SpokEasy

March 2019

Easy Does It?

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Easy does it; at least, sometimes it does. When we decide we want to become a better cyclist, what do we do? We train. What does \”better cyclist\” mean? If we want to do a long ride, whether on our own or in a group, it means training up. Training is how we improve the ability to ride longer; or faster; or even both. Wanting to become a racing cyclist means even more training. I can easily be tempted to do hard efforts, trying see how fast I can go. The temptation strikes often enough when I should be riding at a steady, moderate pace; or even doing an easy ride. But I know that this isn\’t a good idea, even for a recreational cyclist. For the serious cyclist, overtraining is a constant specter. Even seasoned pro cyclists must guard against overtraining. How do we go about that? In the days before Garmins and power meters, they used RPE. Some even say that using RPE has an advantage over using all these electronic devices, because athletes using RPE are better in tune with their bodies. I take the lazy way out and use a Garmin. It lets me keep tabs on my heart rate as I ride; and if I start feeling too \”gaspy\” I\’ll check my heart rate. I might need to ease up! After a ride I\’ll consult an RPE chart and think about how my ride felt on average, and determine my RPE from that. Sure, go hard sometimes. It\’s how we get stronger. But when the day comes for an easy ride, well, easy does it! Post

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Out for a Spin

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Going out for a spin can turn into hard work. Today I got in 40+ miles. On the way back home, as usual, I had a headwind; and it seemed to be strengthening. The forecast that I checked last night said, 7 mph wind; but it felt stronger than that. And in fact it was. After I got home I looked at the weather site again. The wind had risen to 10 mph before I finished my ride. When the breeze finally swung around so it was behind me, the fartlek mood struck. I made three efforts of 20-30 seconds to see how fast I could go; specifically, I tried to reach at least 20 mph. At least twice, I made it; and in fact, I touched 22.9 mph! I was spinning at a fairly high cadence much of the time, at an average of 83 rpm. I also averaged 83 rpm during yesterday\’s ride, when I was specifically working on low-gear, high-cadence pedaling. That ride is probably why I felt a bit tired today. I usually don\’t do that on Saturdays, but maybe I need to get into the habit. It\’s funny about spinning. In its own way, spinning is as tiring as mashing. It makes my legs feel oddly heavy. Mashing, on the other hand, is apt to make my legs feel burn-y. It\’s something to  keep in mind when I go out for a \”spin\”.  

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Cashing In

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I wish I were cashing in. Don\’t we all? I know, I know. This isn\’t a financial advice site. I\’m not qualified to dish out advice about money, except this: If you don\’t NEED to spend it, DON\’T spend it. Even then I\’m none to good about following that bit of wisdom. What\’s money got to do with cycling, anyhow, you say? We know there are pro riders out there. How do they handle their finances? How much does a pro cyclist earn, anyhow? From what I\’ve read here and there, it depends on the team\’s budget; the rider\’s ranking both in the cycling world in general and within his/her team; whether the rider is a domestique or a contender; and so on. Some of the highest-ranked pro riders earn big money. It looks as though even a \”newbie\” can earn more in a year than I do at my job. Sounds pretty good, doesn\’t it? But openings on pro cycling teams are few; and how many cyclists are there on this planet? Millions? BILLIONS? And look how many make it to Tour de France. Fewer than 200 each year. A career as a pro cyclist is usually comparatively short. A rider might turn pro by the late teens/early twenties, and leave the pro peloton by about age 43; or perhaps sooner. There\’s always the risk of a career-ending crash; and a team might go out of existence on short notice. Therefore I\’d guess that pro cyclists must save for the future like the rest of us. They\’ll need have something to live on after cashing in their chips, and retiring from the pro circuit.

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Heart Transplant

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My hybrid got a heart transplant. Earlier this week I took it to the bike shop. Several times recently I found my bike knocked over after work (for reasons too long to go into here, I suspect deliberate action); and wanted to be sure the rear derailer and/or its hanger weren\’t damaged. It wasn\’t; but the guys at the shop did say that the derailer was getting worn out. After 12,000+ miles, maybe that\’s to be expected. I also suspected that the gears were getting worn. So, after work day before yesterday, I dropped the hybrid at the shop. This morning they called to say that it was ready for pick-up, and I walked over there to get it. I not only have a new rear derailer; I have a new 6-speed cassette. The old cassette had 7 cogs; and it seems strange to be on the biggest cog, and have my twist-shift indicator show \”2\”. I guess replacing that shifter would have taken a lot more time, and also cost a lot more. I didn\’t have the hybrid available early this morning, so I skipped doing a grocery run. Instead, I went for a short (10 miles) spin on the road bike; and practiced 15-second spurts of low-gear, high-cadence pedaling. This exercicse can be hard on the lungs and send your heart rate up; but when you\’ve got a stiff headwind and miles still to go, this is a skill that comes in handy — even if it does make me feel like I need a heart transplant.

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Feline?

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Are we cyclists feline? No, not \”feline\” as in the three little kittens of the old song. But look at this. Tour de France riders live longer, they say. Those cyclist put in years of strenuous training before they even line up for the Grand Depart; and that gives them strong hearts. Exercise helps keep blood pressure and weight under control, whether you\’re a pro athlete or not; and pro tour riders probably have a much more healthful diet than many of us. Pro tour riders need to be lean, with a high power-to-weight ratio. After all, they must face some stiff climbs over the course of Le Tour; and they need to be lithe and agile, like cats. Cats have a reputation for always landing on their feet. Pro riders typically get up and ride on after a crash, although how they manage it is a puzzle to me. If I go down, even at a very modest 10 mph, it knocks the wind out of me; and leaves me feeling lightheaded, weak, and shaky. It can take days to wear off. Imagine climbing right back onto the bike after you\’ve gone down at 25 mph (or much more!); and your Lycra® is in shreds; and your skin looks like raw meat. Pro cyclists are a hardy lot for sure; or maybe they have the nine lives of a cat?

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Steppes Towards Improved Cycling?

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Steppes Towards Improved Cycling? 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.” For steppes towards improved cycling, why not head for — well — the steppes? We see in this video people riding camels and horses there. Why not bicycles? Crossing Mongolia on two wheels sounds like a marvelous adventure. Wide open country has always appealed to me, maybe because I don’t get to see much of it. It would be great to ride where the racket of everyday life in “civilization” is far away. What steps does a cyclist need to take to prepare for such a trek? Or even for a comparatively short one such as a century? How can we improve our cycling abilities? Well, maybe exercises on an aerobic stepper would be a good start.  Actually, I think it depends on what you mean by “improve”. Do you want to get faster? Be able to ride longer, letting speed be what it may? Spend weeks riding across a faraway land? If you want to improve your speed, you’ll need to work on short bursts of riding several miles per hour faster than your current pace, gradually increasing the length of those intervals. Or do you merely want to be able to ride for longer at a time? Then add a few miles per week until you’re able to ride the mileage that you desire. I’m at sea when it comes to preparation for several weeks of riding; especially when it means packing along cooking equipment; sleeping bag, tent, and so on. This book might help you to get started. RUSA is another good source of info about long-distance riding. Even just starting to ride a bicycle for short errands, or to work, is steppes towards improved cycling. 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 Relearning December 19, 2023 I Traverse Afar? December 18, 2023 I Envy Time December 17, 2023 Holiday Food December 16, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Is That So?! #2

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Is that so?! #2 This kind of thing has happened before. Yesterday I got a crazy high maximum heart rate reading from my Garmin. This morning, my blood pressure meter gave me a crazy low resting blood pressure reading: 87/58! My resting pulse was 50 today, but it\’s been as low as 46. So what\’s going on here? Did yesterday\’s hard efforts set off some kind of reaction? Fatigue from having gotten to bed an hour late last night? I had thought of doing some force exercises today, but felt too tired. In fact, I did only a very short, slow ride; not even four miles. I got to see the supermoon, my main motivation for riding today. Unfortunately it was too high in the sky to be really impressive. It actually looked better yesterday, even though it wasn\’t quite full then. I couldn\’t keep track of my heart rate during the ride because I forgot to put on my chest strap; something I didn\’t even realize until I switched on the Garmin and saw that there wasn\’t a HR reading. I decided I\’d skip the chest strap for a change. We all need to unplug now and then, they say. Do you find it so? Besides, sometimes I don\’t feel like getting is that so?! #2 — or number anything.

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Ergogenics

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Ergogenics is a touchy subject, I\’ll admit. Performance-enhancing substances in general have gotten a bad rap, as have some athletes who have used then. I personally know almost nothing of ergogenics; but of course I do know that some of the things that some athletes used was nasty stuff. I\’m glad I can skip all that! Want one that is legal? Caffeine! I don\’t drink coffee, which I suppose makes me an anomaly among cyclists. Many a group ride concludes with a visit to a coffee shop; or has a coffee stop mid-ride. My caffeine kicks come from Diet Coke. It\’s not good for me, I know; but that\’s another story. Get Fast! mentions something called The Track Stack (p. 159), consisting of caffeine, baby aspirin, and beta-alanine. I\’ve never tried it, so I can\’t vouch for its efficac; and actually, I\’m nervous about taking it at all. I\’m already hooked on Diet Coke, and would rather not get into the habit of taking The Track Stack. As usual for something new, don\’t take it for the first time right before an important event. So there it is. If you\’re into competitive cycling, and are interested in ergogenics, be sure to do your research. I wouldn\’t want to see anybody disqualified for unwittingly taking something that\’s verboten! An interesting aside about coffee: there was a time when the Turks were trying to conquer Vienna, which at the time would have given them access to all the Western world. The Turks didn\’t succeed in taking over Vienna — but their coffee did; something that J.S. Bach caught on to.

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Is That So?!

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Is that so?! I sure that my average speed this morning was not 14+ mph. I hit a max that was a speck over 19 mph (nice tailwind!); but I\’m certain that my average speed for my total ride was not what this screen shows. And a maximum heart rate of 171? That\’s a record, by quite a wide margin. As I remember, my previous record for max HR was something like 164 bpm; and I find it hard to believe that I really hit 171 bpm. On the way out this morning, I had the tailwind. It enabled me to average well over 14 mph then; but naturally a following breeze when out-bound meant a headwind on the way home. That pushed my ride\’s overall average speed down. They say that working hard against the wind is one way to increase strength, so I practiced pushing hard for 30 seconds at a time. That must be when I reached my max HR, but it was hard to keep an eye on the Garmin screen and watch where I was going. It was even harder to read the screen when I got down on the drops. Not only was it still dark; but the wind made it hard to ride straight. I kept weaving all over the place. Spring is about to, well, spring; but it\’s gotten chilly again. It\’s Spring? Is that so? At least we\’re having clear weather. Great for supermoon sightings!

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Music for Riding

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How about some music for riding? As I\’ve said before, I\’d rather not try to listen to music while cycling. For one thing, to really LISTEN requires one\’s full concentration. Therefore I can\’t listen to music and ride a bicycle at the same time! But if I did want to have music for riding, which pieces would it be? The classical repertoire has many to choose from! Something fast and vigorous? A slow piece? A work with a mixture of tempi and moods? How about this? If I were trying to spur myself on when my energy and stamina were running low, it just might do the trick! I fact, it makes greased lightning look like a mighty lame snail. Oh, and to be an \”exhibition\” cyclist. I think I\’d have a lot of fun working out the routines! \”Eljen a Magyar\” is marvelous just to listen to. I love that fieriness; that sparkling brilliance with something poignant just underneath. It would be great to ride to, and another good spur late in a long ride or race when fatigue is setting in. But I\’m not going to ride with earbuds in. I\’ll think the music in my head, and wait to get out the CD player until I\’m back home.

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