Hints to the Newbies

[Kbikeva]

If this is your first season, welcome!

If you’re a veteran and reading this, add any hints that you think will be helpful to the first timers!

Here’s my hint: DO NOT WAIT to get your team assignment info all squared away (or any other info you think you need) before you ride. Just go ahead and ride every day starting the 1st and keep going. The details will sort out eventually. If you wait until they’re sorted out, you may lose riding days for you AND your team. And getting behind early is SUCH a hard hill to overcome! So ride, ride, ride!

Topic

[cvcalhoun]

Agreed. And remember, this applies to anyone who wants to be on a team this season, even if they registered so late that they are not guaranteed to be one. Initial team assignments (the first 250 who registered, minus the people who have already indicated they want to drop out, plus enough from the waiting list to get back up to 250) will be made at the happy hour. A few days later, the Cabal will make additional team assignments to make up for people who originally registered but do not join their team’s Strava club. Throughout the season, the Cabal will make additional team assignments to replace anyone who gets injured and needs to drop out.

Even if you aren’t in one of the 250 assigned to a team at the happy hour, the points for a person added from the waiting list will always be credited back to January 1. And you benefit by starting to ride on January 1 in two ways:

• The Cabal will admit off the waiting list only people who have actually ridden since January 1.  So if you haven’t ridden, you won’t be assigned to a team.
• If someone gets injured and has to be replaced, the Cabal will try to replace them with someone who has ridden a similar amount. For example, Joe has ridden every day since January 1, and has achieved 2,000 points by January 31. However, on January 31, he gets injured and decides to leave the game. All of Joe’s points back to January 1 will be deleted. If he is replaced, the replacement’s points back to January 1 will be counted.  And since the Cabal is trying to keep one team member’s injury from affecting the whole team, they will give preference in assigning someone to that team to someone who has about 2,000 points by then.

[jlamb]

Fenders!

[Boomer Cycles]

Protect your nose, eyes, ears, fingers & toes at all times!

[obscurerichard]

Boomer’s advice is great for when it is bitterly cold – think less than 25F / -4C. The same lessons I learned from going skiing in 15F weather apply then.

The corollary of the dress warmly advice is don’t dress too warmly!

When it is not quite so frigid, bar mitts and lighter weight gloves are enough to protect your fingers. Wear layers, including a windproof outer layer, but don’t break out the ski parka if it’s only 45F / 7C. Thermal tights are great. If the temperature is variable, carrying 2 different weights of gloves and a hat and lightweight balaclava can often be enough to keep you comfortable, since you can remove and change up these things easily.

[arlcxrider]

Three more:

1. Dress for the end of the ride, not the beginning. Chances are you will feel cold for the first few miles. It’ll (usually) get better.
2. Use the calendar and clock strategically. Bracket midnight with two rides and you get credit for two days in one effort. Just remember to stop and save your ride just before midnight and start the second ride just after. A good strategy if the weather is going to be not-so-good later in the day.
3. Have fun. I do this to ward off the winter blahs.

[Fiona Grant]

Are folks going riding for long rides at midnight, or clocking a few round the block ‘qualifiers’?

[Author]

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