Recumbent Newz Wheelz Newsletter August 2003

August 2003 Issue

Copyright © 2003 Alan W. Jarrett

Please feel free to pass this newsletter along to your friends. However, I do ask you keep it intact and forward it in it's entirety.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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• 1. Newzworthy
• 2. Reader Feedback
• 3. Homebuilder Corner
• 4. Interview
• 5. Nutrition Tips
• 6. FAQ's
• 7. Feature Article
• 8. Money Senz
• 9. Off to the Racez

And what can you say about Tyler Hamilton? At the very beginning of the TDF, he broke his collarbone in two places in a wreck. That should have done it for this year's tour and likely would have for most. Tyler is truly made of tougher stuff. Not only did he stay in the race, but he was in the top seven overall....until July 23rd. At the finish of stage 15, Tyler had to give up his hold on 7th place.

He said it made up for all the disappointment endured so far, as he crossed the line *first* and moved into 6th place overall! To top that he finished the Tour 4th overall! No matter who won, Tyler is one of the most heroic racers of this tour, and just maybe of all time.

On the local scene, Warren Beauchamp may be in the record books with more than just a track record from the Bryant Tucker 100 last month in his streamliner. Some research may have to be done to determine that, but for now the track record is his. In the 100 lap event there was a top speed of 38.595 with an average of 35.58 MPH. Way to go Warren!

Guess what started in Vallejo, California six weeks ago, and 4900 miles later ended in Boston, Mass? Give up? The answer is, Rob English! Rob said it might not be the fastest ride across America, but it might be the fastest on small wheels. Look for pictures and a complete write-up on Rob’s website. http://rob.bikerevuk.com

There’s a Reborn trike out there in Texas called the Spitfire, crafted by HellBent Cycles, which is a partnership between Ricky Horowitz and Steve Frick. While Ricky is the founder, Steve has come on as a partner with the necessary back round in marketing and business to take HellBent and place it squarely in position to take advantage of the increasing trike market in the U.S.

You have got to see the RS/24 Spitfire! It is bright red and it looks fast sittin’ still! Owning a trike, and having researched the trikes made in England, Australia, Netherlands, Russia and the U. S., the package Ricky has put together is impressive.

The Aluminum frame is TIG welded to provide maximum joint strength. On top of that there is a 5 year frame warranty. Something else not that common is the adjustable seat. Add to that a 28.5 inch track width and you have the makings of an awesome ride.

There may be a ride report coming on the RS/24 in the September Newsletter, so stay tuned! Check it out at http://www.recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com/hellbent. Drop Ricky or Steve an email, and let ‘em know RNW sent ya!

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READER FEEDBACK
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Dean from Canada said he had to chuckle at the obvious U.S. slant about Matt Weaver and the World Human Powered Speed Challenge. To be fair there was an admission of "guilty as charged!"

Beth asked about recumbent shops in Houston, and RNW was able to provide two. Maybe Beth will write and let us know her experience.

Shari from South Florida wasn't so sure than she agreed that LWB recumbents are the most comfortable, which is covered on the LWB page on the web site. Some of you may agree, so sound off and be heard!
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HOMEBUILDER CORNER
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Jeff Bales is hard at work on the Lunatic Fringe speed bike. Updates on the WISIL website are available for those who would like to see what Jeff is up to. Check it out at http://www.wisil.recumbents.com/wisil/whatsnew.htm.

Some who have signed up are asking about plans for building. Check out

http://www.recycledrecumbent.com.

There are some great photos of the TE Clone. Plans are also available at

www.recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com/homebuilders.html

Go to the bottom of the homebuilder page. At the bottom of the page click on the link to dirt-cheap-recumbent.

Click on the **FREE** to download the PDF files. This is the section where you want to look for homebuilder forums or discussion lists that will be a huge help if you are building your own bike. Need parts or supplies? Post a question to

mailto:Alan@recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com.

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INTERVIEW With Joni Jarrett
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I’ve always wondered how riding a bicycle as an exercise compared to other exercises, like jogging, or even walking. So this month I thought I would get the “lowdown” from a professional personal trainer.

To make sure that it was someone who had experience, I chose one that has been a personal trainer for 7 years, is ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified in personal training and AFAA (Aerobic and fitness Assoc. of America) certified in personal training and aerobics. She is also certified to teach Cycle Reebok. She has a degree in Business Management with a concentration in Sports Management. What do you think? Does she qualify.

Since she is not an avid bike rider, and not a recumbent rider other than in spinning classes, it also seemed she would be very un-biased in her comments. Here is what she had to say.

RNW: How important is daily exercise?

Joni: Daily exercise is important for overall health. AFAA recommends exercising 3 times per week. However, the guidelines are changing to recommend no less than 30 minute of activity every day. The type of aerobic activity does not matter as long as you are achieving your recommended heart rate range. If a certain goal is to be met (training for a race) the exercise will mostly incorporate the activity used in the race.

RNW: In your training experience, what do you stress as the most important element of exercise?

Joni: The most important element of exercise is aerobic activity to exercise the heart muscle. When weight loss needs are to be met, weight training must also be involved. The more lean tissue (muscle) is present the calories are burned while doing aerobic activity.

RNW: How do you know if you’re getting any benefit from the exercise?

Joni: Benefits from consistent aerobic activity should be seen immediately. Strength, endurance, energy levels all improve within the first few days. One way to measure that you are making improvements is by using your resting heart rate. The more "fit" an individual is, the lower the resting heart rate.

To determine the resting heart rate, count your pulse for 60 seconds first thing in the morning (before even getting out of bed). To be more accurate take it for 3 mornings in a row and take the average of the three numbers. Eating foods high in sodium, drinking caffeine, eating too much sugar the night before you take your pulse can affect the results.

RNW: How important is weight training in any exercise program?

Joni: One of the benefits of adding strength training to your cycling routine is that it will build muscle mass, strength and endurance to help prevent injury.

Depending on the amount of riding that an individual chooses, determines the amount and frequency of weight training. If an individual is an avid rider, riding to improve his/her fitness, 2-3 hours a day 6 days a week, heavy and frequent lower body weight training will not be necessary.

If an individual is a casual rider, riding only for the health benefits, 30 minutes 2-3 times per week, a more extensive full body weight training program could be incorporated into the fitness routine.

RNW: How would you rate recumbent bicycle riding as an exercise?

Joni: Recumbent cycling is a great way to improve your aerobic fitness level. As with any type of aerobic activity, one's heart rate must stay within the "zone." In order to find your individual zone, first determine your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220.

Keeping your heart rate below 65% of your max heart rate is best for warm-up and recovery time. Keeping your heart rate at 65-80% of your max heart rate will be a comfortable ride on the edge of breathlessness. This is an endurance building level and fat calories can be burned over longer rides (60 or more minutes). If the heart rate range reaches 80-85%, the heart is still aerobic (working with oxygen), but working a little harder.

In order to build strength and speed, one must reach the anaerobic threshold. Working anaerobically, there is no oxygen present. Breathlessness has been achieved. The heart rate range should be between 85-92% at this level.

No matter the size, shape, or age of an individual, anyone can benefit from recumbent cycling. It allows for a more comfortable ride with wider seats and lower back support. Recumbent cycling also exercises the heart without the pounding effects of weight-bearing activities such as walking or jogging.

However, especially for women, weight bearing activities are a must. Activities such as walking, tennis, weight training and aerobics are the best forms of exercise to reduce bone loss associated with aging. During these activities you are supporting your own weight and so strengthening your bones. The bones react to the forces exerted on them by becoming stronger.

Osteoporosis is a progressively degenerative bone disease resulting in reduced bone mineral density. It has been estimated that 50% of Caucasian women will suffer an osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime. Weight-bearing activity should be incorporated in the fitness routine in order to continuously strengthen bone density.

Although non-weight bearing exercises, swimming and cycling, do not actively benefit bones, many people enjoy the activities and they can still form an important part of an exercise program. These non-weight bearing exercises provide the combination of developing muscle strength and endurance, increasing aerobic abilities and help to improve balance and agility to reduce the risk of falls.

RNW: Can you give specific examples of any benefit to riding a recumbent compared to a road bike or a mountain bike?

Joni: Some benefits include:

• -A more comfortable seat

• -Low back support

• -No impact exercise

• -One can ride a bike almost anywhere, anytime of year

• -With the pedals in front as opposed to underneath the body, the feet and legs are out in front promoting an easier return of blood flow to the heart and allowing every level of exercise to be accomplished with less strain or exertion on the heart.

• -Recumbent cycling is great for specialized populations such as older adults, pregnant women, deconditioned individuals, individuals with high blood pressure, low back problems or injuries.

• -Recumbent cycling can also add a way to cross train into one's fitness routine. Cross training (performing several different types of exercise) is important to reduce the risk of injury do to overuse, reduce burn-out and work all major muscle groups. Recumbent cycling as compared to upright cycling works different areas of the thigh, hamstring and buttocks.

Joni:

• 5.5 miles per hour - burns .030 calories per pound per minute
• 10.0 miles per hour - burns .050 calories per pound per minute
• 13.0 miles per hour - burns .071 calories per pound per minute

RNW: How many calories make up an ounce of fat?

Joni: You have to burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat (not a pound on the scale...a FAT pound)

RNW: So let’s see, an average speed of 15.5 MPH for a person who weighs 185 pounds, they would burn 14.8 calories per minute. If they ride for 60 minutes at that average speed they would burn about 888 calories. If 3500 calories equals one FAT pound, it would take riding four days for one hour at that speed to burn off one FAT pound. Hmm, I can think of worse ways to loose a pound of FAT!

Anything else you think we need to know about?

Joni: Depending on your fitness and training goals, you can ride as hard as you can for as long as you can or set an even pace and ride for a long duration. Riding hard will build speed and strength. Riding at an even pace in your aerobic heart rate zone will help build muscle endurance and cardiovascular endurance.

RNW: How important is it to change your exercise routine or include at least one other form of exercise?

Joni: To get the full benefit of exercise, it is very important to do at least one totally different type of exercise once a week. If you are cross training it’s not necessary. But if all you do is ride a bike on flat roads, one day a week you need to ride some hills. If there are no hills make it a short ride, but as fast as you can go. Do a series of short 30 second sprints with 3 to 4 minutes of rest in between. Do it for maybe 30 minutes total.

Doing the same level of exercise repeatedly, does not give your body the full benefit of the exercise. The body will rise to that level of energy output but it won’t improve.

Imagine a jet plane on take off. A great deal of energy is needed to get that huge plane off the ground and this is where a large part of the fuel is used. Once it reaches a cruising altitude, less energy is needed so less fuel is consumed.

RNW: Look at your body as the plane. When you begin a daily routine of exercise, the first few weeks the body is accelerating to get off the ground and more fuel is used (fat). After a few weeks, the cruising altitude is reached and less fuel (fat) is used (burned).

The ideal for a plane is to reach a cruising altitude, but the human body rarely does. You can reach a maintainence level, but you will still need to plan exercise that will keep muscles and endurance at a peak level. Is that about right Joni?

Joni: Right!

One other thing I wanted to touch on was flexibility and stretching. Just like you, everyone forgets about stretching! Flexibility is one of the most important aspects of fitness and it is the most neglected. Flexibility prevents injury, helps keep you in proper form on the bike, and helps keep you comfortable on long rides.

Stretching tips:

• - During long rides, try to stretch every hour
• - While riding keep your upper body relaxed, especially your neck and shoulder area
• - Avoid the "death grip" on your handle bars - it will just add to your fatigue and make your hands hurt

This is what I could come up with this afternoon. Let me know if you want more info on certain subjects.

RNW: Thanks Joni. Lots of good info there.
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NUTRITION TIPS
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I have to tell you the "Road Putty" did not taste as good as hoped for. It may have been the powdered milk and lactose intolerance, because it's hard to make honey and peanut butter taste bad. The taste was not so great, but what it seemed to do to my digestive works was not cool! If any of you have tried it with good results, send us the newz!

A mixture of 1/4 cup of orange juice, 2 cups of filtered water, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and two tablespoons of honey for flavor make a great drink for riding. The O.J. and honey are great for energy, and the salt helps replace the electrolytes to avoid dehydration. Been using it for several weeks on 20 mile rides in the Florida heat. Seems to do the job.

Here’s a new energy bar recipe for you to try. I would be tempted to leave out the M & M’s, but you may want to leave them in.

HOMEMADE ENERGY BARS RECIPE

These granola bars are chock-full of goodies and will sustain even the most tired peddler through the trip home. Wrap them individually and make extras for tucking into school backpacks. Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• l tsp. vanilla extract
• l cup granola
• 1/2 cup raisins (or any chopped dried fruit)
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts (or your favorite nut)
• 1 1.69-oz. pkg. M&M's chocolate candies

  Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter or oil an 8- x 8-inch square pan (preferably nonstick). Crack the egg into a medium-sized bowl. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly. Stir in the granola, raisins, hazelnuts and M&M's and mix until combined. The M&M's can be replaced with carob chips, which will cut down on the sugar content. Transfer to the pan and distribute evenly over the bottom, pressing firmly with your hands. Bake for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars or squares. Serves 8 to 12.
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  FAQ’S
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  Do you know what the difference between an HPV and a Streamliner is? An HPV, or Human Powered Vehicle, can be any vehicle powered by human energy. It could be a boat, a car, an airplane, as long as it’s power source is from human energy.

  A Streamliner is a recumbent bike inside of a partial or full fairing. If it were a trike, it would be called a Velomobile. A Streamliner can be any material which will increase air flow and decrease the friction and drag of wind. The smoother the surface the easier the air will flow past the body. The smoother the air flows the less friction. The less friction the faster the streamliner can go using the same energy.

  No need to reinvent the wheel, or in this case a list of FAQ’s! Check out

  www.bentrideronline.com/FAQ

  Any question you have that is not answered there, send it to me at:

  mail to:Alan@recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com

  
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  FEATURE ARTICLE
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  Health and nutrition. Boy have we ever heard those words a lot in the last 10 years. When it comes to knowing what’s good and what isn’t the choice is pretty tough. Every infomercial gives you all the reasons why that vitamin, or that juice, or this diet plan are not only good, but you have to have it for health reasons. Those ads try to make you think they know more about your health condition than you do. Yeah right!

  Then there are people you know that come to you all excited about the latest thing they are using, drinking, eating, or swallowing with all the incredible good things that have happened to them in the last 5 days, 5 weeks or 5 months. Six months later you ask then how they’re doing, and it’s almost as if you were asking if they cheated on last years taxes! Been there….done that…got the T-shirt. The illusion of “easy money” tends to be the real motivation.

  Are there good products out there that can make a difference in you health and well being? You bet! In fact there are probably a lot of good things, but that all depends on what you call good. Some people don’t think twice about products that are chemically reproduced, and passed off as the real thing. I’m talking about the so called Vitamins you find at most of the Nationally Franchised health food shops.

  It’s an interesting thing how natural to you or I, and natural to the FDA seems to be TOTALLY different. Natural to me means, it came from the Earth, a plant, or some naturally created form. I know the difference between a reprocessed and molded McDonalds Fry’s, and a real potato that has been peeled, split into thin strips and deep fried in oil. You aren’t going to find the real one at McDonald’s, but they sure taste good!

  Every single day you are brainwashed into thinking the food products you buy are good for you. They contain Calcium (from what source), Vitamins (from what source), and other so called “trace” minerals. But take the time to read the labels, and see all the chemicals used for preservatives, emulsifiers, extenders, to maintain freshness, artificial flavors and colorings, fillers, and the list goes on.

  Our bodies are not supposed to be “chemistry labs!” What harm does it do, you may ask? After all, wouldn’t the Food and Drug Administration, or the Department of Health, created to protect us from any danger those things might cause, protect us?

  Let’s just put it this way. We have an increase in cancer in this country that is unequaled in any other country, with the possible exception of countries where people were exposed to high levels of radiation such as in Russia. The increase in diabetes affects about 30-40% of our population today. That’s compared to figures from 1900. From 3% in 1900 to 40% today! Does that alarm you?

  Chemicals, in the form of fertilizers, began to be used after WW II. That was just the beginning. As processed foods have grown over the last 50 years, the need to add chemicals also increased. If you look at the health records of this country from 1950 forward you’ll notice a trend. We are sicker, fatter, and more dependent on antibiotics to do what our natural immune system can’t. Are you starting to see a pattern here?

  Real Cheese! What nationally known Pizza chain uses Real Cheese on their Pizza? Did you know that Real Cheese is a brand name, rather than being real cheese? If you were to look up a formula for real cheese, the Provolone typically used on Pizza, you might be surprised to find there would be very little resemblance. The point is, you’re eating something that’s not what you think it is, with the blessing of the FDA and the Dept. of Health.

  Then there is truth in advertising. Juice makers are only required to use 10% natural juice in a product, in order to call in “Natural!” Notice it doesn’t say “all” natural. But if you see, “Made with Natural Juice” on a label, that would lead most of us to believe it is.

  So you have two examples of how you are misled about what you eat. Am I being some sort of “Doomsday Prophet” with all this? Well, before you jump to that conclusion, why not check it out for yourself. Or will you do what most of us do (fingers are pointing at me too) and continue to be complacent like we have been for decades?

  There is a difference in an apple you buy at the supermarket, and one that has been grown under organic conditions. There is a huge difference in flavor to begin with. But that’s only the start, and I’m only going to open up the box and let all you readers draw your own conclusions about what’s better for you and your families.

  You will read a lot in this newsletter about all natural and organic foods, as well as natural herbs and other things. Why? Because I have lived the difference for over 30 years. No, I’m not a vegetarian, and I don’t go there. Do I eat red meat? Maybe once or twice…..a year. Do I practice healthy eating? Yup, and I could do a lot better.

  So just like I ride recumbents because it’s a healthier way to ride bikes, I read and talk about other things that are healthy too. And the idea is to pass all that’s good on to you. If you then decide to check it out, and find it to be good for you, who’s the winner? If it’s not good for you, an education has taken place and you’re wiser for it. Do unto others…....

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  MONEY SENZE
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  Is there anyone who doesn’t need an extra buck or two? Just about everyone I know spends all they have and a little more. So if you could make some extra cash just using your brain, and didn’t have to sell anything to anybody, would that interest you?

  Tell you what, that’s a dream most of you have, and me too! There are people out there making more than just a buck or two, and all they do is tell others about things they know a lot about. They use the power of this thing called the Internet, combined with one of the best programs I’ve ever seen or used, to introduce this know how to literally thousands of people every day.

  You take the time to write out what you know, by following a step by step outline that has been tested and proven to work. Sure it takes time to do it, and you have to put some thought in it too. If putting words on a screen was all there was to it, anyone could do it and this wouldn’t be such a big deal.

  Well, that’s just the point. Nearly anybody CAN do it, they just won’t for a variety of reasons. They’re too lazy. It’s too hard to think of enough to say. Being organized enough to do it isn’t their bag. Having the discipline to stick with it till it’s done doesn’t sound exciting. Maybe they just haven’t got around to it. It’s easy to do it. It’s just easier not to!

  If the chance to be your own boss, working from home, making a livable income, doesn’t get your heart pumping a little faster, then skip on down to the next section. But if you would rather make a 45 second commute into work everyday, in your pajamas, working the hours you want for a boss you can live with, then SBI! might be for you.

  Here’s what I can tell you. There are over 1,000 visitors a month coming to my site in just two months. TWO months! That just isn’t by accident. It sure isn’t because I knew anything about building a website, or how to get the Search Engines to send traffic to my pages. After tons of reading and research, it was easy to see that building a website was a huge job, and it wasn’t going to be cheap! Then I discovered SBI!

  So why am I telling you all this? Well, you may be like me and want to make that 45 second commute. Truth is, after two months I’m still making that 45 minute commute…one way! So don’t get the idea this is some get rich quick scheme. It takes work, but it won’t seem like it when you’re doing something that you’re passionate about. If you follow the plan SBI! gives to you, and use the tools provided, there are plenty of successful sites out there to prove it works.

  But hey…..you can’t buy SBI! from me, because I don’t sell it! Besides that, they do a whole lot better than I do when it comes to telling you about all the benefits they offer. If you know even a little about the Internet and what it takes to build a website, you’ll be blown away by what SBI! can do for you and help you do. Like Ken Envoy says, they do the work, and let you go about taking care of business.

  See for yourself. They even give you a bunch of sample websites you can see of people just like you, who have followed their program. Copy and paste this link in your browser, http://buildit.sitesell.com/Alan1-html10.html, to go there.
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  OFF TO THE RACEZ
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  The WHPSC is looking like it might get exciting. New this year will be Rob Wood and his Norus Streamliner, and Jeff Bales with his Lunatic Fringe Streamliner. An entry from Slovenia with a backwards riding position will be coming this year. It’s still questionable if Warren Beauchamp will be there. Steve DeLair, Macky Martin, Ellen van der Horst, and an unknown rider for the Whitehawk team are among those listed to show up.

  To be sure, all eyes are on the $25,000 prize for breaking 82 MPH! Maybe with the exception of Rob, Jeff, Ellen and Macky, all have a great opportunity to break that mark. Almost any of the others would be delighted with anything approaching 70 MPH! Sam Whittingham and Greg Warren are at the top of the list. Anything can happen, so each year is a new experience.

  Last minute updates from Matt Weaver and Jeff Bales. Jeff is feeling the time “crunch!” As a veteran, Matt knows what he has to do. Warren B. says it’s not over ‘til it’s over as far as making Battle Mountain! Who else might step up to give it a try this year?

  Garrie Hill says he has found a new location that is the same 5 miles in distance as the 305 route for qualifications. Sounds like that could make things interesting. Since it looks like everyone will have to re-qualify this year, looks like that qualifying track will be busy.

  Remember, you can check out what's going on with the WHPSC at http://www.recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com/WHPSC

  OK. That's it for this one. Got some exciting things building up for the September issue, so stay tuned for the next one.

  
  

  Back to the top of the Newsletter August 2003