SpokEasy

March 2019

Surfaces

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As cyclists, we\’re bound to encounter a wide variety of riding surfaces. That road at above left looks wonderfully smooth. If only we could always have such a road to ride! Above right looks like one of those textured metal stairs that we find outdoors sometimes. I don\’t think it would be much fun to have to ride over that, especially when it\’s wet. It looks like it would be maddeningly bumpy even dry, and I suspect that it could make steering tricky. Loose rocks, and all different shapes and sizes. It would be fun to sort through them to find the prettiest rock, but it wouldn\’t be much fun riding over them. Even supposing the layer of rocks is very shallow, and has a firm surface beneath, a rider would have to be extremely careful to hold a straight line, I think. Trying to turn could well catch the front wheel and bring the cyclist down. As to below right, is that even a road? I hope not! It looks frightful. If you do have to ride over an irregular surface, they say that you need to stay relaxed. Tightening up is likely to exaggerate any movements of the handlebars. Let the bicycle chose its path, especially in mountain biking. I, for one, don\’t intend to go out of my way to find terrible riding surfaces, but sometimes they\’re hard to avoid. My home town has plenty of streets that are in disgraceful condition, and have been for years. Is it like that everywhere?

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What\’s in the Bag?

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What’s in the Bag? What’s in the bag? Not the proverbial pig in a poke, I hope! But just what do I carry in that under-saddle pack? Let’s take a peek into my Topeak! At the very bottom, and closest to the seat post, is my Park Multi-Tool. I put it there because it’s relatively heavy; and in that location it puts the least strain on the pack’s holding straps. With it go two CO2 cartridges and their nozzle; and a spare tube is a must. It’s a good idea to pump some air into that tube now and then, especially before a big event. I want to be sure it still holds air; but the catch with that is, it’s impossible to get every bit of air back out so I can fold the tube compactly enough. That makes it take up extra space in my pack. I don’t carry a patch kit. It seems redundant when I already have a spare tube; but if I were to do a long tour, having a patch kit as well as a spare tube would be extra assurance in case I had more than one flat. I also wiggle a tube of sunblock into the pack. Another item is a small plastic bag holding some bandaids; and squares of those heavy, blue paper towels called shop towels. There’s also an adapter I can use if I have to inflate my tires at a filling station. The last item: a couple of GU-Gels. So that’s it! An emergency kit, if you will. Even those few items cram the pack to capacity, but hey! All that what’s in the bag means that there’s no room for that pig to hide!  

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Move over, BK

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Move over BK; and let those racing cyclists grab their musettes! I don\’t really have anything against Burger King, although I rarely go there. If there were one nearby, I\’d probably go more often. In the cycling world, \”fast food\” has a different meaning. Pro cyclists participating in a race need to get their food in a hurry, while zipping through a designated feed zone; and their food must something that goes down easily and quickly. They say that those riders need 5000-8000 calories per day during an event such as the Tour de France. They\’re eating practically all the time when they aren\’t sleeping! It makes me think that most of us who push the pedals are actually lucky not to be pro-tour riders! By all accounts, during an event like the Tour de France, riders are likely to get tired of eating; and towards the end of such an event, eating starts to feel like force-feeding! It\’s hard to imagine getting tired of eating, isn\’t it? Especially when you\’re being very active, when you would think you\’d become voracious! I think like that until I\’m doing a long ride of several hours. Then I do start to lose my appetite about halfway through the ride. I get tired of munching bite-sized pieces of Clif Bars. My stomach says, I\’m not hungry. I don\’t feel like eating; yet I know that I have to keep the fuel supply going. Maybe it\’s time to make rice cakes again, as in The Feed Zone Cookbook. Apparently my gut needs more training. Then, when I\’m back home from the long ride, maybe I can cruise on over to Burger King? Or maybe I\’ll say, move over BK; and cook up something from the Feed Zone!    

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It’s Mardi Gras!

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It’s Mardi Gras! It’s Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is a big deal locally. I’m glad of the day off from work; but am only too happy to keep my distance from the parade routes. To begin with, today is not good weather to be standing around outdoors. Yes, it’s sunny, but it’s also COLD! As of one hour ago, the chill factor is well below freezing. Doubtless there are die-hard parade-goers who don’t care; but I’m not among them. If they want to freeze off their noses (and more), that’s their affair. Parade routes packed with people also means smokers. Tobacco smoke makes me feel sick. Crowds of people also means “scented stuff”, which I also find sickening. I’d rather avoid it. Go for a bike ride instead? It’s so cold that I think I’ll work out in the trainer later. The wind isn’t quite as strong as it was yesterday morning, but the temperature is lower. I just don’t feel like going out in it (see When Stop Does Not Mean Go). It’s Mardi Gras? It feels like just another day to me. 

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Aye, Eye?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Aye Eye? Aye, eye? Is that really so? Yes, it is. Look where you want your bicycle to go. The bike wants to follow your eyes, they say. That can be tricky when you’re a beginning rider, and you very much want to NOT run into something or someone; it seems counterintuitive. The secret there is to glance at that thing or the person, but then look away and choose your clear path. Use your “third eye”: see Get Fast! I try to think of that when I’m turning corners or rounding curves. Whether I’m actually doing it, or only think I’m doing it, is unfortunately another matter. More important than the two points above is eye protection. There’s a vast range of sports eyewear out there. I’ve seen some that are crazy expensive (they must be ionosphere-high tech!) to the kind you can get for little more than pocket change. If you’ve spent much time outdoors, you’ve no doubt noticed that “sunglasses” don’t do under all conditions. That’s when lenses of different tints are handy. Something that drives me crazy is starting a long ride in overcast conditions, wearing vermilion lenses, and having the sun come out long before I get back home. Aye, eye; that sure can get miserable!

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Hope It\’s Better Tomorrow

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I hope it\’s better tomorrow! It looks something\’s rotten in the State of Denmark; and similarly, this morning\’s ride was rotten. The temperature was down to 42 degrees. For several days it had been about 59-60 in the morning, and gotten up to 80 degrees by afternoon; so that\’s a major (and sudden) change. It was mostly overcast. A gray sky makes a cold ride seem colder, and makes me feel lethargic. I think about how I\’d like to be home and sleeping, instead of focusing on riding. To top it all off, the wind was terrible! The weather site I checked this morning said the wind was 15 mph. When I got out there on the road bike, I thought it seemed stronger than that. I checked a different weather site when I had completed my ride. Sure enough, the wind was 20 mph. I had planned to put in at least 30 miles. Shameful to state, struggling against the wind was so tiring that I turned around at 7.3 miles. There\’s also something  demoralizing about seeing that you\’re going under 8 mph; never mind that you\’re actually working hard. My heavy, oversized gloves made it hard to get out a bite to eat; another reason why I turned back very early. To boot, I wasn\’t comfortable. Even with double socks, my feet were cold. I need thermal socks! My leg warmers weren\’t warm enough. I had on four \”top story\” layers, and still felt chilly. My head started to get cold, despite the skull cap I hope it\’s better tomorrow; but unfortunately, tonight is supposed to get colder than tonight. If I want to ride, I\’ll have to bundle up; grit my teeth; and go for it. And, perhaps, be glad that I\’m not in Denmark?

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AA?

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There\’s an AA for cyclists? Who hasn\’t heard, \”Don\’t drink and drive\”? And who hasn\’t heard of AA as in Alcoholics Anonymous? I have a lot of trouble controlling a bike one-handed in a strong wind; but I have to do it while trying to get a drink of water, and I swerve all over the path! It got me to thinking about a different AA: Aqua Anonymous! I\’m joking, of course. We need to keep hydrated while riding; and a cyclist who wants to put in the miles needs to learn how to handle a bicycle in all sorts of conditions, including a strong wind (I\’ll stop short of a tornado, though). That includes being able to get a water bottle in and out of its cage on the down tube, even with a sidewind pushing you around. Using the Camel-Bak would make hydration ever so much easier on a windy day. With the drinking tube I don\’t have to reach down for that water bottle; but doing so as a regular thing would be a cop-out. Even with the Camel-Bak, on a long ride I take along a bottle of electrolyte drink; and where do I put it? In the bottle cage on the down tube! Back to the point made above: I have to be able to manage it. If I can\’t manage it, it\’s either stop every time I need a sip of water, or don\’t drink and risk dehydration. I\’ll skip the dehydration, thank you. Do you think AA will take that into account?  

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Mother Nature

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Dear Mother Nature, if you\’re going to storm, please DO IT; and get it over with! Don\’t delay, and then start kicking up just when I\’m setting out tomorrow morning! I probably could have done my weekly long ride today, as usual; but I skipped it because of the weather threat. It drives me crazy when I miscalculate like that. It is now 1:30 pm. The wind has been strengthening for several hours, and is now up to 29 mph; and it\’s mostly overcast. But those T-storms that were predicted still haven\’t materialized. Not here, anyhow. Who knows what it might be like 20 miles away. That\’s the catch with wanting to go for a long ride when there\’s the possibility of severe weather. It might not be threatening to storm at home; but I might get caught in a nasty T-storm when I\’m miles away from here. That\’s happened before, and it was most emphatically not fun. So I\’ve been \”riding\” my sewing machine instead, working on my \”harlequin\” blouse (made from assorted fabric remnants). I made the pockets and put them on. I made the collar and sewed it on. Next come front facings, then the side seams. After that, sleeves and hem. Then buttonholes and buttons; and it\’s done😊 I might leave those next steps for tomorrow. Whether I do or not, I\’d better be able to go for a RIDE tomorrow. I just hope Mother Nature cooperates.

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Wise Or Lazy?

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Was I wise or lazy? For a fact, I feel rather like this kitty today: thoroughly lazy. The forecast was for T-storms, possibly severe; but tomorrow is predicted to be clear. So, I decided to skip doing a long ride today and do it tomorrow instead. As of this moment, at 10:40 am, the sun is shining! Maybe I could have gone riding, after all! The sky towards the West, however, has a big black cloud in it; so maybe it\’s going to start pouring soon. And the wind is 22 mph! On second thought, I\’m glad I\’m not out there battling it; but I still feel lazy about staying home. The temptation to go for a ride anyway is growing. I get restless sitting around so much. Besides, we hear more and more about the \”active couch potato\”; and I don\’t want to turn into one! So I still wonder, was I wise or lazy today? BTW, why a couch potato? Why not a pumpkin? Or a turnip? Or carrot, rutabaga, broccoli, etc?

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Always Thinking of Food!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Always Thinking of Food! Cyclists are always hungry! Why would we be always thinking of food? A true cyclist, it’s been said, is a bottomless pit. (See “The Cyclist Hunger and Eating Style”). Riding for hours certainly can work up an appetite, even if it isn’t apparent immediately after the ride ends. When I finished my tricycle century, I wasn’t hungry at all. The next day, it was another story. But that was AFTER the ride. What about DURING the ride? Many a web site discusses how much a pro tour rider must eat during a stage race, both on bike and off, to keep the “engine” going. I’ll bet they’re always thinking of food! Most of us don’t need nearly that much, but we do have to keep fueled during a long ride. The next question is what to eat. There are the questions: How long will you be riding? At what intensity? Do certain foods/drinks cause you gastric distress? What are your food preferences? Do you have any dietary restrictions? For the weekly long ride I mostly use Gatorade Whey Protein Bars, cut in pieces for easier handling. I always have a couple of GU-Gels with me, even on the shortest rides. Those gels are my emergency rations for riding to and from work; and running errands. I find that I’m getting a bit weary of Gatorade Bars, though. If you, too, are tired of commercially-produced ride food, I suggest these books: The Feed Zone Cookbook Feed Zone Portables There are many recipes in the above books that I haven’t been able to try because I don’t have the necessary equipment. But I hope that someday I can. As the song in Oliver! goes, “Food, glorious food!”

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