trainer's expected to produce can be important, particularly if the rider lives in close quarters.
3. The way in which the trainer develops resistance can be as simple and foolproof as loudly moving air with a wind trainer. Alternatively, creating resistance may involve moving parts with potential for something to go wrong, as in a mag trainer. Lastly, it can be as smooth as an impeller moving through silicone fluid...but with the potential to leak.

This short primer should get you started on your quest to find the best bike trainer for your needs, with additional information as close away as a Google search for the 'best bike trainer'.

About the author:

Ron Fritzke is a cycling product reviewer with a passion for ‘all things cycling’. A former 2:17 marathoner, he now directs his competitive efforts toward racing his bike…and looking for good cycling products.

Try a Triathlon With Team in Training

Above: Rob and Lynn Smythe at the pre ride pasta party for the 2010 Intrawaterway Century Ride, Cocoa Beach, Florida.

FAU WELLNESS TRIATHLON
After 5 years of participating in century bike rides with our local Team in Training chapter, we have decided to start training for our very first triathlon. Although we have raced in a few duathlons (run-bike-run) over the past couple of years, the FAU Wellness Triathlon will be our first ever triathlon. FAU has an open water swim, so we have joined our local YMCA, so we can workout in their lap pool, to get a jump on our swim training. Lynn will be keeping track of her journey to become a triathlete on her Bike Diva blog: www.bikediva.net.

Above: Rob about to undergo his first bladder cancer surgery. Nice cap!


CANCER EFFECTS EVERYONE
Rob is going through his own battle to fight cancer right now. In September of 2009, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer. He had surgery in October, followed by 6 weeks of immunatherapy starting in December. In October of 2010, he went to his urologist for a routine check up, and was hoping to be 1 year cancer free. Unfortunately the cancer was back and he had to undergo a second surgery on December 15, 2010.

Above: Rob and Lynn Smythe at the start of the 2010 Intracoastal Waterway Century Ride.


Rob begins another round of immunatherapy and interferon treatments starting the end of January. He is in good health, and high spirits. We both enjoy being part of the Team in Training program and staying active, even while we are going through our own personal crisis, is the key to keeping a positive outlook on life. GO TEAM!

PLEASE DONATE TO TEAM IN TRAINING
We are training to participate in an endurance event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. We am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support our participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Thank you for your support. You can visit our fundraising page to make a donation to the society, in our name: Rob & Lynn Smythe's TNT Fundraising Page.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

 

Bike Diva's Tentative 2011 Race Schedule

Run Bike Run

2011 will mark my 4th season of racing, and my third year of racing duathlons. I participate in the majority of the duathlons hosted by Multirace.com. Most of the Multirace.com events can be done as either a triathlon or a duathlon. Since I am swim challenged, I opt to do the duathlons.

Here is a listing of my tentative 2011 race schedule. Besides the duathlons, I plan on dong a few 5k runs and a few cycling events. All of these races take place in south Florida, unless otherwise noted.

Charity Bike Ride

I'm not sure of the exact date of the Honolulu Century Ride. We are trying to get our local Team in Training chapter to offer the Honolulu ride as one of it's fall season events. Team in Training is the main fundraising program of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In the past 5 years my husband and I have participated in five century (100 mile) road bike rides with the society, while raising over $22,000 to help find a cure for blood cancers.

If the Honolulu century ride is a go, I will be altering my race schedule for the month of September. My husband, daughter and I plan on spending around 10 days in Oahu, if we go, so we will be traveling out to Hawaii before the rest of the TNT cycle team gets out there. Time to start saving our pennies!

Bike Diva's 2011 Race Schedule

1. 1/15 - Dyer Consequences - 10k trail run - Dyer Park, West Palm Beach
2. 2/06 - 9th Annual Butterfly Run - 5k run - Sabal Pines Park, Coconut Creek
3. 3/06 - Spring Training Classic - 10k run - Rodger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
4. 4/03 - Multirace Season Opener - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
5. 4/23 - Egg Hunt - sprint duathlon - CB Smith Park, Pembroke Pines
6. 5/07 - 10th Annual Race for the Arts - 5k run - John Prince Park, Lake Worth
7. 5/15 - Tri Miami - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
8. 5/22 - Riviera Beach - sprint duathlon - Ocean Mall, Singer Island
9. 6/11 -  TBA - sprint duathlon
10. 6/19 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #1 - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
11. 7/04 - Independence Day - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
12. 7/17 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #2 - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
13. 8/14 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #3 - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
14. 9/04 - Labor Day Weekend - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
15. 9/18 - Mack Cycle Trilogy Bonus Round - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
16. 9/25? - Honolulu Marathon - century road bike ride - Oahu, Hawaii
17. 10/09 - Race the Troops - sprint duathlon - Tradewinds Park, Coconut Creek
18. 10/16 - Last Chance duathlon - sprint duathlon - Crandon Park, Key Biscayne
19. 11/13 - Miami Man - half Ironman duathlon - Miami
20. 11/19  25th Annual Turkey Trot - 5k run - Anchor Park, Delray Beach

Above: Bike Diva racing in a duathlon on South Beach, Miami.

Final Thoughts

I did 23 races in 2010. I was REALLY tired by the end of the year. I've been saying that I need to cut WAY back on the number of races I do in 2011. But it's so hard when there are so many awesome events to choose from. And except for the Honolulu century ride, they are all within a 20 minute to 1 1/2 hour drive from my house. Don't even get me started on the all the awesome events there are outside of Florida, not enough time or $$ in the budget to start racing out of state.

My main race of the year is the 1/2 Ironman duathlon at Miami Man in November. I don't want to totally take off time from training and racing, so I think throwing in a few 5k's during my down time will keep me from totally getting stale.

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

 

Bike Diva's 2010 Race Season Recap

 ABOVE: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, racing up William Powell Bridge on the Rickenbacker Causeway, at one of the Mack Cycle Trilogy sprint duathlons held on Key Biscayne, Florida.

Race Bike Diva Race

From time-to-time I like to compete in a few cycling, running and multi-sport events. Duathlons, which are a run-bike-run format, are my favorite type of race. Of the 22 events I participated in this year, 13 of the races were duathlons. Here's a listing of awards that have been bestowed upon the Bike Diva during the 2010 race season.

Above: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, with her 2010 Miami Man finishers medal and second place age group giraffe trophy.

Bike Diva's 2010 Awards and Accolades

1. 2/07/10 - Butterfly Run - 5k - USATF 5th place women 45-49.
2. 4/03/10 - Egg Hunt PFFW - sprint duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
3. 4/25/10 - West Palm Beach Race Series - 15k time trial - USAC 5th place women 45-54.
4. 5/02/10 - Tri Miami - Olympic distance duathlon - USAT 1st place women 45-49.
5. 5/23/10 - Singer Island PFFW - sprint duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
6. 6/05/10 - Multirace.com - sprint duathlon - USAT 3rd place female masters overall.
7. 6/13/10 - West Palm Beach Race Series - 15k time trial - USAC 3rd place women 45-54.
8. 6/20/10 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #1 - sprint duathlon - USAT 1st place women 45-49.
9. 7/04/10 - Independence Day PFFW - sprint duathlon - USAT 4th place women 45-49.
10. 7/18/10 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #2 - sprint duathlon - USAT 1st place women 45-49.
11. 8/15/10 - Mack Cycle Trilogy #3 - sprint duathlon - USAT 1st place women 45-49.
12. 8/28/10 - Metro PCS - sprint duathlon - USAT 3rd place female masters overall.
13. 9/05/10 - Miami Beach Classic - mid distance duathlon - USAT 5th place women 45-49.
14. 9/19/10 - Mack Cycle Bonus Round - sprint duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
15. 10/10/10 - Tradition PFFW Championship - sprint duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
16. 11/14/10 - Miami Man - 1/2 Ironman duathlon - USAT 2nd place women 45-49.
17. 11/20/10 - 24th Annual Delray Turkey Trot - 5k - USATF 6th place women 45-49.

  Above: Bike Diva's Mack Cycle Triology points series award.

Point Series Awards

In addition to the individual events I competed in, I also participated in two points series. If you completed at least 4 of the 9 Publix Family Fitness events, you qualified for the points series for those races. And if you completed at least 3 of the 4 Mack Cycle races, you qualified for the points series for those races.

I did 6 of the Publix Family Fitness sprint duathlons, and placed 1st place women 45-49 in that points series. I raced in all 4 of the Mack Cycle sprint duathlons, and placed 3rd female masters overall in that points series. Female masters are the top three fastest duathletes over 40 years old - AWESOME!

Above: Bike Diva's Publix Family Fitness points series award.

Other Bike Diva Events

I did a total of 22 races and events this year. As you can see in table at the beginning of this post, I won an award at 15 of those events. The remaining events were either not races, such as the Intracoastal Waterway Century bike ride, or running only events, where I am no where near the podium. I like to race against me, myself and I, so as long as I'm about the same or improving compared to my last race, I'm pretty happy with all of my results.

Above: Bike Diva's 2009 and 2010 Miami Man finishers medals and animal trophies.

Miami Man

This years Miami Man 1/2 Ironman duathlon, which was a 1mile run - 56 mile bike - 13.1 mile run event, was a huge improvement for me. I raced Miami Man for the first time last year, with an total time of 6 hours 50 minutes and 59 seconds which was good enough for 3rd place masters overall. This year my time was 6 hours 1 minute 36 seconds, a huge improvement of 49 minutes and 23 seconds!

Above right: Bike Diva on the podium at 2010 Miami Man.

Although my finishing time was much better this year, it was only good enough for 2nd place in my age group. There were a lot more people competing in the duathlon this year at Miami Man. I was really happy with my improvement over last year. I've lost a few pounds since last year, started meeting with a personal trainer three times per week, to work on upper body and core strength, and did a whole lot more biking and running compared to last year.

Above: Bike Diva information booth at the South Florida Bike Expo.

Bike Diva's Sponsors

I'd like to give a shout out to all of my sponsors that helped me out during the 2010 race season:

1. Aquaphor
2. Brooks
3. Fluid
4. Lock Laces
5. Mission Skincare
6. Motor Tabs
7. Rudy Project
8. Sock Guy
9. Sugoi

Above: The Bike Diva at the 24th Annual Delray Beach Turkey Trot. Although I am not a very fast runner, this was a 5k PR for me with an official finish time of 27:22.

2011 Race Season

It's a little too early to know what my race schedule will be for 2011. I know that Miami Man is scheduled for November 13, and I plan on doing the 1/2 Iron distance duathlon again. I want to improve my Tri Miami Olympic distance duathlon time, I finished with a time of 3:08 this year and want to be able to go sub 3 hours at that event in 2011. Tri Miami was held in May this year, but they haven't posted up the date for 2011. I will most likely compete in many of the south Florida Multirace.com duathlons, like I did this year, and am waiting for them to post up the schedule.

Above: Team in Training logo.

Team in Training

We are trying to get our local chapter of Team in Training to participate in the Honolulu century ride. That is a 100 mile road bike ride which takes place on the Hawaiian island of Oahu in the month of September. Team in Training is the main fundraising program for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In the past 5 years, my husband and I have participated in 5 century bike rides with our local TNT chapter, and have raised over $22,000 for the society during that time.

Contact Bike Diva

I would love to hear about your 2010 race season and/or any plans you have for the 2011 race season. Leave a comment at the end of this blog post, or send me an email: [email protected].

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva

Tour de Broward 2011

On February 27th, 2011 Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital will host its 2^nd Annual ANF Tour de Broward presented by zMotion - ride, run, walk for Joe's Kids!

Enjoy a healthy day at Miramar Regional Park and become part of history as we raise money to build Broward County’s only free-standing children’s hospital! In addition we will have great food, kids’ activities, and entertainment throughout the afternoon on
February 27, 2011.

About Tour de Broward

The Tour de Broward will take place on February 27, 2011 at Miramar Regional Park. The day will consist of a 50k & 100k bike ride, 5k timed run, 3K family walk, spin-a-thons and our new addition – The Power of Play Kid Zone. Our goal is to have an event that involves everyone, creating the ultimate family, fun day! Visit our website at www.tourdebroward.com to learn more about the event.

 

Miramar Regional Park
16801 Miramar Parkway
Miramar, FL 33027

The Tour de Broward offers walkers, runners, cyclists and spinning enthusiasts a chance to enjoy beautiful South Florida weather while helping to ensure world-class healthcare is available for families and children for generations to come. People from all fitness levels are invited to join us.  

This year, all the proceeds from the Tour de Broward will be applied to the "Dreams" unit of the new hospital that cares specifically for children diagnosed with cancer. Help us reach our goal of raising $275,000 for this very special unit in our new facility.

Tour de Broward creates an excellent opportunity to put your name on a building campaign that includes pediatric cancer treatment, open heart surgery and end stage renal disease. Let’s do this TOGETHER…step by step, wheel by wheel, brick by brick…. Believe you can make a difference!

Tour de Broward Kick Off Celebration

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital would like to invite you to join us at the kick off event for the 2^nd Annual ANF Tour de Broward presented by zMotion – Ride, Run, Walk for Joe's Kids! The kick off will take place on Thursday, November 11, 2010 from 4pm – 7pm and will be hosted by the Crowne Plaza in Hollywood. Enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as we come together to support the building of the first and only freestanding children’s hospital in Broward County !

This year all proceeds from the Tour de Broward will be applied to the “Dreams” unit of the new hospital that cares specifically for children diagnosed with cancer. Please join us and learn how YOU can become a part of this historical event taking place right here in our community!

Jack the Bike Man's Cyclefest 2011

 
Downtown West Palm Beach Florida located in the new and wonderful City Commons Waterfront Park and along Flagler Drive

February 25, 26 and 27, 2011

 

Schedule of Planned Events:

 

Professional Sanctioned Criterium Bicycle Racing

Friday night under the lights, Saturday morning and evening and Sunday morning and evening

 

Beach Cruiser races on the same track as the Criterium

 

Saturday night is for Adults at City Commons Waterfront

• A Bicycle Movie
• Chopper bike contest
• Freakbike Militia Ride with fun and games

 

Sunday, all day, in City Commons Waterfront Park

• The PAL bike ride will pass by us. This is a fund raiser for Palm Beach County PAL
• Many fun events for children and families
• Family ride around the park, Best themed Family gets the prize
• Tandem Bicycle race around the park
• Tricycle, big and small, race around the park
• Mexican Hat dance with BMX bicycles
• Tall Bike Race
• Ladies wearing a big hat riding a beach cruiser with a doggie in the basket
• Art contests including best home painted bicycle. (Celebrity Judge)
• School Students art contest for drawings of bicycles
• Special events designed, named, promoted and produced by youth groups
• Bicycle Shops in the area will have clinics on repair and maintenance of bikes
• Bicycle shops will have special sizing of bicycles for each individual
• Safety Council of the Palm Beaches will size Helmets
• Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will be given the tools to obtain Badges in cycling
• Bicycle shops will hold Nutrition Information for the bicyclists
• Manufacturers will have displays of bicycles and bike gear
• Venders will set up tents around the park that are all bicycle, exercise and green related

 

For more information, Please contact Jack Hairston, Executive Director of

Jack the Bike Man, Inc. at c[email protected]

Check our website for scheduling and continuous updates at www.jtbmcyclefest.org

 

2010 Cocoa Beach Century Ride

Above: Palm Beach Team in Training bike jersey for the 2010 Intracoastal Waterway century ride.

2010 Cocoa Beach Century Ride

On Sunday, October 31, my husband and I participated in the 22nd annual Intracoastal Waterway Century Ride. This was a 102.5 mile bike ride which started and ended in historic Cocoa Village in Florida. The ride was hosted by the Space Coast Freewheelers bicycle club.

Above: Participants lined up and ready to start the Cocoa Beach century ride, in front of the Cocoa Civic Center.

Historic Cocoa Village

It was a nice day for a ride. The ride started at 8 AM, in front of the Civic Center in historic Cocoa Village. Approximately 300 cyclists lined up for the start. Riders had the option to do a 14 or 28 mile ride, a 62 mile metric century ride (100 kilometers) or the full 100 mile century ride.

Although the forecast called for mild winds, there was quite a bit of wind out on the route, especially during the last few miles of the ride. The temperature ranged from 70 to 80 degrees, but because of the wind, and being in quite a bit of shade for the majority of the ride, the temperature was not too hot, and even a bit cool at times.

A total of 9 riders were on our team from the Palm Beach chapter of Team in Training. We all completed the 100 mile, actually 102.5 mile, full century ride. Our team consisted of 2 coaches, 1 mentor and 6 team members. 

 

Above: the Cocoa Beach century ride was hosted by the Spacecoast Freewheelers.

Above: Left to right; Team in Training staff member Nicole Mercado Switzer, cycle coach Rob Smythe, team member Lynn Smythe (AKA the Bike Diva), cycle coach Bryan Merritt. Getting ready to cheer on the participants the night before the bike ride at the Team in Training pasta party.

 Ride with Team in Training

The 2010 Cocoa Beach ride was the fifth century ride that my husband and I have done through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program. TNT trains participants for a century bike ride, marathon or triathlon and in return, participants raise money for the society.

Above: Team photo, Palm Beach Team in Training 2010 Cocoa Beach cycle team. Top row left to right; Robert Smythe, Carlos Alvarenga, Alex Melkonian, Marc Julien, Bryan Merritt. Second row standing: Nicole Mercardo Switzer. Bottom row sitting left to right; Christine Maly, Micki Fetterman, Lynn Smythe (AKA the Bike Diva), Tami Young.

Here are the rides we've done through Team in Training:

• 2006 - 18th annual Intracoastal Waterway Century Ride - Cocoa, Florida. My husband and I were both members of the cycle team.
• 2007 - 25th annual El Tour de Tucson - Tucson, Arizona. My husband and I were co-mentors of the cycle team.
• 2008 - 20th annual Intracoastal Waterway Century Ride - Cocoa, Florida. My husband coached, and I mentored the cycle team.
• 2009 - America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride - Tahoe, Nevada. I was a team member, and my husband co-coached the cycle team.
• 2010 - 22nd annual Intracoastal Waterway Century Ride - Cocoa, Florida. My husband co-coached the cycle team, and I was a team member.

Above: At the Bank America parking lot, waiting for the ride to start.

Century Ride Statistics

My saddle time was 6 hours and 5 minutes. My total time, including rest stops was 7 hours 42 minutes. So my in the saddle time average MPH was 16.9, but when you figure in the rest breaks the computer calculated a speed of only 13.3 MPH.

Above: The Bike Diva pulling into unofficial Team in Training rest stop, a big thank you to Nicole, for cheering us on; and to Scott, for filling up our water bottles!!!!!!

Why such a difference? This was not a bike race, charity bike rides are social events. Although you can hammer it out if you want to try and set a new land speed record, most cyclists goals on this type of ride are to simply have fun and take the time to stop for lots of photo opportunities. Some year I would like to see how fast I could actually do a century ride, but with my 1/2 Ironman duathlon coming up on November 14 at Miami Man, I knew the Cocoa Beach ride was NOT going to be a hammerfest for me.

Here is a link to all my century ride statistics, as recorded by my Garmin Forerunner 310XT multi sport computer.

 

Grab a Post Ride Snack

After completing the ride, Team in Training members checked in at the Cocoa Civic Center. This was to let TNT staff members know we had completed the ride and to collect our finishers medals and 100 mile century pins - got to love that bling! The Civic Center also had indoor plumbing - woo-hoo! After I loaded all my gear into our van, I went to the Civic Center to change out of my super stinky bike clothes.

Above: Lynn Smythe, AKA the Bike Diva, during the Cocoa Beach century ride.

The Spacecoast Freewheelers had a room set up with tables, chairs, pizza and ice cold soda. I'm normally not a pizza eater and soda drinker, but after riding 102.5 miles I was a bit tired of eating bananas, oranges, fig newtons, nutritional gels and electrolyte drink solution. So heck yeah, it was pizza and soda time. I burned a ton of calories during the ride, so dang, I definitely needed to top off the tanks and refuel with food!

Above: Table full of medals and 100 mile century pins, waiting for Team in Training members from the Palm Beach, South Florida and Central Florida chapters, after they cross the finish line.

Additional Information

Read about what hydration, nutrition and personal care products I take along on a typical century ride: Cocoa Beach Century Ride Care Packages.

Read my report of the 2008 20th annual Intracoastal Waterway Century Ride: Back From Cocoa Beach Century Ride.

 

Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva