SCHEDULING NOTE: Please remind your riders that in three weeks when school begins on August 19th, our practice schedule will shift to evening practices on Wednesday and Fridays from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Here is the schedule:
• Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. at Andy Ballard Arena
• Fridays at 6:00 p.m. at the Little Valley Trailhead
These are the same locations as we’ve been riding all season, so nothing is changing as far as location is concerned. This new schedule starts on Wednesday, August 21st (the Wednesday after school begins). Please let riders know and please ask them to remind their parents.
TODAY’S RIDE IS A CONTEST! Focus on constant, steady pace for the entire ride. See how close you can bring your group to exactly 1 hour and 30 minutes of actual moving time, without riding past 8:00 a.m. At the start of the ride, pick someone in your group to officially record the ride on Strava. The whole group must stay in motion with this ride tracker the entire time. This is like the “Price is Right” game show — if you get back after 8:00 a.m., you are out. There is no advantage to going fast necessarily. Ride a pace that your group can stick to without stopping (other than stopping for all hikers / runners and any uphill cyclists) for the entire practice time. Some groups have enough ride leaders to split into two groups if they would like, but those groups will be considered separate groups for the contest as well.
HYDRATING ADD-ON: While riding, remind all of your riders about the importance of hydrating during the ride. Encourage them to drink while in motion. Help them identify safe places along the trail for these quick moving sips. Ask them to anticipate where the next good spot might be as they think about the trail ahead of them. This is an important race skill that is often forgotten even by experienced racers. Use the code word drinking game if that was helpful to your group in previous practices.