Summer Events...

As any regular reader of this Blog knows, I am a cyclist.  I ride for exercise, for fun, and even to actually go places.  (Shocking, I know...)

Well, one of the things I try to do with cycling is raise money for charities.  What can be better that doing something you enjoy, to do something that matters?  Anyway, that is what this blog post is all about, raising money for charities by cycling.

By the way, any of you runners or cyclists out there, check out CharityMiles. Track your mileage, post your stats, and give money to good causes with your smart phone.

Presented below is a chronological list of the charity cycling events that I'm doing this summer.  Please look each charity over, look at the dates, and answer for yourself one of two questions:

1. Do I want to do this?
2. Do I want to sponsor Chris doing this?

Once you have a decision, if it's "Yes", you can click on the appropriate link to go to a web page where you can do what you've chosen to do.  If you don't want to do an online donation, contact me through whatever Social Media you saw this on (LinkedIn, Twitter, ZMGNA list, etc.) and I'll let you know how to proceed.

If you choose to do nothing, then, do nothing...

Date	Event	Charity	Links
May 30, 2015	Tour de H2O - Water for Africa (10, 25, 50 or 62 miles)
		The Tour de H2O works with Global Partners for Development to bring sources of clean drinking water, and facilities and education for personal hygiene, to communities in Africa, specifically Kenya and Uganda. Each project is managed and partially paid for by an organization in the local community, which takes on responsibility for upkeep. For information on previous years' projects, see http://www.tourdeh2o.org/Pages/Projects.aspx	I want to ride!
			http://www.tourdeh2o.org/Pages/Registration.aspx
			I want to sponsor!
			http://www.tourdeh2o.org/pages/kotting.aspx
June 6, 2015	Tour de Cure – American Diabetes Association
		The Tour de Cure is a series of fundraising cycling events held in 44 states nationwide to benefit the American Diabetes Association. The Tour is a ride, not a race, with routes designed for everyone from the occasional rider to the experienced cyclist. Whether you ride 10 miles or 100 miles, you will travel a route supported from start to finish with rest stops, food to fuel the journey and fans to cheer you on! I ride this one because of two young ladies, Julia and Nina, who each have Type 1 (what used to be called “Juvenile”) Diabetes. Unlike Type 2 Diabetes (which can often be treated or prevented through diet and exercise) in Type 1, your immune system freaks out and attacks the insulin-making cells in the Pancreas.	I want to ride!
			http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TourAdmin?fr_id=10141&pg=entry
			I want to sponsor!
			http://main.diabetes.org/goto/ckotting
June 20-21, 2015	BikeMS – Bike to the Bay (Saturday 35, 50, 75, 100 - Sunday 50, 75, 100)
		The BikeMS is a series of 100 fundraising cycling events held nationwide to benefit the local chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Most of the money goes to provide local programs ans support for people with MS, the rest goes to support research into cures. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The effects are unpredictable, and may include tingling, numbness, loss of coordiantion or muscular control, and loss of vision. While it is currently thought to be an autoimmune disorder, little is understood about the trigger. I do these rides because I know a number of people (friends, co-workers, and family) who are affected by MS.	I want to ride!
			https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/site/TRR/Bike/OHABikeEvents/1892452554
			I want to sponsor!
			http://bikeoha.nationalmssociety.org/goto/ckottingB2B15
July 11, 2015	BikeMS – Central Ohio Challenge (30, 50, and 95 miles)
		The BikeMS is a series of 100 fundraising cycling events held nationwide to benefit the local chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Most of the money goes to provide local programs ans support for people with MS, the rest goes to support research into cures. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The effects are unpredictable, and may include tingling, numbness, loss of coordiantion or muscular control, and loss of vision. While it is currently thought to be an autoimmune disorder, little is understood about the trigger. I do these rides because I know a number of people (friends, co-workers, and family) who are affected by MS.	I want to ride!
			https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/site/TRR/Bike/OHABikeEvents/1545525962
			I want to sponsor!
			http://bikeoha.nationalmssociety.org/goto/ckottingCOC15
Aug. 1 – 2, 2015	BikeMS – Buckeye Breakaway [Formerly Pedal to the Point] - (30, 75, 100, 150, 175 miles)
		The BikeMS is a series of 100 fundraising cycling events held nationwide to benefit the local chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Most of the money goes to provide local programs ans support for people with MS, the rest goes to support research into cures. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The effects are unpredictable, and may include tingling, numbness, loss of coordiantion or muscular control, and loss of vision. While it is currently thought to be an autoimmune disorder, little is understood about the trigger. I do these rides because I know a number of people (friends, co-workers, and family) who are affected by MS.	I want to ride!
			https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/site/TRR/Bike/OHABikeEvents/869391215
			I want to sponsor!
			http://bikeoha.nationalmssociety.org/goto/ckottingBB15
Aug. 8 – 13, 2015	SD4SD South Dakota for Sun Dial (400 miles, shorter distances & One Day participation welcome)
		More details on this one to follow, but this will be a week-long trip across South Dakota to raise funds for the Sun Dial retirement community in Bristol, South Dakota. More details are coming, so stay tuned.

Lessons in Physics and Civics...

Any physicist will recognize that formula, it is the formula for kinetic energy.  Physics is physics, it doesn't know how to adjust for societal norms, or believe in personal rights.  It just is.  Therefore, those of us who do care about societal norms or personal rights need to take into account that not everything in our universe does.

About a year ago, a woman was sentenced to 6 years for hitting and killing a cyclist who was stopped by the side of the road.  What has come out from the trial is that:

• She was driving with her vision impaired by her Diabetes, to which she had also lost a leg.
• She hit something that she claimed she couldn't recognize.
• After striking that something (which shattered her windshield) she did not stop to determine what she had hit, but drove on.

A number of people have taken sides in this case, and my interest here is not to "pile on" or take sides in this particular case.  Whether I feel justice has been done in this case is not the topic of this particular bit of writing.

More recently, a cyclist in England was hit and badly injured, however the occupants didn't stop to help, telling the cyclist that the sight of him would be too upsetting for the children in the car.

Obviously, as a cyclist, I find this a bit disturbing, particularly when the news is coming from England, a relatively "cyclist friendly" country.  But I'm not here to talk about that either.

What I want to talk about is the difference between "rights" and "privileges".  It is my opinion that a significant cause of cyclist deaths and injuries, and many of the deaths and injuries relating to the automobile in general, come from the fact that we have come to assume that the privilege of driving an automobile is a right.

In the case of the tragedy from a year ago, a lot of the discussion has revolved around whether she should have been driving.  Many of those who have argued in favor of leniency for this particular driver (and others) based on her disability and/or her need to be able to get around seem to be arguing from the position that a need or desire for transportation equates to a right to drive.

In order to bring a bit of perspective to the question of a "right" to drive a car, I'd like to invoke that formula at the top of the article.  I'm going to phrase the discussion in terms of the amount of kinetic energy you are responsible for controlling safely every time you get behind the wheel, and make a comparison that I think is particularly telling.

Let's start with some not-unreasonable figures: a 3,000 pound vehicle at 35 miles per hour.  If you click on the link above, you'll see that a Toyota Camry weighs in at just about 3,200, so 3,000 pounds is pretty conservative.

Kinetic Energy is often expressed in foot-pounds of force.  Just for consistency, we'll start by converting miles per hour to feet per second:

35 x 5280 = 184,800 feet/hour

60 x 60 seconds / hour = 3,600

184,800 feet / 3600 seconds = 51.5 feet per second.

Back to our formula:  

• Velocity in feet per second needs to be squared, so our 51.3 feet per second v becomes 2,635 v^2.
• Mass in pounds needs to be divided in half, so our 3,000 pounds of m becomes 1,500 1/2m. 
• Finally, we multiply 1,500 of 1/2m by our 2,635 v^2 to get 3,547,500 foot-pounds of kinetic energy that has to be controlled every second.

But wait, 3,547,500 foot pounds sounds like a lot, but really, that's a pretty small unit of energy, so something over 3 million isn't really so much to expect be controlled, right?

OK, let's compare it to something that society does insist be tightly controlled, and increasingly is only willing to put in the hands of trained professionals to control it: a typical "assault rifle" round, the venerable .223 Remington.

According to the website "Bullet Energy Transfer and Wounding Mechanisms", a .223 Remington delivers 1,102 foot pounds of energy to its target.  Let's see now, that means that a Toyota Camry at 35 miles an hour is equal to...3,547,500 / 1,102.  Or:

3,219 rounds of .223 Remington

...or...

107 30-round high-capacity magazines

In 2011: 

• 32,367 people were killed by motor vehicles (See Table 3)
• 323 people were murdered with a rifle

Almost exactly 10 times the death rate from automobile accidents than rifle deaths.  Now I'm not going into a "right to keep and bear arms" argument (though I easily could) because that will distract form the main point of my comparison.

Let me ask, why are we more concerned about the quality and training of the people we let have access to "assault rifles" and "high-capacity magazines" than the people we allow to drive?

Why do we allow ourselves to be so freaking careless behind the wheel?

I suspect it is because we have, as far as the automobile is concerned, confused privileges with rights.  In any other area, if you have to be licensed, there is an expectation of a high level of expertise, and particularly the ability to perform the task without injuring others. 

However, driving a car has become a sort of "rite of passage" for youths in our society, and the "rite" seems to have become confused with a "right".  There is no legal, moral or ethical right to drive.  But there is a legal, moral and ethical right to expect to be able to go about in safety, regardless of your mode of conveyance.

So, when you drive today, remember the truly incredible privilege you have, and the responsibility you bear.  Be careful with that kinetic energy, folks.

How I spent my MS Summer...

Last summer I did a total of 3 MS Bike Tours, all for the "Buckeye" region:

• Bike to the Bay (200 miles, 2 days)
• Central Ohio Challenge (95 miles, over 4,000 feet of climbing, 1 day)
• Pedal to the Point (150, or 175 miles if you do the Kent Clapp Extra Lap, 2 days)

I thought it would be interesting to put together some "real world" observations about MS Bike tours for those who haven't done one (or any other charity cycling event) before, or who are looking to push themselves a little further.

• Course markings will vary, as will the helpful presence of the local law enforcement in the communities you pass through.  Pay attention, be polite, don't make any assumptions.
• The roads are not closed for us.  We will have to share space with all manner of traffic.  
• Some of them will recognize that we are doing something good, and charitable, and worthy of some deference.  Some even think it is cool, and may be out there with us next year.  For others, we are just in their way.  It does nothing for you, the mission, or the charity to antagonize the latter group.  This leads to a number of practical rules:
• There will be a great temptation to ride 2 and 3 (or even 4) abreast.  It makes it easier to talk to your fellow riders.  Don't.  If you must ride 2 or more across, adhere stringently to the following:
• "Car Back" is not a courtesy notification, it is an urgent warning to get into a single-file line, as far to the right as is safe, as soon as possible.
• "Clear", "Clear Left", "Clear Right" does not mean you can just sail into the intersection with impunity.  It does mean that, in the opinion of the cyclist ahead of you, any oncoming traffic is not a threat to their safety.  It is informational, but the situation is likely to change by the time you get there.  Assume that it will, and check for yourself.  In the words of Ronald Reagan "Trust, but verify."
•  You will also be riding with other cyclists of varying abilities, from people who literally haven't ever gotten on a bike before the previous week to people who could hold their own in a pro peleton. This also leads to a set of rules:
• "Passing Left" or "Passing on your Left" or just "Passing Left" is, like "Car Back" similarly not a courtesy notification.  A faster (possibly much faster) cyclist is passing you.  Make room, on your side of the yellow line, for him or her to do so.  They will appreciate it.
• DO NOT LOOK LEFT TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE, because you most likely will turn left in doing so, causing you to swerve right into their path.  This may not end well.
• Be patient with the other cyclists.  Many of them are just exploring their interest in cycling, and it is good for all of us if they have a pleasant experience.
• If you're struggling, say so.  Someone will be there to encourage you, lend a hand with a repair, or even make the ride easier for you.
• Eat.  Eat more than you normally do, because you'll be burning more calories than you normally do.  This is not the time to diet.  Trying to ride a longer distance than usual without eating enough can lead to a nasty condition that cyclists call "bonking".  It is not pleasant.
• Your muscles run on a sugar called glycogen.  Your body stores enough glycogen in your muscles to carry you for an hour or two, and can convert fat into glycogen in that time to carry you for maybe another 30-45 minutes.  After that, if you keep pushing, your muscles will start scavenging proteins to burn, which is inefficient, and painful.  Your body can convert food into glycogen faster than it can fat, so give it food.
• Your brain also runs on glycogen, however, there is very little glycogen storage in the brain, so it relies on glycogen in the blood, which your muscles also want to replenish themselves.  Long before your muscles start crying out for lack of glycogen, your brain will be starting to suffer.  
• You may make bad decisions, like not eating enough or trying to stay with faster riders longer than you should.
• You may make dangerous decisions, like continuing to ride when you should stop to eat.  
• Your coordination may get unreliable (sorta like having MS, except everywhere at once, which is a bad thing on a bicycle.)
• Drink.  Drink more than you usually do.  Dehydration is unpleasant and dangerous (even potentially lethal).  Drink before you are thirsty.  When you train for the ride, drink lots.  Experiment with how much you need to drink each hour of a hard ride.  This varies.  Me, I sweat like the proverbial racehorse.  On a hot dry day, I'll finish a ride with ridges of salt on my skin and white salty streaks on my cycling kit.  Ideally, you should drink enough that you need to stop and, well, undrink.
• Make at least some of those drinks a good-quality sports beverage.  All that salt is electrolytes that you need to put back in order to keep muscles and brain functioning properly .
• Did I mention that you should eat?
• If you know how to ride in a "pace line", do so.  It saves more energy than you might imagine (how does 30% energy savings sound?)  However, if you haven't done it before, an MS Tour is not the place to learn.  You have to be able to;
• be comfortable riding with your front wheel close to the rear wheel of the bike in front of you,
• hold a straight line, even when pedaling hard up a hill,
• keep a steady pace,
• do all of the above without getting nervous (or you'll burn all the energy you're saving with being tense about it).
• If you can't hang onto a pace line, there is no shame in drifting off the back. Another pace line will be along in a few minutes.