SpokEasy

January 2019

What\’s My Ratio?

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Whats my ratio? Do I have more slow-twitch or fast-twitch muscle fibers? Aside from having a muscle biopsy done, I suppose that determining muscle-fiber composition is a matter of deduction. The fast-twitch fibers come to the forefront during short, hard bursts of pedaling, such as sprints. During a long ride at a moderate pace, the slow-twitch fibers carry the day. We all have both types of muscle fibers, in our own unique ratios. Sometimes I wonder which type of fiber is predominant in my own muscles. When I work at pushing the cadence while in a very hard gear, my legs tire quickly. Does that mean that I have a long way to go in building strength; or does it mean that I don\’t have a lot of fast-twitch fibers? Perhaps both? On the other hand, a high cadence in a very low gear (as when fighting a 25 mph headwind) leaves my legs feeling heavy and tired. Have I become too much of a masher? I seem to be most comfortable when I can ride the big ring with a medium-large cog; and at a cadence in the 70s. Is that mashing, or is it spinning? Or does it really  matter whether I have 3:1 slow-twitch : fast-twitch fibers; the other way around; or something entirely different? Running all those numbers through my mind during a ride won\’t make the ride any more fun. Knowing my exact muscle-fiber composition would be merely satisfying my curiosity. I\’d probably go right back to riding the same way I\’ve been riding; but at least I\’d know: what\’s my ratio.

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I Had It Hard?

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And I thought I had it hard! What cyclist doesn\’t want to become a better rider? Not that I really need to ask. Most of us do want to improve: we want to be able to cruise faster (raise my hand); or to climb better; or to ride single track MTB trails better. We\’d like to improve our strength by off-bike workouts; although perhaps not to the point where we\’re out cold like this fellow here. From what I\’ve read about it, such a workout level may not be needed for a cyclist looking for increased core and upper body strength. Improving cycling skills isn\’t easy. But however hard I work, I\’m sure I\’ll never approach what a paralympian does  to attain such success. And I thought I had it hard! Can you imagine riding a bicycle when one of your legs is a prosthetic from just below the knee? It seems to me that I\’d feel very lopsided until I became accustomed to using one whole leg, and one leg from the knee up. And then there are riders who use hand-powered cycles. It would take me a long, long time to adapt to such a way of riding. Upper-body strength has never been a — well — strength of mine. It seems to be, at least in part, a result of the way I\’m built. But if lost the use of my legs and wanted to keep cycling, I\’m sure I\’d find a way to manage it — however hard it is.

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Ring In the New?

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Shall we ring in the new? Kettlebells are a workout item that I haven\’t yet tried. An online article by Bicycling demonstrates a few basic moves. I\’m glad to find that kettlebells come in a 5-lb version; and vinyl-coated as well. I\’m not crazy about having vinyl around because it smells weird;  but I guess that a \”bell\” with some sort of coating will help to soften an accidental bump. A few such bumps are probably inevitable when learning to swing that thing around! The vinyl coating should also prevent rust; and that\’s always a consideration in a humid climate.  Here\’s the catch: would I be able to keep up a twice-weekly kettlebell session? Would it be OK to replace one core workout with the kettlebell one? The article says, after all, to keep your core engaged while performing the exercises. It\’s plain fact that the off-bike exercises I\’ve been doing for almost five years are getting dull. Maybe it\’s time to ring in the new! They say you need to change routines sometimes, to \”keep your muscles guessing\”. That\’s supposed to help them to get stronger; and to prevent imbalance issues that can occur if you continually work some muscles, but not others. The change in routine can be good for the mind as well. As to actually acquiring a kettlebell, I think it\’s better for me to buy one from a brick-and-mortar store. I can (sort of) simulate a 10-lb kettlebell by holding a 5-lb weight in each hand, but how about a 15-lb kettlebell? I\’d rather test my ability to heave that thing before paying for it. I just hope that, if I do get a kettlebell, is doesn\’t turn out to be a dead ringer.

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Bad News for Chatterboxes?

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Is this bad news for chatterboxes? I know the weather will be much colder over the next couple of days in much of the USA. Even here in New Orleans, tomorrow night it\’s expected to drop to freezing; and for us, that\’s very cold. But it\’s hard to imagine the weather being so frigid that people are advised against talking while outdoors! And to avoid deep breathing, too! Avoiding deep breathing would be nigh well impossible while riding a bicycle, unless you\’re doing a recovery ride. Such a ride isn\’t intense enough to keep a rider warm; and that\’s not much good on a sub-freezing day, right? I\’d have a hard time of it if I relocated to the North; and the same might go for the Midwest. How would I keep from getting too out of condition during long spells of nasty Winter weather? I\’d have to get used to spending a lot of time pedaling in the trainer! And probably get a set of rollers, too. The drawback to a trainer is that it holds the bicycle up for you; but rollers don\’t. I tried rollers, and it\’s hard to get the hang of them. I think a lot of my trouble with them was that I was overly tentative when starting a \”ride\”; but eventually I sold the rollers. Maybe some day I\’ll try them again. Meanwhile, stay warm, everyone! If you like to chat with a riding companion as you roll along, I hope this cold snap isn\’t bad news for chatterboxes.

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Rails to Trails

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Rails to Trails Conservancy is on to something, I think. If a railroad isn\’t using a particular route any longer, why not let the public have access to it for recreation and non-motorized transportation? Rails to Trails routes are multi-use, so both cyclists and hikers could use the same routes. Apparently there are quite a few such trails in the USA. If only I were close to some of them! Yes, I have the MRT a stone\’s throw away, but riding a bicycle atop that levee can get tiresome in a strong wind! Much of the day it\’s also completely unshaded. That\’s not so good in hot weather when I\’m out riding for several hours. One of the most attractive features of a rail trail is, to me, its flatness. If such a trail passes through a mountainous area, I guess it would be very long and winding to allow for the low grade. What a great way that would be to catch some marvelous scenery! Rail trails also exist in other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Germany. How about a world tour using rail trails? Where did I put my bucket list?

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Wrap Sheet?

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I think I may need a wrap sheet! For keeping warm during cold-day rides, a friend mentioned ThermaCare.  One of these wraps emits heat for 8 hours. I\’m unlikely to be on my bike for that long; and the instructions indicate that a wrap is a single-use item. Using them regularly would be a major money drain. What are other ways to keep warm when the ambient temperature is below 40 degrees; and the wind makes it seem to be sub-freezing? I think all cyclists are familiar with layering: wearing several layers of lighter-weight clothing instead of one heavy jacket. Of late I\’ve certainly needed that! How many layers? Only experience lets you know what will work for you. And temperature, of course, isn\’t the only consideration. Is it windy? How strong is the wind? Will it be a headwind when you\’re on the way home during your weekly long ride, and getting tired? That can be a miserable slog; and I shudder to think of adding rain to the mix. ThermaCare amounts to a portable heater. A wrap sheet like that might make cold-day rides easier to bear. I\’d be less tempted to cozy up in bed like that kitty, and sleep late.

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A Matter of Degree?

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Is it all a matter of degree? As cyclists, we\’re bound to spend quite a lot of time outdoors; and that means paying close attention to the weather. Are the skies fair; or will it rain? Is it calm, or windy? If the latter, how strong is that wind; and at what point in the ride will it be a headwind? What\’s the temperature? And, are we talking about Fahrenheit or Centigrade? In the USA we use Fahrenheit, but most of the rest of the world uses Centigrade (aka Celsius). It seems a bit strange to me to read about the day Tom Simpson died during the 1967 Tour de France; and see that 40 degrees is considered warm. In fact, doing the conversion, 40 degrees Celsius is downright hot; 104 degrees Fahrenheit. And was that before factoring in humidity? Here, if the thermometer read 104 degrees on a swelteringly humid day, it would seem even hotter than that. In fact, I\’m we\’d have a heat advisory in effect! In humid conditions, perspiration doesn\’t evaporate; and we all go around enveloped in our own personal saunas. High humidity also makes cold weather seem colder. Your very bones feel chilled. I, for one, feel sluggish in cold weather; and have no patience with the argument that \”cold weather makes you feel perked up\”. It. Does. NOT!! Not in this humid climate. It\’s 40 degrees, you say? Let me know whether that\’s Fahrenheit or Celsius, so I\’ll know how to dress. It\’s a matter of degree.  

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I Feel Like Hibernating!

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I feel like hibernating! Another onslaught of frigid air is on the way and I\’m considering changing my ride schedule because of it, even if I can\’t hibernate. Usually Monday is off-bikes day; but I think I\’ll want to readjust things this week. According to the forecast, tomorrow morning it will be 45 degrees; but with little wind. Day after tomorrow, however, the forecast says 47 degrees, and with a wind of 21 mph! Then on Wednesday, 35 degrees; but a wind of 6 mph.  So, will the chill factor be worse Tuesday, or Wednesday? I found a wind-chill calculator, and figured it out. Results: Tuesday, wind chill 39 degrees; Wednesday, wind chill 30 degrees. Great. Both days will be plenty cold! Now I have to decide whether to take Tuesday or Wednesday off from riding. And I can tell you this: my nose will be running so fast, I won\’t be able to keep up with it! Cold temperatures do that; and wind makes it worse. Considering how much harder a strong wind makes it to control a bicycle, skipping the ride on Tuesday seems to make more sense. But Wednesday the chill factor will be colder, because the temperature will be much lower to begin with. Whichever day I ride, I\’ll have to layer up big time. Today I did a longish ride, 37.4 miles. I guess I\’ll do an easy ride tomorrow, take Tuesday off, and then decide what to do Wednesday. Come Saturday, I hope our local groundhog says that Winter is over! I feel like hibernating; but I\’m getting tired of it.

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I Done It Again

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I done it again!😡 I can\’t wait until it\’s warm enough for me to not need those \”wombat\” gloves! They make just about everything harder, from working the left-hand shifter (for the front gears, i.e. chain rings) to getting a bite to eat out of my top-tube pouch. Today again, it was a struggle to try shifting onto the big ring. The chain came off, and I had to stop and put it back on. This time a group of about five riders came by, and they stopped to be sure I was OK. One of them held my bicycle upright while I put the chain back onto the small ring, which helped a lot. Then I displayed my greasy fingers, and asked whether that meant my chain was over-lubed. He said, it probably did. So now I have to go attend to that chain. I\’d better measure it, too, to be sure it\’s not approaching replacement time. As to the trouble with shifting, maybe the front derailer needs some adjusting. I\’m not eager for more I done it again episodes.

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Wannabe \”Wrench\”

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I\’m a wannabe wrench, I guess. I have often wished I were better at basic bicycle mechanics, maintenance, and repair; that is, to be a \”wrench\”. Proceed with caution. I bet I\’d be great at losing parts; or forgetting in what order multiple parts came off of the bicycle. Then I\’d have a terrible time getting them put back on the bike, IF I could get them back on at all. I suppose you could remove what seems to be a single part, only to find that it\’s got multiple parts-of-parts inside. Fun, huh? I\’ve said enough times that I don\’t dare use one of my bicycles as a guinea pig. I guess putting the chain back on the small ring is a start, as is removing/replacing wheels. Especially the rear wheel. I still don\’t feel confident about that. Working on the tires? I know what to do to change an inner tube, but have always been terrible about practicing it. In part that\’s because cold weather causes my skin to get very dry. Struggling to get that tire on and off the rim means my cuticles get torn up; and even bleed. Bloody fingers aren\’t helpful in the workshop. Maybe someday I\’ll have the time and space (and the money!) for the luxury of my own bicycle workshop; then I won\’t have to be a wannabe wrench any more. Meanwhile there\’s always  the local bike shop!

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