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2 Fast Performance School for June 10, 2013

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Vixens, for those of you signed up for the track day on June 10th at The Ridge (Women’s Track Event in our Event section), you are in for a jam packed day of information, sweat and adrenaline! Mark DeGross, owner of 2 Fast Motorcycle Track Days and Instruction, fills the day with an immense amount of learning combined with track time and has a staff that are at the top of their game. You will be learning from the best so make sure you are well rested and most importantly hydrated (I typically have a rule of hydrating a few days before a track day and avoid alcohol if you can the day before, it does make a difference). To keep your sanity, make a check list of things you need to bring such as your gear (riding suit of two piece zip togethers), boots (socks too), gloves, helmet and some type of back protector and get it in the car the night before. Also, don’t forget to bring water (they have it, but it’s always good to bring some of your own) and snacks in case you are not able to eat what is being served. I am a vegetarian so most of the time I just bring my own food since they typically serve hot dogs and hamburgers at the track. Note: It is really cold in the morning, wear layers so you can stay comfortable and if you are new to riding suits, wear some type of compression gear underneath or it will be impossible to get your leathers off after you start sweating, getting that suit off to pee will be a challenge.

As some of you may know, I have been writing about my crazy introduction into motorcycle racing. It has been an enlightening experience, scary as crap and also where I’ve felt most accepted into a community than I have ever felt possible. Every individual I’ve come into contact with has been nothing but genuine and open to sharing their knowledge and if asked, provide advice. Mark DeGross, my mentor (in this nutty adventure), has been a wealth of information which is why I chose him to be my guide through this overwhelming process in order to get ready. I am told that eventually this will all be second nature, but for now, I do feel like a minnow in an ocean of sharks. 2 Fast is an amazing performance school which I had the opportunity to attend as part of my Novice Racer curriculum. Everything I learned, you will learn, our class was just more entailed and had simulations of what we would encounter on race days. Before you come, make sure your bike is in good working order, have decent tread on your tires and nothing is leaking or it will be a lousy day sitting in the pits (unless you can bribe one of the Ducati guys to ride one of the demo bikes, then it will be awesome).

Your Schedule will be:

7:00am Registration and Tech Inspection, have bike taped (mirrors, if not removing and lights)
7:40am Complimentary track ride around in trucks (highly recommended)
8:15am Mandatory Rider Meeting (Rules, Flags and Passing)
8:45am Performance School Orientation for students
9:00am Session 1: Body Positioning
10:00am Session 2: Turn 9 Experience
11:00am Session 3: Relaxation & Fear Management (This one is big!)
12:00pm Session 4: Lunch Break
1:00pm Session 5: Scrubbing Speed – The Art of Slowing It All Down
2:00pm Session 6: Powerband Management
3:00pm Session 7: Vision – What You See & Where You Are Looking
4:00pm END OF DAY

Please understand that this day is not about speed, this day is about learning. Sure you can push yourself, it is natural and encouraged, but don’t be a hazard to others because you want to prove something. We all play a part in being responsible and respectful of the other riders on the track. Ask loads of questions, the staff is an invaluable source of information and they are generous with their expertise and advice, listen and learn. Don’t let this be your only track day, sign up for as many as you can and just keep improving. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so why try? Also, visit 2-fast.org or ducatibellvue.com for full listings of their track days, prices and videos. If you are still on the fence because you think your cornering isn’t what it should be and want to get some extra instruction before, we have a class that is being offered by WMST on Sunday, May 19 from 9am – 5pm (check the events section for more details). If you can’t make the class, don’t worry, we will all be there to help you at the track. This is about empowering you so take full advantage of it, they want to see more women on the track and no one is going to judge you. Truth is they have respect for any woman that has the balls to come to a track day, so let those bad boys swing Vixens ;)!!!!

Time to Take Your Skills to the Track!

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Ahhh…. The smell of race gas, testosterone and ego in the air… bikes sitting perched on their stands, tires snuggled in toasty Chickenhawk warmers… everyone bustling about last minute tire changes and chores in between sips of hot coffee…  The race track is a beautiful thing.  But for many female riders, the track can seem too daunting and maybe even downright intimidating.  After all, have you seen some of the instructors padding around the paddocks?  “No thank you, I think I’ll stick to cruising the back roads.”

I cannot begin to express the countless ladies I’ve spoken to at different events that shared this opinion, giving me the same nearly word for word response when asked if they would consider doing a track day.  Despite their competent riding abilities, many women feel they won’t “measure up,” or that they will be a hindrance to other riders, and pride gets the best of them.  Shiloh Pyne, who has been riding for several years and at one point was even the Vice President of an all female riding club, expressed this same concern, “I’m afraid to hold people up in the corners.  I want to be “really good” before I go do a track day.  I don’t want to feel like the worst one out there.”

Though understandable, the problem with this line of thinking is that the track is undoubtedly the greatest venue to develop your skills.  Whether you are a seasoned motorcyclist or as green as a new filly out to pasture, this is where you want to be.  Mark DeGross, owner of 2Fast Trackdays & Instruction, is a huge advocate for teaching riders at every level new principals, thus overcoming barriers and ultimately becoming more confident riders.  DeGross says, “The repetitive nature of the track is paramount.  By putting in lap after lap, students will quickly learn where the track goes and soon will be working on skills and technique, which will dramatically improve their riding.  The intimidation seems to come from thinking they are expected to be fast and thus they put pressure on themselves.  It’s my opinion that this perceived pressure keeps them away, when in fact, we preach competence and confidence at our 2Fast schools, not speed.  We could care less how fast students go, just as long as they are in control of their machine and running at a pace they can duplicate over and over. Once they can let go of their own speed persecution, the epiphany moment happens and women really start having fun, improving their riding, all the while gleaning skills that will make them safer on the street.”

Many women are also put off by some of the chauvinistic attitudes often found in the paddocks, and rightly so.  Who wants to have “that guy” stroll into your pits and arrogantly bless you with his magical advice?  Thankfully, as more and more females enter the sport, he’s a thing of the past, passed up by some of the ladies laying down blazing lap records on the competitive level.  With that, there are also more smiling, female instructors happy to tow students around, offering a bit of advice, all the while and putting an ear to ear grin on faces.

Often, body mechanics and physical strength can also be a barrier in women shying away from the track. Christi Midlam, of Sportbike Track Girl, explains what she has found working with her female students, “It takes far more physical exertion for a woman than it does a man.  For example, I can’t hold up a tall bike whereas a man usually doesn’t have to worry about height. Even if a man is short, his inseam and hips and leg strength make it far easier than for us. But that being said…women are far better learners in this particular sport. Women are much more humble than men. They crash way less often… not because they are slower, but because they weigh consequences and adjust behavior accordingly.”

If you’re anything like I was, the track brought on butterflies of great magnitude doing circus flips in my stomach and regardless of my capabilities or recent years riding on the street, a feeling that I had to make my pit mates proud.  Ultimately, my competitive nature prevailed in this area, and after six track days I decided to get my novice race license with Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association.  I cannot begin to illustrate the adventure that has been, or the invaluable skills I have been taught since.  Shortly after I graduated to expert, I began instructing for a number of track day companies and I am always more than happy to answer questions, tow students around or help facilitate involvement.

Now racing might seem a little extreme and may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the collective idea here is one of encouragement.  Ladies, put down that article about Adam Levine, grab your helmet and sign up for a track day with your local provider. (You can find links to recommended organizations here.)  Vixens, you’ll be glad you did!

Steering Out of Trouble

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As your skills progress, it is only natural to test your limits and start to add some more speed to the equation (I personally think we all get a little cocky the more confident we become). But with this added speed we have to be more alert and not think, “Hey I had this at the lower speed, I got this,” because what you will have is more than your share of, “Oh *&#@ moments.” At higher speeds it requires more focus and attention and you really need to be thinking well ahead of the turn, if you are focusing only on the turn in front of you, you will run out of road really quick (and I mean literally), in the CA Superbike School this was referred to as “wide view”. It seems simple enough, but at high speeds your wide view requires a great deal of concentration and interpretation on what is important and what you must disregard. If you don’t, you can start to feel uncomfortable and this can cause you to target fixate, for example you see a pothole and instead of missing it you end up riding right into it. Your mind has a moment of panic and before you know it what you were trying to avoid becomes the object you end up becoming very intimate with (in a bad way). On a road you have your lane, the outside edge and the inner edge, because of the size of your machine, you have plenty of room to play with. Now add a twisty road with a lot of blind corners, cars coming at you from the opposite side who sometimes are not so great at staying in their lane, this can really scare the crud out of you.

Learning how to read reference points (entry point, apex, exit points) in a turn will help keep those moments of panic at bay and hopefully with enough practice will give you the confidence to ride those twisties at speeds that make others nod in respect. It is not only women that have trouble with corners though, I know quite a few men who have misjudged a turn or two and ended up on the side of the road, heart in their throat. It is important to look well ahead of the turn and not only be aware of where the road is leading, but have enough attention scanning for any issues that may arise on the road like potholes, loose gravel, bumps, etc. This is even more of an issue when riding in a group setting where you are responsible for not taking out the person in front of you because you were in lala land, if you don’t feel completely confident in your riding ability, wait a bit before joining a group or join one specifically for novice riders. Riding in a group however has it’s advantages, which include safety in numbers, camaraderie, support, learning from better riders and the list goes on. However, there are disadvantages as well, such as varied levels of experience which can lead to accidents and people riding above their abilities to “fit” in. Never ride someone else’s ride, ride to your comfort level, if it causes your heart to palpitate too much take it back a notch.

Your best friend is knowledge and seat time (sorry no short cuts here ladies), invest and learn as much as you can. Take classes to better your riding, if there is something in particular that you want to improve on or seems to stump you, find a class that addresses that skill or ask a friend who is a rider for their input (however, ask a reliable source). We want women to learn from reputable companies we’ve established relations with and know that they are the leading authorities in their industry. I hope you will take the opportunity to sign up for workshops, courses or track days we put on to get more women out there feeling really good about their rides and loving it. Check out our events section for upcoming dates and be sure to sign up. I hope to see you all out there at the upcoming track day in June, I know you guys are in for a treat. Mark DeGross with 2 Fast puts on a great performance school and you will leave feeling exhausted and excited with your newfound abilities which you will be able to apply immediately on the streets. Ride on Vixens, the weather is looking up if this last weekend was any indicator!

Valves and suspension

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Stock Valves

Stock Valves

There has been a lot of activity getting the bike race lately please accept my apologies for not getting a blog out last week. After speaking to Brian at length about how to get the bike dialed in to fit me and to give me the confidence I needed to fully trust my bike, he encouraged me to change the stock valves in my forks to ensure optimum performance of my bike on the track. The following is an explanation from Brian (FS2) of why we revalved the R6, I hope you find it interesting and informative:

Race Tech Valves

Race Tech Valves

“Stock valving has a lot of limitations, especially when the bike is used for racing or race track applications. For everyday riding stock valving may be fine as you won’t be pushing the limits of your bike, but for racing and track you put much more stress on your suspension and revalving ensures your bike will give you the desired effect needed on the track. First, let’s discuss what a valve is in terms of suspension. A valve is a piece of metal that has been machined to precision (usually on a c&c machine) that will direct oil through orifices drilled into the valve. On each side of the valve are very thin round pieces of spring steel called shims and as the valve moves through the oil the orifices in the valve direct the oil to the shims clamped onto the valve and these shims bend out of the way to allow the oil to pass through. This is what gives the “damping” effect. The stiffer the shims or the more shims that are in place the more force is required to move the valve through the oil.

So here is the problem with stock valves, they have very small orifices. This is fine for slow speed applications (sorta) but as the valve has to move faster through the oil (such as a race track) those small holes simply cannot allow enough oil to pass through with the velocity needed to allow the suspension to compress fast enough to let the wheel absorb road imperfections. This can get dangerous on a racetrack where the speeds require very fast wheel movement through the stroke of the forks or shock. If the wheel can’t get out of the way of the road imperfection fast enough because of the poor valve engineering, traction is the first thing to suffer.

The aftermarket valves we installed into Carol’s bike have MUCH larger orifices in the valves allowing the valve to move very quickly through the same oil. So to control how fast or slow the valve moves through the oil we use the shims. We can make an infinite number of combinations of “shim stacks” to accommodate changes in riding speed, race track conditions, etc. Aftermarket valves are much more responsive and supple, gives us the ability to customize the flow and perfect what we are trying to accomplish for the rider or even as specific as the track (road conditions).

With stock valves there is really only so much you can do, those small holes limit so much. For example, imagine you are trying to squeeze toothpaste from a toothpaste tube, at some point no matter how hard you squeeze the toothpaste will only come out of the hole so fast. It will not come out any faster even if you dropped a Mack truck on it!! That’s stock valving and that Mack truck is like the force you put in your bike in the track. Now take that same tube and make a giant hole three times the size of the original hole and drop the same truck on it. The toothpaste comes out WAY faster. This is like the aftermarket valves. Now all we do to control the flow of toothpaste is we use a set of shims, just like in the valves. But we want the flow to be high through the valve itself, not restricted through small holes. That’s what aftermarket valves do.”

Heather Johnson – In Search of the Frightening and Beautiful

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On my recent trip to New York, I met Heather Johnson at the IMS show and she discussed her new project which includes her two loves, art and riding. Heather will be riding from New York City to Joshua Tree, CA and back collecting texts, artifacts and memorabilia from each site for her project. We look forward to following her journey across the US and wish her safe travels.

click map

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Good Stress

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Lately with all the focus being placed on getting the R6 into race ready condition, there has been a lack of focus on the health aspect of this website which I would like to address. The truth is that in preparing for being a Novice racer with WMRRA this year there has been a great deal of stress in finding out issues related to the bike, what still needs to be done and the financial aspect that continues to grow as more items require my attention. But is all stress necessarily bad stress? No, in fact, stress is important in order to lead a happy and healthy life. Studies have shown that small bouts of stress are actually beneficial and good for us. Our bodies produce adrenaline when we feel threatened which makes our brain function clearer and improves our metal and physical performance. In addition, our immune systems also benefit by moving your white blood cells to wherever they are needed in the body to combat infection, repair tissue and increase your body’s natural defenses. So let’s talk about stress…

As a society, we tend to view stress as negative, but it actually should be more about the degree of stress and how we respond to it. For example, when you are about ready to speak to an audience, that stress and rush of adrenaline you experience can actually help you, it can actually optimize your brain function, temporarily increasing your memory and focus. Short term stress unleashes an army of hormones which helps to clean out any potentially harmful pathogens, but there is a fine line between that periodic type of stress versus the the chronic type of stress such as a rocky relationship or financial issues. If those hormones linger for too long or are released in very large doses then the body’s immune defenses suffer, leading to inflammation and disorders like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.

The key to stress being helpful or ultimately harmful is how you handle the recovery period right after the stressful event. If you let something minor like being stuck in traffic affect you all day (a chronic anxiety), even though you are no longer in it, you are more apt to experience the negative effects of stress on you mentally and physically. It is important to take the necessary steps to bring your heart rate and blood pressure back into balance as quickly as possible. We can’t avoid stress (wouldn’t that be amazing if we could), but we can control the way we react to it, we actually have more control over our well-being than we care to admit. So smile, even if you have to force it, it will actually make you feel better and bounce back quicker. Heck, it may make you look somewhat weird and make you laugh at the mere sight of yourself. How can you feel pissed when you smile, it is way too hard. Say we have a fight with our significant other, when we get stressed the estrogen in our brains releases cortisol for 24 hours making the memory of the spat more pronounced and harder to get out of our minds. The quicker you tend to make up after a quarrel, the sooner you eliminate the threat and the damaging effects it has on your body. Yes, make-up sex, causes a surge of oxytocin which you experience during the big “O” which in turns creates a closer bond between the two of you while lowering adrenaline and cortisol levels, need I say more? Stuck in traffic and stressed? Look at it as a chance to jam to your music and enjoy the extra time getting to your destination, shift your focus to something positive, make a phone call to a friend and catch up (on your bluetooth, of course). Recovery and a quick one at that is what will determine if the stress you experience will either help you or hurt you, so take that deep breath and let it go, things always work out the way they are supposed to. Besides being too stressed also leads to depression and in the words of my youngest son, “Ain’t no body got time for that” and I couldn’t agree more. Ride on ladies and flash those pearly whites!

Street Riding vs. Track Riding

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I’ve been told it is irresponsible to be a motorcycle rider on more than one occasion and my reply is the same every time, “What an ignorant statement!” Most of the time, their comment is based on the fact they don’t ride, are intimidated with riding (even though they secretly wish they could) and/or know someone who has been injured from a motorcycle accident. This usually leads into a debate in which I have a rebuttal for each of their reasons why I shouldn’t, but typically what I find out is fear is the driving force for their comment. Riding a motorcycle to me is like art in motion, but it is also a practice in restraint, when you turn over that engine it is almost daring you to test it’s limits. Egos come into play and I’ve watched many men turn it into a dangerous competition on the streets just to one up each other and it almost never ends well. Sadly, it is always the “big talkers” that cause these problems, the ones that talk about themselves as if they were AMA champion racers themselves. I prefer to ride as far away from these guys as possible because typically they are just that, all talk. Whether you are on the track or on the street you will encounter at least one of these in every group, don’t become buddies with them, don’t try to educate them, stay as far away as you can from them, they are trouble and can end up not just hurting themselves during the course of the day, but you as well. You can’t save everyone, I concentrate on helping people who really want to learn, not just show off.

Starting out as a street rider was scary, trying to navigate the streets while learning how to competently ride a motorcycle was a joke. Here I was trying to shift, brake, start from a stop (without looking like a tool and stalling), remembering to turn off my blinker after a turn, etc. all while dodging cars and white knuckling it through traffic. Thank goodness those days are long gone and my seat time has afforded me more attention to really enjoy my rides. That all did come at a price through and one that I would highly recommend for other street riders who want to use their attention on really enjoying the day, either by themselves jamming to their tunes in their helmets or in a group on an all day ride sharing the scenery and stories of corners mastered with big ole smiles on your faces. The only way you can really enjoy riding is like everything else, putting in the time (sorry no easy way out of this). But I’ll take it one step further, I believe that in educating yourself, through books (not all of them are worth reading) and taking classes (again not all of them are worth while) you can gain the knowledge required to really be able to ride confidently. Street riding is fun, sure it can be dangerous, but I think that is part of the reason we may be attracted to the sport, it keeps us alert and present. We must be aware of our surroundings every second, watching for distracted drivers, hazards on the road, weather, etc. it forces us to detach from the day (good and bad) and focus. I consider it therapeutic, it is my chance to forget about everything and just be, it is very zen-like in that way.

Riding on the track is very different and depending on whether you decide to start on a track day or actually sign up for a track school, you will learn more than you ever imagined. It wasn’t until I took classes at a track school that I honestly learned that I wasn’t even riding to a fraction of what I am capable of because of fear and not having the knowledge necessary to make well informed decisions. Gaining knowledge lead to gaining the confidence I needed to improve and advance to the next step, it was exhilarating! The thing about riding on the track is that during the day you learn the track, the turns (the same ones every lap), where you should be focused for decreasing speed, turn points, rolling back on, body position, etc. You can try to perfect those turn points each lap, it is exactly the same turns every time, you can increase your speed as you realize you can do it without anything happening, heck we are all going the same direction and there is not one car in sight to distract us from the task at hand: Riding. Track riding is all about having a place to test your bike and your limits in a safe and controlled environment. It is also about restraint and not riding over your ability, pushing your limits is one thing, riding over your head is another. I recently read in “Motorcycle Trackday Handbook” by Kent Larson, Pat Hahn, Jason Bishop and Max McAllister about a t-shirt one of the authors had printed which read “Know Fear” on the front and “No amount of BRAVERY can substitute for SKILL and KNOWLEDGE” on the back, think about that when thinking about riding. Track days help us to have a place to ride and push those limits without the risks of doing so on the street, it also helps us to really learn how to corner well at speed, learn the limits of your bike, learn how far out of your comfort zone you are willing to go, take principles learned in class and implement them on the track and to help us tame that naughty speed demon beast. I admit to being guilty of that from time to time.

Don’t forget that the Ducati “Women’s Track Event” is coming up on June 10th and it would be a perfect opportunity for you to sign up (www.ducatibellevue.com) and see what track days are all about. Hope to see you guys out there, 2Fast is a great track school and I know you will walk away amped up and ready to go to another one as soon as possible. Be safe out there Vixens and just ride!

Kudos to us Vixens

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Vixens, as riders we tend to start out at a disadvantage, but being female riders I think shows we have “balls” and we definitely do get major credit for that. I believe it takes a certain type of woman to ride, she has to be confident, outgoing and let’s face it the majority of us have quite the personality to boot. Come on, think about it…getting off your bike with helmet in hand, you can start conversations with anyone and they have a huge amount of respect for you, women because they see how strong and independent you are (yes they want to be you) and men because they think it’s sexy (yeah, they can’t help that, it’s the way they are wired). I only state we are at a disadvantage mostly due to the machines we ride, they were developed without us in mind and I mean this in every way. It limits what kind of bikes some of choose to ride because as beginners it is intimidating to climb onto a machine which may weigh up to 300+ pounds more than us, the seat height is too high and we are unable to touch the ground or feel secure in touching it even 3/4 of the way, the handlebars are too far away, the suspension is too stiff for our body weight, etc. The truth is that many of us don’t want a bike we can’t flat foot at a stop and that ends up limiting what types of bikes we choose to ride as our starter bikes. Don’t get me wrong, starting out with a bike you are completely comfortable with to learn the in’s and out’s of motorcycling is incredibly important, but I find that the fear ends up dictating our choices and before we know it we have outgrown the bike we started with and aren’t fully enjoying the ride.

I will make myself an example in this, I bought a Ducati Monster 696 ABS as a starter bike. I wish I would’ve just bought the 796 (the seat height was also a determining factor, it was slightly higher) instead, but because I was being told that the 696 was more power than I would need, I chose my current bike. In the line of Ducati’s it was the one where I could get the most leverage for my feet to touch, but no one mentioned to me that it could be lowered by shaving the seat down, adjusting the suspension, etc. The truth is that dealerships are meant to sell you a bike, they aren’t there to help you enjoy it or get the most out of it, they are there to turn a profit. It is solely up to us to help educate each other and give each other advice that otherwise could not be learned through them. The first week out while on my tiptoes at a stop, I dropped the bike, it was so embarrassing and it really pissed me off. I went back to the dealership and discussed my issue, but the fact that they were guys, they had little (useful) advice to offer or maybe coming from a guy I just tuned them out. At the time, there was a gal named Rachel, that worked once a week at the dealership and she was way shorter than me and also rode. I asked her the same questions I had asked the guys and she was a plethora of information, the first was to have my seat shaved to gain leverage, lowering the bike using lowering links (which I still have a hard time getting behind unless you are only using the bike for pleasure riding and not leaning your bike in any way), suspension (which is still my go to) and just plain old seat time. I shaved the seat and got my suspension done and guess what? I could’ve gotten that 796 I wanted had someone just been a resource for me and told me what I needed to do to get my bike to fit me. Leverage is a huge factor for a beginner, but as you progress and get more seat time, experience and confidence, fully touching the ground doesn’t become a factor (while it is nice) and you can manage with one foot touching. Don’t be afraid to ask other women riders for advice, especially ones who fit your body type, they understand your struggles and will jump right on board to help you get more out of your ride. Sad to say, but we are the minority when it comes to riding so manufacturers concentrate of the major population of riders which happen to be men, so it is that much more imperative that we band together and show the industry that we do matter. I would love to see the day when a woman can walk into a dealership and be greeted by a knowledgable saleswoman, dealerships that offer free setup for women riders, offer workshops on how to maintain your bike, offer discounts to various businesses that can help us customize our bikes to fit, etc…Yeah it’s a pipe dream, but it isn’t impossible. Until that day arrives though, it is up to all of us to help educate and give each other advice on how to absolutely love our rides.

Tell other women riders about us and have them register on the website and like us on Facebook, we are here to help and make this the best online resource there is. If we can improve in any way let us know. We want to provide you with interesting information for riding and for women’s issues as the two go hand in hand. If there is an event you want posted, an issue you want discussed, etc. let us know via email and we will do it. MotoVixens is a community of women riders that are passionate about riding and their health, as riders we must maintain a certain energy level to focus and ride and it is all about being healthy and fit. Here’s to looking at all us fabulous Vixens! Now go out and Ride C.H.I.C!

Lung Cancer – What you should know

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I was recently reading an article in a magazine that spoke about people that either never smoked or were considered “never smokers” which meant that they had taken a drag on fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lives and their diagnosis of lung cancer, even though they were healthy adults that exercised regularly and ate right.  Of course this caught my eye, since I lost my mother to lung cancer when she was just 47 years of age and never smoked a day in her life.  Sure she was the victim of secondhand smoke, but really who hasn’t been?  It turns out that 1 in 5 women who contract lung cancer are what they consider never smokers and 60% of never smokers with lung cancer are women (researchers think that hormones may play a role in this).  That is staggering especially when you stop to think that they never smoked.  In fact doctors haven’t a clue why nonsmokers get lung cancer, but secondhand smoke, exposure to radon (a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock and water then seeps into homes through cracks in the foundation) and pollution continue to be the main culprits.

Diagnosing lung cancer is tricky since you can’t feel a tumor growing in them until it is large enough to cause discomfort and you start to feel chest pain, a cough that won’t go away, coughing up blood, wheezing or even hoarseness.  Unfortunately, these symptoms are similar to signs of bronchitis and pneumonia and doctors are more prone to diagnose you for infections like these than to order more tests when you fill out your questionnaire about your health and state you are not a smoker.  That is why it is imperative for you to be proactive about your body and your health, ask lots of questions, if there is a history in your family of cancer (of any type) speak to your doctor about your concerns.  Your sensitivity to harmful particles in the air may be hereditary.  When you breathe in carcinogens they are absorbed into the bloodstream and it’s your liver that is in charge of clearing them out, but if your liver is slow it allows those carcinogens to linger in the bloodstream and do their damage.  If you have an overactive liver, they break down non harmful molecules and turn them into carcinogens, which are sent back into the blood to circulate throughout your body, then if your lung cells absorb them then that is where the cancer will grow.  In a study of more than 100,000 women it was found that the more children a women (never smoker) had the less likely she was to get lung cancer.  It is believed that pregnancy may change a woman’s lung cells making them resistant to cancer.

While there is still so much more research to be done to understand lung cancer and what causes it, there are some things that you can do to protect yourself from lung cancer.  There is no diet or magic pill to prevent lung cancer, but researchers know that certain foods and eating strategies can help to lower your risk, no surprise it seems to be the same for maintaining a healthy lifestyle in general.  Vegetables over vitamins, crucifierous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale & cabbage) contain glucosinolates, a type of chemical compound believed to reduce the risk of lung and other cancers.  Even though glucosinolates are available in supplements, the body doesn’t absorb the crucial cancer-fighting compound in pill form as well as it does from food sources.  Get more soy in your diet, the isoflavones (a compound in soy), have been found to slow lung cancer cell growth.  Scientists discovered that people with the most soy in their diet had a 23% lower risk for lung cancer than those with the least.  Drinking tea, in the study those who drank black tea helped to protect nonsmoking women from lung cancer.   Smokers and nonsmokers who drank at least one cup of green tea a day were 5x’s less likely to get the disease than those who didn’t drink any.  Go easy on alcohol, having 3 or more drinks a day increased the risk of lung cancer by 30%.

At the time my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, there was little hope and understanding of the disease (because she had never smoked).  It is nice to know that there is finally research being done and that doctors are aware that the majority of women affected are healthy young women with no history of smoking.  There has also been recent advances in lung cancer medications and therapies which yield better results that the traditional chemotherapy of the past.  There are also several blood and breath tests being developed for early detection and hopefully in the next 5 years there will be one that works to pinpoint the disease accurately.  Also if you are concerned about Radon, you can buy a DIY kit at your local hardware store (or for $15 to $25 at sosradon.org).  If readings are at four picocuries per liter or higher, the EPA recommends that you install a radon reduction system, usually a pipe and fan that vents the vapors to the outside.  Find a certified radon contractor in your area at neha-nrpp.org or nrsb.org.  Don’t forget to alert your doctor who can assess your lung cancer risk.

I hope that this blog has been informative and helpful to you.  If there is something you would like to discuss or would like me to research, please let me know and I would be happy to do so.  In the meantime, be healthy and ride, Vixens!

 

 

Throttle Control – Suspension & Traction

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I know, I know, another blog on throttle control, but I hope in doing this I can stress how important it is in our riding.  How it can make a ride enjoyable or really crappy really fast.  We have more control than we know when we ride, in fact, we have all the control of the outcome of each and every ride.  So let’s talk more technical about how suspension and traction play a role in the big picture.  Throttle control can affect the suspension and traction on the bike in a positive or negative way depending on how you brake and roll on the throttle.  If you break up acceleration into thirds, where cracking it on is the first third, acceleration(midway) being the second third to full acceleration to the last third, stability and traction are best in the middle third.  Say you hit the throttle hard to start, your front end gets light and tends to shake, but as it settles you feel the traction kick in and stabilize the bike allowing you to apply more throttle for more acceleration.  Throttle control affects suspension through weight transfer, too much at one time loads the back end of the bike (stiffening the rear suspension) and as a result reduces traction.  The ideal weight transfer is 10-20 percent to the rear tire which allows the suspension to work in an optimal range (and traction too) especially when cornering and that 10-20 percent can literally only be millimeters of movement in your wrist.  Cornering is especially tricky when it comes to this (and while there are other principles that apply to this including turn points, body positioning and lean which we will discuss in another blog), the earlier the throttle is applied and rolled on the less forced acceleration you will need to complete the turn and the more responsive the rear suspension will be.  According to Keith Code’s “Twist of the Wrist II” the standard rule of throttle control is:  “Once the throttle is cracked on, it is rolled on smoothly, evenly and constantly throughout the remainder of the turn.”  Yeah, easier said than done when you have a moment of panic that causes you to make a decision under duress.  The trick is to stay calm.

Rolling on smoothly like “Barry White” from my other blog has major advantages, like a rear end slide, you can avoid sliding more or a highside if you just stop rolling on and keeping it constant to allow your bike to slow briefly as it tries to align itself.  Remember your bike wants to be stable and will make every effort to get there, unless of course you disturb it in the process.  If the back end is coming around and you let your throttle go, cutting off power, the weight transfers off the rear wheel which can cause it to slide more or even overload the front tire causing it to slide.  Cutting off power by letting go of your throttle causes rear and front suspension to compress and you lose cornering ground clearance.  If you panic during your lean and cut your throttle you could potentially be lifting either one or both of your wheels off the pavement, now that’s an Oh Shit moment!  As you can see, throttle control is more than just acceleration and deceleration, there is an art to it and understanding how it applies to every aspect of riding.  I hope this little blog about how it affects suspension and traction helps to make your ride more enjoyable and through constant practice, second nature.  This doesn’t apply to street and/or track riding only, it applies to all types of riding.  Ride C.H.I.C. (Confident, Hard and In Control) Vixens!  Don’t forget to sign up for the Ducati “Women’s Event” in June where we will put these principles to the test with 2Fast and WMST.