Susan Mele, one of Trek's women who ride, joined us for She Got Bike 2008.  This is the second year that Susan has served as a ride mentor and fashion show model for the event.  Check out her story about this year's event on her blog:

http://womenwhoride.typepad.com/susan/

And if you have a cycling story to share about how you got started in riding both Susan and She Got Bike! would love to hear it.  Use the contact links on our websites to drop us an email.

Charm City Cycling (aka. C3 aka. Chicks in Black) showed up in force on Sunday to serve as ride mentors.  These very talented women race all over the mid-atlantic are some of the most respected riders in the peloton.  It was a real treat to have them with us this year!

Sonja captured some photos of the event on her blog:  http://www.granderkitten.blogspot.com/

Thank you C3!

She Got Bike! 2008 was an amazing day of great riding and cycling activities for women.  We are thrilled with the enthusiasm and excitement generated by this year's event!  We had about 500 women participate -- supported by more than 70 amazing volunteers.

We'll be posting event day photos to our website in the coming weeks so stay tuned. 

We can't wait until next year!

PS:  Please send any photos, stories or feedback to info@shegotbike.com.

September 14th is quickly approaching and we hope you're getting excited about She Got Bike!  We've put the finishing touches on the event day schedule.  A summary is below and you can click on the link to download a copy of the Event Day Program.

GET READY....
    7:15          Registration opens, Trek WSD bikes available for demo rides, Lifestrength fit
                     (all day long!)
    7:30          Joe's fix-a-flat clinic
    
GET RIDING...
    8:00          56 mile (The Blaster) ride leaves, Lifestrength fit, Joe's fix-a-flat clinic, pre-ride Yoga!
    8:30          40 mile (The Crank) ride leaves
    9:00          Beginner clinic sponsored by Baltimore Bicycling Club
    9:30          28 mile (The Power Push) ride leaves, Joe's fix-a-flat clinic
    10:00        20 mile (The Burn) ride leaves
    10:15        14 mile (The Spin) ride leaves

GET RECHARGED...
    11:30          Lunch and Expo begin:  henna tattoos, massage, Lifestrength fit, Trek WSD bikes
                       and cycling activity area all afternoon!
    12:00          Joe's fix-a-flat clinic, post-ride Yoga!
    12:30          Mountain bike clinic
    1:00            Fashion show
    1:30            Raffles, Joe's fix-a-flat clinic
    2:30            She Got Bike! 2008 sadly ends

Hi all,

She Got Bike exhibitor, the MS Society, wants to let you all know about a fun event that might be the perfect cap to the official cycling season. Here's the info:


Women on the move Wine Tasting Event

Join the National MS Society at our first ever Women on the move wine tasting event on September 25, 2008 from 6-9pm. It will be held at Geppi's Entertainment Museum located at Camden Yards in historic Camden Station.

Come tantalize your taste buds with uncommon wines from various renowned wine making regions. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be provided as well as a silent auction. The museum will be closed to the public allowing you to enjoy the atmosphere and take a tour at your own leisure. All proceeds benefit the National MS Society.

Be part of a movement of women that want to do something about MS now!

This meeting is for: Women who would like to enjoy a night out tasting wines from around the world, networking and learning more about multiple sclerosis.
 
Organization: National MS Society, Maryland Chapter
Start date: September 25, 2008
Phone: 443-641-1205
Contact person: Melissa Viel
Website: nmss-md.org

Last day to RSVP: September 20, 2008
Location: Geppi's Entertainment Museum, 301 West Camden Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21201, United States
Start time: 6:00pm
End time: 9:00pm
Fee amount: $60 per person
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes



 
 
 

Hi all,

We are thrilled to announce that WomanTalk Live radio talk show co-hosts, Ginny Robertson and Ann Quasman, have graciously agreed to Emcee She Got Bike this year.

And that means we are all in for a treat!

Ginny and Ann are both huge supporters of women and, through their radio show and their personal businesses, help women connect with themselves and with important issues and resources for living a passionate and purposeful life.

You can catch their show every Wednesday on WVIE 1370 AM from 6pm-7pm - or you can listen to a podcast of the show anytime at www.womantalklive.com - their guests include nationally known authors, experts, celebrities and more.

Listen this Wednesday and hear Ginny and Ann interview Jan Cullinane, co-author of The New Retirement: The Ultimate Guide To The Rest of Your Life.

One of the fun She Got Bike! festival activities we've planned for this year is henna tattoos.  We love this shot of Chinese national champion Ren Chengyuan taken by Frank Bodenmuller:



A henna tattoo is a great way to show off your She Got Bike! riding accomplishments!

Photo credit:  http://www.pedalmag.com/index.php?module=Image&action=viewimage&image_id=11104

Hi all,

At our request, She Got Bike's title sponsor put together some information for us on bike fit for injury prevention and performance. Lot's of good tips and ideas in here and lots of trouble shooting info. You can contact Lifestrength any time for even more help getting your fit right or figuring out an injury issue. ENJOY!

PROPER BIKE FIT IS ESSENTIAL FOR PREVENTION OF INJURY AND INCREASING PERFORMANCE

From the recreational cyclist to the paid-professional, bike fit should be the first step and most critical component in a cyclist’s training program. Ninety percent of non-traumatic bike injuries can be eliminated and prevented simply by addressing bike fit. 

It is especially important for the novice cyclist to ensure that the bike they are riding is set-up properly and that they are positioned correctly to reduce potential strain on the shoulders, neck, lower back, hips, knees and lower leg.  It is also important to recognize that bike fit is ever changing. The off-season provides a great opportunity to re-address bike fit and position.  This is a perfect time to make adjustments and have time to adapt before increasing intensity.

Many factors influence the position of the rider and subsequently the fit of the bike.  For instance, changes in fitness or flexibility can be cause to adjust bike position. These changes can mean that a rider is able to attain a more aggressive position, or may need to relax their position. An often-overlooked situation is the transition from cooler to warmer riding weather. The elimination of layers of clothing as the weather changes requires changes in saddle position as there is now less distance, per se, from the rider to the saddle.

Any indication of the potential onset of an injury is cause to at least have bike fit assessed. If it is deemed that bike fit is the cause, the injury may be avoided completely without any time off the bike and with very simple, minor adjustments.  For example, one of the most common complaints among cyclists is anterior knee pain. Anterior knee pain can typically be significantly reduced, if not eliminated by adjusting saddle position. In most cases, this is indicative of the saddle being either too low, or the saddle position being too far forward, increasing stress on the anterior aspect of the knee. Of course, there could be other causative factors, such as pedal stroke, top tube length, etc., but in most cases, a simple seat height or saddle adjustment eliminates the problem.

If you have not had your bike fit assessed and are concerned that your fit may be inappropriate, the following steps would be recommended:  1. Contact a well-qualified bike shop, Joe’s Bike Shop in Mt Washington, for example, to have a fit assessment. 2. Come to SheGotBike! A Festival of Women’s Cycling and have your fit assessed before or after your ride. 3. Contact a physical therapist knowledgeable in bike fit and assessment as well as familiarity with cycling, such as Lifestrength Physical Therapy.

    

We've used this great online tool called Map My Ride to help us with this year's routes.  Use on the links below to preview this year's routes.  You can also view the ride description which outlines the course for each ride.

The Spin (14 miles)
The Burn (20 miles)
The Power Push (28 miles)
The Crank (40 miles)
The Blaster (56 miles)

When you arrive at the event, we'll have cue sheets which describe turns and exact mileage for each of the routes.  All the routes will be marked with directional arrows and you'll be supported by an awesome group of ride mentors and sag drivers.

Great news! The routes for this year's She Got Bike! are almost finalized.  All rides are in northern Baltimore County - and, although the roads will not be closed to traffic, our routes do carefully avoid the bridges that are under construction.

Each ride (14, 20, 28, 41, 56 miles) will be lead this year by an amazing group of Ride Mentors and will be supported by our super SAG team.  The terrain is rolling to hilly and all of the routes contain some hills (which means great downhills!). The longer routes are designed for more experienced riders or those who want to take on a challenge.

We're using on-line mapping tools this year to set up the courses and will post links so you can check out the routes before the event.

Happy Riding!