Naples Velo Bicycle Club is a not-for-profit organization promoting cycling at all skill levels and dedicated to improving cycling safety and awareness in southwest Florida.
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Newsletter
January 2019
We hope you enjoy our fourth Newsletter!
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Member Services
by Bill Percival
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The Club ran its inaugural Strava segment contest last month (December). Originally we promised to announce the segment winners by gender based on individual efforts and group efforts. Unfortunately, we can not identify the best individual efforts from the group results. For each rider, their visible results on Strava are limited to their fastest times for that month. Naturally, the fastest times are typically associated with group rides.
That being said, for the month of December, the fastest times of the NV 20/20 time trial segment were all achieved during group rides:
Women:
Jen Pade - 3.85 miles in 9:18 on Sunday, December 9th during the "Wiggles" ride resulting in an average speed of 24.9 mph.
Men: Results were tied between
Justin Bolde and
Erick Camacho. Both completed the segment on December 6th during an NC Thursday Night Ride in 8:28, resulting in an average speed of 27.3 mph.
When you factor in the time that is needed to navigate the turn around at the end of Gordon Drive, significantly higher paces were actually achieved over most of the ride. Congratulations (Kudos in the Strava world!) to
Jen, Justin, and Erick. Great efforts and well done to each of you!
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Individual Time Trial Segment
We've realized as a result of Strava's restrictions or limitations on viewing individual rider data, that the only practical way to recognize and award members based on their individual efforts is to identify a segment or segments that are not traveled as a part of NV group rides. Greg Pelican, a Club board member, has suggested the following segment which is located on Bonita Beach Road just east of I75.
This segment is close to six miles along a roadway with well-defined bike lanes and long lines of sight.
It starts a little east of Village Walk, heads east to end of the road around the traffic circle and then back (west) to just before the entrance to the new Raceway gas station before the traffic light.
Importantly, there are no stop signs and there are good lines of sight making it a safe segment for individual efforts. My thanks to Greg for identifying and organizing this segment. Following is some more information:
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Regarding the best way to access this segment, while it is possible to simply ride east along Bonita Beach Road from the intersection with Livingston Road / Imperial Blvd, to minimize any potential conflict with traffic, we recommend using East Terry Street which is just north of Bonita Beach Road. Travel east on Terry to Bonita Grande Drive. Take a right on Bonita Grande and travel south to its intersection with Bonita Beach Road. From there you will need to head east on Bonita Beach Road to the entrance road to Village Walk where the segment starts.
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Similar to the NV 20/20 time trial, we will organize results for both men and women. During the Annual Dinner last month, members suggested we also recognize age groups. Great suggestion - we listened. Following are the age groups that Strava has set up. We will organze the winners into four age groups as follows allowing for
8 potential award winners:
- 34 and under
- 35 to 54
- 55 to 69
- 70+
Quarterly Photo Contest
Still with me? We're introducing one more contest in January. This one is a little different in that it does not involve speed or suffering. In fact, quite the opposite; it encourages slowing down and taking more time to enjoy your surroundings and fellow riders. We're running a photo contest. Here's how it works.
1. Sign up for an Instagram account if you don't already have one. It's free and you can sign up here:
https://www.instagram.com
2. "Follow" the Naples Velo Instagram account. To do that, go to
https://www.instagram.com/naples.velo/ and request to "follow" the site. Approved followers will be limited to Naples Velo Strava Club members. You should receive an approval confirmation within 24 hours in your Instagram account. Thereafter you will have access to all of the pictures that have been submitted.
3. Take pictures with your phone and upload them to your Instagram account. Tag any pictures you would like to enter in the contest with
@naples.velo. Please limit your entires to current pictures - say within the past couple of months.
4. View pictures that have been submitted from the "Tagged" section of NV's Instagram page. See below:
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5. Vote for your favorite pictures by "Liking" them. I've provided an example below if it is not clear how you "like" or "vote" for a picture.
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6. Vote for as many pictures you would like.
7. At the end of each quarter we will select the top three photos based on the number of likes received.
8. The first contest period will run through March 31, 2019 and the award will be announced in the April newsletter.
Let's see if we can have some fun with this one. I think most members will agree that the social connection of the Club is as important to them as the rides they participate in. Every picture you submit enables other members to experience Club events, even when they can not attend directly.
Sorry for the long post. Happy new years to you and thanks for hanging in there to the end!
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Bill Percival
239-216-3835
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Tech Tips
by Greg Pelican
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Taking on your first century or big charity ride takes some training and preparation! The Pan Florida Challenge is a great local charity ride and the FaceBook Live video covers some of the training tools and tips for beginner roadies taking on this type of challenge.
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If you have any tech questions, want us to run a clinic or have a topic you want covered don't hesitate to email me:
gpelican@trekbikesflorida.com
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Supporting Youth Cycling
by Don Ruppercht
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Naples BMX Track is conducting a fund raiser through March 31, 2019 to raise $25000. The track – which has held thousands of races and is 15 years old – is sorely in need of repairs.
The track uses an older style of starting gate that is less safe and reliable than the new roll gates used at almost every other track in the state. The new starting hill and gate will require some additional track modifications that will be covered by the proceeds of the campaign.
The goal is to have the campaign completed by the end of Q1 2019 to allow proper time to permit and coordinate the work that needs to be done before the 2019-2020 cycling season begins. This renovation will allow Naples BMX Track to petition for a State Series Race to be held in Naples in early 2020. These events bring in thousands of visitors to our community and help pump revenue into our local economy.
ALL $2,500.00 DONORS MAY CHOOSE TO HAVE THEIR COMPANY LOGO EMBLAZENED ACROSS THE FRONT OF THE STARTING GATE FOR 3 YEARS TO ENSURE EVERYONE KNOWS WHO HAS SUPPORTED CYCLING AND THE KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY.
The track is also working to integrate a permanent walk of fame into the new starting hill to thank every donor who is at the $1,000 level. These may be in the form of stepping stones or engraved bricks as a reminder of how the community came together to help create an amazing facility that encourages kids and families to fall in love with cycling.
Naples Velo is managing the campaign through its affiliated company Naples Velo Cycling Alliance, Inc. (NVCA), a 501(c) (3) not for profit corporation.
Anyone interested in helping to support the Naples BMX Track and its cycling program for youth may make a tax-deductible contribution to NVCA. 100% of your contribution will go directly to the Naples BMX Track Renovation Campaign Fund.
Your support of the local BMX track is sincerely appreciated.
To make a donation click on the below link:
For additional questions and information contact Matt McCain at 239-209-8891
lafnrhino@yahoo.com
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January 2019
Welcome Back Seasonal Riders and Friends
Friday January 18
th
5:30-8 PM @ Bokampers Sports Bar & Grill
8990 Fontana Del Sol Way (off Vanderbilt Beach Road), Naples 34109
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Safety First by Don Rupprecht
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HYDRATE
Articles about cycling safety normally focus on situations on the bike on the road. However, there are topics that can affect a rider while on or off the bike. Take hydration for example. Recently, I did a 60 mile ride and failed to drink enough water. During the remainder of the day I failed to remedy the situation. The next morning when I got out of bed after sleeping for 8 hours without consuming any water, I fainted on a tile floor splitting my head open. The trip to the hospital with the EMT was very similar to one experienced from the scene of a bicycle crash.
More than 50% of your body weight consists of water. Dehydration is simply the result of not taking in enough water to offset the water being expelled from your body as sweat, waste and even breathing. Dehydration will affect your performance on the bike and can have serious adverse effects off the bike. If you are thirsty, feel tired, dizzy or lack focus you may have mild dehydration. Older adults need to be more sensitive to the potential for dehydration because their sense of thirst becomes weaker. If one has access to a blood pressure monitor one can determine if you are dehydrated by measuring your blood pressure lying flat, sitting, and standing. If there is a significant difference in any of the three measurements, you are dehydrated.
There are a number of good practices to follow to prevent dehydration while riding.
1.
Always drink 8 oz of water before starting a ride.
2.
If you see another rider taking a drink, take one yourself.
3.
Take a drink every 5 miles or 10 minutes whichever occurs first.
4.
Don’t carry your water bottles home full.
5.
Drink 8 oz of water after the ride.
6.
Remember, coffee and tea are diuretics. You need to compensate with water products for the intake of diuretics.
Have fun and ride safe.
Don Rupprecht
CYCLING SAFETY SEMINAR
On January 16, 2019, Naples Velo will host a Cycling Safety Seminar at the Countryside Country Club off of Davis Blvd just west of Santa Barbara Blvd. Space is limited. If you are interested in attending, please register by e-mailing:
Bob MeLucci - rjmelucci@me.com
Be Safe and Have Fun Cycling
Don Rupprecht
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Sponsor's Spotlight: Lipman Family Farms
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Each month we will feature one of our great sponsors... and this month is Lipman Family Farms Check out our new
Sponsor Pages Link
by clicking on our sponsor's logo at www.naplesvelo.com!
Lipman Family Farms (LipmanFamilyFarms.com)
The Naples Velo Board of Trustees appreciates the support of our sponsor Lipman Family Farms through member, Rick Lipman. If you do not know Rick he is one of the most avid cyclists in the Naples community. Although he has been riding for only three years he has been athletically active most of his life. Rick’s passion for cycling is matched only by his generosity toward the greater Naples community.
Lipman Family Farms was founded by Rick’s grandfather, Max Lipman. Max moved his family to Florida in the 1950’s to begin growing and packing tomatoes. Today, Lipman Family Farms is the largest open field grower of tomatoes in North America with over 4000 employees and over 50 locations across North America that include farming, packing, processing, and hothouses. Lipman’s product offerings include vegetables and citrus.
Lipman is an industry leader in social responsibility and sustainability.
The Lipman family has supported numerous organizations in the Naples area for decades with a focus on childhood learning and hunger relief. The Lipman Backpack Giveaway annually gives 1200 backpacks filled with school supplies to Immokalee school children. Lipman is a premier sponsor of the Naples BMX Track renovation supporting Junior cycling.
The next time you enjoy a fresh tomato or other fresh produce please know that there is a good chance it was supplied by our generous sponsor- Lipman Family Farms.
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Uninsured Motorists Insurance
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THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AUTO INSURANCE WE PURCHASE AS BICYCLISTS
By: Ted Zelman, Esq.
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As cyclists we spend a lot of time and effort on our safety while bicycling. We wear reflective and bright clothing, have lights and reflectors on ourselves and our bikes, ride defensively, and choose the safest routes possible.
Sometimes, all that is not enough. We get hit by a car or truck. We can still protect ourselves from the financial effects of a crash by purchasing important insurance. It is called Uninsured Motorist Insurance.
I have previously written about the importance of Uninsured Motorist Insurance. Here is a link to that post.
How Uninsured Motorist Insurance works in any given situation is determined by state law. If you buy your policy in another state where you reside part or all the year, even if you are hit in Florida, your policy coverage may be determined by the law in the state where you purchased the insurance. Florida law provides very favorable coverage for bicyclists struck by motorists. If you live a significant amount of the year in Florida, you should consider buying auto insurance here. Ask an attorney for advice for your specific situation.
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