Official 2012 season opener Saturday March 17

Team,


With this awesome spring weather you are probably itching to get on your bike.
Get ready for our first leisurely group ride from Valley Forge to Manayunk (and to the City if you are up for it). Depending on your preference we may also stop for coffee and breakfast on Main St. in Manayunk.


We'll meet at 9.00am at the Betzwood parking lot (Corporate Parking Lot, S Trooper Rd, east of Rt 422) with a 9.45am pickup at the SEPTA parking lot in Conshohocken.

Tell all your friends! See you on Saturday!

The Saturday Schuylkill gang: Uli, Uwe, Bill, John, Frank, Bill, Bob and John (taking the picture)

There is no bad weather, there is only inappropriate clothing

The winter was kind to us cyclists, so far. We have been lucky to enjoy outdoor sports at rather mild temperatures. Nonetheless, make sure you dress appropriately. Here a couple tips:

1. Dress in layers. That way you can strip a layer if it's getting too warm.
2. Zippers are your friend. You can easily control air circulation by opening a zipper.
3. Pay special attention to your feet and hands. Wear booties and gloves. Insider tricks include: apply lotion to feet and hands (and your face). Or if it's getting really cold, wear a plastic bag between 2 pairs of socks. I guarantee you won't get cold feet!
4. Wear a hat! Under your helmet...
5. Pick fabric that breathes (e.g. Gore-Tex)
6. Carry a rain jacket. Even if it doesn't rain, that helps to shield you from the wind chill.
7. Wear a wind-stopper west. Or go like the pros and simply carry a sheet of newspaper between your layers to shield your chest from the wind chill.
8. Use a small gear with a high cadence to warm up
9. Design your ride with an early climb that will help your body to warm up. Avoid staring off with a downhill.
10. For mountainbikers with cold feet: just run for a few minutes and your feet will warm up quickly.
11. Use the pockets of your jersey wisely, to carry extra layers that you may need or that you just stripped.
12. Bring flashlights in case you get caught by the dusk!

In general, keep in mind that the first 30 minutes may be the worst. You probably just came out of your warm house or car, and your body has not yet warmed up from the inside. Also, your body will adjust to the cold and it may warm up later in the day. So even if you feel a bit brisk i the beginning, don't give up until you went for 30 minutes.
Stay warm and enjoy your ride!

Happy Holidays

We hope that Santa was good to you this year and brought that new Zipp wheel set, that SRAM Red Derailleur, or at least a set of new tires.

Enjoy the holidays and

to all of you!

Fall Team rides

What a great riding weekend. Gorgeous weather!
We'll add a couple options to our usual weekend rides: Saturdays at 8am in Malvern and Sundays at 9am in Ardmore. Check the 'Upcoming Events' section on the left for dates and always doublecheck the Human Zoom website - there is also a MTB ride offered on Sundays at 9am in Manayunk: W Valley Green Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19128 (Valley Green Inn) (map).
See you soon!

2011 MS150 Team SAP - Human Zoom memories

An amazing weekend is history. Thanks to all of you who rode is support of the MS Society.

Do you remember...

• Baby.com hand signals
• Tailwind to Avalon
• The HumanZoom train
• Penn Physical therapy
• The snail on Bill's leg...



City To Shore 2011 count down

Well, the MS-150 is finally here!
For those of you starting at Woodcrest Station in Cherry Hill, here is the plan:

• Meet around 5:30 AM by the picture tent.
• Get a team picture
• Start the ride at 6:15
• As a group, we can keep an easy pace through the neighborhoods
• Once through the neighborhood, we can split into groups that ride at the most comfortable pace for you.

We will try to get a group picture in Ocean City with all that are there. (a small group will be extending the ride to Avalon and will be only in O.C. for 10-15 mins).

 

Route Markings

The route will be clearly marked with orange direction signs, including on straightaways, so you will know you're riding in the right direction.

Route Maps

Click here for the 2011 route map on MapMyRide. Check out their new 3-D fly-by of the route.

HAVE A GREAT RIDE!

Less than five weeks to the MS150 City To Shore!

Preparation is in full swing!
Join our weekend team rides from Malvern (Saturdays) and Ardmore (Human Zoom, Sundays) - weather permitting!
Or join the more competitive Thursday 6pm training races at Great Valley Corporate Center in Malvern.
Our friends from Human Zoom will help getting your bike ready.
Join our lunch information session at SAP in Newtown Square on Thursday, August 25!
See the 'Upcoming Events' section for other activities.
Now is the time to register for the City to Shore and join our team!
Check out our MS 150 FAQ post.
We still have some size L and size S Team jerseys for sale.

Sunday Schuylkill Trail team ride starts in Valley Forge/Betzwood!

Cycling enthusiasts,
Just 7 more weeks until the City to Shore event. Time to get some training miles under your wheels.
So join us for a leisurely Sunday ride from Valley Forge towards Manayunk. We'll ride the Schuylkill Trail in two pace groups with an optional breakfast stop in Manayunk.

You'll also have the opportunity to buy SAP cycling jerseys or order one if we don't have your size.

We'll meet at 8.00am at the Betzwood parking lot (Corporate Parking Lot, S Trooper Rd, east of Rt 422) with a 8.45am pickup at the SEPTA parking lot in Conshohocken.

Tell all your friends! See you on Sunday.

Sunday Schuylkill Trail ride

Team SAP @ Liberty Criterium, July 24 in Malvern, PA



Uli's first race in 22 years



Almost second... almost



The Cat 5 podium



City To Shore 2011 - FAQ

With the Holiday weekend in sight and a great weather forecast, time to dust off your bike, get some miles in and sign up for the 2011 City to Shore ride!
We received some questions which we'll be trying to answer here. We'll add to this as needed.

How do I sign up?
Go to the MS website, select 'Register to ride and join an existing team', enter 'SAP' as in the Team Name field, search, then select: 'Team SAP' and follow the instructions. Done.


Can I sign up for less than 150 miles?
Yes. The 'City to Shore 150' name refers to the most popular distance: 75 miles on Saturday (Cherry Hill, NJ to Ocean City, NY) and 75 miles on Sunday (Ocean City back to Cherry Hill). There are many more options:
- you can just do the Saturday ride and take one of the many organized buses back to Cherry Hill (very popular option as well). Bikes will be loaded on trucks and arrive with the buses.
- you can start at one of the other start locations along the 75 mile route to reduce total distance
- you can sign up for an extra loop on Saturday which adds up to 100 miles (you can still decide to take it or not once you get to that fork, about 45 miles into the ride to Ocean City)
- staying overnight and riding back on Sunday is optional. The only available distance is 75 miles.

Are there rest stops along the route?
This event is very well organized. There are many rest stops along the route. All of them provide rest rooms, food and water, many also bike mechanics and some have bands playing

What are the options for overnight stay on the Jersey shore?
If you only do the Saturday, buses will get you and your bikes back to the start location. If you chose to ride back on Sunday, see the 'housing' section on the MS150 website. Some of us may get together and rent a house. Use the 'comments' function to exchange thoughts on this option.

Will we be riding in a group?
We'd like to have all team riders starting together in Cherry Hill. We will announce the exact time here on the blog.
We are looking for two volunteers to lead different pace groups so we can ride as a team. Especially over the first 15 miles the roads will be packed with riders so we'll have to make sure to stay together. It's really fun to see a bunch of riders wearing the same jersey.

Will there be any other team activities planned?
We host weekly team rides (see 'Upcoming Events' section on the left pane). Especially the flat Betzwood/Valley Forge ride lends itself to ride in different pace groups.
Prior to the ride we'll host a team luncheon at SAP headquarters in Newtown Square (date to be announced).
On Saturday of the event we'll take a group picture at the start in Cherry Hill (picture tent) and at the boardwalk in Ocean City.

Much more (general) FAQ here.

To be updated and continued...