Cycling Merit Badge Spaghetti Dinner is comming.

This is the annual pre 50 spaghetti dinner, Fri May 23.

All troop 85 scouts with Cycling Merit Badge are invited to provide moral support for this year's riders. Troop Adult Scouters and siblings are also welcome. Let Mr. LeFave know if you are coming.

Riders should be there no later then 6:00pm with their bikes. We will do a quick bike inspection, and then you will be locked away until your 50 miler is planned. Dinner is served when your cue sheets are ready.

We will be riding Sat AM.

6 Down 50 to go.

No Donuts!

Great ride from Spring Grove to Hebron. Too bad the Donut Shop was out of donuts, and we had to settle for Hostess Snowballs, ice cream, and gooey pop tarts.

Very nice weather and Kevin won Harper.

And now for something completely different.

When the weather forecast is looking a little damp even cycling merit badge councilors like to take it easy. Mr. LeFave's favorite rainy day route is on the "Illinois Prairie Path".

This wonderful route is about 80 miles of paved and crushed limestone path. With an occasional street segment thru a couple of towns along the way. There are bike shops, ice cream stands, and bakeries alomg the path. Which means some interesting places to get out of the rain for a snack.

We've already been on the northern most end of the path, but I like to start in Ringwood where the pavement begins. You can turn around whenever you want, or ride to Aurora or even Brookfield Zoo(80 miles one way).

Riding on a path has a completely different set of hazards then a road. On a path a bike is the fastest vehicle, and you need to pay attention for other users at all times. Pay particular attention to the stop signs at road crossings as the traffic is not expecting you.

On rainy days you'll have the path to yourself so you'll be "Singing in the Rain".

Derailleures

or, shifting with ease.

Shifting is an important part of every ride. It helps with speed, climbing and wind. Every rider shifts dozens of times on every ride. Your shifters should shift easily, smoothly and reliably. I like to adjust my own. It's not too difficult.

The absolutely best description of how to adjust your bike is here:http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html. This is a detailed step by step description of how this is done. You can also google "adjusting deraileur".

If you still can't get your bike to shift easily, you should take it to a good bike shop. I've always been amazed at how well a good bike repairman can make these somewhat tricky adjustments.

Layers

When cycling in cold weather its best to dress in layers. In temps around 40, I'll generally wear two shirts and two windbreakers, and maybe a fleece vest. The different layers trap air between them which provides good insulation. The layer that comes in direct contact with your skin should generally be a polypropelene layer that wicks moisture away from your body. The outer layer should be a wind/rain barrier to keep the heat in. I frequently where two light windbreakers.

Don't forget your feet. Once they get cold while riding they take forever to thaw out. Wear an extra pair of thin socks under your normal socks. Our rest stop will be inside which will give your toes a chance to warm up.

One down, 6 to go!

On a cool day, with some lingering piles of snow, four scouts completed our first ride. We rode from Spring Grove to Richmond. A nice ride, with a stop at Anderson's Chocolates. The return trip on the bike path was a bit muddy.

We averaged about 10 mph, not bad for the first ride. Thanks to Mr. Ziegler and Mr. Mueller for helping out.