Cody Priest……………….13:10
Jim Lokken ……………….13:20 (1st Master)
Jim Button………………….13:30
Melissa Lewis……………..14:26 (1st female)
Bob Baker………………….14:27
Mike Hajdukovich………..14:28
Dave Edic…………………..14:39
Karin Gillis………………….14:50 (1st Female Master)
Patrick Lovey………………16:20
Byron Broda………………..16:48
Matt Stoller………………….16:49
Pete Wilde…………………..18:50
Brandon Hoover……………20:38
Adam Johnson………………20:55
Jim Case………………………21:23
Debbie Brown………………22:13
John McKiney………………24:18

Work Shop Schedule

Goldstream Valley Lions Club Bike Park

Participants and community volunteers may come and go as necessary. The Bike Park work party is open to all community members, families and children.  The work parties will be helping to construct the boardwalk skills area using hand tools. Participants will also assist with shaping the dirt pump course using shovels, rakes and compactors.  We are hoping to have lots of people all day long in order to finish the park by Sunday!   So come on out and help create Alaska’s first Mountain Bike Pump and Skills Park.

Friday Morning 9:00-1:00 July 22, 2011

·       Indoor Workshop: From Concept to Ride-Ready and Beyond. (Presented by Ben Blitch of Alpine-Trails)

·       Indoor Workshop: Trends In Community Bike Parks Present by Ben Blitch and Goldstream Sports)

·       Partnering with the borough for community driven projects (Steve Taylor- FNSB Rec Department)

·       Indoor Workshop: Risk Management, Liability, Insurance (Presented by Ben Blitch)

Friday Afternoon through Sunday evening  (Daily start time 9:00- End at 5:00)  July 22, 23 and 24

·       Outdoor workshop: Design! Build! Maintain!

·       Create two jump lines (beginner and intermediate)

·       Create mirrored pump track

·       Create small wooden board walk skills area

·       Provide maintenance demonstration and documentation for sustainability

·       Demonstration by local bike experts: emphasis on safety and skills

·       Celebration: Volunteer picnic and ride time (Sunday afternoon 4:00 PM)

*******  Please, if you have them,  bring  shovels and steel rakes. (we will have plenty of tools if you do not have them).  The Lions will provide snacks, lemonade and water.

See you on the trails!

The second meeting of the Dirt Dev(iants) was held on the Birch Hill Ski trails with a crew of 6. We were lucky enough to “book end” our ride between two light evening showers and only got a bit of mud on our bikes and shorts (though one member seemed to have a few more spots on her jersey than the rest of us….name omitted here to protect the guilty party). We cruised around the Relay loop as a warm-up and then high-tailed it out the White Bear where we chugged our way up to “SCUM” corner to have a look around the new Sonott access trail; it is nicely seeded, and a yellow caution tape kept us from even thinking about descending it. Save that one for another day. The rest of the ride on the WB trail was uneventful and pleasant, except for the swarm of mosquitoes which followed us up “heartbeak hill”; we quickly ditched ‘em with a little help from a handy wipe that Chris had in her seat satchel….now THOSE are the BOMB!! They should be required equipment for all Diva rides! The trail was in good shape, thanks to a single pass of the Borough’s mower, but we shied away from the section below the range anticipating a bit more mud there, and re-traced our tracks back up to the Access signpost. Finished up with a section of the Warm-up Loop where it looked like a small army had spent a week or so marching. Those crazy disc-golfers!!! Looks like fun though, and I’d recommend a round or two after we ride here again. Until next week!!! Dev(iant), Nancy

Okay, so about that flat tire.  You never know when it can happen.  It is pretty rare to get a flat on a mountain bike unless you pinch flat, but now we all know that we have to be prepared.  Here are two lists of necessities.  One list is the bare minimum, and the other is a more inclusive kit.  Get what you need and be prepared.

List one:  Bare necessities

• bike bag for the back of your seat to carry everything
• spare tube (the correct size)
• tire levers (to get the tire on and off)
• pump or co2 cartridge and inflator
• energy bar (so you don’t bonk)
• mosquito spray (in case you stuck in the woods changing your tire)

List two:  Inclusive kit for most situations

• includes list one bare necessities plus
• chain tool (and spare link) for the unexpected time when you break a chain (more common on mountain bikes than road bikes because of the rougher terrain)
• crash kit (for ouchies if you bite it)
• tire pressure gauge

So let’s be prepared out there!

See you on the trails,
Paulette

Last note, if this is your last email, enjoy the rest of your summer!

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
— Mother Teresa

I am planning on riding on the 4th of July depending on the weather.  We will meet at Goldstream Sports and ride at 6:00 as usual. Up Ester Dome we go we go, and what goes up must come down.

Don’t forget our first Tuesday Dirt Divas “B” ride starts on the 5th.  Meet at Goldstream Sports and ride to UAF.  The weather forecast looks better for Tuesday.

See you on the trails

A question to ask is could the numbness and tingling in my hand be related to the shoulder, or is it more likely a bike fit thing?

Hand numbness, also known as cyclist’s palsy, can be tricky and persistent.

While it is possible that a shoulder history is contributing, it is unlikely. More likely is nerve compression of one of the nerves in the wrist. If you’re getting numbness in your pinky and ring finger, it’s probably the Ulnar nerve being compressed. This is the most common due to its location, at the bottom of the wrist, close to the bars and hoods of a road bike.

Next is the Median nerve. This nerve runs in the middle of the wrist and compression can cause the pointer, middle, and ring fingers to feel numb. This tends to be more problematic on a mountain bike, however neither is mutually exclusive.

Radian nerve compression is also possible; this nerve runs through the wrist near the base of the thumb, on the top of the hand.

So why would a nerve in the wrist get compressed? The hand and wrist aren’t very good weight-bearing structures, yet some is required for riding a typical bike. Here at BCSM we see many extrinsic causes of hand numbness, and not all are related to the handlebars. To be sure, bar position can play a role in this, and having the handlebars too high can be just as detrimental as having the bars too low.

We also see improper saddle position, saddle shape and support causing hand numbness issues. Rotational orientation can cause hand numbness, too. For instance, if you are sitting with your right hip forward, this can translate to a slightly different reach to the right shifter, and possibly more pressure.

There are some good products to help distribute the pressure on the hands. Properly fitting gloves, cushy gel under the bar tape, even switching to a different-shaped hood or grip can help mask the pressure, but not one fix works for everyone.

Finally, some factors causing hand numbness while cycling are intrinsic. Weak core musculature, insufficient range of motion of hamstrings, hip extensors, or degenerative changes in your cervical spine can also cause hand numbness. If you have a known factor, or have exhausted all of the mechanical causes, seek a medical provider that is conversant with cycling to delve into the medical considerations.

If you are having numbness or pain in the hands, come and speak to us.  We can work with you to alleviate the issue!