January 2014
Team Parkinson’s and the STP
Stoking our fires within from atop a tandem
I don’t know what it was about that Team Parkinson’s STP jersey. It meant so much to me. On the Cascade Bicycle Club Flying Wheels ride I came up next to a Team Parkinson’s group at a light and had to tell them right away that I was on the team too, I just didn’t have my jersey yet. Was it the sense of belonging that I was after? Was it striving for something to prove that I don’t have Parkinson’s disease? Was it doing something for others through the donations I would raise? When Team Parkinson’s had their potluck for all the riders, my wife said I was quick to point out to her the people around us that had their jerseys already. Where did they get them? Where is mine? When will they hand them out? Team Parkinson’s was created by Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation to improve care and enhance wellness for all those living with Parkinson’s and it was a great experience being on the team and getting in a great ride as well. I started my training in January. I remember riding over the I-90 Bridge to work on a clear, dark and cold morning I could see by the tracks in the frost that I was only one of three other riders over the bridge braving the cold. Then in May I fell off my bike. It wasn’t the Parkinson’s, I swear. It was the edge of the driveway where it meets the street. It was practically the size of a curb and I hit it at too small of an angle. I just got skinned, bruised and a sprained wrist. I was able to start riding again five days later. I was concerned about having someone to ride the STP with but that worked out great too. I ran into Dave Covey who was so generous and inclusive. He said, “Sure, ride with us. We’re doing it as a relay.” It was me and Dave and Ellen McGough, who runs a University of Washington tandem bicycle study that measures the beneficial effects of bicycling on people with Parkinson’s. We got mixed up the morning of the ride and didn’t start together
Have you ever participated in a spinning class? Surely many of you have, but have you ever take a spinning class on a tandem? Spinning is a great way to have fun and gain fitness but not everyone has the confidence or the muscle power and stamina to do it alone. Riding tandem adds teamwork, camaraderie and support to the mix! For people with Parkinson’s disease, riding tandem with an experienced captain provides a boost to sustain pedaling at a higher cadence, intensity and consistency than riding solo. The UW Tandem Biking Program led by Ellen McGough, PT, PhD, is an innovative indoor cycling class in which people with Parkinson’s disease train with experienced cyclists on tandem bicycles. The class is offered at Seattle’s Magnuson Park Brig through the University of Washington Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in partnership with Outdoors for All Foundation and Seattle Parks and Recreation. UW Doctor in Physical Therapy students and volunteers from the community come together to ride as captains, providing pacing and encouragement for individuals with Parkinson’s. Participants with Parkinson’s have reported positive changes as a result of the program, including feeling stronger and more stable on their feet, walking with increased ease, feeling more energetic, being in a better mood and sleeping bet-
by Ellen McCough, PT, PhD; Cynthia Robinson, PT, PhD; and Monica Smersh
by Ben Kisch, proud STP finisher
Kisch and fellow Team Parkinson’s riders at STP 6
but lucky for me, unlucky for Dave, he had a flat less than a mile out. That had to be some kind of STP record I figure. I met up with Dave and Ellen and we fixed his flat and we were on our way. We rode together to Spanaway where Dave went off to find his relay. Ellen and I rode on to Centralia. She had to go on to Vader so we went our own ways. I found my family and we drove up to Tumwater for the night. I was feeling pretty good that evening. I just had saddle sores and sore on my hands possibly a remnant from my earlier fall. Strength wise and energy wise I was good. In the morning, the family shuttled me back to start the ride at about 7:30. I had no one to ride with so my plan was to beat feet and catch up with Ellen and Dave somewhere between Centralia and Lexington. Man, my saddle sores kicked right in after the first mile. At a stop light a fellow rider mentioned the saddle butter. I had never used any before so I had no idea if it would help, let alone how to apply it. I had a sample in my fanny pack and smeared some where the “sun don’t shine.” What a life saver, wow! I knew I could make it now. I felt stronger on day two. I was passing people and people were passing me. It was great fun: forming and re-forming pace lines going 20 mph. I stopped very little. I did stop at the Team Parkinson’s food stop, though. The gourmet food they provided was excellent, complete with vegetarian food for me, my favorite electrolyte drinks and camp chairs in the shade. My family was there volunteering and it was all too easy to hang out, eat and take pictures. I had to kick myself and get going. Heck, I had 50 miles to go. I stuffed some gourmet goodies in my pocket, also provided by the team, and was on my way. I completed in good time, feeling great. Somehow I got there ahead of Ellen and finished before her. I must have passed her in the “land of the pass throughs.” I don’t CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
ter. Participants attribute much of their success to the supportive class environment and camaraderie between the captains and stokers. The tandem class provides just the right amount of support, camaraderie and physical training for participants with Parkinson’s to obtain their goals and achieve an enormous sense of accomplishment. Tandem stokers also participate in a research study on the effects of tandem cycling on motor and nonmotor function. They partake in a host of activities to assess walking, balance and quality of life. Information about their training efforts is gathered with a new research bicycle. A team of physical therapists collaborated with Seattle’s R & E Cycles to design and fabricate a tandem research bicycle and training system, painted in Husky purple and gold! This system allows researchers to measure pedaling power, symmetry and efficiency during tandem and solo rides. Do you know someone with Parkinson’s disease who might want to participate? Or, are you an experienced rider who would you like to volunteer as a captain? If so, you can: email: msmersh@u.washington.edu or call (206) 598-4561.
High Performance Cycling powered by Cycle U: Open House and 2014 kickoff party by Tom Meloy and David Longdon, HPC team members
Are you a Seattle-area cycling enthusiast ready for a new challenge? Come meet the High Performance Cycling team at its 2014 kick-off meeting. Founded in 2007, the Cascade Bicycle Club’s High Performance Cycling Team is for cyclists who like to ride fast, hard, far and climb hills, but without a racing focus. The HPC program is designed to support athletic cyclists who want to improve their skills and fitness and ride with others who have similar skills and ambitions. A hallmark of the HPC program is that we emphasize safe group riding and paceline skills. The High Performance Cycling Team is best suited for cyclists who: - Are committed to improving their fitness and cycling skills - Are able to or aspire to ride at the Cascade Bicycle Club’s “strenuous” effort level or above - Possess the endurance to ride over 50 miles - Are comfortable with, or desire to master paceline and group
riding techniques Team HPC has approximately 80 members with ages ranging from early 30s to early 60s. Our members target challenging event rides including the Chelan Century, Flying Wheels, Seattle to Portland in one day, RAMROD and the High Pass Challenge. Although we aren’t a racing team, some members do occasionally compete in multi-sport events and triathlons, individual time trials and, in 2014, HPC plans to field a four-person relay team at the Race Across Oregon and/or the Coup de Cascades. In 2013 a four-man HPC team won the ~518 mile Race Across Oregon in a time of 28 hours 33 minutes. The kick-off meeting will include time for socializing as well as a presentation on: - An overview of Team HPC - Highlights of the 2013 season - An overview of the Team’s 2014 calendar, including the fitness performance testing program and CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 www.cascade.org