LOTOJA Must Knows

The longest one day sanctioned USAC race in America!

LOTOJA is the longest one day sanctioned USAC race in America. And it is rad! beautiful course, lots of cyclists, and of course great racing. With just over 200 miles of racing you have to be extra prepared to finish at your best. We have raced this event for years now and will happily share some of our pro tips on prepping for LOTOJA.

Lets tackle nutrition first.

Any endurance event requires well planned and properly executed nutrition strategies. Many good cyclists fall short of their LOTOJA goals because they screw up their nutrition.

Eat and drink often. It is commonly understood that you will be able to absorb 250 calories per hour (give or take). Set an alarm on your watch or garmin device for a 20 minute reminder. Every time you hear that alarm beep make sure you are eating and drinking.

Test and sample every possible form of nutrition you think you may like. And do so long before the race. Everyone has different stomachs and can tolerate different things. I prefer to stick with a liquid form of fuel as chewing on the bike is sometimes hard when breathing to fast, etc. It bugs me. So I stick with all liquid nutrition. I’ve tried virtually every form of drink mix known to man for cyclists and endurance athletes and have changed several times over the years. Find what you like, and what you can tolerate by practicing on your regular rides leading up to LOTOJA.

Pro Tip– The first 1-2 hours of the race are fairly fast but easy and flat. Many cyclist screw up during this time by not drinking and eating enough during this time period. Your effort is markedly lower this first part of the race and so its easy to think you don’t need to drink. ESPECIALLY when the weather is typically cooler to down right cold in September at the start of the race. When it is cold you really don’t want to drink. But be warned, what you do the first couple of hours will make a significant impact on your last couple of hours that day…

Salt: I am still surprised at how many athletes still don’t take salt during their rides. Electrolytes are a very important part of your performance, your cramping, and your eventual bonking. Be mindful of your sweat rate. Pay attention to what is in your drink and fuel mixes so you know what additional electrolytes you need to use during the race. I like salt chews that are tangy orange. They taste like candy and are therefore so easy to get down. I used to do electrolyte pills, but have moved away from the pill floating in my stomach and moved on to chews or drops in my water bottle. Salt Stick makes a great “chew” tablet that is tangy orange and highly effective. I used it all through Race Across France, and the Race Across America with zero bloating or other stomach issues. Also never a cramp. They are effective.

What about those amazing Feed Zones?

In LOTOJA there are neutral and manned feed zones. The feed zones are your opportunity to stock up on water and fuel. The neutral ones are feed zones where your crew is not allowed to be. These are usually stocked with some water, bananas, GU gels (or something like it), and sometimes Gatorade etc. It is a good opportunity to grab some extra fuel of you are running short. I typically skip the neutral feed zones as I am trying to race and don’t want to stop and waste time. However, I have definitely taken full advantage of these precious neutral feed zones several times over the years when I was struggling or plain short on nutrition. They also often have volunteers stationed here who are eagerly on the side of the road with hand ups. The hand ups are usually the bananas, the GU gels, and water.

The Manned Feed Zones are the ones that you can send your crew to. Here you can have them hand you what you have already planned out. I typically have an ice chest or two at each one with our teams nutrition ready to roll. They are often in drawstring style nylon bags and labeled with each racer’s name. When we roll through we get our specific bags handed to us by the crew. I keep my stops to less than 60 seconds. I hand them my old bottles and grab new ones from them. Then sling my draw string bag on my shoulder and keep pedaling. While rolling out of the feed zone I empty the contents of my bag into my pockets and then ditch the bag in the appropriate trash zone as marked. This style of feed zone efficiency allows for much saved time over the course of the race. Also, if you are in a good group of cyclists you will not want to lose them because you stopped too long. Typically a group rolls in and there is some verbal negotiations wherein everyone meets up at the end of the feed zone in 1-2 minutes. Then you don’t miss out on a good draft and a good group. Be fast in teh feed zones. It is much better.

Also, make sure your nutrition is planned out with everything you need. Put other things in there you MIGHT WANT just in case. Then if you don’t need it you can leave it in the bag and ditch it in the trash zone. Some teams even have spare tires and tubes, or even spare wheels at one or two of the feed zones for a quick change if necessary. Extra Co2 is sometimes a good idea as well. If you put any of these items in your bags, then make sure you tell your crew to go collect your stuff out of the trash zone so you can get your spare tires, tubes, and Co2 back.

Finally, if you have 1-2 family members who will be your crew and they are attempting to go to every feed zone for you… then you are in trouble. It is physically impossible to get from each of the Manned Feed zones in time. The route that the crew must take to get to the feed zones makes it impossible for just 1 vehicle to continually sag for you at each zone. You will beat them to the feed zones and then you’re stuck waiting for them or riding on without any of your nutrition. Some people cheat and drive on teh course to make sure they get there in time. If you are caught doing this you will be disqualified and will likely never be allowed back to this event. So make sure you get enough people to help where you can split up the feed zones.

The Condom Catheter…

Yes, that is what it is called. Several of us race with a condom catheter. It is an amazing way to not ever have to stop and pee. You can lose your group over your need to stop and urinate. To avoid that we race with condom catheters. It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a condom that connect to a tube so you can put it on and run the tube down your leg. It is tucked away so discretely that you can’t tell we even have them. We will slip to the back of the group and untuck the tube out of the bottom of our bibs and then pee. It takes some getting used too. But wow – so wroth it. Take time to measure properly and get the right size. But worth every effort.

In the first 1-2 hours of the race there has been a negotiated pee stop every year. What is a negotiated pee stop? Basically everyone in the main peloton is so uncomfortable with the urge to urinate that they all start talking about it, and then negotiate a stop by shouting out that we are all going to stop and pee. These are wonderful but can’t be counted on after this first one. Once the climbing begins the group breaks up so much that the pee breaks seems to be on your own. Without a catheter you will have to stop on the side of the road or at a porta potty and then light some matches to catch up. It is a waste of energy and effort. We vote the condom catheter. Sold on Amazon.

p.s. Not everyone on our team uses them… yet.

Bike Plate Number Holder

This is an awesome race and you actually get a legit race number that is stiff and designed to be mounted on a plate holder. They are inexpensive and can also be bought on amazon. Here is such a link: https://www.amazon.com/Thinvik-Number-Plate-Holder-Cycling….

LODGING

Get your hotels early. If you have the time and means then stay an extra day or town in Jackson Hole. It is beautiful. It is also nearby to so many attractions. But be prepared, the hotels in Jackson Hole are not cheap. And the hotels in Logan Utah (at the start) sell out early. We recommend booking early.

There is definitely more we can talk about, but for now lets leave the rest for another post. Have fun, train hard, and get ready for an awesome ride. We will most definitely see you out there!

Ben Dodge, Esq., Endurance/Ultra Cyclist

Bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

A bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. He can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge, Bicycle Lawyer

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire United States. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the world. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. Having competed in 8 Ironman triathlons, numerous local and national cycling races, and a successful finish in the Race Across the West 2016, he really knows what it’s like to ride and race a bike. Ben competed in the first ever Race Across France – 2018. This was a non stop 1500+ mile race across the entire country of France. He and his teammate finished 3rd. He is registered for a 2 man Race Across America (RAAM) team as well in 2019.

The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases. Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

Ben Dodge, NITA Advocate with Advanced Trial Skills Training

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the United States every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important, but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. Ben is certified through the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) as having completed extensive litigation courses and has demonstrated these skills over and over again. Most lawyers are pencil pushers and shouldn’t be in a court room… not Ben Dodge. He is a gifted and aggressive litigator. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben Dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • Your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • The applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • Your rights as a cyclist, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • The process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • The value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. There is never an obligation past a complimentary consultation with Mr. Dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback Rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to Mesa, Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Gilbert, Peoria, Glendale, Scottsdale, Ahwatukee, Tempe, Chandler, Prescott, Sedona, Flagstaff, Surprise, Kingman, Page, Lake Havasu City, Payson, Goodyear, Buckeye, Queen Creek, Paradise Valley, Show Low, Winslow, Maricopa, Nogales, Globe, Avondale, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, Apache Junction, Carefree, Wickenburg, Pinetop-Lakeside, Strawberry, Anthem, Safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and has founded BikeAccidentAttorneys.com a National Network of independent and incredible bicycle lawyers that can assist in representation in all 50 states.

Cycling and The Power of Personal Metabolic Data

How well do you know yourself? If you’re like me when I first started cycling you probably don’t know much at all. There is a real progression in the sport of cycling. It starts out with a beginner bike, or a borrowed bike of sorts from a friend. Then you get enough courage to buy your first real bike and its likely used slightly and you’re still shocked at the cost! After a while you are fully hooked and you buy a real nice carbon bike brand new. You can’t even imagine the days you were on an old clunky thing from Wal-Mart and you find yourself grateful that you have evolved to the understanding that it is perfectly OK for a bicycle to cost more than most college student’s cars!

This evolution also includes those accessories from the cycling kit, cycling computers, wheels, power meters, electronic shifting, and on and on and on. The more we ride the more we get sucked into the experience of it all and we learn that there is always so much more that we still don’t know. We learn that some accessories actually help us go faster, ride with more comfort and less pain, function better, sync to our networks with WiFi, or simply just help the overall ride experience feel better. Cycling is an amazing experience with layer upon layer of new information and upgrades. The technology changes so fast that every year the bicycle manufacturers are releasing some new frame, brake system, or shifting system that completely changes everything they have accomplished the year before. As I sit here and write this I do not find myself irritated or annoyed at the constant progression of the sport but rather find it all very exciting. There is just so much out there that can help us become better.

To this point I will write about my experience with metabolic testing. I am lucky enough to live near one of the best metabolic systems and testing methods/equipment in the country. Right here in Arizona there is a former pro cyclist and nutrition guru Anna (Sanders) Sparks. She formed Sparks Systems. Through this company anyone can get tested know their personal metabolic data. This data is so MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAT YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE. Knowing this type of information and how it affects you is like the difference between a WWII bicycle and what we ride and race on now. It is just simply significant.

The nutshell version is you get to see whether or not your body burns carbs or fat as it’s primary fuel source on and/or off the bike. You also get to know exactly when your body switches from fats to carbs. You also get to know your exact and precise heart rate zones AND how to enlarge them. You get to know when exactly your body starts producing lactate acid at a level that your body can’t clear it out anymore and your legs start burn – AND how to enlarge it. You get to know exactly what your VO2 Max is and how it affects your training and what you can do to make progress with it. You also get to know your metabolic efficiency point (MEP) where you can with exactness know what exact bpm of your HR are most efficient in the burning of fats vs carbs. Other things are of course your power zones, and how many watts it takes before you hit your Lactate and Aerobic thresh holds.

I mean seriously- this info can change everything. Many of you know that I like to train and race in long distance non-stop ultra cycling challenges. Some of the races I have successfully completed include things like Saints to Sinners (522 miles – solo, 2nd place finish), Race Across the West (930.4 miles – solo, 9th place finish), Race Across France (1504 miles – 2 man team, 3rd place finish), and this coming summer in June of 2019 I will race in the Race Across America on a two man team with my incredible friend Tommy Liddell. We will race it as a two man team and will be hitting approximately 3,200 miles in 6.5 days. I love to ride, and I love to ride in extreme circumstances. But don’t let that thought scare you away from the importance of this data. Anyone who wants to be faster, never bonk again, race or ride without fatigue, and more can benefit from this type of data!

After testing you get to get the 411 so to speak on what it all means from Anna herself or someone under her employ. Armed with what all of this info means and their professional highly individualized advice to your personal situation on how to make improvements, then you can literally change it all up. The results are astounding and relatively quick. Most changes can be made in a matter of weeks.

Who wouldn’t want to increase their speed at lower HR zones? Or how many of us would give anything we had to be able to hang onto that fast group without feeling like our legs are catching fire and will fall as dead and heavy burnt little stumps?!

Below is a picture of the data I have been tracking on the last 5 tests I received. The important column is the middle test dated July 5, 2018. This is only about 2.5 months after my crash and clavicle surgery earlier that year. It is also only about 1 month before I had to go race in the Race Across France. The results of that test are depressing. It shows what lack of training can do. After my crash and surgery I immediately began training the best I could in my garage on my smart trainer. But it wasn’t that great, and it was certainly painful. The volume and quality of training certainly fell well below what I was used to doing and the testing beforehand shows the decline. In fact just about 1 month prior to the crash I tested and my results are on the 2nd column there dated March 2nd, 2018. That test was awesome. my fitness was amazing. But alas, a single wreck and surgery can change everything…

Applying what I know about the data and certainly following the careful guidance of Anna and her team at Sparks Systems, I was able to crawl back. Check out this chart and see the fitness. I pay particular attention to the HR Zones as these are pretty key in long distance cycling per my training focus on fat adaption etc.

Right before the Race Across France my Zone 2 was a dismal range of 106 bpm to 126 bpm. As of today my Zone 2 starts at 150 bpm and goes all the way to 170 bpm! This is an incredible change and it is a product of intention and creation. I get tested. I learn where I am at and then apply their principles to affect a change. So cool. I’m not even known as a geeky data guy at all, but this sort of thing I love to keep track of because it directly affects how well I am riding out there. I can actually feel the difference. It is awesome.

Check it out. Fly in and make an appointment. You don’t even need to bring your bike- the whole test is done on a stationary bike. Thank you Anna and Sparks Systems for an incredible journey. I look forward to the next few months! Check them out here: https://www.sparkssystems.net/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Dodge, Esq., Endurance/Ultra Cyclist

 

 

Bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

A bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. He can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire United States. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the world. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. Having competed in 8 Ironman triathlons, numerous local and national cycling races, and a successful finish in the Race Across the West 2016, he really knows what it’s like to ride and race a bike. Ben competed in the first ever Race Across France – 2018. This was a non stop 1500+ mile race across the entire country of France. He and his teammate finished 3rd. He is registered for a 2 man Race Across America (RAAM) team as well in 2019.

The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases. Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the United States every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important, but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben Dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • Your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • The applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • Your rights as a cyclist, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • The process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • The value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. There is never an obligation past a complimentary consultation with Mr. Dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback Rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and has founded a national network of independent bicycle lawyers that can assist in representation in all 50 states.

Strength Training for Endurance Athletes

So many of us know deep down that we would be better cyclists, runners, swimmers, triathletes, etc. if we hit the weights in addition to our sport specific training. Yet when it comes down to it we never really make the time or we go so sporadically that we don’t experience any gains from it. Or worse, we do it so completely backwards that we experience unusual fatigue and or injury instead of gains. Enough is enough. Lets understand these principles in an easy way so that anyone can begin adding strength training to their routine for legitimate and improved results.

I’ll start with a little background into my personal experience and history. I started out in 2010 with triathlons. I have competed in 8 Ironman Triathlons and countless 70.3, Olympic, and sprint distance triathlons. I eventually transitioned into CrossFit towards the end of my triathlon experience. I became a certified CrossFit Endurance Coach. My last 3 Ironman triathlons I completed in the top 1/3 of the finishers and only ever did crossfit (i.e. strength training). While I don’t recommend that approach it was an experiment that proved strength training (and cardio through crossfit W.O.D.s) was sufficient to get me across the Ironman finish line with a “decent” time. No one will ever be Kona bound without sport specific training, period, end of story. However, the crossfit endurance strength training proved to be very effective. I later moved into a weird period of strength and endurance training that was 100% geared towards the Navy Seal Kokoro program. That was incredible! After that I moved into ultra running for a short spell mixed with crossfit endurance. Then I moved into 100% cycling with no strength training at all. And most recently I have transitioned into ultra cycling with zero strength training.

My endurance and cycling is better than it has probably ever been. Yet I feel weak. My core strength is gone. My neck, shoulders and back can often fatigue, and by fatigue I mean start to really hurt. I have suffered from Shermer’s neck and more. I know I am missing out on the benefits of strength training. Over the past 8 years I have been on and off again with my strength training. I have felt the difference between over training with weights and not training at all with weights. The results or lack there of are easily noticeable.

I have signed up for a 2 person Race Across America (RAM) team with my amazing friend Tommy Liddell. We race in June for 2019. The winter season is quickly approaching and I for one want to better utilize this season to help increase my power, strength, and balance as an athlete, especially in light of the significant challenge of RAAM. With this in mind I began devouring everything I could get my hands on in regards to proper strength training for endurance athletes. There are so many different schools of thought floating around out there. I can say that the internet is full of advice, and not all of it is even remotely good. The old school way of dealing with strength training is really whacked.

Lets break it down into simple to understand terms and principles. FYI – of all the internet, books, and personal experiences I have had there are 3 stand out articles I will draw from. They are cited below.

Strength

In it’s most simplest sense, strength is the ability of your muscles to move stuff. In the case of endurance athletes it is your ability to move yourself. Move yourself with your own two legs running, or move your pedals in a way to produce speed on a bicycle, or your arms in a way to swim.

For some old school thinkers muscle is just extra bulk. Just wasted watts. We have all heard that we “need to lose a few lbs and get down to race weight.” In many cases that is simply wrong. At a certain point there is a such thing as too much bulk where your VO2 Max per kilogram of muscle caps out. There is a ceiling so to speak. Studies have demonstrated that aerobic capacity peaks out at 180 milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of arm and leg muscle mass (see Ben Greenfield article).

But beware, muscle mass isn’t always equal to what we know as strength. I know first hand what it is like to carry around extra weight. It sucks. It makes me much slower than I need to be on any climbing section of a race. However, my body fat % is the first culprit of this offense, not my muscle mass. In general, most all of us endurance athletes can stand for a bit more lean muscle mass. Or at least more strength in the lean muscles mass we already have.

It is important to note that we we talk about strength training we don;t mean that you should bulk up or even increase your muscle fibers (build new muscle). While for those of you who are skinny little rails that may be true, for those of us who have decent muscle mass the goal is actually to train our bodies to recruit multiple muscle motor units regardless of whether they are fast or slow twitch (see Ben Greenfield article and How to Strength train for Cycling).

So strength can be more muscle, and it can be a better trained signal to recruit more of our muscle motor units like they are on tap or on instant demand. This translates to more explosive force, more long term endurance with prolonged fatigue when your competition or buddies start dropping. Strength is not necessarily Arnold Schwarzenegger (although he is certainly strong!) – as an endurance athlete it is tapping into and recruiting multiple motor units. For some of us that means we must also build these muscle motor units. yes, I am talking to you skinny little guys who fly up those hills. You can be faster and go longer with more strength… and possibly a bit more muscle mass.

Dealing With Fatigue

This is by far the most common fear many of endurance athletes face. “How do I go and crush my workouts on my bike (or running, swimming, etc.) and have energy to lift weights?”

Or, “How can I actually get quality results from my specific workout on my bike (or my run, or in the pool, etc.) if I am too tried from my lifting session?”

I get it. I remember when I hired my first cycling coach I was told not to lift at all. So I stopped it right then and there. My coach told me that I would be robbing myself of my workouts that were panned for my growth if I started also lifting weights. I was told that I wouldn’t get the quality of the workout and I would just fatigue and maybe even get injured for over doing it. I was reassured that the strength training I needed I could just complete while on the bike. I was curious as to how that would work so I gave it a shot. Short story, it didn’t work at all.

I know the coach meant well, and frankly, the timing of when you do your strength training is critical to it’s effectiveness. If I hammered all of those cycling workouts and then added my own strength training on top of it I may be over doing it and then I would surely suffer from fatigue and my growth would be caped. In that sense the coach was absolutely correct. Yet I knew something was off. It just didn’t feel right. I have been used to serious strength training and for a significant period of a couple of years it was almost exclusively what I had done for any sort of fitness. When I cut it out all together I felt the effects immediately. I began to lose strength pretty immediately. My coach would have been better to coach me in the timing of my strength training carefully knowing what endurance training to cut back and when to add my weight training. Most coaches and endurance athletes still struggle with old school thoughts centered around the fatigue issue of strength training and therefore completely miss the benefits or misapply them. Keeping weight lifting as a routine would have helped my over all progression immensely.

Some important and landmark research back in 1999 shows that maximal strength training on top of an endurance cycling training program had zero negative physiological effects on the athletes’ endurance factors such as maximum oxygen consumption and lactate threshold. In fact, it showed that contrary, improvements all around from strength training (see the How to Strength train for Cycling). Over doing it is still a potential problem, and every coach knows this. The study shows that you must know when to add your strength training and what volume to add in order to experience proper growth and performance without impairment.

So When Do I Do My Strength Training?

The short answer is always. That is right. Strength training should be done all year. The magic is to know when to adjust the volume – this depends on when you have an off season and when you are in season, and what your primary race is versus all the other less important races.

By far the biggest gains you can experience is during an off season. Yes an off season. Just the words “off season” used to sound like a weak excuse not to ride my bike. I have never really taken an off season. But this year is different. I intend to fully execute an incredible off season with intentional and well planned out strength training mixed in with my on going endurance training; the endurance training of course will be cut back a bit. The Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology” found that strength training for 3x per week for 5 weeks was an excellent starting point. That amount of strength training means you will have to reduce your regular sport specific endurance training – meaning that an off season is the optimal time to build your strength without impairing your endurance performance (How to Strength train for Cycling).

In 2009 the “Journal of Strength and Conditioning” concluded that replacing a portion of a cyclists’ endurance training with strength training yielded increased power and better time trial performance (How to Strength train for Cycling). In other words, during your regular season the proper amount of strength training is still highly recommended.

In summary, the experience of the great endurance coaches out there (not the ones who say you shouldn’t strength train at all during season) agree on the following:

  • Off Season: 2-3 times per week.
  • In Season: 1-2 times per week.

A well written summary on the proper timing of strength training is here:

“Now that you have a basic idea of the yearly overview of strength training for endurance athletes, it will be important to understand how to integrate strength training into a typical week of endurance training, and there are three basic timing rules to follow as you set up your week:

  • Timing Rule #1: Prioritize endurance training such as swim, bike and run workouts. If you’re pressed for time, you simply must train as specifically as possible. Therefore, if your day calls for a swim, bike or run session and a strength training session, perform the swim, bike or run session first, followed by the strength training session, either immediately after, or later in the day (14). There are additional benefits to this rule. The first benefit is that you will engage in better biomechanics because your muscles will not be pre-fatigued or broken down by strength training. The second is benefit is that research has shown a higher calorie-burning response when strength training is preceded by cardio, rather than vice versa. The only exception to this rule is the occasional need to train in a pre-fatigued state, in which case a short, tempo swim, bike or run session could be performed immediately after a strength training session.
  • Timing Rule #2: Space strength training workouts that target the same muscle groups by at least 48 hours (12). Muscles will take at least 48 hours to recover between strength training sessions, so if, for example, a session includes barbell squats, and a subsequent weight training session includes dumbbell lunges, then space these sessions by at least 48 hours since they train similar muscle groups. This is only necessary if the workouts actually contain exercises that target the same muscle group. Otherwise, you can do strength training for different muscle groups on consecutive days.
  • Timing Rule #3: Perform short and frequent or long and infrequent strength training workouts. In an a frequent scenario, two to three 20-45 minute weight training workouts can be performed on a weekly basis (3). In an infrequent scenario, a single, 50-70 minute full body strength training session can be performed on a weekly basis. There is absolutely no need to for an endurance athlete to strength train more than three days per week, especially if you’re following the Ancestral Athlete rules of performing HIIT and Greasing the Groove. But if you’re weak and need to build strength, I recommend you incorporate three strength training sessions per week, and then 1-2 sessions per week for continued maintenance.”

-(see Ben Greenfield article)

What Lifting Should I Do?

Great question. Hands down the best thing you can do is learn the proper lifting techniques for using free weights. Free weights will engage the entire body and other muscle groups in a way that can improve balance, increase strength, and more. A few coaching sessions with a good trainer can create an opportunity for you to be independent for ever more on lifting free weights the right way. I highly recommend it.That being said here are the exercises that have been found to benefit the endurance athlete the most. Notice there are some plyometric and body weight recommendations as well for building that power:

  1. Dead Lift
  2. Box Jump
  3. Roman Dead Lift (Barbell Row)
  4. Back Squat
  5. Front Squat
  6. Bench Press
  7. Pull Up
  8. Push Press
  9. Lunges (can also add weight and lunge with a barbell)

(see the Lifting for the Endurance Athlete article)

The old school philosophy of low weight and higher reps has been refuted by all the latest research as well. The best recipe is as follows:

For Strength 1-5 reps per set, 3-5 sets.

  • Longer rest periods, heavier weights
  • No lifting to failure or for burn/pump
  • Best for endurance athletes seeking to build strength

(see the How to Strength train for Cycling article).

IN SUMMARY

Strength training is absolutely necessary for improvement. Do it all year. Know how much to do and when to do it, but DO IT. Take an off season and use it wisely to maintain your current level of endurance fitness as best you can while building your endurance base and adding strength at the same time. During your season hit the weights 1x per week to keep the strength maintained going. Lower reps, higher weights, and 3-5 sets is the magic formula.

Get out there and crush it!

Articles Cited:

  • https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/fitness-articles/workouts-exercise-articles/strength-training-for-endurance/
  • https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/heavy-lifting-for-the-endurance-athlete-part-1-learning-the-7-key-exercises/
  • https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/how-to-strength-train-for-cycling.html

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Dodge, Esq., Endurance/Ultra Cyclist

 

 

Bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

A bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. He can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire United States. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the world. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. Having competed in 8 Ironman triathlons, numerous local and national cycling races, and a successful finish in the Race Across the West 2016, he really knows what it’s like to ride and race a bike. Ben competed in the first ever Race Across France – 2018. This was a non stop 1500+ mile race across the entire country of France. He and his teammate finished 3rd. He is registered for a 2 man Race Across America (RAAM) team as well in 2019.

The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases. Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the United States every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important, but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben Dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • Your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • The applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • Your rights as a cyclist, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • The process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • The value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. There is never an obligation past a complimentary consultation with Mr. Dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback Rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and has founded a national network of independent bicycle lawyers that can assist in representation in all 50 states.

Why Do You Ride? By Chris Hopkinson

Hoppo as some of us know him, is an incredible ultra cyclist. Recently he was feeling thoughtful on FB and penned a long list of reasons why we all ride bikes. Surely one or more of these will align with you. But have you ever stopped to think why? Why do you ride? Enjoy this from one of the most epic ultra cyclists and multiple world record holder out there:

“You ride because you love it. You ride because you need it. You ride because you want it. Sometimes you ride because you don’t love, want or need it, you just do it because that is what you do. You ride because it helps with your weight, you ride because it makes you well, you ride because you need the therapy, you ride because you need the escape. You ride because she rides. You ride because she doesn’t. Or he does. Or he doesn’t. Or you ride because they do. Or because they don’t. You ride to find God. You ride because there is no God and because everything is futile and yet that matters so much and you may as well ride anyway because your time here is finite. You ride because you love the earth. You ride because sometimes you don’t like your self and heck can you ride fast when you are angry.

You ride because you kinda secretly enjoy shaving the pins and because you love taking an age to get your bar tape perfect. You ride because you love the sound of a freewheel thrumming on a summer’s day, love even more the sound of a hundred of the things humming together in the quiet moments of a race. You ride because when the sunlight comes through the trees above and dapples the road and the rays catch the spokes, you almost think, however fleetingly, that you might just understand this entropic and essentially unknowable universe. You ride because it needs no language to be on a bike with someone and to look over to them and to smile and to get one back, and you ride because the bike is our language and you ride because no one who does not ride can fully understand why the f*ck you ride.

You ride because this is our brotherhood, our togetherhood.

You ride because you miss the hurt.

You ride because you don’t fit in anywhere else.

You ride because you dared once to dream and you don’t ever want to stop.

You ride because you fell in love with the most beautiful, the most epic, the daftest, the most furious, the most poetic, romantic, brutal, life-affirming and soul-destroying sport of all, the sport that drives its flawed geniuses to destruction and its devotees to distraction. You ride because this is the love affair of human with machine and itʼs the one toy from childhood we get to keep, that grown men and women still get to play with, all over the world, no matter how old, no matter what culture, race, creed or ideology. You ride because itʼs the thing that gave you the freedom to leave your neighborhood and to explore the world around and when we ride, all grown up and adult, itʼs the same barnstorming thrill you had when you sped down your block, racing home from school against your best friend to see who could get back first. You ride because you still feel that same rush, that same freedom, the same breath of Sheer and Unadulterated Life. You ride because the bike connects this you to that you.

You ride because you are you.

You ride because you ride”

-Chris Hopkinson

You can learn more about Hoppo at this website: http://www.ultrahoppo.com/. Thank you Hoppo for your insightful writing. I already feel more connected to my bike than before. You rock my friend.

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Dodge, Esq., Endurance/Ultra Cyclist

 

 

Bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

A bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. He can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire United States. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the world. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. Having competed in 8 Ironman triathlons, numerous local and national cycling races, and a successful finish in the Race Across the West 2016, he really knows what it’s like to ride and race a bike. Ben competed in the first ever Race Across France – 2018. This was a non stop 1500+ mile race across the entire country of France. He and his teammate finished 3rd. He is registered for a 2 man Race Across America (RAAM) team as well in 2019.

The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases. Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the United States every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important, but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben Dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • Your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • The applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • Your rights as a cyclist, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • The process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • The value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. There is never an obligation past a complimentary consultation with Mr. Dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback Rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and has founded a national network of independent bicycle lawyers that can assist in representation in all 50 states.

Mental Toughness With Navy Seal Dan Cerrillo

Mental Toughness

Navy Seal Dan Cerrillo, Tactical Shooting Course, PHX AZ

What is mental toughness? How can this be applied to your cycling? I light up when asked anything even remotely close to this topic! Mental Toughness has to be one of my all time favorite topics as well as one of my go to principles to live by. I think one of the best statements in this podcast from our Navy Seal friend Dan was when he was asked how to develop mental toughness: “Do hard things over and over again until they become normal.”

Another outstanding principle behind mental toughness is learn to live in the uncomfortable. Practice difficult and uncomfortable on repeat until it becomes comfortable. Then you can conquer your demons. Remember that when you are out in a difficult or challenging experience that your not building your mental toughness in those moments nearly as much as you are demonstrating it. “Do today what others won’t do, so you can do tomorrow what others can’t do.” In other words the time to develop your mental toughness is NOW, not later when you need it.

How does this apply to cycling? Great question, the answer is it applies to everything in life. If you are intentional about improving anything in your cycling, i.e. your fitness, your watts, your distances, your cadence, your VO2 max, your HR zones, your standings in the races, your endurance, etc. etc. etc. then you will need to operate at a higher level of mental toughness then you currently possess. To improve is to intentionally seek out the difficult. Difficult and uncomfortable circumstances are where the mentally tough succeed and the mentally weak quit. Quitting can be as extreme as calling your spouse or an uber for a ride home in the middle of a ride or race, or as subtle as just not trying very hard anymore. Make no mistake about it, when you let off the effort you are quitting. Most of the quitters I know don’t have the courage to straight up quit quit, they simply ease off their effort and try to rest because rest is easier and more comfortable. They are not comfortable in the uncomfortable. They begin to feel sorry for themselves and the pain and discomfort they are feeling. Then they have little pity parties blaming the circumstances all around them instead of owing the fact that it is super hard for them in that moment and pushing through it anyways. Navy Seals don’t quit. There is honor, integrity, and commitment in everything they do it and they do everything intentionally. If there is breath in their lungs they keep pushing. Their individual life is not more important then the mission. What is your mission? What is your mission with your cycling? Where do you quit? What kind of quitter are you?

I guarantee you when you are racing you will hit a wall because your pace and your effort, your watts, your HR, etc will get to a point where you don’t think you can hold it any more. Your mental toughness will be beyond critical in your decision as to what to do in that moment. IF YOU DON’T RACE this principle still applies- when you are trying to be a better version of yourself then you will need more mental toughness. Even to be a better recreational rider, a better parent, employer, employee, etc. you will benefit from more mental toughness.

Start building today what you will most surely need tomorrow. The path to strong mental toughness always starts with your intention to do something about it today. There are so many more principles of mental toughness I will share and write about in a later post. But for now, enjoy the words of a Navy Seal who has lived a life demonstrating extraordinary leadership and mental toughness.

Thank you Dan Cerrillo for your time in sharing with us your thoughts. Check out Dan’s website for some seriously intense and super cool adventures where you can develop and learn mental toughness as well as tactical skills from a Navy Seal: https://www.spartan7adventure.com/

Here is the podcast file, as well as the direct link:

LINK: https://benldodge.podbean.com/e/interview-with-navy-seal-dan-cerrillo-incredible-insigjts-into-the-tough-questions/

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Dodge, Esq., Endurance/Ultra Cyclist

 

 

Bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

A bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. He can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire United States. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the world. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. Having competed in 8 Ironman triathlons, numerous local and national cycling races, and a successful finish in the Race Across the West 2016, he really knows what it’s like to ride and race a bike. Ben competed in the first ever Race Across France – 2018. This was a non stop 1500+ mile race across the entire country of France. He and his teammate finished 3rd. He is registered for a 2 man Race Across America (RAAM) team as well in 2019.

The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases. Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the United States every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important, but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben Dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • Your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • The applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • Your rights as a cyclist, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • The process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • The value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. There is never an obligation past a complimentary consultation with Mr. Dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback Rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and has founded a national network of independent bicycle lawyers that can assist in representation in all 50 states.

Mastering “How to Pee” During a Bicycle Race

Mastering “How to Pee” During a Bicycle Race

By: Ben Dodge, Esq., Ultra Cyclist

Why the heck would you have to worry about peeing in a bicycle race? Why not just pull over and pee? Well, I admit that pulling over and peeing is by far the safest thing to do and the lawyer in me will always endorse safety! There are lots of reasons to not stop riding in a race. Mostly you are trying for the win, or hanging onto a group you can’t afford to drop off of (lose the draft), or just aiming for a personal best time and stopping to pee can throw all of that off.

If you are competing out there, you may struggle with the thought of what to do when you have to pee during a race. In fact, you might even worry about it so much that you don’t drink nearly as much as you should before and during your race. You are left under hydrated and risk not only under performance but some serious health issues as well. Any competitive cyclist will acknowledge that hydration is a huge component to a successful race, especially any longer bicycle race. Many cyclists start hydrating days before their race. The morning of a race I usually drink at least 1-2 bottles an hour or two before the race. I have a whole routine and hydration is always a top priority.

The problem of course is that you hope you pee before you race. Or that the race is short enough so if you have to pee during your race you simply hold it until you finish. This can be horribly uncomfortable, and even painful. Let me offer some helpful suggestions on How to Pee During a Bicycle Race. These pro tips are collected from personal experience, conversations with other competitive cyclists, teammates, and some awesome chats with pro cyclists. Here is a list of suggestions that are tried and true, and some even more experimental… lol

  1. Stop and pee. Yes, just pull over and pee. Its only a race, and any other suggestion could risk a crash. You could crash or cause a crash in the peleton if you’re not extremely careful and experienced in any of the next suggestions. The longer the race the more likely you won’t need to worry about losing time to stop and pee. When I raced the solo Race Across the West in 2016 I knew I had to bike 930 miles pretty much non stop all on my own. I knew I had plenty of time to stop and use the restroom when necessary. No need to pee yourself during such a long solo race. Ultra cycling is almost a different animal all together.
  2. Negotiated Pee Break. No kidding, sometimes in the peleton if you are feeling the painful urge to pee and you can’t hold it anymore you may very well not be the only one who feels that way. There are times when a fellow cyclist will start recruiting others within the peleton to all pull over and take a pee break. These negotiated pee breaks are hilarious. Everyone quickly pulling over and scrambling to pee and keep riding again. It is a sort of treaty where everyone agrees to stop and pee. Yet, no one really waits for the last guy. You pee and you start pedaling again, end of story. Hopefully you’re not the last guy peeing who is suddenly caught having to bridge a gap back up to the rest of the group who peed faster than you did. I have participated in a negotiated pee break in the LOTOJA race. It is a 200+ mile road race and without fail every year after about 1.5 hours or so everyone ends up negotiating a pee break on the side of the road in the middle of no where. I have never been so grateful in a race!
  3. Just pee in your bibs. Yep, its as gross as it sounds. But many cyclists who race have all tried it. You just pee and then try and squirt a bit of water on yourself out of your water bottle. This suggestion is one of the ones pro cyclists are familiar with. One complaint I hear from them is that you get “pee pee shoes.” The pee can just run down your leg and into your cycling shoes. They smell for ever after that and it seems virtually impossible to get the smell all the way out. I admit I have tried this as well. It sucks. It smells. And you could even get irritated skin everywhere if you don’t wash your bibs out well immediately after you pee. It is the easiest way to stay on your bike and pee. It is fairly safe and you don’t really have to stop pedaling to do it. I will warn you, it takes practice to get to the point where you can pee and pedal at the same time. If I recall correctly I came home and threw away my “pee pee shoes” swearing I would never try that again.
  4. Stand and Deliver. No kidding, one of the most impressive things I have seen in a race is a guy slip off to the right hand side of the peleton and coast along the shoulder standing up; with one hand on the handlebar and one hand on his… he whipped it out and peed while coasting along side the peleton. We rode by him in awe. A bit disgusted for sure, but more impressed. He lost a few positions in the peleton but nothing he couldn’t make up real quickly. He never dropped off the back or had to bridge any gaps. It was flawless. Genius. But of course he put himself and all of us at risk. What if there had been debris in the shoulder? Or what if he simply swerved into the peleton? There a number of reasons why this is an unsafe maneuver. He clearly had practiced it as he pulled it off in a seamless and smooth manner. That is what was so impressive. I know he must have practiced because I set out to try it on a training ride once with my dad. One summer afternoon while visiting my dad in Utah I pedaled ahead on a bike path in the middle of no where and determined to try it. There was some surprising stage fright. Some awkwardness in balance and stability while peeing. It was anything but smooth. I was however able to pee. I got a little on me but not bad. It had worked. But not well enough for me to do it in a race. I knew I needed a better option…
  5. The Condom Catheter. Wow, just writing it makes me a bit queasy. No joke, this is an incredibly creative option. One of my teammates who had to drop from a fast group of cyclists only because he had to pee during a competitive attempt at LOTOJA was so frustrated he thought to himself: “There has to be a better way.” It was his creative thinking that led to who knows how many weird google searches which in turn led to this idea of condom catheters. It is exactly what its sounds like. It is a condom you put on with a catheter tube you connect to it. The tube in a medical setting will presumably connect to a pee bag of sorts attached to your bedside. Adapted to competitive cycling by our very own teammate (D.E. – initials only to sort of keep his identity somewhat private, lol) the tube is cut to extend out the bottom of the bibs by 3-5 inches when in use. When not in use the tube simply tucks around your thigh/hamstring and into the bottom of your bibs. The tubing used can be purchased at Home Depot or any varoety of “medical tubing” on Amazon, etc. It is a bit of a hacked looking device we have made. The actual condom catheters can also be purchased on Amazon. Many of us have all tried different versions (makes and models) of condom catheters. I will say this: size definitely matters. Buying the right size is ultra important to even kind of being successful with this idea. Also, some have some sticky glue like substance that we recommend you avoid as it feels like your ripping a layer of skin of just to remove it. I will include pictures of the condom catheter I prefer and the tubing I used. I can say that I have actually tried it on several recent rides. In preparation for this year’s LOTOJA race a few of us BAA cyclists have been highly interested in trying out the whole condom catheter thing. I must say the conversations during the rides have been hilarious on an epic scale. Just the other night I was talking to a teammate and friend of mine on the phone in the kitchen asking him how he was able to get his condom catheter on (a challenge for sure) and my wife was listening in the background. It was too funny. I have pictures (all clean) of the actual catheter, and the tubing I use. I have some good and bad experiences with it so far. It seems the longer the ride the more likely it is to fall off right in the middle of a pee. This can of course be embarrassing and a bit gross. lol. All worth the risk for now as we try to discover new ways to pee during a race without stopping. I could see a follow up article on the DO’s and DON’Ts of condom catheters just so people who want to try it can learn from our mistakes. LOTOJA is in 1.5 weeks from today and I plan to try it out for that race (200+ miles). I’ll be happy to report how well or badly it went.

Again, if you have to ask why this is even important then you may not have ever been in a serious race where you couldn’t afford to stop, OR you already have a different solution that works. If you do have any solutions or suggestions that we haven’t thought of or tried yet please leave a comment to this blog and I’m sure myself along with some of my BAA teammates will be happy to run some tests/experiments with your ideas. We are always looking for the newest innovative ideas. We love to try new things, especially if they work well.

Have an incredible time riding your bike. Be safe, and keep the rubber side down!

-Ben Dodge, Esq.

More pictures:

 

Bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

Ben Dodge, Esq. Ultra Cyclist

Ben Dodge – Bicycle Lawyer

A bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know has been injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. He can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire United States. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the country. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. Having competed in 8 Ironman triathlons, numerous local and national cycling races, and a successful finish in the Race Across the West 2016, he really knows what it’s like to ride and race a bike. The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases.

Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the United States every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important, but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben Dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • the applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • your rights as a cyclist, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • the process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • the value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. There is never an obligation past a complimentary consultation with Mr. Dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback Rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and has founded a national network of independent bicycle lawyers that can assist in representation in all 50 states.

The 4 Basic Principles for Ultra Cycling 101

Welcome to the world of pain called Ultra Cycling. But it doesn’t have to be. I’m writing this to those of you who may be venturing out on your first ever “long” bicycle ride. Over the coming year or so we will be doing many “ultra” rides and many of you are coming out for the first time. Per their request I am writing down some basic pointers for getting into ultra cycling. These are just some of what I would call the “intro” points that you should be aware of when first getting into ultra cycling. There of course much more advanced topics we can discuss later, but these basic principles will help a great deal in your new journey into the Ultra cycling world. For me, I learned some of them the hard way through lots of rough miles in preparation for Race Across the West (RAW). Others I learned form more experienced cyclists who were kind enough to share their tips and ideas. Ultra cycling racing tips, practice, and strategies will of course be different and require more in depth review. But these tips are priceless to the soul who is just venturing out on his or her first couple of ultra rides.

A long ride in the Ultra cycling world is something well over 100 miles. There is no set number of miles before a ride becomes an ultra ride, but generally the further past 100 you go the more it starts to feel like an ultra cycling ride. Lets get some of the basics discussed in this blog to make sure that you can minimize discomfort and pain. Note that I never said you won’t feel any discomfort or pain. Ultra cycling by its very implied definition is long, uncomfortable, and eventually painful. The magic which draws some of us to this sport of ultra cycling is in what lies beyond the discomfort and pain, what you discover when you endure longer than all of the pain. The beauty of it all is what you see in you and in others when you push past the point of pain and discomfort. When you get to the mindset of the pain simply doesn’t matter anymore. Not every ultra ride will take you to those extremes, however, that sense of accomplishment and the accompanying feeling that can only be likened to some sort of enlightenment of oneself is teased out even in shorter ultra rides.

Ok, enough of my soap box feelings on ultra cycling. Lets get to the nitty gritty of proper preparation for your first few ultra rides. Your first few ultra cycling events or group rides will likely be in the neighborhood of 150-200 miles. This is where your love of ultra cycling can be born or buried depending on your preparation. Your preparation will minimize the pain and discomfort you may feel.

1) Nutrition:

Think of a 10+ hour ride as nothing more than an all day buffet. I personally love this idea because I love food. I love to eat. If I could get paid all day to just try the best foods this world has to offer I would do it in a heart beat. Thus my love for cycling… I have to do something to lose weight! But seriously, you will likely burn anywhere form 200-600 calories an hour or more depending on your pace. This means your body will be slowly depleting itself every hour until it has nothing left to give. This is what we call “bonking”. You should literally be eating all day. What you eat depends on your stomach and what it can handle while exercising. Regardless of your food choice you should attempt to consume about 300 calories per hour. It is hard for your body to absorb any more than that anyways. I have tried a billion things out there. Unless you spent months adapting to high fat fuels and you can keep your HR absolutely and strictly aerobic then you best be consuming a ton of carbs – so stay away from starch only fuels or you will hit bonk town for sure! You’ll need high quality carbs and lots of them. The kind that absorb quickly and don’t cause any GI distress. In all my rides over the years I have settles on Carborocket. It is by far and hands down the best product on the market. With each serving sitting at 330 calories and 84 grams of super carbohydrates it feels like rocket fuel for the endurance athlete. Zero GI distress for me. It doesn’t mix thick and gooey so I can put 3-4 servings in one bottle (i.e. 3-4 hours of nutrition in one bottle). Love that stuff. For 200+ mile rides I will supplement this with some solid foods as well just for mental pleasure. But I limit this because I don’t want to be caught in the middle of nowhere having a bowl movement… Sticking to fluids means all I have to do is pee every once in a while.

Other cyclists pound GU, Shot Blocks, Hammer, and more. In my opinion all of those products fall far too short on the quality and performance of Carborocket. Plus, the salt pills required to keep from cramping (remember you will be losing a lot of sweat over 10+ hours) are all included already in the carborocket mix. It is really an all in one nutrition – hard to beat. I will also take a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a banana and coke. The caffeine and sugar in Coke are like a much needed shot in the arm – liquid gold…

Salt pills are essential if you don’t enough salt in your nutrition plan already. I usually use endurolytes Also, some good ole fashioned pickle juice is a life saver for leg cramps. I keep much of this in my SAG vehicle if I get lucky enough to have one. Otherwise I pack it in my jersey. There is a company that makes little shots of Pickle Juice in single servings. I love that product.

Excedrin. Yep. You will get sore. For me my neck and shoulders still get sore from my experience during Race Across the West (930 mile non stop race from Oceanside CA to Durango CO). Advil or ibuprofen is dangerous with the liver or kidneys (google it – lots of endurance athletes run into trouble here). Excedrin can relieve the pain a bit and not ruin your kidneys. PLUS it has caffeine. Caffeine is one of your best friends on an endurance ride.

Water. Water. Water. Drink lots. Your body will need it. try to get 1 to 1.5 20 ounce water bottles down every hour. If it is warmer and you are sweating more then you may need to bump this up to 2 per hour. You may not feel like doing this during the first couple of hours, but if you neglect to properly hydrate you will pay for it later in the day. Hydration is so very important. Shorter crit races for 45 minutes, or even 2-4 hour road races you can mismanage hydration and nutrition and get away with it. This is NOT true in endurance cycling. Every time you drink or eat something you are doing it for a benefit in a few hours. Likewise, nearly every time you bonk or begin to struggle you can trace it backwards a couple of hours to a mistake with your nutrition or hydration. This is why Nutrition is the first topic in this blog. It is hands down the most important issue.

2) Clothing:

Always and forever dependent on weather. Pay attention to the terrain and the weather. Often in ultra cycling you can transcend several climates all in one ride. Know this ahead of time and plan for it. The hours without the sun can be cooler than expected, especially if you are sweaty. Sometimes you may start out in a warm desert and ascend to a cold mountain top. Plan for it. Pack it. Be smart.

Shoes – good cycling shoes are important. Make sure they are not too tight. Feet tend to swell on longer rides. Make sure your cycling shoes can loosen.

Sunscreen. Yep, sunburns are common because of the sheer amount of hours you are out exposed in the sun. Also – make sure you pack some lip balm, chap stick, etc. because the sun and wind will wreak havoc on your lips all day.

BIBS. I highly recommend a good pair of bibs that are not too old and worn down. The longer you ride in a pair of bibs the more compressed the chamois pad gets and the less comfortable you will be. Invest into some very good bibs, your bottom area will be forever grateful. In some of my longer rides I have been known to wear 2 pairs of bibs and I have never regretted that decision! Along that note, use chamois cream or butt butter or something to lube yourself for these long rides and some to take with you and reapply later in the day. Some of them come in single dose packages that fit nicely in your jersey or saddlebag.

Jacket – I would certainly recommend a light windbreaker/rain style jacket. Weather changes so much and these are often required during the night hours. Particularly after a long sweaty day in the saddle and then the sun sets and you find yourself in the cool mountain weather.

Sun glasses. No brainer right? Yep. Don’t forget them and don’t forget some clear glasses for the dark hours.

3) Gear:

Bike. Make sure it is all tuned up and ready to roll to minimize any shifting problems or mechanical failures while out on your ultra ride. Long rides seem to have a nice way of highlighting any deficiencies in your bike and gear. Get them taken care of before your ride. Double check your bike chain and your cassette. These often wear down faster than any other part and are almost always the likely culprit of shifting issues. If you feel like you can’t seamlessly shift between gears or it jumps a  bit when you are trying to shift then your most likely issue is in the chain or the cassette or both. Of course, it could be anything so get your bike checked out and ready to roll.

FIT. Speaking of the bike, if you have not been professionally fit to your bike then I recommend it before any long ride. Long rides seem to highlight any deficiencies right? Yes. So if your fit is off then you will feel extra pain in places you probably don’t want to feel extra pain. It could be your knees, lower back, head neck and shoulders, hips, numb feet numb hands, and more. Most all of these issues can be avoided completely by riding the proper size bike for you and then of course being properly fitted to that bike. In my experience most bike shop owners and salesman really have no clue as what is really the proper size bike for you and the sell you what they have or what they think is “in the range” for you. They all assume that you can simply raise or lower the seat/handle bars and fix most any fit problems. Wrong. In fact they couldn’t be more wrong. Did you know that your frame size that fits properly for you can vary drastically based on manufacturer, and style of bike (i.e. TT bike vs Aero bike vs Gravel bike vs. Road Bike vs. MTN Bike, etc.)? Yep – get a professional fit. My favorite fit studio is Cyclologic. They routinely fit many pro cyclists from all over the world. Love their service and their reputation.

Lights. Almost all ultra rides start or end or go through night time conditions. Make sure your lights are fully charged and you have back ups if need be. Riding without lights is just stupid. I sincerely believe that riding during the day with lights should be mandatory. A bright blinking light can be the difference between a motorist seeing you and not seeing you. Be seen, not hit – is a motto I live by. Even my cycling clothing is obnoxiously (but tastefully cool) bright neon colors.

Drawstring style bag. Often as swag bags at events you are handed a drawstring bag of sorts. These are great because they crunch up so small and lightweight that you can simply keep it empty in your jersey pocket. Then, when you start shedding layers you can whip it out and place the extra layers in your drawstring bag and sling it over on your back. You won’t even feel it there. When the sunsets again you can put the layers back on and the bag back in your jersey pocket. Great idea for those long rides where you are in self support mode without a sag car to carry your stuff.

Ice Chest. If you are lucky enough to have a friend drive sag for you then I highly recommend an ice chest. Keep all of your drinks, food, etc in your ice chest. You’ll be so grateful you did. A nice cold drink during a long hot ride in the middle of nowhere is like a little slice of heaven.

Spare wheels. On ultra rides where you have a friend driving sag – don’t forget to throw in an extra wheel set if you have one. The last thing you want to do is terminate your ride early because of some pot hole or other hazard that wrecked your wheels and all of your training, prep, and volunteers have to call it quits now because you don’t have a replacement wheel. Along those same lines, pack lots of extra tubes, maybe a tire, CO2, and a pump. Again – if you have a friend driving sag then why not make sure you have all of this with you.

Tools. On my long sag supported rides I will also throw in my bike tool box. I have a decent set of bike tools for most any situation and they are always ready to go in a grab and go plastic tool box. I usually always throw that in as well. I may have only ended up using it once, but I was sure glad I had it!

4) Mental Prep:

Regardless of how sweet your bike is, or your gear, nutrition, clothing, or even your fitness, the most important part of any ultra ride is your mental preparation. I have given 3 days seminars on this topic alone and there is no way this short blurb in this blog will ever do it justice. However, I would be way out of line if I didn’t mention this as absolutely crucial to your ultra rides.

The most basic element in your mental preparation is realize that you as an individual are capable of at least 20x what you think you are capable of. If up to this point in your training you have only ever done 100 mile ride and you doubt whether you could do a 175 mile ride then you are fooling yourself. Of course you can. In fact you can likely do a 500 mile ride tomorrow if you had to. Start thinking much further down the road then what ever your goal is. When your mind starts to play tricks on you during the ride think of it as a training day and that you will someday do much more then what you are currently attempting and that you need to complete it as part of your training, even if you must then go a bit slower to make the miles. Think beyond your goal.

Visualize. Spend sometime quietly reflecting on your upcoming ride and visualize yourself completing it. Visualize yourself overcoming some negative situation (i.e windy conditions, fatigue, more climbing, etc.). Anticipate these in advance and spend sometime deciding now how you will react and then visualize yourself doing it. Visualization is a powerful technique that empowers you to accomplish what you aim for. And of course, you should be aiming high – like really really high.

A good friend of mine always told me to never make any decisions in the dark. In some of our long endurance activities from 100 mile ultra runs, Kokoro camp with the Navy Seals, training rides for RAW, or during RAW, all where you are required to endure all through night for days in a row without breaks… the best advice that has stuck with me is never make any decisions at night. If you feel like quitting then just wait until the sun comes again before you allow yourself to make that decision and you will feel a renewed sense of commitment and likely you will keep going. However, if you allow yourself to decide at night then you will always opt out. Wait for the sun to come up again and then reevaluate your decision and how you feel – you will probably push on.

Meditate. Yep, can’t do too much of this. It doesn’t have to be something like you see some monk doing in a movie (although kudos to you if you can do it that way!). Meditation is a powerful way to calm the mind and take control over negative thoughts. This is how you stay in control on long rides. Practice meditation techniques that work for you for prep leading up to your ride as well as techniques that work during your ride. You simply can’t meditate enough. Learn what works for you. For me simple breathing techniques are very effective. I personally love box breathing as taught to me by one of my Navy Seal mentors Mark Divine.

Conclusion:

There is simply much more out there we should discuss in greater detail. But as noted, this is a great little intro into ultra cycling and you will be better prepared for your first few ultra cycling adventures. In time we can discuss each of these topics in greater detail, but for now be mindful of your nutrition, clothing, gear, and mental preparation. These 4 basic principles will minimize your pain and discomfort during your ultra cycling adventures. Good luck, have fun, and I’ll see you out there on the road!

-Ben Dodge, Keep the rubber side down!

Bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

Ben-&-BikeA bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know were injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. Ben can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire united states. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the country. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. Having competed in 8 Ironman triathlons, numerous local and national cycling races, and a successful finish in the Race Across the West, 2016, he really knows what it is like to ride and race a bike. The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases.

Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches the police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the united states every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben Dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • the applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • your cyclist’s rights, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • the process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • the value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of bike accident attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. there is never an obligation for a complimentary consultation with Mr. Dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and has founded a national network of independent bicycle lawyers that can assist in representation in all 50 states.

RAAM RACE CREWS: Athletic Support by Vic Armijo

Once again, Vic Armijo provides invaluable information about racing in RAAM or RAW and the role of the support crews. This originally appeared on January 22 here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/523225327828742/permalink/579227618895179/. It is Published and re posted here fro archive-ability and reference material for any future RAAM/RAW racers and crews. All photo credit goes to Vic Armijo as far as we know.

RAAM RACE CREWS: Athletic Support, by Vic Armijo

“The support plan for a RAAM rider to bicycle from the West coast to the East coast has been developed and refined over these past 34 years and has arrived at a basic formula. First a rider needs a crew consisting of six to ten people. Most crews are made up of friends, family and fans. The first requirement is to be someone able to keep a positive attitude under stress. Friendships have been made and ended on RAAM crews and more than one RAAM assault has fallen apart due to bickering within the crew. Few crew members are paid and all are required to be able to subsist on fast food and coffee, be able to get very little sleep while sitting up or traveling in a moving motor home, and be a combination driver, navigator, cook, mechanic, nurse, psychologist, family therapist and be willing to get up before dawn so that when the rider is ready to roll, all vehicles and all crew members are ready too. A member of one crew commented, “I tell people back home in Austria I am coming for RAAM and they say ‘Ah, you are going for a holiday in America.’ Right! Twenty hours of working a day, sleeping while bouncing in the RV. Yes, a real vacation!”

THE ROLLING STOCK

Each crew will have a follow car as required by RAAM rules. It stays behind the rider for the vast majority of the time, and is required at night. The follow car is usually a mini-van, SUV or station wagon. Most crews will have a second car to serve as back-up should the primary follow car have a problem. And the second car is used for speeding ahead to get groceries, supplies, check position of other riders, do laundry etc. Then there’s the motor-home; a place to prepare meals for the rider and crew and a place to sleep. Usually there’s at least one crew member taking his/her sleep rotation in the motor home. When I crewed for a rider in ’06 my job was to drive the RV. In that motor home rode the rider’s mother who had among her many jobs was the task of cooking for him and us. So we referred to the motor home as “the mother ship,” a term often used by other RAAM crews.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS

Most RAAM crew members have many jobs and will often rotate. There needs to be two to three people up to the task of driving the follow car, one of the most intensely demanding jobs in RAAM. Imagine how mind-numbing it is to drive on the shoulder of the road at 15 to 20 miles per hour while dodging road-side debris AND paying close attention to the distance between the follow car and the rider—running over your rider is generally frowned upon—but it has happened. Sitting shot-gun is the navigator/rider feeder. It’s the front seat passenger’s job to keep apprised of the route for at least the two or three turns ahead—missing a turn is time-consuming and frustrating, especially for the rider. The navigating job is much easier these days with GPS systems. The RAAM organizers make available to all teams a complete track of the route that can be downloaded into a lap-top. One crew told me that their lap-top GPS setup is their primary navigation method; the route book is only for back-up.

The “feeder” job is being the one who hands off water bottles to the rider, takes back the empties, hands up a rain-jacket when needed and is there to listen when the rider drops back with a question, or food order, etc. And finally, the front-seat crew member mans the sound system. Many follow cars have roof-top speakers hooked up to an I-Pod. In the ten years I’ve spent following RAAM I’ve heard everything to current US pop hits to Slovenian folk music blaring from the roof of follow cars.

A rider also needs a mechanic to keep the bikes tuned and always ready. Modern bicycles are very well engineered and so the 3,000+ miles of RAAM isn’t really that much of demand on them, that is if all goes well. But on RAAM a smart crew is prepared for any eventuality, so a stock of parts and tools is a part of any well prepared rider’s plan as is at least one crew member with bike mechanic skills.

Vic Armijo's photo.

Many other riders use a PA system as described above, while others merely use an I-Pod, but per RAAM rules, they can only use one ear-bud, the other ear must be open to hear approaching cars. Some crews use wireless intercoms between the rider and the follow car; some can also play MP3s AND the follow car can patch it through a cell phone so a rider can talk to family and friends while riding. Cool! Most crew’s outside sounds system are also equipped with a P.A. so that his crew can call out which way to turn or to offer encouragement or report on the whereabouts of other racers of concern. The workload within the follow car can be intense. Our ’06 crew referred to the follow car as “the pressure cooker.”

Those crew members not in the follow car have plenty to do too. With six to ten people to feed, clothe and (occasionally) shower there’s always a hunt for the next grocery store and laundry-mat. RAAM crews have a fondness for Mall-Wart, just about anything a crew needs is there in one place, usually including a gas station. Fast food places are popular—even among those crew members who normally don’t eat the stuff—in many parts of the route there’s simply no choice. Or if there are local restaurants, you never know if they’ll be good (or safe) or if their service is fast enough for a RAAM crew. The best thing to say about RAAM and fast food is that you know what you’re getting; the Subway sandwich or Quarter Pounder you got in Arizona will be pretty much the same as the one in Ohio.

For the first 54 miles of RAAM the riders must ride without a support crew. And sometimes when passing through cities during heavy traffic, a crew may pull off and let the rider go on alone so as not to block traffic with the follow car. In these instances a road-side hand-up is the only way for a rider to get a feed or water-bottle.

Along the RAAM route there are a few Time Stations where the station staffs have recruited local hotels or health clubs to provide the use of shower facilities. Those stations are among the most popular next to the ones that serve up barbecue! The station in Congress, Arizona, where it was in the high 90s, had a small wading pool set up this year. Ahhh, refreshing!

HOUSEHOLD RULES

It is vitally important that a crew keeps everything clean, tidy and organized. With so much equipment and so many people traveling such close quarters that can be a challenge. The primary rule for crew members is “do it now.” Used a flashlight? Put it back where it goes the moment you’re finished with it. That 5mm allen wrench you used at that last stop? Back in the tool box it goes and not in your pocket. Would you want to be the one to tell your rider that his finicky derailleur can’t be fixed ‘cuz you can’t find the right tool? Made sandwiches for the crew? Clean up the spilled mustard and put away the bread now so that messes don’t accumulate. And the “do it now” mantra applies to crews’ personal business too. When there are showers, use ‘em. Someone’s fetching dinner? Order something, even if you’re not hungry, you can always eat it later. If there are a few minutes of down time and you need to call home, do it. The one thing that can always be counted on in RAAM is that any plans, not matter how carefully made, will be altered many, many times

Vic Armijo's photo.

Last, but not least, the crew members not currently in the follow car are a rider’s own built in fan club. Sometimes the best thing that they can do with their time is to be at the side of the road cheering on their rider as he or she passes.

Whew! That all sounds intense, doesn’t it? Now realize that there’s much more time before and after the time spent actually racing RAAM. Most crews will arrive at the start in Oceanside two or more days before the start. There’s much to do there, roof light systems must be installed, RAAM required stickers and sponsor stickers need to be applied to the vehicles. Many of those vehicles are rentals, so those must be picked up. Often the crews will remove the third seat from the follow car vehicle, but that seat needs to be on the East coast when the vehicle gets returned to the rental agency. So RAAM offers a freight service, they take a big U-Haul to the finish packed with luggage, back seats and anything else that a crew needs but doesn’t have room for.

Then there’s inspection. All vehicles are checked over; all lights, brake lights, turn signals must work. All drivers need to be insured. Follow car light systems are checked. Each bike and all spare wheels must have specifically placed reflective tape. Anything left undone found by the inspector must be corrected before the start.

Another task that must be done before the start is to organize all the supplies and equipment. There’s a huge list of things that need to always be at hand; the rider’s food, bike shorts, jerseys, tights, rain jackets, arm warmers, tights, gloves, eyewear, toilet paper, baby wipes, bike parts, tires, inner-tubes…it goes on and on. Plastic tote boxes and drawers are very popular with RAAM crews—nearly every RAAM follow car will have them.

Any rider who finishes the Race Across America is a hero. Heck, any rider with enough confidence in his or her abilities to even enter is a hero. But none of them, not the winners or even those who pull out partway could get very far if not for the hard work and sacrifices of their crews. Any, and I mean any RAAM finisher will be the first to agree with that statement.”

-Vic Armijo

Arizona bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

Ben-&-BikeA bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know were injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. Ben can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire united states. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the country. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases.

Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches the police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the united states every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • the applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • your cyclist’s rights, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • the process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • the value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of bike accident attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. there is never an obligation for a complimentary consultation with Mr. dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and can assist in representation in all 50 states.

SHERMER’S NECK: RAAM’s Own Unique Malady. By Vic Armijo

Ultra Cycling has it’s own set of interesting problems. The one feared by many is called Shermer’s neck. The best write up I have ever seen was written on a public Facebook post in the RAAM Ultra Cycling forum by the amazing Vic Armijo. In an effort to retain this great knowledge and his experience I have republished his post word for word in this blog. Now it can be preserved and archived for any ultra cyclists who want to learn from this great depth of Vic’s experience. **All photo credits to Vic Armijo and appear originally posted in his post.

SHERMER’S NECK: RAAM’s Own Unique Malady
By Vic Armijo

“We’re all familiar with eponymous diseases; that is, those that are named after a person. Baseball legend Lou Gehrig, “The Iron Horse” is possibly more known for “Lou Gehrig’s disease, the commonly used term for the debilitating disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that ended his life, than he is for his prowess as a hitter or for his long and illustrious career. Alois Alzheimer,a psychiatrist and neuropathologist who accomplished many things in his professional life will always be associated with the disease that bears his name. And then there’s Shermer’s Neck, a condition unique to UltraCycling in which after days on the bike the racer can no longer hold up his or her head. The condition is named for Michael Shermer, who in RAAM 1983 became the first recorded sufferer of the malady.

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MICHAEL SHERMER. He was one of the original four racers in the first RAAM 35 years ago (he’s shown here as an honored guest at the 30th RAAM), he’s an author, publisher and renowned speaker, “But I swear in a hundred years the only thing I’m going to be known for is this damn bad neck!” Photo Credit: Vic Armijo

These days Shermer is a renowned science writer, historian of science, founder of The “Skeptics Society,” and editor in chief of its magazine “Skeptic,” a publication focused on investigating pseudoscientific and supernatural claims. “But I swear in a hundred years the only thing I’m going to be known for is this damn bad neck!” he said in a 2011 interview, “I’ve written ten books, I’ve done all of these things and none of it matters but the fact that my neck went out!” Shermer described the condition,” It’s a collapse of your neck muscles and you can’t hold your head up. It’s fatigue pain. It hurts to lift your head so you drop your head—you just can’t do it.”

Over the years many RAAM and RAW racers have suffered from Shermer’s Neck. Some have ended their race, while other have propped up their heads through mechanical measures, “The guys have all developed techniques to hold it up; props, braces and pulleys and posts,” Shermer noted, “I wish I would have had that—I could have finished. I just kept holding my head up with my hand.” Some racers have done well despite a bout with Shermer’s Neck. Alan Larson won RAAM 2004 while wearing a brace during the latter miles. More recently Alberto Blanco rode to 4th place in RAAM 2011, riding over half of the race in a brace cobbled together out of a roof-rack wheel holder and lots and lots of duct tape.

What physically happens when a rider gets Shermer’s Neck? There are varying opinions, just as there are varying symptoms. Some describe it as being quite painful, which leads to the opinion that it is simply muscle fatigue, while others report no pain, just the inability to hold up the head, which lends credence to the theory that it is nerve fatigue—that the muscles are no longer receiving the signal to contract. Veteran of ten consecutive RAAM’s Gerhard Gulewicz holds the latter opinion. For his first seven RAAM’s he’d been immune to it, but then did not finish RAAM in 2013 and 2014 due to Shermer’s Neck. In a pre-RAAM 2014 interview he described his 2013 experience, “It was two weeks before it was better. Nobody could tell me why. It does

MISERABLE MARK. Mark Pattinson is usually one of the most jovial racers on the road. He wasn’t particularly cheerful on this night. Photo Credit: Vic Armijo
MISERABLE MARK. Mark Pattinson is usually one of the most jovial racers on the road. He wasn’t particularly cheerful on this night. Photo Credit: Vic Armijo

not hurt. The only thing that you can’t do is bring your head up. No pain. Nothing. It is crazy. No impulse to the muscles. You can do nothing. You are lying down and you think ‘Oh it is better.’ But sit up and…” he concluded his statement by flopping his chin to his chest.

To learn more about the physical causes of Shermer’s Neck I contacted someone whose racing background and medical background give her a unique insight; 2014 winner in the women’s Under 50 category, Dr. Janice Sheufelt, MD, who qualified her input by saying, “This is such a fringe type of problem. It’s not like there’s research on it.” She offered this opinion on the painful variety of Shermer’s Neck, “The neck muscles can still contract but are so inflamed and swollen—that’s what’s causing the pain—and your brain won’t let you continue. When you have pain your brain won’t let you contract those muscles. It’s ‘No! That’s what’s causing the pain and using it will only make it worse.’” As for the non-painful variety, Dr. Sheufelt said, “In this type I don’t agree that it is a nerve problem; the muscles are just positively unable to contract any more. It doesn’t hurt. The nerves are still firing—they’re still telling the muscles to react—but the muscles can’t respond. No muscle can contract indefinitely.”

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“PROBLEM SOLVED” – When Jim Rees arrived at the Camdenton, Missouri time station during RAAM 2008 he was wearing a soft neck brace that obviously wasn’t helping much. His crew was there waiting with this brace that they’d made from PVC tubes. Rees tried it on and exclaimed, “Problem solved.” Indeed, Rees continued on and finished in 11 days, 8 hours and 18 minutes. Photo Credit: Vic Armijo

Sheufelt further explained that in her opinion there’s not much that can be done physically once a rider has full-blown Shermer’s Neck, that time off the bike is the eventual means to recovery and that prevention is the best tactic. “I’ve seen UltraCyclists using aerobars in a low position without spending adequate training time prior. If you maintain a position that you body isn’t trained for, if you don’t change position, if you don’t move your head around, if you have that constant neck extension, those muscles can’t maintain that constant load. At some point they’ll just give out.” Gulewicz expressed much the same opinion prior to RAAM 2014, “It was coming during Kansas. I think it was the position of the bike. I was very low with a lot of headwind and I put my head down and then it starts.” Key too is recognizing if a racer could be prone to it. Sheufelt elaborated, “When I was preparing for RAAM some people told me it seems that Shermer’s Neck is more common in people who have had a previous neck injury—someone who has had a whiplash, an accident or some time of neck trauma is at higher risk and perhaps should work with a physical therapist beforehand. A lot of that can be worked out with good physical therapy for three or four months ahead of RAAM.”

Can training exercises prevent Shermer’s Neck? Both Sheufelt and Gulewicz are skeptics on this. Sheufelt said, “Using weights on your head or exercising and doing repetitions with weights on your head, I’ve read, is not going to help. It’s not how strong your muscles are, it’s the overall duration of just asking them to contract.” And Gulewicz said, “If you train your neck muscles too much then this is also a problem. You have to keep your body balanced. If you develop one muscle more and one less it makes no sense.”

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NON-AERO BARS. When Paul Danhaus developed Shermer’s Neck in RAAM 2009 his crew cleverly mounted a second set of aerobars, turned them upward and affixed a pad on which he could rest his chin. Danhaus finished. Photo Credit: Vic Armijo

Success in RAAM is all about preparation. Smart riders, even those with no history of Shermer’s Neck, bring one of the previously mentioned devices along. “Some riders think ‘That won’t happen to me!’” Sheufelt said. Gulewicz agreed, saying this about his first bout, “I could not believe. You see different people have Shermer’s Neck and think ‘This cannot happen to me,’ and then there you are.” Over the year’s we’ve seen several effective means of keeping a Shermer’s Neck afflicted racer on the road. The most common method is a harness that utilizes a sort of backpack with a strut that extends up and over the rider’s head. A cord or strap then hangs downward and is attached to the rider’s helmet. Neck braces are common too, though the soft ones commonly used for whiplash victims don’t really provide enough support—the rider’s head will compress the soft cushion and flop down. The hard-shell braces that are used by ambulance personnel when transporting someone with a suspected neck injury are much more effective, but are also very uncomfortable. The third common method is to create a surface on which the rider can rest his or her chin. We’ve seen cans taped to handlebars as did Gulewicz in 2014, and in 2009 Paul Danhaus finished RAAM with his head propped up on a set of aerobars that had been rotated back with a makeshift chin cushion attached to the highest point.

RAAM racers are beyond dedicated. Each year they come to Oceanside intent on reaching Annapolis knowing full well that along the 3,000 miles they’ll surely suffer saddle sores, sunburn and blisters, they’ll ride through scorching desert heat and freezing alpine cold, will likely be rained upon, will endure –shall I say—digestive issues and yes—there’s a chance that their neck muscles may scream “Enough,” bringing about the choice between quitting or carrying on in a brace or harness. Shermer’s Neck is just one of the many challenges faced by the participants in the World’s Toughest Bicycle Race.”

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CAN IF YOU CAN’T. Another common remedy is to attach some type of can to the handlebar to act as a chin rest. Gerhard Gulewicz took this approach last year. Photo Credit: Vic Armijo

-Vic Armijo

Original write up posted in the RAAM Ultra-Cycling Forum, and expertly written by Vic Armijo. All photo credits belong to Vic Armijo as well. Thanks Vic for the great insight and education! Original Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/523225327828742/permalink/630594193758521/

Arizona bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

Ben-&-BikeA bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know were injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben Dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States. Ben also founded Bike Accident Attorneys Network, a national network of attorneys who focus on representing cyclists. Ben can find you help anywhere in the country.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire united states. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the country. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases.

Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches the police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the united states every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • the applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • your cyclist’s rights, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • the process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • the value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of bike accident attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. there is never an obligation for a complimentary consultation with Mr. dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and can assist in representation in all 50 states.

RAAM Follow Vehicle: Life Support System by Vic Armijo

This post was taken from an excellent article written by Vic Armijo the Facebook group for Ultra Cyclists and RAAM racers, see the source link below. The article is very insightful regarding the follow vehicle and everything relating to it. I copied and pasted it here in its entirety so it can preserved and re-ready later by myself and my crew. Excellent and well written – thanks Vic!

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/523225327828742/#

RAAM FOLLOW VEHICLE: Life Support System
By Vic Armijo

Think of RAAM and the first image in your mind is one of a racer pedaling just ahead of his/her follow car with the loyal crew inside ready to take care of his/her every need. A RAAM follow vehicle serves multiple purposes (navigation, feeds, mechanical support, etc.) for the riders and is indispensable. Though much of the information shared here applies to multi-rider teams as well as solo efforts, it’s focus is on solos. A future write-up will address the concerns and challenges unique to multi-rider teams.

As stated in the RAAM rulebook (http://tinyurl.com/zkq3ghh) a solo or team needs to have a minimum of two support vehicles. One of these will generally be in direct-follow mode behind the rider during the day (except in certain sections as per local municipal or law enforcement where “leap-frog” support takes over) and must always be in direct-follow mode after 7:00 pm local time (rule #650).

YOUR PAPERS PLEASE
Before departing from Oceanside every vehicle to be used by a crew must undergo inspection. For rented vehicles the RAAM Officials will need to see the rental agreements. All registration and insurance on the vehicles (rented or owned) must be current as do the licenses and insurance for all of the drivers.

RAAM Officials also check the lights, turn-signals, hazard lights, brake lights, head lights and horns of all vehicles. They also want to see the required amber roof lights, the required RAAM rider number on all four sides of the vehicle, all of the RAAM-required stickers and the slow-moving vehicle reflective triangle that must be in place when in follow mode.

MAKE AND MODEL
Over the years we’ve seen a number of different models of cars and trucks used as follow vehicles; from Cooper Minis to Sprinter Vans and Lincoln Navigators and everything in between. A compromise between maneuverability and sheer interior space seems best, with mini-vans best fitting that criterion. Among the many models that serve well are Honda Odysseys, Toyota Siennas, Kia Sedonas and Nissan Quests. But the most popular by far seems to be the Dodge Caravan or its nearly identical Chrysler sibling, the Town & Country. They’re roomy, their 6-cylinder engines have plenty of zip and unlike some of the others listed the window on the right-side slider door opens, making it possible to do hand-offs from the back seat. But perhaps the best feature of the Caravan/Town & Country are the “Stow & Go” rear seats that can fold completely away into the floor, making it easy to configure the inside to accommodate equipment, storage boxes, bikes or a make-shift sleeping area (the Nissan has a similar capability). For all of the same reasons the Caravan/Town & Country is the preferred choice of vehicle for RAAM Media. And no, RAAM isn’t sponsored by Chrysler Motors—but if any of you out there know any of their executives….

INTERIOR DESIGN
Outfitting the follow vehicle is an exercise in organizational skills and creativity. For the rear where the food, parts, spare wheels, rider’s clothing and such will dwell plastic tote boxes and drawers such as those found at Kmart, Walmart, etc. serve well. They’re also relatively inexpensive, so many RAAM racers simply discard them at the finish—just give them to the RAAM staffers in Annapolis and they’ll see to getting them to a worthy local charity. We’ve also seen many follow vehicles outfitted with storage and sleeping platforms built from plywood and/or PVC tubes. These are especially useful for crews doing RAAM without a motor home. With the time and effort needed to construct these set-ups they’re usually found only in vehicles owned by the rider or a crew member since time always seems to be in short supply once the racer and crew get to Oceanside. Some may say, “We’ll build our set-up beforehand for a specific make and model of car and then just rent one of those.” Great in theory, but not always in practice. Many times we’ve witnessed a real-life version of the famous “Seinfeld” scene where Jerry is told at the car rental counter that they don’t have his reserved car;
Jerry: But the reservation keeps the car here. That’s why you have the reservation.
Rental Car Agent: I think I know why we have reservations.
Jerry: I don’t think you do. You see, you know how to ‘take’ the reservation, you just don’t know how to ‘hold’ the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them.”

SHOTGUN!
The front seat is sort of the command center. The driver needs to concentrate solely on driving (duh!), leaving many crucial tasks to the front seat crew member. He/she will be the one who communicates with the racer(s) either via loudspeakers on the vehicle or by radio, will hand off food and hydration and hand off or retrieve clothing articles—though if there’s a third crew member in the back seat the hand-offs are often easier for that third person since the supplies are usually in the rear of the vehicle. The front-seat crew member will usually be the navigator. Unless a techno savvy crew member has set-up a turn-by-turn GPS track on a computer or tablet, the navigator needs to be constantly referring to the route book and at all times must know their position in the book. A dashboard mounted GPS to be essential as it will tell you the upcoming street or highway name long before even the most eagle-eyed can read a road sign. It’s not recommended to use a phone for this function either unless that phone is definitely not to be used as a phone as well—you don’t want to interrupt this function with a phone call and end up missing a turn will cost you and your rider time and will irritate the rider.

Along with the GPS there are other electronic bits that need to be kept charged as well. With most front seats have more than one accessory plug most crews will connect an inverter (converts 12v auto power to 110v household power) to one of the extra ones to charge lap-top computers, camera batteries, etc. If an inverter is deemed essential we urge you to get a good one and be sure that it has ample wattage to handle whatever equipment you need to power. We’ve seen the cheap and underpowered ones fail (or burn up!) all too often.

RACK ‘EM UP
Most RAAM riders will bring along at least two bikes plus one or more pairs of spare wheels. There are various solutions to stowing this equipment. Crews with large vehicles often just shove the bikes and wheels inside, while others use a roof rack.

A roof rack takes up otherwise unused space and can also accommodate a cargo box to add even more storage space. But roof racks have many drawbacks as well. The bikes are up in the wind getting coated with road grime and worse—we once saw a dead seagull wrapped around a seat-tube adhered in place by its innards that had become outtards. Roof racks can be time-consuming and awkward to load and unload and with that awkwardness comes a greater likelihood of making a mistake. We’ve seen the aftermath of a few bikes and wheels coming off a roof rack. Finally, with a rented vehicle comes the question of what to do with the roof rack at the end. Many crews disassemble their roof rack, box it and ship it home. Hitch racks, being lower to the ground, are easier to use than a roof rack. But again, at the finish you have a heavy and expensive piece of equipment that needs to be transported home.

Another solution is to use a rear trunk rack, which has many advantages. With a trunk rack the bikes are low to the ground, making them easer and quicker to load and unload. The bikes are also out of the wind. Lastly, trunk racks are cheap enough that many RAAM crews discard them at the end, and again, RAAM staff will accommodate donating a trunk rack to a local charity.

LET THERE BE LIGHT
Per the rules, at night a RAAM races must ride with a headlight that provides a minimum of 70 lumens and a taillight with a minimum of 70 lumens. RAAM rules further state that at night the rider must be no more than 50 feet in front of the follow vehicle, the intent being that the rider remains within the light beams of the vehicle’s headlights.

That sounds like plenty of illumination but consider that the racers will ride mostly on the shoulder of the road—you know, there with all of the road debris, broken glass, road-kill and some items that defy explanation. Wouldn’t some extra light to help avoid all this is a good idea? That’s why many follow vehicles are equipped with added forward lighting. Some use lights meant for off-roading and others use banks of LED’s. In either case they usually mount them low to maximize their illumination of the road surface and where they won’t shine into the eyes of oncoming motorists.

SOUND ADVICE
For much of RAAM’s history external loud speakers were the means of communication between the racer and follow car and they also delivered the racer’s favorite music to help him/her while away the miles. Then in recent years came wireless systems that let the rider wear a small earphone (only one per RAAM rules) and microphone and not only be able to converse with the crew, but have music and even phone calls patched into the system as well. An added plus is that the folks that live along the RAAM route don’t get blasted with music or commentary in some foreign language at all hours. Oddly we’ve seen some crews revert back to loud speakers. But in either case, communication with the rider is valuable in meeting his/her needs and in keeping their minds occupied. Besides playing music it’s common for the crew to do things like read the rider his/her local newspaper, play the audio of sitcoms, play comedian performances or even read the commentary from RAAM Media…that last one is probably best reserved for just before a sleep session. wink emoticon

Cycling: Prevent a Sore Butt

Happy Butt = Happy Ride

No one likes a sore bottom out there oozing from saddle sores, chaffed so raw its bleeding, or in so much pain you can’t imagine another minute in the saddle. Below are my learned experiences for reducing or eliminating your butt sufferfest on long rides. Everyone wants a happy butt! lol

Bike Fit

First, start with a professional fit (see Best Bike Fit for RAW – Part1 and Best Bike Fit for RAW – Part2) to make sure that your butt isn’t taking on more than it should. Check saddle height, angle, forward and backward position, frame size, and much much more. Your saddle is extremely important. Your body and bicycle need to move in a fluid and harmonious balance of power and grace. Riding a bicycle is like dancing with a partner, with the right fit you can enjoy every minute and feel connected in ways you thought weren’t possible. With the wrong fit it is a miserable and uncomfortable experience where you just can’t wait for it to be over.

Good Bibs & Chamois Pad

IMG_5070After the fit of course it comes down to a good chamois pad in your bibs or cycling shorts. DO NOT PINCH PENNIES on your bibs or cycling shorts. Not all bibs and cycling shorts are created equal. There are many major name brands that produce both low end bibs/shorts and high end bibs/shorts. A general rule of thumb is the more expensive the bibs the better the fabric, the better seams and thread, and most of all – the better the chamois! That’s right, you want the best chamois that money can buy. But of course, not all of our butts are the same. Just as there is no such thing as a universal saddle that fits comfortably for all of us, there are differences in chamois pads as well. The best thing you can do is some internet research and then start sampling different bibs/shorts to see which chamois pads you prefer. This can be expensive. But hey, almost everything related to cycling is expensive so why should this be any different? 😉

IMG_5069My personal choice of cycling bibs, chamois, fabric, seams and thread are found in my own private label of apparel. I have been so sick and tired of trying on every manufacturer’s version of high end custom bibs for our racing team that I started my own cycling apparel company back in the summer of 2015. I have sourced everything from Europe using only the finest fabrics and chamois pads comparable to the Assos brand and have them sewn together in Columbia. I do not sell them widely to the public but have preferred to keep my label private and a resource to my cycling team based here in Arizona and Utah. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made. We now produce cycling kits (the full array of options and patterns) that feel and perform better than $400 kits sold online or in bike shops across the country. Our private label brand of cycling apparel spares no expense in the materials and manufacturing process. A wise investment for sure.

Understandably most cyclists will not spend a year building a cycling apparel company like I did just to make sure they have the best bibs and chamois pad out there. So my best piece of advice is to simply save up your cash and do some trial and error on bibs and chamois pads.

Chamois Cream

Once you nail down the best bibs for your bottom then we need to chat about chamois cream. My personal recommendation is Doc’s Skincare Natural Chamois Cream with Tea Tree Oil. This stuff is amazing. My cycling coach is a pro cyclist and her whole team swears by it. I figured I’d give it a try. I’m hooked! I have used every version of DZ Nuts, Chamois Butter, etc. But this Doc’s brand with tea tree oil is wonderful. The tea tree oil provides an extra element of cleanliness and disinfectant type qualities to the cream that can seriously help reduce the onset of infected hair follicles and saddle sores. Awesome stuff. Of course Chamois Cream in general is awesome because it reduces friction and helps ease the pain of chaffing, etc. Whatever brand you use, make sure you have it at the ready for your long rides. Some cyclists apply it to the chamois, while others apply it directly to the parts of your butt and privates that get sore and rub. Either way, get yourself some chamois cream and apply it liberally!

IMG_5064

The Double Bib Technique

Yep, that’s right. Wearing two pairs of bibs is genius! A couple of years ago I engaged in several full ironman triathlons without having ridden my bike at all. I was trying a CrossFit experiment where I would show up to ironman with only having trained through crossfit endurance style of WODs. For those of you who are new to the CrossFit culture, WOD stands for Workout Of the Day. None of my workouts were running, swimming, or biking related. So my butt was not ready to sit in the saddle for 5 hours. I was worried. I asked around and an older wiser cyclist gave me some life changing advice, he said wear two pairs of cycling shorts. I thought to myself, “why not?” I tried it and have never been so grateful for such poignant advice.

Since then I have competed all sorts of endurance cycling events and ultra cycling activities. The double bib technique has proven to be very effective. I highly recommend it. I have also read and heard in the RAAM Ultra-Cycling Forum that some cyclists will do variation on the double bib idea. They actually wear the second pair of bibs inside out with the pads outside directly on the saddle. They claim this reduces friction by putting lycra against lycra. Makes sense to me, but I haven’t tried it yet. I will definitely try that soon. A link to the original photo and discussion is here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209016548597142&set=gm.606375642847043&type=3&theater

RAAM Double Bib

Bib Change & Wash Up

Antibacterial Body WipesOf course, on the ultra cycling rides you will want to change your bibs every 4-6 hours. The pad starts to feel flat and nasty with sweat, grime, and any other garbage that gets in there. This cesspool of body fluids and chamois cream can lead to nasty saddle sores. Some saddle sores (a.k.a. love nuggets) are solely attributed to bacteria getting inside a hair follicle or other cut. Changing your bibs out with a fresh clean pair combined with a quick washing of your bottom area can prevent some of the bacteria from accumulating and building up saddle sores.

In terms of cleaning up the bottom area… nothing is as good as a shower. However, in RAW/RAAM showers are simply not the wisest idea for the racers as it may take too much time. My plan is to use these two different body wipes. One is called the ShowerPill and is an athletic antibacterial body wipe with aloe vera and vitamin E. They are supposed to be extra thick and very handy. I look forward to trying them out very soon in preparation for my 2016 RAW experience. I have also purchased the Defense Body Wipes that are a similar product with anti bacterial qualities but no aloe vera or vitamin E that I am aware of. My intention it to test both of these out to see what may work best. I’m guessing that some sort of wet sponge and towel can be useful as well that your crew can readily make available to you. This is a new area for me and I intend on figuring out what works best for me but would love to hear from others on their experiences. I know I can learn a lot from those that have gone before me.

Ice Bath & Hemorrhoid Cream & Essential Oils

If you get a sore butt, saddle sores, or any other discomfort from your ultra cycling rides then take an ice bath immediately after the ride. This will greatly help reduce the swelling all around your butt, and privates. Of course, it helps reduce the swelling and inflammation of your sore leg muscles as well. I LOVE ice baths, then I start to sit in the bath and all of the sudden I HATE ice baths. Once I become numb all over and the pain is gone I remember that I LOVE ice baths again. It’s a real love hate relationship. lol

Hemorrhoid cream can be liberally used directly on the swollen saddle sores to help reduce swelling, pain, and discomfort. The old tale is to apply a liberal amount on the saddle sore before you ride, after showering and before bed. Be warned though, sometimes these sorts of creams and treatments can make saddle sores worse and get in there and prolong the infection from healing. It just depends on the sort of saddle sore you have. I know others use all sorts of home remedies like essential oils as well to help reduce the inflammation of saddle sores and to clean them out. Such oils as tea tree oil and others. Warning: essential oils can BURN something fierce and make you regret that you ever applied them to your sensitive bits in the first place. If you go down this road I recommend finding someone like your crazy aunt, or your mom’s crazy aunt, or your own crazy mom who knows which ones to apply before you blindly put them on. Of course, get the oils from them and put them on yourself unless you don’t mind the “crazy aunt” getting up in your sensitive areas… Lets be honest, most of all know someone in our family or circle who is involved with essential oils. Track them down and try it. But be careful…

Ride safe and have fun!

Arizona bicycle crash and bicycle accident lawyer Ben Dodge

Ben-&-BikeA bicycle crash is not always an accident. If you, or someone you know were injured in a bicycle crash or accident caused by a road hazard or dangerous road condition, hire a personal injury attorney who is experienced and has a successful track record. Ben dodge, a licensed bicycle accident lawyer in Arizona, has dedicated his entire firm to one purpose: representing cyclists. Bicycle accident cases are the only cases Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC handles. Home based out of the great state of Arizona, Ben can still help cyclists in the entire United States.

Ben Dodge has represented and assisted bicycle accident victims across the entire united states. As an avid and competitive cyclist himself, Mr. Dodge currently participates in national and local cycling events all over the country. It isn’t uncommon to spot him in early morning hours out riding his bike. The day he fell in love with his job was the day he devoted himself completely to bicycle accident cases.

Ben represents cyclists injured in bicycle accidents, at the police station, with insurance companies, and in the courts. He advocates for the rights of all cyclists, not just his clients. He teaches the police about bike laws and bike safety, he educates drivers about the rules of the road, and he trains cyclists and clubs to ride more safely.

A consultation with experienced Arizona bicycle accident attorney Ben Dodge is free

In recent years there has been approximately 700 bicycle fatalities in the united states every single year. Approximately 2,000 bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. approximately 30 fatal bicycle accidents are reported in Arizona every year. Bicycle fatalities are terrible and horrific tragedies that affect the lives of too many families and friends to count. Understanding your rights and obligations as a cyclist can bring clarity to your specific accident situation. It will always be in your best interest to be represented by an attorney who knows the bicycle laws and has a successful track record of winning bicycle accident cases. The negotiation tactics and strategies of winning a case are extremely important but should always take a back row seat to the litigation experience and knowledge of court room rules, local, state, and federal rules of civil procedure that can have significant impact on your bicycle accident case. It is wise to be represented by someone well versed in bicycle accident law, local and state bicycle ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, and laws. You should hire someone very familiar with negligence and tort law, civil procedure, and the rules of evidence as they all relate specifically to bicycle accident cases.

Ben dodge always offers a complimentary in person consultation to all local cyclists and a complimentary phone consultation to any cyclist injured in a bike accident. Typically the consultations are schedule from 30-60 minutes depending on the severity of the accident. You can expect to get answers to questions, clarity, information, and reassurance of your personal bike accident liability and potential for recovery. In your free consultation you can generally expect to discuss such topics as:

  • your specific bike accident details, diagrams, and pictures from your perspective and then from the perspective of your bike accident attorney.
  • the applicable local, state, and federal laws underlying your case.
  • your cyclist’s rights, obligations, and any potential liability.
  • the process, procedure (in and out of court), and the time frame required to conclude your case.
  • the value of your case and what you might expect as compensation.

You can call Arizona bicycle lawyer Ben Dodge of bike accident attorneys, PLC at 1.855.663.3922. Mr. Dodge’s staff is standing and ready to accept your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every single day of the year. Ben will personally return your call within 24 hours. there is never an obligation for a complimentary consultation with Mr. dodge. His passion is in representing cyclists and his entire office stands ready to serve with kindness and patience.

Bike Accident Attorneys, PLC

Call Ben Dodge, the Bicycle Lawyer today at 1.855.663.3922. Reach him by fax at 1.800.958.8902.

Mr. Dodge can also be reached by email at ben@bikeaccidentattorneys.com

His main Arizona offices are located at:

Mesa Arizona (home base office)
4824 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 124
Mesa, Arizona 85206

Phoenix Arizona office
2415 e. Camelback rd., suite 700
Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Tucson Arizona office
One South Church Avenue, 12th Floor
Tucson, Arizona 85701

Mr. Dodge represents cyclists in the entire state of Arizona including but not limited to mesa, phoenix, tucson, yuma, gilbert, peoria, glendale, scottsdale, ahwatukee, tempe, chandler, prescott, sedona, flagstaff, surprise, kingman, page, lake havasu city, payson, goodyear, buckeye, queen creek, paradise valley, show low, winslow, maricopa, nogales, globe, avondale, cave creek, fountain hills, apache junction, carefree, wickenburg, pinetop-lakeside, strawberry, anthem, safford, and more. Ben Dodge is currently involved with bicycle accident cases all over the country and can assist in representation in all 50 states.

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