SpokEasy

October 2018

Getting Somewhere?

BACK ISSUES /

Am I getting somewhere? Oh, to be a cat and be able to relax like this; especially after a long ride! And with a cup of hot chocolate, too. But after this morning\’s ride, I began to wonder whether I\’ve really been making progress. AM I getting somewhere? I pulled out the cycling journal that I began in July of last year; and looked for a ride that was roughly comparable to today\’s. On October 22, 2017,  rode 45.10 miles; and had  a headwind of about 10 mph on the way home. My overall average speed was 12.22 mph. Today I rode 51.20 miles; had a headwind of 12-14 mph coming home; and averaged 12.90 mph. So there\’s my answer. I haven\’t improved as much as I would have liked to, but it\’s still progress!

Getting Somewhere? Read More »

More Experiments

BACK ISSUES /

I did more experiments in the kitchen; and the sguschonka turned out fine! I used an 8 oz jar; and filled it only half-full, just to be on the safe side. I wasn\’t sure whether the condensed milk would expand or not. I also laid the jar on its side in the crock pot, to be sure it would stay covered with water. Next I must cook some rice to put the sguschonka in! For today\’s long ride, I did yet more experiments. Instead of only Clif Bars, I also took along Clif Shot Blocks. I alternated between a piece of Clif Bar and a Shot Block. It seems to work all right. Do I ever hope Tour de Cure day does not present us with wind like today\’s! The forecast predicted East wind at 7-11 mph. After I got back home I checked a weather site for its 3-day history; and it said the wind was NE, 12-14 mph from about 9 am — right when I was starting back home, with 25.6 miles to go! There was a gust of 22 mph; and nearly all the way I had that wind right in my face. I managed to average almost 13 mph, which will still be fast enough for TdC; but I\’m not sure I can manage it if I have a stiff wind to fight. Today I had to stop for breathers more often that I would have liked. I was spinning in a low gear with a rapid cadence; something I\’ve become unaccustomed to doing. Note to self: work on it the next few weeks. There\’s not much time left!

More Experiments Read More »

Final Four

BACK ISSUES /

It\’s down to the final four! Four weeks to go until Tour de Cure; and it\’s time to get into final training for the big day! I just got my road bike back from the shop yesterday; I had taken it in for a tune-up; and they said everything\’s fine🙂 How shall I go about these final four weeks? This past week I did short rides on the hybrid; but it\’s not as though I didn\’t ride at all. I\’ll probably be OK doing my usual long Sunday ride tomorrow. There\’s only a 20% chance of rain; or so the forecast says. During the ensuing week, I\’ll keep to my usual ride schedule; including force work on one day. Starting October 14, no more \”force\” exercises on the bike until after TdC. I\’m very glad that I began to do such exercises nearly a year in advance of TdC, because it took months for me to see an effect. The weekend before TdC, I\’ll do a long ride on Saturday instead of Sunday. An easy ride on Sunday; pace rides through Thursday, and an easy ride on Friday, November 2. And the next day is IT! As to tapering during that last week, I probably don\’t need much. It\’s not as though 63 miles is a huge jump up from my usual weekly long ride. Most things that I\’ve read about long rides say that you can do twice your usual weekly long distance in one day. I remember one article that even said you can do three times your usual long distance in a day! Does that mean I could actually go out there and ride 150 miles? This final four will fly past; and I can\’t let myself get lazy!

Final Four Read More »

Bike MS

BACK ISSUES /

The local edition of Bike MS 2018 is in progress this weekend. In 2013 I did it myself! Quite naturally, my memories of Bike MS have become dim. I only jotted down a few notes just after that weekend. On day 1, it got pretty hot; and there was a sprinkle or two of rain. I also noted that the hills seemed stiff to me. On Day 2, it was misty at the start; and they moved the starting time up to 7:30 am because bad weather was in the forecast. Some of us were ready to roll before then; and they let us start. Despite the forecast, I ran into just a few drizzles before the end of the ride. It was, however, getting cooler.  On that first day, several huge flatbed trucks passed us. They were loaded with enormous pine logs; and I could smell the resin as the trucks roared past. I like the smell of pines; but can do without diesel exhaust fumes! Riders had the option of staying over Saturday night in some kind of communal dormitory in a state park near McComb, Mississippi. Only five or six of us stayed there. There was a shuttle that took riders from the stopping point (where there was also food) to the dorm. Near the food station was where our bicycles were stored (and guarded!) overnight. After breakfast next morning, we got them back. We didn\’t have to haul along our stuff for that overnight stay. Separate trucks took our luggage to wherever the riders were staying; and we picked it up when we got to each day\’s stopping point.  I can\’t say how many riders took part the time I rode Bike MS. I was #694, but noticed a #12-hundred-something.  Apparently Bike MS is quite popular!

Bike MS Read More »

Brown Cow?

BACK ISSUES /

I remember hearing the expression, \”How now, brown cow?\” being used as a taunt. Cows, however, are where most of our milk products come from. It doesn\’t matter whether it\’s a brown cow or not. Sguschonka is something I never heard of until a few weeks ago, when I was reading this web site. Naturally I wondered just what sguschonka is, and went googling for recipes. It turns out that Sguschonka is sweetened condensed milk that\’s been cooked into caramel. Today I got a can of the milk so I can try it. I think I\’ll do what that web site says and put the milk into a jar, and cook it overnight in the crock pot. The directions say to let the cooked jars of condensed milk cool. If I didn\’t, would they spray scalding-hot milk into my face; the way a car\’s overheated radiator would spray hot water everywhere if it isn\’t allowed to cool? I\’ll tell you this much: I don\’t want to find out! This might mean destroying the band of a Mason jar®. I suspect that the jar will seal itself tightly after being cooked, then cooled. No problem; I have some extras. I don\’t do canning, but Mason jars are great for storing all sorts of stuff; and they come in six sizes, from 4 oz to a half-gallon! Maybe eating Sguschonka before a ride would let me milk out more miles?

Brown Cow? Read More »

I Must Be Lazy

BACK ISSUES /

I must be lazy. Very lazy, indeed! After more than six years on two wheels, I still seldom try pedaling out of the saddle. My legs still seem to be quite weak; and pedaling while standing tires them in a hurry. Why? Does pedaling out of the saddle use different muscles from pedaling while seated? I also need to get into a very hard gear before making the attempt; or else I feel like I\’m pedaling in thin air. Maybe that\’s why I tire from it so quickly. Or am I lazy? This video mentions moving your body weight forward while pedaling out of the saddle. I\’m very cautious about that, for fear of going endo. It also says something about pedaling slowly in an easy gear; but when I try to pedal out of the saddle, I wind up pedaling slowly in a very hard gear. I\’ve noticed that trying it in an easier gear makes it feel harder to control the bike. I also read somewhere that leaning too far forward while pedaling out of saddle increases rolling resistance; because it \”grinds\” the front wheel into the ground. With all that swirling about in my head, it amazes me to see Tour de France riders \”dancing on the pedals\” while ascending a mountain. They make it look so easy!

I Must Be Lazy Read More »

A Little List

BACK ISSUES /

I\’ve got a little list, like Koko of Gilbert and Sullivan fame. I love Gilbert and Sullivan! Sir Arthur Sullivan composed delightful music; and as for Sir William Gilbert, he had a way with words if ever anyone did. When I go grocery shopping, I\’ve got a little list; and if I didn\’t, I\’d forget half of what I needed to buy! And then there\’s this kind of list. For some years I\’ve enjoyed making my own additions to such lists. Earlier ones that I saw did not include the item about using hand signals while walking along the sidewalk, an addition that I had made. I can make this amendment, too: You\’re in the grocery store, pushing along a cart. You want to get past somebody, and instead of saying, \”Excuse me, please\” you\’re feeling around on the cart\’s handle for a bell to ring! Or you keep thinking you\’re wearing your bicycle helmet even when you aren\’t. And this freakish one: you sit down on something that\’s not your bicycle\’s saddle, and are surprised that it doesn\’t feel like that saddle. It reminds me a little of something I read about Dick Button, I believe it was. One day, while not on the ice, he suddenly felt unsteady. He then realized that he felt more confident on ice skates than off! Maybe we can add \”You\’d rather ride a bicycle across a frozen lake than walk around the lake\” to the list?

A Little List Read More »

Drink Up!

BACK ISSUES /

Drink up; but is plain water best while on the bike? I\’ve read plenty about drinks for cyclists doing long rides. I\’m not sure I\’ve ever tried a carbohydrate variety. Zym, my preferred non-water, on-bike choice, is non-carb. I\’m not sure that I really need a carb drink. I\’m not out there doing pro-level training; and I\’m not doing long, intense rides. I get the impression that carbohydrate drinks are best reserved for very long rides of 100 miles or more; especially if you\’ll be pushing the pace hard. Maybe they\’re a little easier on the stomach than solid food. When I\’m doing a hard workout, I notice that my stomach starts to feel  uncomfortable. That\’s to be expected, I guess. It seems that everything I\’ve read about cyclist training says that, while you\’re riding, your blood gets diverted to your legs; heart; and lungs. That leaves much less blood for your stomach, compromising digestion; and makes training  your gut vital when you\’re working up to long rides. Training the gut also includes fluids. It\’s easy to say, \”Drink up\”; but if I drink too much liquid while on a long ride, my stomach starts to feel \”sloshy\”. That\’s uncomfortable at best; so the trick is to drink enough that I don\’t dehydrate, but not so much that my gut approaches the edge of queasiness. Yet another way in which cycling is a balancing act!

Drink Up! Read More »

Fartlek

BACK ISSUES /

Fartlek, despite its off-color sound, doesn\’t fall into the \”unprintable\” category. It derives from the Swedish for \”speed play\”. I first encountered \”fartlek\” in reference to cross-country skiing. It\’s rather like a song I heard as a young child: \”Giddy-up, giddy-up little pony/Now walk a little while\”. Speed play is very similar; whether on skis or on a bicycle. Incidentally, this predates My Little Pony® by many years. It was from a kiddie book that my brother had, about a little boy named Billy who got a pony. A rider doing an interval workout is performing speed play, too. The intervals might be very fast and hard; and the time between them very slow and easy. A cyclist who is out on a casual long ride also might goes fast or slow at whim. Maybe I should try that when I\’m out on a Sunday long ride; instead of trying to maintain a steady pace! In a sense, you could say that we perform fartlek all day long! Sometimes we walk fast; and at other times we drag our feet. We might run like heck to catch the bus before it pulls away from the bus stop. There you have it. Play with your speed, and have fun!

Fartlek Read More »

The Numbers Are In

BACK ISSUES /

The numbers are in! To be precise, my Cycle September numbers are in. I logged my rides in the Love to Ride site all month; and today I checked to see what my total was. The number given was 542 miles. I was surprised, because I didn\’t think it was really that much.  I dug into my pen-and-paper cycling journal to double check that figure; and I came up with a total of 521.23 miles. Then I remembered: when I log rides online for such challenges, the numbers are automatically rounded off. For instance, 14.6 miles becomes 15 miles. Those extra few-tenths of miles, like pennies, can really add up! Now that the numbers are in, I\’m back to my usual routine; and take Mondays off from bicycles. I think it\’s good for me to have a day away from riding once a week. My legs can recover better from the long Sunday ride. Did anybody out there do the Cycle September challenge? How did it go?

The Numbers Are In Read More »