Aero Bars and Group Riding

The following is a post written by Mike Monk, also known as the Bama Cyclist, back in 2011. Mike was our tour leader for my 2013 cross-country tour. He has lead many tours for America By Bicycle all over the country and has crossed the country on bike, many, many, many times. I learned a lot from him and really respect his views on cycling safety. I asked his permission to post some of his advice regarding safe cycling.

Mike Monk on Aero Bars in Groups

Aerobars give us the ability to go at least 2 mph faster when we are riding alone. There's no doubt that aero bars have their place in cycling.  But there are times when they need to be avoided like the plague.

I'm sure that if you have been to any group rides you have witnessed people in the group riding on their aero bars.  Now it's not against the "cycling law" to show up with aero bars on a group ride. But it is against all good common sense and safety standards to "use" them around other riders.

Many people ride so much on aero bars that they do it without even thinking and feel that it's the most comfortable way for them to ride. That maybe so, but it's also the most unstable position in which to ride a bike.  Some also say that they always leave plenty of room when they are on the bars.  They may. But it takes only a second for all that room to disappear in an emergency and you can't get from your elbows to a position of greater control in time to save yourself and everyone else around you.

The main purpose for aero bars is aerodynamics.  This being the case, you don't even need them in a group because you get more aerodynamic effect from the other riders than you do from aero bars.  Besides, there are lots of problems you can run into by using them in a group ride.  One main problem is that a rider on aero bars is not as stable as one on regular bars.  Of course some are more stable than others. There are indeed some people who are very steady on aero equipment. But no one can argue that a rider can assert greater control authority over her bike with her elbows than she can with her hands.

Another problem with the aero position is that your hands are far away from the brakes.  Now you may say that's an advantage since you shouldn't brake in a group anyway.  While this is basically true, there are times when slight speed adjustments are necessary.  When the group comes to a stop or approaches a turn there will be a time when the aero bar rider has to transition to the handle bars to brake and/or turn.  There's really no good time to do that in close proximity to other riders let alone when the group is changing speeds and/or direction. Worse, in emergency situations, the time to come off the bars to reach the brakes is way too long.

The last point I'll make is that IF one uses aero equipment in a group, it should only be used if that person is pulling at the front (I'm not really convinced that's even a good idea, but at the front you are less likely to hit someone's rear wheel and cause an accident).  Resist the urge to stay on them after you break off the front and start riding adjacent to or behind anyone.  Believe me, it won't take long for everyone in the pack to forget how they were impressed when you pulled strong and only remember you as someone they don't want to ever ride with again if you disregard their safety when you are not at the front.

When you are riding in a group, you should have confidence that everyone is riding for the good of the group and that no one will behave in such a manner as to put the group in danger.  Aero bars are good things...but they have their place.  Use them as designed...as an aid to going fast when you are alone or doing a time trial event.  They really have no place when riding with a group.

Sun Protection

I decided to write about sun protection because I have spent a lot of time thinking about and dealing with it and it occurred to me others might like to know what I've learned.

Basal Carcinomas

Before I turned 50, I had already had several basal carcinomas removed from my head. A basil carcinoma is a kind of skin cancer. Caught early, it is easily treated. My doctor tells me they are more than likely related to sun burns I received when I was a child. But, he also explained that I need to protect my skin from further exposure. Many of these can be treated by "burning" them off with liquid nitrogen, a procedure I have had done on my (bald) head several times now. But, others are bigger and involve more work to remove.

The first I had was a large, cyst-like nodule on the back of my neck. It wasn't painful, just annoying. Removing it was a simple procedure my primary care doctor handled during my office visit. He numbed it with Lidocain, cut it out, put in several stitches and sent it to the lab to confirm he removed all of it -- which he did. I had it removed the day before the 2011 Davis Double Century. I remember being at the lunch rest stop and several riders pointing out the stitches in the back of my neck. So, I made up a story and told them I had been in a crash earlier in the day and had to stitch myself back up to complete the ride ;)

The second I had removed was from the side of my face, near my left temple. Because it was on the face which involves more delicate skin and where we like to avoid scaring, they use a different procedure called Mohs Surgery. The doctor I was referred to had performed thousands of these procedures. He saw me once for a consult and then scheduled the procedure.

The procedure is iterative. The doctor removes some flesh and immediately checks the "margins" to see if he removed enough. If not, he removes more and tests it again. He keeps doing this; removing some flesh and testing its margins, until he's certain he's removed all of the cancer. Because it takes time to test each sample, while one sample is being tested, the doctor moves to other patients.

In fact, the doctor was juggling 5 of us the morning I had mine removed. Between "cuts", each of us would return to a waiting area with a temporary bandage over the surgery site while he moved on to the next one. It was amazingly fast and efficient. It took the doctor 3 tries to remove all my cancer. I briefly saw the site before they stitched it up. I was amazed how large a hole he had carved in the side of my face! You could have fit the tip of my thumb in it. But the cancer was gone and that was a blessing.

Because of all of the issues with the skin on my head over the last few years, I now take sun protection a lot more seriously, especially because I can wind up spending so many hours in the sun while cycling. On double century rides, I am out in the sun for more than 12 hours.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is a must. I didn't always wear it if It was only going to be out for an hour or if I was going to be out only really early or late in the day. Now, I wear sunscreen whenever I am on my bike, even for a full moon night ride ;) Before I used to have a pretty strong tan by the end of the summer season of cycling. Now, my skin stays about the same fair/white complexion throughout the year.

But, it has been my experience that different kinds of sunscreen effect my body's ability to sweat properly. For a long time I used a spray-on type sunscreen I was happy with. But, Costco stopped carrying that brand and so I switched to another brand. It was an oil based lotion. And, I immediately noticed that I felt hotter on hot day rides. I concluded my skin wasn't sweating as well because the sunscreen was clogging my pours. I did some reading about this on line and decided to find a water-based brand. I finally settled on Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50.

Not only is this a water based lotion but it includes zinc-oxide. Zinc-oxide is by far the best possible sun protection available. This sunscreen is a high SPF (50), is fragrance free and is water resistant so it will not easily sweat off or run down into your eyes. I have used this sunscreen for several years now and am very happy with it. In fact, the only downside I can see is that it is somewhat difficult to wash off in the shower after a short, less than 2 hour, ride.

Finally, you should think about putting sunscreen on about 20-30 minutes before you actually go outside. It takes about that long for it to activate. And, you should re-apply sunscreen every couple of hours.

Sunscreen Specifically for the Lips

On my 2013 cross-country tour, I was out in the sun and wind for hours, day after day for more than 30 days. That is really, really drying to the skin and especially the lips. In fact, one of the riders on our tour had to abandon his 2012 attempt mid-way through due to pain and complications from drying lips. So, my wife found me an excellent product made specifically for the lips. 

I apply this to my lips at every rest stop on a long ride. The tin is small enough to keep in your tool bag so it is very convenient. You can use it for your nose and whole face too. It also has zinc-oxide.

Sun Clothing

My wife shopped for and found some very nice sun protective clothing. One item I just swear by now is a sort of bonnet that covers my whole head, sides of my face and neck. 

It is made by Solumbra/Coolibar. However, I don't wear it exactly the way it was intended. Instead of pulling it around my face and over my nose and mouth, as is shown in this picture, I bring the velcro closure together under my chin. Even on really hot days, it is comfortable. However, on climbs where my speed is lower and so less air is moving over my body, it does wind up keeping a little too much heat in. I will undue the closure under my chin and let it hang free behind my neck. It would be better if it zippered or laced so I could re-close it without stopping after going over a summit.

In addition to covering my head, I wear a light weight, loose fitting, long sleeve shirt. The problem with many "UPF" and "Fitness" shirts for cycling is that none have those nice pockets we have in our jerseys. So, I wind up wearing a cycling jersey or very light cycling vest over it, pictured below.

This is not a tight fitting shirt like Under Armor would be. However, that too provides excellent sun protection. The main thing you want is a tight weave. As far as sun protection goes, think of the difference between a picket fence and a privacy fence. The picket fence obviously lets prying eyes see through. So it goes with sun protection of woven garments.

Color really doesn't matter. Black will provide comparable sun protection to white. In fact, I've read that darker colors may actually provide more sun protection than lighter colors. But, darker colors absorb more thermal energy instead of reflecting it. That means a darker garment feels hotter on the skin. I've also read that tighter fitting may actually improve sun protection over a looser fitting garment. That may be because the weaves of tight fitting garments have to be very tight themselves.

If you are concerned or unsure about how much sun protection your existing clothing provides, you can always specifically shop for clothing with a "UPF" rating. Apparently, there are also fabric "treatments" you can apply to existing garments to enhance their UPF rating. However, I myself am inclined to believe UPF ratings for normal fitness garments are more of a sales gimmick than anything else. You'll pay more without any real added benefit. 

Finally, from the picture above, you see I don't wear any sun protective garments on my legs. I do put a lot of sunscreen on them but my legs are also protected by a lot of hair and the fact that their orientation to the sun is a lot less direct. And, they are often shaded by my torso. In all my years of riding, I have only ever experienced too much sun exposure on my legs on a handful of occasions on early morning rides where I forgot to apply sunscreen.

Eyewear

I guess no article about sun protection for cyclists would be complete without talking about eyewear. By now, we probably all know about UVA and UVB rays. There is a lot of good eyewear available today that protects against UVA and UVB rays. However, I tend to look for eyewear that asserts it meets the ANSI Z80.3-2001 (which was apparently updated to ANSI Z80.3-2010) standard for UVA/UVB protection. I have used Serengeti Drivers while driving for years. Serengeti makes a great, very light weight, break resistant pair of sun glasses, Serengeti Nuvino, that you can get at Costo for under $70.00.