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Wednesday, April 25, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Get ready to ride this spring
By Andrew Loscutoff
Correspondent
Spring has broken in
Central Oregon and riders
are dusting off the saddles,
inflating the tires, and lub-
ing the chain on bikes that
perched in the garage while
the bitterness of winter
passed by.
It is important to make
sure that the machine is
ready to ride, but even
more so that the rider is
ready to take on cycling
again this spring. Follow
these simple tips and know
that the first rides of spring
will be easier, and more
enjoyable:
• Dress as if you’re going
to see all weather conditions
(because you likely are) this
spring. Just the other day it
snowed, rained, and blew
frigid in the afternoon. A
layer system of a base layer
(light undershirt) a cycling
jersey, windbreaker (prefer-
ably waterproof) light neck
gaiter, hat, medium gloves,
full thermal tights, two pairs
of lightweight wool socks,
will take care of all con-
ditions without bundling
you up too much when
the sun shines (if the sun
shines).
• Prepare for the ride
with hydration and food.
Although on the cooler rides
thirst will not be as pro-
nounced, hydration is vital
to maintaining a ride lon-
ger than an hour. The same
goes for food consumption.
Once a person begins to
exercise above 60 percent
of their maximum aero-
bic level, the body starts to
transfer energy stored in the
muscles to be used for fuel.
This system lasts from 45
to 90 minutes. After that,
fat oxidation is the primary
fuel source. The caveat
here is that you will have
to slow down in order to
keep using fat as fuel. This
slowdown — known as a
bonk — can be prevented
by taking in fuel as you’re
riding. The best fuel for the
job: simple carbohydrates
(sugars); these will stave off
the bonk and keep you rid-
ing up hills all afternoon.
Aim for around 20g per half
hour. Start in the first hour
of ride time in order to get
ahead.
A sound machine with
a well-dressed, well-fed
cyclist is a good start — but
the last tip for the spring
rider is to keep rides within
the wheelhouse of winter
fitness. Rides performed
last fall after hours of
summer saddletime will
not be a possibility this
spring.
Plus, many of the moun-
tainous roads and trails will
be scattered with debris and
inclement weather condi-
tions. Stick to the flatter,
eastern routes which allow a
good tempo to be achieved
with less worry over squalls,
the downed trees, and the
unworthy trail conditions.
This is a better place to
develop fitness because a
more consistent effort will
produce better fitness while
allowing the unconditioned
muscles to recover faster
since they won’t have to
produce as much torque
as they would on a slow
climb.
Prepare for spring rid-
ing and know that the
dream of summer miles in
short sleeves and mountain
passes will be back. The
base miles of spring will get
you summer-ready for this
experience.
Child seat safety
clinic set
On May 26, 2017, Oregon
Child Safety Seat laws changed
to require infants to ride rear-
facing until they reach two
years of age, unless the child
turned age one prior to May 26,
2017. Studies show that infants
are significantly safer in a rear-
facing car seat until 2 years of
age.
Oregon law also requires a
child who weighs 40 pounds
or less to be properly secured
with a child safety system
that meets the minimum stan-
dards and specifications estab-
lished by the Department
of Transportation. Children
over 40 pounds, or who have
reached the upper weight limit
for their forward-facing car
seat, must use a child seat with
harness or a booster seat until
they are four feet nine inches
tall or 8 years old and the adult
belt fits properly.
Oregon does not have a law
specifically prohibiting chil-
dren from riding in the front
seat of a passenger vehicle.
However, a rear-facing infant
seat must not be placed in
a front seating position that
is equipped with an airbag
because it violates Oregon’s
requirement for “proper use”
of a child safety seat. The
national “best practice recom-
mendation” calls for rear seat-
ing through age 12.
Sisters-Camp Sherman
Fire District will hold a clinic
on May 4, from 2 to 4 p.m. at
the main fire station in Sisters
at 301 S. Elm St. Nationally
Certified Child Passenger
Safety Technicians will be on
hand to inspect and educate
caregivers on how to install
and properly use their child
safety seats. No appointment is
necessary and the safety checks
take approximately 20 minutes.
While caregivers of infants
or those under age two often
seek assistance with child
safety seats, we would also like
to encourage caregivers of chil-
dren who ride in booster seats
to stop in for a check-up. For a
child to ride safely in a booster
seat, the shoulder belt should
cross the center of the collar-
bone, while the lap belt is flat
across the child’s upper thighs.
For more information con-
tact the Sisters-Camp Sherman
Fire District at 541-549-0771.
Circuit Rider
Carpet Cleaning
Residential & Commercial
Carpet & Upholstery
“I could not believe how
meticulous and thorough Peter
was. My carpets are beautiful.”
—Debbie Bucher
541-549-6471
35 Years Experience
Peter Herman, Owner
Ask for the new-customer discount!
“You’re in
the right
hands”
For all your
Physical Therapy and
Massage needs
541-549-3534
325 N. Locust St., Sisters
greenridgept.com
Your carpet is a filter — everything that comes
into your house from the outside, including dirt,
pet hair and dander, and bacteria, wind up in your
carpet.
A clean carpet makes for a healthy house — and
Peter Herman of Circuit Rider Carpet Cleaning
can get you there.
If you’re waiting until your carpet LOOKS like
it needs to be cleaned, you’ve probably waited too
long. It’s best to get your carpets cleaned regularly
— once a year for most folks, a couple of times a
year for people with active kids and pets.
Peter is chemical-sensitive, so he uses safe yet
effective cleaning agents that are anti-allergen and
leave your carpet pet- and child-safe.
With years of experience and a meticulous
nature, he does an outstanding job of leaving your
carpets clean, dry — and your house a healthy
place to be.
Green Ridge
Physical Therapy
Green Ridge Physical Therapy specializes in a
gentle, highly effective therapy technique known as
counterstrain.
Counterstrain is a gentle, passive, hands-on
technique that is able to treat pain in a wide variety
of injuries and chronic issues.
Sensitive receptors in all deep fascia connect
through the spinal cord to both smooth muscle
and skeletal muscle, so that activation of a pro-
tective reflex will tighten the fascia itself and also
recruit the musculo-skeletal system to provide pro-
tective splinting or bracing around the area.
The treatment aims to shorten the affected tis-
sue until the reflex is released or normalized. This
is done often with a gentle but very specific tissue
glide or through positions that shorten the fascia
and its receptors. This has the result of immedi-
ately improving the tissue function and also of
relaxing the protective musculo-skeletal tightening,
thereby reducing pain and restoring mobility.