For those who love to Google, there is a wealth of good, not-so-good,                                              and absolute  rubbish

advice on the subject of cadence, Some articles are very convoluted and delve into use of power meters and other objective measures of output at various cadences,. Others recommend observation of a number of professional cyclists, and still others tie in the efficiency of various rpm's with age.

One of the best pieces of advice for the majority of those seeking to find their ideal pedalling rate is by Rich Strauss on the Beginner Triathlete web site here. Rich provides plenty of common sense information, tips and examples in an easy-to-understand style. Well worth reading.

For what it's worth your editor's advice is: if your lungs hurt more than your legs, pedal slower, if your legs hurt more than your lungs, increase your cadence.

The OBB Saturday morning group rides are returning with the object of preparing for the Victoria Gran Fondo in early June. First ride will leave OBB store at 9am on March 3rd. Note that all participants must be members of a Cycling BC affiliated club such as MIVA and should come with a road bike. Everyone must also have an approved helmet. The pace will be moderate and if there are enough riders, there will be two groups, one for the hardy boys and girls and a slower group for beginners and the unfit.

If your bike is in need of tender loving care and you are not sure exactly how to go about maintenance and repair of punctures, take advantage of OBB's free clinics from 11pm to 12.30pm on Saturday March 10th. and Saturday March 24th.

Colin Chapman (not the one of Lotus fame) is Cycling BC coordinator for youth programmes. He has indicated that, as part of the provincial association's Youth Development Programme, there will be a number of youth coaching  courses, recognised by the NCCP (National Coaching Certification Programme). Some of these workshops will be held on Vancouver Island and hopefully there will be one in Nanaimo.

Any local road riders who are retired or can adjust their work hours so that they can visit schools as part of MIVA's youth programme, are invited to apply for a space at one of these free clinics. Once participants have certification as youth coaches they should have easy access to schools to help deliver the programme.

For further information, contact pakamac@gmail.com or call 250-244-1779.

Janna Gillick, MIVA's Directeur Sportif Feminin, will shortly be electronically circulating a questionnaire to the ladies asking for their input re. club activities and racing geared towards women. Here is a video of the women's criterium in the Tour de White Rock, courtesy of Canadian Cyclist showing a ladies pack riding safely and fast. For all those girls who are somewhat squeamish about riding in a bunch and following fellow cyclists fairly closely, Janna's survey should provide some material for the club to institute some effective workshops to teach pack riding skills and to build confidence.

Over the last year, a number of different strategies have been used to make the club's social rides successful, including advertising a set time day, and start location plus  set routes,  but so far, the only one that seems to have potential is for club members to advertise their own projected ride on the MIVA Facebook page and include date, time and location of start. The MIVA Board will attempt to come up with alternative plans in the coming season, including riding out to events where other members are racing. Any of our readers who have good ideas about these non=competitive rides,please post in the comments section. Here is a good example of a British club out on a social ride Interestingly enough, couldn't find any Canadian examples!).