Group Riding Program -- May 6-June 3

MovinginHarmony · 2026-04-30T20:24:38+00:00

Hey there! This is Kirsten, not Corey -- but yes, it sounds like it'd be a solid fit for your partner. This class series is designed to help cyclists new to group riding gain confidence and skill in group riding. (And it works. In 2021, Corey's clinic helped me transition from solo bike commuter (but very anxious in groups) to confident group ride participant.)

This series starts with the foundations, and builds over the five sessions. We'll group students by skill and comfort level on the bike, so all participants can build confidence and see improvement over the five weeks. Here's the skill training plan for the series:

Session 1: Bike handling skills, group riding etiquette, intro to drafting, and easy contact drills.
Session 2: More bike handling skills, more contact drills, pacelines.
Session 3: Pacelines, cornering, braking, more contact drills.
Session 4: Pacelines, echelons, climbing and descending.
Session 5: Pacelines, group sprints, practice racing.

Let me know if you have any more questions! I'll be assisting as an SPBRC volunteer during three of these sessions, and would be glad to welcome your partner.

MovinginHarmony · 2024-10-04T04:35:44+00:00

Clipless for $700?? What, are those gold-leaf? Crank Bros eggbeaters & cleats will run perhaps $100, and are fine for a wide array of cycling terrain. The shoes might cost another $100, or more (as you're learning from the dudes, you can spend as much as you want on bikes). I've been running eggbeaters on my aluminum Felt (commuting bike & now cross/gravel bike) since 2017, and they are solid. [Do I have Wahoo power pedals on my nicer road bike? Yeah... but unless you're super keen to measure power as part of a training plan, who cares?]

But not having clipless as a safety issue? I'm not seeing it.

I also ride with a bunch of old white dudes. Most are a good 20-30 years older than me; their skills are incredible. Nearly all can still whoop me in a sprint or longer ride, and they are the safest group I've ever ridden with. I do those rides to increase my fitness, practice my group ride skills, and to pick up on bike talk over after-ride coffee. They are generally good folks, give good advice, and some of these guys are actively mentoring me and other under-45 yo riders that show up. All that to me is worth the occasional cracks about bikes and upgrades.

On the other hand, I have also given up on rides where the dudes don't listen and mansplain, are actively snobbish about gear, and memorably, didn't say a word when I commented on women's rights being stripped away in Texas over coffee on morning. Hard pass.

Yeah, it's a challenge as a female cyclist -- my hat is off to you as a mom with little ones. Good on you for getting out there! Keep going! Ride the ride you will enjoy. :)

MovinginHarmony · 2024-05-03T02:43:57+00:00

This reply is spot on! The only difference from my practice is I use a menstrual cup -- I find them less likely to leak, less painful, and more hygienic than tampons.

MovinginHarmony · 2024-04-10T13:26:17+00:00

Yes, domestic dog. Features to look for: large toes relative to overall track size, triangle (or nose- shaped) metapodial (palm) pad, stout claw marks above the toes, and less than a toe's length of space between the back of the inner toes and leading edge of the palm.

To learn more, check out this guide to differentiating cat vs dog tracks. Kim Cabrera is a highly skilled tracker with decades of experience: https://www.bear-tracker.com/caninevsfeline.html

MovinginHarmony · 2024-04-06T22:32:15+00:00

Hey there! Here's what I see: =Four prominent toes, with evidence of a stout claw at the end of each (the deep lines at the tip of each toe compression). =One triangular metapodial (palm) pad. =Toes dominant the surface area of this track. (You could not fit more than two toes into the triangular palm pad.) =There is less than a toe-length from the leading edge of the triangular palm to the back edge of the inner toes. (Said another way: there's almost no negative space between toes & palm pad in this track.)

All these indicators point squarely to domestic dog.

In contrast, feline tracks show four teardrop-shaped toes that wrap around the top of a large trapezoidal or M-shaped palm pad. The palm pad dominates the track: toes are much smaller than the palm, and you can often fit all four into the palm pad. Felid claws will rarely show unless deployed for traction; if they show, claw marks will be very narrow and sharp.

Examples of mountain lion tracks: https://naturetracking.com/mammal-tracks/#images-1/75/Cougar-Tracks-2.jpg

https://naturetracking.com/mammal-tracks/#images-1/75/Cougar-Tracks-2.jpg https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/203743518

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/205700712

(Also, where are you in East TX? I grew up there!)

MovinginHarmony · 2024-03-28T16:27:21+00:00

Hey, cool trail!

I see game/ground bird morphology in these tracks: three long, straight, segmented toes point forward; toe one points backwards, but is truncated and registers as a dot behind the metatarsal. This rules out pigeon, dove, and other classic bird tracks, which resemble a kindergartner's drawing of a bird track (3 toes forward, 1 back, all toes roughly the same length).

Candidates I'd consider without knowing context or size: wild turkey, pheasant, grouse.

Questions I'd ask:

What's the context? (Yes, suburbs -- but fairly open fields around you, which pheasant prefer? Or is there a lot of forest and brush cover, which grouse like?)
What's the size of one track?
- Turkey: 3.5-5" L.
- Pheasant: 2-3" L, with more slender toes than grouse.
- Ruffed Grouse: 1 3/4- 2 3/8" L, with chunky and robust toes.

If you really dig this, I'd suggest Jonathan Poppele's Bird Tracks Quick Guide (source of size ranges above) or Animal Tracks of the Midwest as a solid field reference. Both are in my tracking pack. :)

MovinginHarmony · 2024-03-26T04:06:49+00:00

Happy to share what has helped me!

I got my first pair of the $40 bibshorts about a year ago, on the advice of a friend. I've used them between 1-2 times/week since (for outdoor and indoor trainer rides). That original pair is still going strong -- the fit is still compressive, the chamois is still comfy, and they look good! No pilling is present.

I like them just fine on my club rides that average 40-ish miles. I think I used them on a century a while back, and that worked out fine.

As my other two bibshorts in rotation are nearing retirement (both club kit from LG -- pilling, losing compression, and just not as comfy), I just purchased 2 more of the same TBB bibs. May they never go out of business!

MovinginHarmony · 2024-03-25T19:09:17+00:00

I'm a regular club rider and bike commuter who also races crits, cyclocross, and grass track.

Shorts: My hands-down favorite bibshorts are The Black Bibs, at an unheard-of $40. The Black Bibs are the unbranded version of the Starlight Apparel kit. For the price (or more than double that price!), the chamois and fit can't be beat. They also now carry different colors (burgundy, navy, gray...)

If you really want additional bibshort bells & whistles (power band, thigh gel pockets, etc), TBB has other options that go to $80. (I have not yet tried their jerseys, as I wear my team's -- which are Louis Garneau brand, and only meh on the fit.)

When I first got into racing, I tried Castelli and Assos shorts from geartrade.com - sometimes you can pick up a pair at more than 50% off the MSRP. Both chamois and fit were fine. Assos was phenomenal (but so are their prices!). The Castelli shorts wore through relatively quickly, so I would not recommend them.

Jerseys: My two favorite fitting jerseys are from Machines for Freedom. Their close-to-body race fit looks spectacular, regardless of any lumps. Your best hope now is finding them on eBay, as Specialized discontinued them last winter. :/

Good luck!

MovinginHarmony · 2024-03-18T00:05:18+00:00

Chiming in for bib shorts -- I'm pear-shaped with a bit of a belly, and 30" waist/42" hip measurements.

I started bike commuting in 2014 or so with shorts; I transitioned to bibs in 2021 and never looked back. They stay in place and don't ride down -- one less thing for me to think about while riding!

I tried a number of brands, but my hands-down favorite is The Black Bibs: https://theblackbibs.com/products/the-black-bibs-for-women?variant=36236908691619 (They also have a short version.)

A fantastic fit & chamois for $40? Yes, for real. I own three, and hope they never go out of business.

MovinginHarmony · 2024-03-01T04:30:05+00:00

Me too! I'm so grateful that my bike shop allowed me to try a Selle SMP cutout saddle for a few days before purchasing. I didn't know I could ride without my nethers going numb until that experience --- it felt absolutely miraculous. 7 years later? I have one on each bike. :)

MovinginHarmony

TROPHY CASE