SpokEasy

March 2019

Weathering the Weather

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Weathering the weather is part of being a cyclist. I get pretty tiresome with all my gripes about the weather, don\’t I? I complain about cold; and about wind; and about rain. But I don\’t want to become a \”fair weather cyclist\”, so I have to pay attention to it. How do I go about weathering the weather? It\’s often said that there\’s no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothing choices. Unfortunately even the best clothing choices won\’t keep a cold wind from making my nose run! Well, what all clothing is out there? When it\’s really cold, you can start with a base layer.  I have an undershirt for the coldest days. Next comes either a jersey or a long-sleeved blouse. The main body of my old cycling jacket is my vest; and over that goes my cycling jacket. Some days, such as when it\’s below about 45 degrees (especially if it\’s also windy), I wear yet another jacket. That one has a hood, which I can use to help protect the back of my neck. Are my leg warmers meant to be a just base layer? On some cold days they aren\’t warm enough; and then I wear an old pair of slacks over them. Or should I try embrocation cream? Oh-h-h, and my feet are cold! Not even double socks can keep them warm for more than a few miles on a frigid day. How about shoe covers? I tried toe covers several years ago. They helped keep my toes warm; but the strap thing that ran across the sole of the shoe got all torn up from my attempts to get clipped in. And there are gloves, and  helmet liners … at this rate, I\’ll be too bundled up to be able to move!

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Multitasking?

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These days \”multitasking\” often seems to be THE thing: trying to do  two, three, four, or even more unrelated tasks simultaneously. Riding a bicycle might be called multitasking. Think about it. We\’re pedaling. We\’re also balancing. And keeping that bicycle on a (more or less) straight line. So there you are. Three tasks at once. That\’s even before adding in reaching for a water bottle, group riding, or racing. I guess that participating in a bicycle race is mega-multitasking, especially in  such an event as the Tour de France. There they are, pedaling at 25 mph and more. As if that weren\’t enough, they\’re in a large pack and riding almost elbow-to-elbow. The riders\’ concentration levels must be beyond intense. And what of the stages that go over cobbles? Or over steep mountain passes? Yet another layer added to the multitasking. I\’m glad I don\’t have to do that! We haven\’t even gotten around to weather conditions yet. In past Tours de France, those riders have been racing over cobbles in the rain! I find it hard to ride in rain and wind, and that on flat ground. On cobbles I\’d probably be down in a flash, even without rain. Since today is Saint Patrick\’s Day, maybe we can throw in the additional task of chasing down that leprechaun for his crock of gold. The riding that I do is multitasking enough for me. I think I\’ll leave it at that.

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Top o\’ the Mornin\’!

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Top o\’the mornin\’ to ya! Happy St. Patrick\’s Day, everyone! Today everybody is Irish, regardless of actual ancestry. If I go out later, I must remember to wear green. In fact, I remember a cruel custom in grade school: on St. Patrick\’s Day you\’d better wear something green, or you\’d get pinched! Just now, however, I\’m pretty tired; and maybe I\’ll stay home. Today\’s ride was a tough one. The wind was 15 mph for a good portion of the ride; and, as usual, seemed to be a headwind most of the time. My Garmin wasn\’t fully charged, but I thought it had enough juice in it for a 40-mile ride. Not so. It gave me the Low Battery warning when I was still about 3.5 miles from home. I switched it off rather than risk losing my ride data. I knew I\’d be able to calculate my mileage by doubling the distance between home and my turnaround point. If only it had been that easy. I still had a mile to go when along came a freight train, heading westwards to my eastward track. I came to my usual crossing, and stopped to wait for the train to clear the crossing. Wouldn\’t you know, the dratted thing stopped. And it sat there. I had to take a detour of two miles or so to get home, because the next-closest crossing was also blocked by the train. I guess that thing was a mile and a half long! Last Sunday I rode only 29 miles, and maybe jumping up to 40 was too much too soon? But I did at least one 50-mile ride in January. One thing is becoming clear: I won\’t be ready to do a century next month. At any rate, Top o\’the mornin\’ to ya!

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Remedial Reading?

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I\’d need plenty of remedial reading if I wanted to enter races. Among other things, the would-be bicycle racer must learn to \”read the race\”. I guess I need this book, because in this area I\’m completely illiterate! Bicycle races, I hear, are about far more than who can pedal the fastest; and in fact, bicycle racing has been called \”chess on wheels\”. It\’s about tactics as well as speed. I know there\’s something called \”legal blocking\”, although I have no idea how it works. Racing is about knowing your competition, and about knowing the course; if you can, ride it ahead of time. At the very least, study its profile. You\’ll want to know when in the race you\’ll need to conserve energy; and when you can let yourself go harder. Yes, I do know those few facts; but if you put me on a bike and thrust me into a race, I\’d be completely at a loss. At best, I\’d be tossed off the back right away. At worst, my inexperience might bring down the entire peloton; and the other riders would not appreciate that. I don\’t even  know how to draft! If I did all the remedial reading in the world; i.e read every \”how to bicycle race\” book there is, it won\’t help me much. Trying to remember what you just read about how-to-do, while trying to DO that thing, doesn\’t work very well. Not for me, at least. In a way, reading the race is like reading text, I suppose: We Learn By Doing!

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Grab While You Can

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Grab while  you can! And keep on grabbing. The salvage store still has its make-your-own-grab-bag deal going; and as long as it lasts, I\’m going to take advantage of it. The store provides Zip-lock bags: a small bag is $3, and a large one is $5. If I choose compact items and pack carefully, I can fit up to 18 things in a small bag and still get it to zip shut. (That\’s the only rule: the bag must be able to close).Today I got eighteen items that usually cost $1.29 or more apiece, and for three bucks! That\’s quite a bargain. Carpe saccus! It\’s rather the same way with cycling. When the forecast is for nice weather, carpe diem! It\’s wonderful to get out and ride in no wind for once, and under fair skies; and when it\’s warm enough for no leg warmers, but still not hot. Such days are a rare treat, so I don\’t like to let them get away from me. For long rides, I need a grab bag of a different sort. It\’s called a top-tube pouch, and I use it to hold the \”bites\” that I need to keep myself fueled. Grab while you can! Such a bag is especially important when I use a large Camel-Bak on long rides, and my jersey pockets are covered up. Oh, and one last thing: don\’t buy a pig in a poke.

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A-440?

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What\’s A-440? That’s the note the principal oboist plays when it’s time for the orchestra to tune up just before a concert begins. My bicycles don’t play it; but whenever one of my bicycles gets a tune-up, I think of A-440. It would be nice if such a tune-up could guarantee that my bike will never get a flat. (That’s sort of a musicians’ in-joke)! Before I take the road bike to the shop, I unship the under-saddle pack; and wow, does my bike feel lighter without it! The loaded pack* probably doesn’t weigh over 2 pounds; but it really makes a difference. I could easily get spoiled by not having it on my bike, but I need to have it when I do long rides. That means I’d better train with it every day! Similarly, on Sunday long rides I wear the full Camel-Bak; and also stuff the cable lock; tube of Chamois Butt’r; and cell phone into its pockets! It\’s a good idea to train loaded up like that. Then, if I go on a supported long ride that means I don’t have to lock up my bike, I can leave the lock home. I’ll be riding a pound or two lighter than I was during training, which will be helpful. I ride the hybrid when the road bike is at the shop; and I’m amazed at how slow, heavy, and clunky the hybrid seems now. Yep, even with that saddle pack to add weight, the road bike has me spoiled rotten, whether it\’s tuned to A-440 or not. *multi tool, two CO2 cartridges with nozzle, spare tube, tube of sunblock, bandaids in case of a crash.

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In Distinguished Company

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We\’re in distinguished company as cyclists; but I, for one, had no idea of it. Check out this video at 15:50 minutes. The nobility was into cycling, too! I hope that, as daughters of the Tsar, the Grand Duchesses weren\’t obliged to do their riding where the public wouldn\’t see them. Can you imagine having to worry that somebody — anybody! — would see you pedaling that thing; and think it unbefitting your social station? That would take all the fun out of it; and one of the reasons we ride is to have fun. I got into the Romanovs quite by accident. YouTubes about them began showing up in the margins of my laptop screen; and I began to watch them, simply out of curiosity. The case of Nicholas II is interesting; and sad, too. Apparently \”Nicky\” had never been properly prepared to take up the office of Tsar; and indeed, he never wanted to be Tsar. In fact, he reminds me of the Wizard of Oz, who was a good man; but a bad wizard. Well, I\’m glad I\’m not in public office; or even a high-profile pro cyclist. That\’s too un-private for my taste. I like being able to go out and ride my bicycle, and just be somebody riding a bicycle. When we ride our bicycles, we have a tiny share of the vanished world of the Romanovs: we\’re in distinguished company! At the same time, we can still be our ordinary, everyday selves; and I like that.

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Praise of Wasting Time

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In praise of wasting time?! Since when is wasting time praise-worthy, you say? As a rule, wasting time is frowned upon and, in fact, isn\’t a good idea. Time is little like lightning: once it\’s gone, it\’s gone; and we\’ll never get it back But we also hear about down-time. Having every moment of the day scheduled to the hilt is, after all, very stressful. Some folks juggle a high-powered job; plus a family and all of their activities; and on and on. It makes me feel exhausted merely to think of it. I\’m glad I can take some time to sit back and read; or listen to music; and write letters (REAL pen-and-paper letters); or simply let my mind wander where it will. Sometimes that\’s when I get good blog ideas; and I must be constantly on the alert for blog ideas! Or I might be taking care of the mundane chore of washing dishes. If a blog idea strikes then, I have to get my hands out of the water; rinse and dry them; and write down the idea before I lose it! Ergo don\’t be afraid to have a little unstructured time in your day. Let\’s hear some praise of wasting time! It might prove be the best-spent time of all!

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Food for Thought?

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Food for Thought How about some food for thought? It’s as important as on-bike food. I don’t think we really want to be matchstick-thin; although who wouldn’t like to have the figure of a Tour de France climbing specialist?  I certainly would; but my legs will always look heavy. It’s my natural build; and I’m stuck with it. Competitive cyclists in particular need to balance maintaining a trim figure with maintaining their strength and power — even enough power to  climb up to this mountain pass!* That must take some doing. We hear about pro riders who weigh every bite that they eat. I, for one, have no intention of taking things that far; and of course, we need to eat enough on the bike that we don’t bonk. During a prolonged stage race, that gets harder and harder. Especially towards the end of such a race, riders can start going catabolic because they’re burning so many calories every day; yet eating feels like force-feeding for them. That’s some food for thought! Eating properly off the bike is equally important. Even as a run-of-the-mill cyclist — one who doesn’t have to have a racing figure — I need a lot of improvement in my diet! I need more veggies; but I often must resort to the frozen or canned variety. When I get home from work I 1) usually don’t feel like cooking; and 2) have to get to work blogging. All too often I’ll just grab what’s quickest and easiest, which usually isn’t the most nutritious stuff. Do I need to lose weight? Most decidedly. Do I need to be thin? Well — no — not really. Certainly not like a matchstick! *P.S. I LOVE “Caucasian Sketches”!  

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Fixed or Growing?

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Am I fixed or growing? How do we think about our training? In essence, every pedal stroke we take is training, so let\’s forget a minute about whether our rides are \”real\” training or not. What\’s our mindset? Which kind of mindset do I, myself, have? Naturally, I like to think that I have the \”growth\” mentality. But do I, really; and how do I measure that? For example, take climbing. I know I\’m not good at it. I live in flatland, so the opportunities to work at climbing are few and far between. To get anything like \”hill training\” I have to ride several miles over rough streets to the nearest overpass. Does not doing so count as \”avoidance\”? Group rides are another sticky point for me. I\’m very sensitive to scented things; and some people, not meaning to be insulting, really pour it on. I can\’t wear a filter mask while riding; it\’s too smothery. Therefore I shy away from group rides, even though I often wish I could get more group riding experience. Maybe I could even learn drafting! I might seem to have the \”fixed\” mentality in that I\’m not trying out different kinds of cycling, such as MTB or cyclocross. Or not entering my first race. I don\’t have the finances to branch out into other cycling disciplines; and I\’m honestly not interested in racing. OK, maybe I\’m stuck in the \”fixed\” mentality. Fixed, or growing? Let\’s hope that the onset of Spring will help me to \”spring\” out of it and make some growth.

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