By Amy Juodawlkis

CRW has made it easier than ever for members to contact the club, submit reports and requests, and share feedback. Visit the Forms section on our club website to access our online forms.

Contact Us: Need to get in touch with the board or committee chairs? Use this form to send us a message.

Expense Report: If you have incurred approved expenses for club activities, submit for reimbursement using this expense report form.

Suggestion Box: Have an idea for improving the club? An event you would like to see? A question or concern? Let us know through the suggestion box.

Ride Feedback Form: Help us enhance our ride offerings by providing feedback after participating in a club ride or event.

Ride Leader Incident Report: Ride Leaders should use this form to report accidents and other safety-related incidents that occur on CRW rides.

Silent Sport Insurance Form: This form is for use by a club officer to report an accident or incident to our insurance company.

Volunteer Interest Form: The club relies on volunteers! Let us know how you can lend a hand by filling out this quick volunteer form.

We hope CRW members will take advantage of these convenient online forms. As always, we welcome your input to continue improving our website and resources for members.

Thankfully for millions of athletes around the globe, coffee can be enjoyed guilt-free as part of a healthy sports diet. Coffee contains nutrient-dense plant compounds called phytochemicals that promote health and offer strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies suggest coffee can actually improve heart-health. That said, high coffee/caffeine intakes can trigger pre-existing cardiovascular conditions such as atrial fibrillation. And, needless to say, coffee brimming with sugar, flavorings, cream, and coffee whitener is not a part of this conversation!

Scientifically speaking, coffee and caffeine are two different substances. Caffeine is pure and comes in standardized doses (such as NoDoz, caffeinated chewing gum, caffeinated sports gels,). The average American consumes 165 to 230 mg. caffeine per day—that's more-or-less the amount in two small (8-oz) cups coffee or a 16-oz Starbucks Grande. The caffeine content of coffee varies according to the type of bean, how it is roasted, ground, and brewed. Analysis of 20 commercial espressos reported the caffeine content was inconsistent and ranged between 50 to 320 mg per 8-ounce serving. FDA's recommended daily limit is 400 mg caffeine per day.

Although coffee is the most popular form of caffeine, other sources include:

Caffeine appears quickly in the blood (within 5 to 45 minutes after ingestion). Its impact generally peaks within 15 to 120 minutes and the boost can last for ~4 to 6 hours. By that time, half of the caffeine has been metabolized by the liver. By 10 hours, caffeine generally will have been completely cleared from the bloodstream. Caffeine's impact varies widely person to person, depending on genes that influence the breakdown of caffeine. Athletes who are fast metabolizers of caffeine get an immediate boost. Others are slow metabolizers. Learn your body's response!

For athletes who already feel anxious before a competitive event, pre-exercise caffeine can put them over the edge by increasing jitters and anxiety levels. A better time to consume caffeine to enhance performance can be when the athlete starts to feel tired (as opposed to taking it an hour pre-exercise). Delaying caffeine use until the onset of fatigue gives a welcomed boost. Caffeinated gels, sports drinks or sports chewing gums are popular energizers during endurance exercise!

Given most athletes know that coffee/caffeine can make a workout seem easier, this article addresses other questions asked about this beloved morning wake-me-up-er and idolized afternoon energizer.

Do habitual coffee drinkers get the same performance benefits as non-users? 

Yes. If you habitually drink coffee every day, you may need a higher dose of performance-enhancing caffeine than a coffee-abstainer. A proposed dose is about:

For a 150-lb athlete, this ranges widely between 150-450 mg. per dose.

The days before your event, there's no need to stop drinking coffee. You'll simply suffer through withdrawal symptoms like headaches. You won't get an added boost from abstinence followed by an event-day jolt of caffeine.

How much is too much coffee/caffeine?

The FDA's suggested 400-milligrams of caffeine per day is a safe dose for most adults. That's the amount in about four 8-oz cups (32 oz.) of coffee, 10 cans of cola, or four 12-ounce cans of Red Bull. If you are pregnant, abstaining from coffee will minimize the risk of miscarriage or other negative outcomes. A toxic amount is 1,200 mg caffeine taken in one dose. Unlikely to happen, but not impossible...

Does coffee/caffeine "work" for every type of athlete?

Yes, caffeine can effectively—and equally—help males and females, sprinters and endurance athletes, power athletes and teams. Athletes have sought-out caffeine for more than 100 years. It improves  both physical and mental performance. Caffeine increases arousal, alertness, vigilance, and mood. It reduces perception of pain and can make a tough workout seem a lot easier! That said, caffeine's effectiveness is variable. The response is weaker for some athletes and stronger for others, depending on  their genetic predisposition.

The suggested performance-enhancing dose is between 1.5-3 mg/lb (3 - 6 mg/ kg). That equates to roughly 200 to 400 mg for a 150-lb (68 kg) athlete. That said, each athlete needs to experiment during training to learn the right dose, timing, and source of caffeine for their body. Perhaps a sip of morning coffee does the job? Or maybe you benefit from an hourly caffeinated gel during the marathon? Whatever you do, don't over-do it! More is not better, and you want to be able to sleep that night...

Is coffee dehydrating when taken during exercise? When consumed throughout the day?

No. Caffeine is not a diuretic. Drinking coffee does not lead to dehydration. A study with 50 habitual male coffee drinkers who consumed coffee with ~300 mg. caffeine four times a day indicated no difference in urine output compared to when they drank the same amount of plain water. That means you can count coffee as water, even when exercising in the heat. It replaces sweat losses and contributes to the daily recommended 8 glasses water a day.

Many athletes believe coffee has a diuretic effect because, after having consumed a mugful of coffee, they need to visit the bathroom. While they might need to pee quicker than if they had consumed plain water, in 24-hours, they won't pee more than they consumed. (That is, unless they consume very high doses of caffeine (>6 mg/kg or >500 mg/dose). By that point, they would likely feel yucky and jittery.

The bottom line:

If you are a coffee drinker, please enjoy your morning brew guilt-free (as long as it is not loaded with cream, sugar, and excess calories). As an athlete, you may want to learn how to best use coffee/caffeine as a potential performance enhancer. That said, no amount of caffeine will compensate for inadequate sleep and an irresponsible sport diet. Fuel wisely, sleep well, train appropriately, and then add some caffeine, if desired.

Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD  counsels both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes in the Boston-area (617-795-1875). Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook is a popular resource, as is her online workshop. Visit NancyClarkRD.comfor more information.

For more information:
Antonio J. et al. (2023) Common questions and misconceptions about caffeine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int'l Soc Sports Nutr 21:1, 2323919

Lowery L et al. (2023) International society of sports nutrition position stand: coffee and sports performance. J Int'l Soc Sports Nutr 20:1,2237952

Dear CRW Members,

Spring has sprung and it's a wonderful time to get back out on the roads and trails with your fellow cyclists! This month's packed newsletter has everything you need to kick off a fantastic season of riding.

First up, don't miss our upcoming events including the 'How to Post a Ride to the Calendar' training session on April 3rd for ride leaders, the inspiring talk by heart disease survivor and record-breaking cyclist Peter Megdal on April 5th, and the Bike Maintenance Workshop on April 27th. Mark your calendars!

Gravel curious? Be sure to read up on the joys of gravel riding and join the Intro to Gravel Ride on April 20th. Our weekly Dirty Battle Road rides are starting up again too.

This edition also features important club updates like new registration categories for rides, a profile of our Communications Committee's great work, website tech tips, and a fun April cycling poem by Eli Post.

For the performance-minded, we have a thoughtful piece comparing the differing e-bike regulations in Europe vs the US by John Allen, a deep dive on treating and preventing hot foot by endurance cycling expert John Hughes, the latest sports medicine research on atrial fibrillation risk in older endurance athletes from Dr. Gabe Mirkin, and winning nutrition strategies from renowned sports dietitian Nancy Clark.

Finally, don't forget to order your stylish new CRW kit when the online store opens April 12-22! And congratulate all the hardy cyclists who braved the winter to compete in our Winter Ride Challenge.

In club news, please join me in thanking Ed Cheng for his service on the board as he steps down, and in welcoming John O'Dowd who was elected to the board. We had a great season preview event in March highlighting key dates and programs to look forward to - if you missed it, keep an eye out for those exciting rides and events in the coming months!

However you choose to ride, I hope to see you out there making the most of this beautiful season. Let's put some early season miles in those legs!

Wishing you tailwinds,

Randolph Williams

CRW President

Upcoming Event - 'How to Post a Ride to the Calendar' Training Session, Wednesday, April 3rd

CRW ride leaders! Have you had trouble posting rides on the club calendar?

We are offering an IN-PERSON LIVE training session! You will learn how to post a ride in real-time with live instructors who will walk you through the process and answer your questions.

When: 7:00 pm, Wednesday, April 3

Where: Lexington Community Center, Room 242, 39 Marrett Rd, Lexington, MA 

This is a free event but it is limited to 20 people, so sign up soon!

Please bring your WIFI-enabled laptop or other device from which you can access the CRW website. Also, it is recommended that you bring a “practice ride” that you can create a posting for.

Come to our class and become a ride posting expert!

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New Registration Categories

CRW has implemented two new Registration Categories.  When registering for your ride you will be asked to categorize yourself using:

A - CRW Member Ride Leader - Choose this option only if you are on the Ride Leader List and are accountable for this ride. Only 1 person can be in this category.

B - CRW Member Ride Co-Leader - Choose this option only if you are on the Ride Leader List and are co-leading this ride.

So why are we doing this? We want to make sure we are celebrating our Ride Leaders for taking your time to lead rides. Every fall we have a Ride Leader Thank You party - this is the time we give our leaders a thank you gift for all they do. 

What is the difference between Leader and Co-Leader.  Not much, but the Leader usually is responsible for coordinating the ride or ride series, sets up the ride posting on the calendar, and other administrative details. The Co-Leader also helps with the event, providing support and details on the day of the event.

As you set up new rides on the Ride Calendar, please use the new "Ride Template ** DO NOT DELETE ** (20240327)". This way the new Registration Categories will be in your posting.

If you currently have rides on the calendar that use the earlier template, we request that you redo the posting with the new template. Please contact the VP of Rides at rides-vp@crw.org for assistance.

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Did you know we have a Communications Committee?

The Communications Committee is very active this time of year. Along with getting the word out about events happening through our communication channels (ChainLink, WheelPeople, Slack, Facebook, Instagram), they are working on how we communicate with our members.

If you want to promote something to the CRW Membership, please contact the Communications Committee at communications@crw.org for assistance, and to make sure your message goes out to the appropriate CRW Members.

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Setting up Your Ride on the Calendar: Choosing Tags

Please only use the currently available  "tags" when setting up your ride listing. New "tags" will not be assimilated into the Ride Calendar and therefore will not allow the ride to be visible to members.

Here are the current "tags" used to describe Rides:

By Barbara Jacobs

Here are some tips to help you use the website to register for a ride, how to  retrieve your membership card, and reminder of some of the Tech Tips from last month.

How to Register for a Ride

On a web browser: Go to the Ride Calendar and go to the date for the ride, click on the ride you want to go on (there might be more than one ride on that date) and complete the registration form. 

On your phone: Members may register using the Member App.

•      Get the Member App for Apple phones here.
•      Get the Member App for Android phones here.

To register, click on the Event tab, and select event you wish to attend. Select the appropriate registration button, complete the mandatory fields, select Continue, and then Complete.

You will receive an email confirmation if your registration was completed correctly.

Accessing/viewing your CRW Membership Card

On a web browser: Log on the CRW website and go into your profile (click on your name at the top of the screen).  You will see your member details and your card on that page. You can view it two ways:

• Optimized for smartphones 
• Printable PDF

Via the Member App: Click on the Profile tab. Click on the My Card button to view/display your membership card.

Password Problems

The current CRW Website uses your email address as your Username. The password is not the same one that you used on the old site.  

If you are having a problem logging in to the website.  Try the following:

• Restart your computer.
• Close and reopen browser window.
• Try a different browser.
• Delete autofill username and password and type these in manually.
• Review the directions to log on by email, Facebook or Goggle below the login area.
• Click on the "Forgot Password" button.  Wild Apricot will send a link to your email address connected to your CRW account.  Reset your password.
• Use the Wild Apricot help located here:

https://gethelp.wildapricot.com/en/articles/22-passwords

https://gethelp.wildapricot.com/en/articles/1710

CRW Member's Journey from Heart Disease to World Record - Friday, April 5th.

Peter Megdal was born with a right clubbed foot and after undergoing a dozen corrective surgeries, he has competed for decades in pursuit of a world record. However, a bigger challenge loomed when in 2014 news came with a big shock: diagnosed with severe heart disease, a course correction began. After heart surgery, a drug regime, and a complete dietary change, Peter renewed his quest.

Five years of attempts to break the world record led to 3 national records (one as a para-cycling athlete), and finally - the world record.

Dr. Peter Megdal, a long-time CRW member, broke the masters world hour record on September 12, 2023 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Peter traveled for one hour to complete 47.43 km at 29.5 MPH. He has competed locally, nationally and internationally for decades but his dream of a world record is something that began as a kid growing up in Texas.

Come hear him speak about his struggles and the successful attempt on April 5, 2024. Register here.

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Bike Maintenance Workshop, Saturday, April 27th 

By John O'Dowd and Patty Grasso

Are you new to cycling, or have you been on the road a while but never learned how to fix your bike?

CRW is offering a workshop on Saturday, April 27 that is just for you! Come prepared to get your hands dirty!

At this workshop you will learn how to:

This FREE Event is a hands-on workshop taught by the volunteer mechanics at The Bike Connector.

CRW will provide snacks and drinks for this event. Please do not bring your own bike. The Connector has limited floor space.

The Bike Connector is a non-profit based in downtown Lowell. Its mission is to take used bicycles and refurbish them for people who need them. The Bike Connector works with public school students, recently arrived immigrants, and others in need of basic transportation in Lowell and the surrounding communities. Their programs include “earn-a-bike” opportunities for middle and high school kids. If these kids fix up old bikes so they are rideable, they get to keep them. Also, they run bike rodeos for elementary school kids to learn safe riding skills.

This workshop is limited to 20 people and is for CRW members ONLY.

Sign up before it fills up!

This is a FREE event, but donations to the Bike Connector are appreciated. Suggested donation $20.

Saturday, April 27, 10 am - noon

The Bike Connector - 47 Lee St, Lowell, MA 01852

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On Sunday, May 5th, will Paul Revere visit CRW's 3rd Annual Spring Swap Meet & Rides?

By Jerry Skurla

"Listen fellow cyclists and you will hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere."

While that's not how the famous poem actually goes, Paul did put Lexington on the map, so we're holding 2024's Spring Swap Meet & Rides in Lexington for the first time.  Choose between one of two morning rides (25 or 38 miles), then clear out your garages & basements at the Swap Meet from 1 to 4 pm.  For full details see LINK TO RIDE CALENDAR POSTING.

 

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CRW Spring Century, Sunday, May 19th - Register Now

By Mark Nardone

North to New Hampshire is a long-time CRW favorite century event, beginning at the Wakefield High School, heading to NH and back, and winding though some of NH's more scenic roads.  New 2024 CRW special edition participants sprockets will be available for riders who did not earn one in 2023. 

The CRW Century Series is open CRW members only. To attend you must be a current CRW member. Click here to join.

The first of our Century rides is now on the calendar and open for registration! Early registration pricing will end April 15th.

Register NOW!

This will be the first chance for many to put some serious miles down for the season.

Not ready for 100 miles?

Metric and half-century options are available. Stay tuned for a possible piccolo ride (routes are currently being scouted)!

Call for Volunteers!

Without volunteers there is simply no way to put these events on. Please consider donating your time for one of the many tasks to support the ride, the upside is you get to ride the distance of your choice for free!

Email us at century@crw.org if you are interested. Please consider attending our Century Volunteer Party on April 5 to learn more.

By Norma Loehr

Get ready for the new season with new CRW club kit! We will have jerseys, shorts, gloves and more! The store will open on April 12, 2024 and close on April 22, 2024. Members will receive a link to the store via email on April 12. See our Club Kit FAQ below for more details.

Club Kit FAQ

When will the store be open?

The store will be open for orders April 12, 2024 through April 22, 2024. 

How do I access the store?

Members will be emailed a link on April 12, 2024.

What will be offered in store?

We will have everything from jerseys and shorts to socks and gloves. Go to the store on Apr 12, 2024 to check it all  out!

What are the prices of the items in the store?

Prices will range from $20 for gloves to $135 for bib shorts. You can see all the kit and all the prices in the store on April 12, 2024.

The pricing reflects that these are custom printed goods that are being made available in relatively small amounts.

How much is shipping?

Shipping is $15 per address. If you want to decrease your shipping cost, you can always get together with friends to place larger orders to ship one address and share the cost.

When will I receive my order?

Orders for the custom printed goods are placed when the store closes and are shipped roughly 60 days after that so that means that orders will be shipped starting on June 21, 2024. The time lag between ordering and shipping reflects that these are custom printed goods that are being made based on your orders. Update: the long finger gloves take slightly longer to make and may not ship until July 12, 2024.

What is the size range?

There is a wide range of sizes for men and women. Men’s sizing goes from a waist size of 26” up to  54”. Women’s waist sizes range from 24” to 40” and hip sizes range from to 34” to 48”.  It is important to take your measurements before you order, do not assume you know what they  are, then find your size on the size charts  using those measurements. The full size charts will be accessible in the shop.

Note, the 2024 jersey is intended to have a slimmer fit than last year's jersey so you should order up a size if you would like a looser fit.

By Andre Wolf

Since its inception, the CRW-Devo program aimed at supporting and stimulating enthusiastic club members to improve their riding skills and capacity. The concept was well-received by a segment of the membership. The program attracts a certain type of rider and creates a social environment where talking bikes is the norm. Where else would bringing up Tadej Pogačar’s magnificent 81 Km solo win at Strade Bianche not attract weird looks? Think of it as a safe space where sharing your plans to upgrade your bike or wheels would lead to a constructive conversation.

In an effort to serve a broader share of the membership, Devo is organizing a series of workshops this year. Danielle Gosdin is the workshop program coordinator and she is off to a great start with the climbing workshop held on March 23. The workshops are free, and exclusive for members.

Besides climbing, Danielle will be covering other key riding skills like cornering and contact riding (when two or more riders touch each other while remaining in control of their bikes). Instructors and volunteers are usually recruited among members. We are also reaching out to local coaches to share their expertise. As more workshops become ready to roll, we will post on the calendar.

We realize some of the activities we organize may look a bit extreme, but can we agree they provide inspiration? Even if Everesting, a 150 mile ride, or an overnight ride to NYC are not up your alley, keeping up with a fast group on the monthly The Mighty Squirrel ride may be incentive enough to lose weight, train more consistently, or even consider following a structured training plan? We have at least one real case to support this thought.

We acknowledge CRW is a large and diverse cycling club and that each activity posted caters to a specific group of interest. That’s healthy and well supported by CRW. No member needs to fit a single box, so the wider the offer, the better. Devo is around for you to experiment with. You can be sure Devo will continue to be active and be home to the craziest bike riding ideas we (and you) can come up with. That’s the way we roll and you are welcome to join the type II fun. 

By Sylvia Stoddart

By John O'Dowd

It’s done. The numbers are in. The 2024 Winter Ride Challenge is now part of CRW history. Sixty-nine members rode their bikes from December 15th through March 15th.

The results are:

Racers: 14 (includes three whose hours on the 15th didn’t get onto the leader board)

Weekend Warriors: 13

Recreationalists: 18

Participants: 24

The top scores (hours) for each of the categories were:

Racers:

Pamela Blalock - 203.25

Nickolas Linsky – 168

Nick Lepeshkin – 155

Weekend Warriors:

Robert Herold – 91.77

Jim Iannone – 78

Sunny Statsny – 76.97

Recreationalists:

Amy Juodawlkis – 49.65

Guillermo Munoz – 48.96

Clyde Kessel – 45.8

Participants:

Lisa O’Connor – 24

Riccardo Mazzolini – 22.5

Jack Vinson – 20.93

Raffle Winners were:

Racers (CRW gloves): Beth Rosenzweig, Doug Cornelius, Harold Hatch, Nickolas Linsky, and Nick Lepeshkin

Warriors (lights): David Wilson, Erik Sobel, Larry Kernan, Mike Laurin, and Sunny Stastny

Recreationalists (ear buds): Guillermo Munoz, Jeanne Peihl, Jenna Maurer, Joan Sarles, and Randolph Williams

Participants (inner tubes): Ron Molin, Sylvia Lustig, Michael Weintraub, Susan Linz, and Lynne O’Riorden

Raffles winners were selected using a highly sophisticated, state of the art random number generator operated by highly trained Ed Cheng. Special thanks to Randolph Williams (President) and Amy Juodawlkis (Executive VP) for providing technical support and crowd control, and Harold Hatch (Devo ride leader) who came up with the whole idea.

We had a nice little post-challenge get together at the Mighty Squirrel on St. Patrick’s day where winners received their prizes and were served drinks and appetizers.

Keep in shape this season so you will be ready to take on next winter’s challenge!