SpokEasy

January 2019

Bicycling with Arthritis

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I\’m bicycling with arthritis. I\’ve had osteoarthritis in both knees for many years; and in fact I developed it at a rather young age. Why, I don\’t know. I had done jogging in previous years; but much of it was on non-paved surfaces. I always did stretching exercises both before and after. Then, when I suddenly got so chronically, horribly tired, I didn\’t have the energy for jogging; or for much else. Subsequently I was quite inactive for eight to ten years; and then I began to walk to work. Between then and the time I got the adult trike is when the arthritis set in. Luckily my knees don\’t hurt or feel stiff, although they can sound like Rice Krispies® when I do any kind of knee-bend exercise; especially the one-legged kind.  Single-leg squat exercises also tend to make the areas around my knees feel more strained than I like. I wonder whether that means I should avoid such exercises; or whether it means that I need them. Cycling is supposed to be a good activity for people who have arthritic knees, because it\’s non-impact. How ironic, then, that cycling can also lead to the development of osteoarthritis! Either way, I\’m bicycling with arthritis. I don\’t see that as a reason to stay off the bike. We all need exercise, myself not excepted; and cycling doesn\’t have to mean putting in grueling training sessions. On the other hand, always riding at a leisurely pace doesn\’t help me to improve my strength/speed/power. I need to push things sometimes, but not overdo it. It\’s the old \”moderation in all things\”; especially since I\’m bicycling with arthritis.

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Is It Over?

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Is it over; or is there still more to come? It seems as though the worst of the rain has bypassed my neighborhood, unless it poured before I was awake. It might have done so; and given the forecast, I decided not to try going out for groceries. I didn\’t even get up until past 10 am — what a rare luxury! I wish I could do that more often; because, when I can, I feel all the better for it. The forecast still says there\’s a 90% chance of showers in the next hour or so; and the wind sounds like it\’s getting stronger, too. The low temperature tonight will be below 40 degrees. Tomorrow it will still be windy; and cloudy until mid-morning. The chill factor will be most unpleasant, I\’ve no doubt. It\’s likely to feel like the temperature is below freezing! How to dress for a ride in such conditions? Layering! 1) undershirt; 2) long-sleeved blouse; 3) vest (in my case, an old cycling jacket sans sleeves); 4) cycling jacket; 5) leg warmers; 6) double socks; 7) skull cap; 8) heavy gloves. And possibly yet another windbreaker; and maybe an old pair of slacks over the leg warmers! The problem with that is, my Camel-Bak pockets don\’t have much room for me to stuff clothing into them because of all the other stuff I carry. If I start to feel too warm, the best I can do is to unzip things. I\’m glad it\’s not expected to rain tomorrow. Cold and wind make bike handling difficult enough. Rain only makes it harder; and chills me through on top of it all. So, is it over? Rain, rain, go away!

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Missed Mist?

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I missed mist this morning! After last night\’s forecast, I expected to be like the person in this pic: almost blind in the fog. Much to my surprise, it wasn\’t very foggy; except for one stretch where any fog tends to be heavier, anyway. It was a relief to be able to see where I was going; and I\’m glad that I missed mist. I could have worked on my speed, because I could actually see where I was going; I but decided to stick with my plan to ride short and easy. When I\’ve skipped a day because I didn\’t feel very well, it\’s probably wise not to jump right back into the intense stuff. Now I\’m checking out tomorrow\’s forecast; and it isn\’t at all favorable. It\’s going to be one of those strange days when the high temperature is in the morning, with the mercury falling all day. Early in the day, the wind will already be 15-20 mph; maybe up to 30 mph by afternoon. Rain is all but certain. A grocery run seems unlikely; and I guess I\’ll have to put the bike in the trainer if I want to get in a little exercise. By Sunday the rain should be over, but the wind will still be strong; gusts up to 30 mph. I wish such winds wouldn\’t occur on the day when I have a long ride planned. At least it should be a tailwind on the way home. Maybe I should swap things around and do my long ride on Monday? A three-day weekend comes in handy in more ways than one.

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Anybody?

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Has anybody out there done a bicycle tour? It didn\’t have to be in the mountains; and if I were to make a bicycle tour, I\’d be wise to tackle one that\’s mostly (preferably entirely) flat! Did you do one of Adventure Cycling\’s tours? Those epic tours sound terrific; but I think a shorter, van-supported tour would be a good idea for my first tour. Baby steps, they always say! I don\’t have a touring bike that can be rigged to carry a lot of gear. I could probably rent one; but I\’d have to have it well in advance of the tour, so I can practice. If, like me, you\’re at sea about touring bikes, this video might be a good starting point. What did you do to train up before the tour? How long before the tour did you begin training? I expect that a lot depends on current fitness level. I can ride 50 miles in a day; but 50 miles a day for days on end is another matter. If you don\’t live in hill country, but had a mountainous tour planned, what did you do to prepare for climbing? There are tricks such as riding hard into the wind, or pushing for a high cadence in a very hard gear. But how much of such work is needed? And what about pacing? How fast do these bicycle tour riders go? My long rides currently average about 13 mph or a bit more; is that too slow? Sometimes the open road seems quite alluring. Other times I think, Not so fast. Anybody?  But one never knows. I think I\’ll keep the option open.  

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When Things Are Off

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What do we do when things are off? You know those days when things simply aren\’t right? You\’re so tired and sleepy that, by the time you can manage to drag yourself out of bed, it\’s too late for your pre-work ride. On top of that, you feel too blah to care! That\’s how it was with me this morning. I might not feel so sluggish of mornings if it were warmer in here. Being cold saps my energy; and I like to joke that I\’m cold-blooded. I\’m also rather short of sleep lately, which does not help. See \”When Stop Does Not Mean Go\” in this article. When my head feels stuffy and my energy levels are low, I guess it\’s better to skip riding for a day or two. I might feel better if I irrigated my sinuses; but I probably need an entire new kit. I hope I feel more perky tomorrow; but unfortunately the forecast is for \”Widespread dense fog\”, with wind 5-10 mph. I\’ve always associated fog with lack of wind, so a forecast for both fog and wind seems a bit odd to me. Day after tomorrow they\’re predicting rain; and winds of 15-25 mph! That doesn\’t bode well for a grocery run. I guess I\’ll have to set up a bicycle in the trainer;  but \”riding\” like that is best reserve for when things are off.  

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Put Your Foot In

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Put your foot in it; or on it, anyway, although I don\’t like to ride a bicycle in my bare feet. It\’s not comfortable. What I mean is pedals. There are the flat \”platform\” pedals that come on many bicycles. My adult tricycle came with that kind; and so did the hybrid. After several  months I swapped the hybrid\’s original pedals for Shimano SPD\’s. Clip-ins improve pedaling efficiency, so it is said; and I find it to be true. Road bikes are sold without pedals, because there are quite a few different systems (more than I can go into here); and each rider has an individual preference. I had kept the hybrid\’s original pedals when I got the clip-ins; and I had the clip-ins switched to the road bike, and the old pedals put back on the hybrid. It now feels weird to ride on platform pedals. Even toe clips are much more efficient than platforms. The platform sides of the Shimano SPD\’s aren\’t comfortable unless I\’m wearing thick-soled shoes, because of the toothed edges. Fortunately I seldom need to ride the platform pedals. The catch about those dual-system Shimano pedals is that it\’s sometimes hard to get my free foot clipped in once I\’ve started riding. I\’ve seen road-bike pedals that let you clip into either side of the pedal; but I don\’t feel ready for \”roadie\” shoes yet. I\’ll stick with those SPDs, even though they\’re actually MTB pedals. Maybe I\’ll get roadie pedals someday; do they let you put your foot in it? Meanwhile, let\’s hope there isn\’t any foul work afoot!

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Wolf!

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Wolf! Is there a wolf out there? If the forecast for this coming weekend is accurate, it’s going to seem like the Big Bad Wolf (of Three Little Pigs notoriety) is trying to blow down the brick house. The strongest winds are expected over Saturday night. Gusts up to 35 mph! Showers are in the forecast for Saturday morning; and that rather dampens (no pun intended) any plans to run errands by bicycle. At least Sunday is expected to be sunny; but the wind will still be 15-20 mph. With the temperature already in the low 40s, that will push the chill factor as low as the freezing point. It makes riding so much harder! One, it’s already cold; two, I’m fighting the wind; and three, heavily gloved fingers make on-bike eating harder. It’s also hard to drink enough when I’m already cold; and all I have is cold fluid. Then, Sunday night, it’s going to get even cooler. That probably won’t last long; but it’s also likely to rain once the temperature rises a little. All these crazy fluctuations in temperature from day to day make me yearn for Summer. At least then I know it will just be hot and humid. It’s a nuisance having all sorts of gloves, leg warmers, and other cold-weather gear lying all over the place. They take up precious space; and it can be hard to keep track of them all. Maybe we can persuade the wolf to go elsewhere. Maybe to Blow the Man Down? This blog/page may contain affiliate links. “We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.” ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and  retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © This website is the property of its author. DISCLAIMER I am not a cycling coach; nor a health professional. This site is based on my own experiences, opinions, etc. If you need help, please consult the appropriate professional.   FRESH FROM MY JOURNAL Bolivia January 7, 2024 Beating the Weather January 7, 2024 Real Saturday January 6, 2024 Roadie Again! January 5, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Road ID

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Ever hear of Road ID? We all hope nothing bad happens during a bicycle ride; or, in fact, at any time. But what if an emergency does crop up? Sure, take along your driver\’s license and health insurance card on every ride. There\’s also Road  ID. I\’ve seen it mentioned before. I had the idea it was a card, but the web site makes it clear that it isn\’t. I already wear a MedicAlert bracelet, and do I really need another bracelet dangling about my wrist? Maybe I could get the Shoe variety. Road ID a good idea. I carry contact info with me in case I need to have somebody pick me up when I\’m on a long Sunday ride. A couple of months ago, in fact, that came in handy! I had propped my road bike against a wall, and it slid down to the ground. The impact broke the rear derailer hanger, making the bicycle unrideable. If I hadn\’t had a way to contact anybody, I would have had a miserably slow, 14.5-mile walk home!  

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Magic Touch?

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Some people have the magic touch. I took the Garmin to the bike shop after work. I told them what was going on; and one of the guys took the Garmin and pressed the on/off button. Wouldn\’t you know, the crazy thing turned on immediately. I guess the man has a magic touch. It turned out that the computer was totally out of charge; but I have no ida how that happened. I though I had turned it off after charging it up day before yesterday; but maybe I didn\’t. At any rate, the guys at the bike shop said to take the Garmin home and charge it up; and see how it goes. Lately I got some strange heart-rate readings from the thing; and I hope that corrects itself! While I was at the shop anyway, I looked at Cateye computers; and some of them cost much less than I feared I might have to spend to replace the hybrid\’s computer. Things are looking up again.

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SMART

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When I was a kid, I used to like to watch a TV show called, Get Smart. One Maxwell Smart was working against an entity called KAOS (which I thought was  \”chaos\”). I remember one episode when the KAOS guys had tied up Maxwell Smart hand and foot, and stood him on his head in a corner. They had just exited out one door when Smart\’s working partner, Agent 99, came in through another door. He looked up at her and said, \”Hello, 66!\” She said, \”But, I\’m 99.\” Max says, \”I know, but you\’re upside down!\” Why that has stuck in my mind is beyond me. Aren\’t memories weird? Then there\’s SMART training for the cyclist or, I should suppose, any athlete. I\’m not so sure I\’ve been following it very well. Specific? \”Get faster\” is, indeed, rather vague. For years my list of cycling goals has included \”increase cruising speed to 15 mph\”. That gives me a target to shoot for. Unfortunately I haven\’t been doing it quite right (see \”Attainable\”, below). Measurable? Not as easy as it sounds. Checking for gains in my average speed over time might not mean much, when so many variables can affect average speed (terrain, wind, etc.) Attainable? Increasing my cruising speed is a goal I believe I can reach. I\’m better at averaging 15 mph for as long as 10 miles; time was when it took great effort to touch 15 mph for a brief moment. But I still can\’t do it for hours on end. Realistic? Working up to 15 mph, yes. I\’m not yet where I want to be with it, but I\’ve made some progress. How about 20 mph? Sometimes I can touch it and even hold it for a few seconds; does that indicate potential? Time-specific? Here is where I fall short, I think. As a new year begins, it\’s so easy to think that there\’s no hurry about working towards your goals for the year. Then, before you know it, it\’s December!

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