By Barbara Jacobs

It is almost a year since we introduced the new CRW Website.  Things are moving along with its implementation, with new items being updated or added regularly.  Here are some tips to help you use the website and the Mobile App for Members.

Mobile App for Members: The easiest way to register for a ride is through the Wild Apricot Mobile App for Members.  

     Get the Member App for Apple phones here.

     Get the Member App for Android phones here.

Completing your ride/event registration: When you register for a ride or an event, you need to make sure you complete the registration process. You must click on the Confirm button, and the next screen actually confirms that you are registered.         

You will then get a confirmation email with the Ride Description and details.  The day before the ride/event, you will get a reminder email about the ride/event.

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

As spring approaches, bringing with it longer days and warmer rides, we're excited to share the latest happenings and upcoming events for the Charles River Wheelers community. This month’s WheelPeople includes information on Century plans, the Winter Challenge, a unique online gathering to kick off the season, a special ride honoring International Women’s Day, and other club news. CRW continues to thrive thanks to all our members' enthusiasm, commitment, and spirit. Here's a look at what's rolling this month:

Celebrating Our Centuries

Dates have been announced for our signature Century Rides! These landmark events test our endurance and celebrate our collective spirit and passion for cycling. Stay tuned for more details and start gearing up for experiences as rewarding as they are challenging.

❄️ Winter Challenge Updates

As our Winter Challenge draws to a close on March 15th, we're eager to update you on the progress and announce the hard-earned winners. Your dedication has been the fuel that keeps our wheels spinning through the cold. Let's push through to the finish line together!

Attend Our 2024 CRW Season Preview, March 20

Save this date! We invite you to a special online meeting on March 19th. We will share plans for the upcoming season, showcase our various ride programs, and highlight volunteer opportunities. Join us for a night of fun, inspiration, and community building.

International Women's Day Ride, March 8

Mark your calendars for March 8th as we honor International Women's Day with a special Women’s/Nonbinary Program ride. Open to women, nonbinary, and female-identifying riders, it's a chance to celebrate the achievements of women around the globe and within our community.

Let's Ride Into Spring!

As we pedal into this vibrant season, let's carry forward the momentum, joy, and unity that define us as Charles River Wheelers. Every ride is an opportunity to explore, connect, and grow. Here's to many more miles and smiles ahead. Keep spinning, WheelPeople!

The weather is improving, and as I travel around, I see more and more people on bicycles.  This leads me to think about all the rides that CRW offers to its members. Last year CRW offered over 500 rides - with 365 days in the year, that means some days there was more than 1 ride offered.

Can we do more in 2024?  I think we can....

Feedback from the 2024 Member Survey showed that members want more weekend rides. Please consider helping us reach this goal by becoming a ride leader!

On March 28, 2024 the Ride Committee will be offering a Ride Leader Training from 7:30 - 9:00 PM.  This training is usually about 1.5 hours, is presented virtually, and presents information on: How to become a ride leader, Ride Management, Safety, Route Selection, and so much more.

Please join the ranks of Ride Leaders - we need you.

Registration opens on March 4th and will be announced in the ChainLink.

By Erik D'entremont

The CRW 2024 Centuries are currently being planned and will provide the same great riding experience to our CRW members this year. Riders last year might have noticed some new featured water stop sponsors: The New England Classic Charity Bike Tours at Georgetown, The NEC 550 at Mt. Wachusett, and Friends of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail, as well as many new CRW volunteers!

We appreciate all of our volunteers who make centuries possible and welcome more. Thank you CRW volunteers, you rocked it! 

We intend to continue with these great folks and add more, with a new dedicated SAG from Bikes not Bombs at all our centuries.

In addition, CRW riders were rewarded with new cool CRW century sprockets for finishers of any of the routes in the series. We also hope to develop some new routes including a gravel option and a 30-35 mile route to one or more of our century rides.

Here is our 2024 century series which you will be able to register for using our cool CRW app or on the CRW website (as the registration process opens, it will be announced in the ChainLink).

The North to New  Hampshire Century (N2NH) on  May 19^th starting at the Wakefield High School or Technical School. The spring flat century will have several routes to get you ready for all your summer century rides. 

We plan to run a fully-supported event with 3 beautiful routes, 100 miles, 62 miles, and 50 miles. You will enjoy food and drink at rest stops along the route at American Legion Park Georgetown, Shanahan Park Groveland, and Sawyer Park Kensington NH. There will be an After-Ride Party at Wakefield High School from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. How about that Hearth Pizza last year, yummy!

The Climbs to the Clouds (CTTC) on August 11 will test your biking abilities with lots of climbing and a climb up Mt. Wachusett.  This Devo semi-supported ride will have 2 beautiful routes, 100 miles and 63 miles. 

The CTTC hilly rides will climb up Mt. Wachusett for those wanting a challenge. There will be unsupported rest stops including Berlin Orchards and at the base of Mt. Wachusett. Come climb Massachusetts iconic mountain with views of New England. Of course we expect it to rain; would it be fun without it?

The Cranberry Harvest Century (CHC) on October 13^th our fall classic in Plymouth MA with beautiful routes passing cranberry bogs to Mattapoisett and back. 

 Come join us for another fully-supported event with 4 beautiful rides, 100 miles, 62 miles, 53 miles, and new 35 mile route. The CHC captures some of the most charming roads in New England. It is also relatively flat and very manageable for riders of all abilities. All rides start at Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth and travel through the cranberry bogs in Rochester, Wareham, Carver, and Acushnet.

Rides include rest stops at Eastover, Tamarak, and on the beautiful wharf in Mattapoisett. You will enjoy food and drink at rest stops along the route and after party at College Pond at the finish. We will rock out by the pond with sandwiches, pickles and beverages while enjoying the view of College Pond. 

So there you have it, another great year of centuries is coming up, register early and volunteer. We appreciate and look forward to seeing you at our centuries.

Cheers from the Century Committee,

Erik D'Entremont and Mark Nardone

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 leaderboard)

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!

By Amy Juodawlkis

The CRW Women’s/Nonbinary Program is happy to announce it is hosting a ride on International Women’s Day, on Friday, March 8, 2024 at 6:30 AM.

International Women’s Day is “a day of collective global activism and celebration that belongs to all those committed to forging women’s equality” (source: IWD website). The day is commemorated in many ways around the world, from conferences and luncheons to online dancing and fun runs. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Inspire Inclusion.” Organizations and groups are encouraged to find ways to “…ensure the needs, interests, and aspirations of women and girls are valued and included.”

The Women’s/Nonbinary Program’s goal is to invite more women, nonbinary, and female-identifying folks onto the road, foster connection with other women in the club, and act as an on-ramp to co-ed areas of the club. Its co-leads are Robyn Betts and Amy Juodawlkis.

“International Women’s Day falls on a Friday this year, so it is a no-brainer to pair it with our program’s Friday AM social ride, the Praline Croissant,” said Amy Juodawlkis. “To celebrate International Women’s Day, we will host a coffee stop at the end of the ride.” 

Leaving from the Minuteman Bikeway terminus at Alewife in Cambridge, the Praline Croissant is a weekly, 19-mi no-drop ride with 600 ft of climbing. This weekday ride leaves at 6:30 AM, and is open to women, nonbinary, and female-identifying riders. The pace is 13-16 mph, and leaders pause in set locations to keep the group together. Though urban in nature, it is a lovely route, passing through seven towns, and past Spy Pond, Horn Pond, and the Mystic Lakes. ***Breaking: We are actively looking to also schedule a similar weekend ride open to everyone. Watch ChainLink and the Calendar for more information.***

“Our ride on March 8 is a chance to ride in solidarity with International Women’s Day, and to elevate women’s participation, growth, and empowerment in cycling,” said Robyn Betts. “We hope to see a great turnout for this event.”

By Eli Post

March offers intermediate warm days

And if you ride, you get praise 

It may be before the season 

But it's not for us to reason

The need to be out and play

Alongside a snowy sleigh 

A short ride on a warm day will be ok

You might even shout out "Hooray!"

As you conquer the open road 

And have a story that can be told 

We strive to come up with advice we can provide 

But we hope you enjoy your ride 

And credit us for this poem, so

The biking world will show 

That we are in the know 

When you reach a new plateau 

We will have more to say in April

When we plan to be more wakeful 

By Jerry Skurla

The days are getting longer and temps are getting warmer, but Spring is still a month or two away.  Start your Spring Cleaning early and look through your basement, garage, and shed for items for CRW's 3rd Annual Spring Swap Meet & Rides on Sunday, May 5th!

Just use the checklist list below to identify stuff you no longer need or want:

• Complete bikes, frames, wheels, and tires 
• Components, parts, accessories, and tools
• Car racks, travel cases, bike racks, and bike bags
• Clothing including shoes, jerseys, hats, and jackets

Like last year, there will be "free stuff" tables to give away items, and find free gems for yourself. You can also sell your stuff and buy from others. Everyone wins!

There will be two rides in the morning, followed by the Swap Meet in the afternoon, so it's also a great opportunity to get in early season miles.  The location is Harrington Elementary School, 328 Lowell St, Lexington, MA.

Please write comments below with any questions.

By Amy Juodawlkis

On February 4th, the CRW Women's/Nonbinary Program hosted a winter hiking event at the Middlesex Fells Reservation. We met at Medford High School and began with a tailgate including coffee, munchkins, and other treats. This gave everyone a chance to warm up, fuel up, and socialize before our hike.

At 9 am, our group of 27 members and guests set out on a beautiful 4.1- mile hike on gently rolling fire roads. The peaceful scenery was the perfect backdrop for great conversations along the trail. Those with binoculars were rewarded with water bird sightings at our photo-op stop by the reservoir.

Everyone had a fantastic time connecting in nature. The Women's/Nonbinary Program aims to continue offering seasonal events open to our women, non-binary, and female-identifying membership. Consider joining us for fresh air and friendship on our next adventure!

By Nancy Clark

Most nutrition advice is targeted to the average American: Don't drink fruit juice. Eat less sugar. Stay away from pasta. Take the saltshaker off the table. Does this same advice pertain to athletes? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no.

Physiologically speaking, the body of a healthy, fit athlete differs significantly from the body of the unfit "average American." For example, compared to an unfit per-son, an athlete's muscles readily take up sugar (glucose) from the blood; this means "sugar spikes" are less of a concern.

This article highlights the confusion stemming from nutrition advice that does not always apply to the needs of athletes. One size does not fit all!

I've stopped eating (fattening) potato, pasta & starchy carbs with dinner. I eat a pile of veggies, instead." 

To start, starchy carbs are not inherently fattening. Excess calories of any kind of food are fattening. Eating a "pile of veggies" for "healthier" carbs is expensive, time consuming, likely to result in a very high fiber diet (leading to undesired pit stops), and unlikely to optimally refuel muscles.