SpokEasy

April 2019

Have I Missed Out?

BACK ISSUES /

Have I missed out on something vital? Sometimes I wish I were one of the lucky kids who got an early start at cycling. You might say that I missed out on a lot of things. I grew up in a rather isolated, semi-rural area, where bicycle rodeos and other such programs were unavailable. I never heard of  any such programs at school, either. In fact, they may not have existed back then. I don\’t know how I would have felt about racing when I was an under-ten kid. It might have been fun; or, if I had never won, I might have been too discouraged to try any more races. I might even have wanted to quit riding entirely. Bike handling skills are another matter. Every rider needs them, whether racing or pedaling to the local cafe´. Even at my age, informal classes on bicycle handling would be useful. Sometimes I feel rather directionless for having had so little of them. Reading about cycling how-to\’s is fine, but isn\’t the same as actually practicing those skills in a group of cyclists. It\’s why riding in a group, such as for Tour de Cure, made me a bit nervous. Starting was especially scary, because I\’ve never entirely gotten over my tendency to swerve to some degree when starting. I hope that some day I\’ll be able to make up for lost time.    

Have I Missed Out? Read More »

Day 25

BACK ISSUES /

Day 25 of Love to Ride! Yes, I love to ride; but I have, however, no great fondness for trains. I did only a very short ride with the road bike this morning. For one thing, I think I need a break. I was concerned about the weather, too, but felt only a few drops of rain. I rode to work. It was overcast, but still not raining. When I went on morning break, I hurried over to a convenience store that\’s just a few minutes\’ walk away, to buy an inexpensive sandwich for my lunch. I must have hit the \”weather window\”. Not long after I returned to my desk, I glanced out of the window and saw that it was getting really dark. Soon it was pouring, and there were a few very loud thunderclaps. I checked NOAA. Severe T-storm warning, and a tornado watch as well. Today I had a follow-up with my primary care physician, for the tendonitis in my foot; and left work at noon. I was lucky to have another weather window for the ride to the clinic. You\’re probably wondering what trains have to do with this. Here it is: I couldn\’t get to the bike path I use without crossing some railroad tracks; and I was delayed as much as 10 minutes because of a very long train. The rain was on and off in the meantime; I\’m just glad it wasn\’t a heavy downpour, and I was relieved that the lightning didn\’t start to fire up. Day 25 has been a wet one! I\’m glad to be home. The tornado watch has been extended to 7 pm; it\’s raining; and we still could get severe T-storms. This is not good weather for riding a bicycle.

Day 25 Read More »

Day 24

BACK ISSUES /

It\’s already Day 24 of Love to Ride! However much I enjoy riding, it has its less than pleasant aspects. For one, the warming weather means that the insects are coming out! I keep running into swarms of tiny moths. It’s really annoying because I hardly dare to breathe through my mouth; but it’s still cool enough for my nose to get runny. That means I can’t breathe well through my nose! I have to resort to snot rockets to keep my nasal passages halfway clear. This morning it was overcast; and it remained so for much of the day. The forecast for tomorrow looks bad; it predicts 100% chance of rain, with possibly severe T-storms. Time to haul out the poncho! Maybe I’ll get to ride; and maybe I won’t. The catch is, even if it isn\’t raining when I go out, bad weather can move fast; far faster than I can out-ride it. I must remember to check the online radar when I get up. If it\’s calm here, but there\’s a T-storm on the horizon, I could get a terrific light show. But will the storm stay far away? Three weeks ago a T-storm moved in just as I was riding to work, and the lightning seemed to be chasing me. Not fun. Six more days of the Love to Ride challenge left. So far I\’ve ridden every day, and I hope I won\’t have to lose a day. I don\’t want my efforts to lag at Day 24. 

Day 24 Read More »

Pre-Cinco de Mayo

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Pre-Cinco de Mayo 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.” Pre-Cinco de Mayo gives us a bit of a preview! Many cyclists do city riding: going to work, running errands, and so on. But all five boroughs of New York City? Yes, you read that right. It sounds like a great ride. Forty miles? I can ride 40 miles in four hours or so, including rest breaks. Five bridges, huh? How steep are they? And how long? There ought to be a ride profile in there somewhere; that is, a description of the terrain the riders will encounter. Any hills? All flat? “City” doesn’t necessarily mean no hills, as anyone who lives in, or has visited, San Francisco will know. I’d need to check the weather forecast, as I would before any ride. Will I need a jacket? Or will I still be hot in short sleeves? Is rain expected? Bring a poncho. No rain in the forecast? Don’t forget the sunblock! All that is the easy part. I’m unused to riding in a group; and being stuck in there with thousands of other riders would be scary. And staying upright and safe in such a pack for hours? That would tire me more than the miles! So use pre-Cinco de Mayo to get ready; and enjoy the ride through all five boroughs! 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 Elementor #155451 December 11, 2023 Think Ten Times! December 9, 2023 Going Farther Afield December 8, 2023 Mini-Ride! December 7, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

Pre-Cinco de Mayo Read More »

How Do We Compare?

BACK ISSUES /

How do we compare with other athletes? This is interesting, but how about comparing cyclists\’ hearts with those of runners and/or swimmers? Would there be a difference? Especially when it comes to cyclist versus swimmer. I\’m guessing that a cyclist\’s heart would be more like a runner\’s than a swimmer\’s. After all, both runners and cyclists are upright while exercising. Unless, perhaps, you\’re riding a recumbent. It gets more complicated, I suspect, when you take into consideration that a cyclist\’s weight is supported by the bicycle. Unless, that is, you want to climb all the way up Mont Ventoux out of the saddle! It\’s many years since I\’ve been in a swimming pool, but I remember how hard swimming felt. I never seemed to have the upper body strength necessary. I got out of breath all too quickly. Thus I never cared much for swimming. If I did try swimming again, and could use a heart-rate monitoring system while at it, how would the readings compare to those of a bicycle ride? As cyclists, how do we compare to runners, gymnasts, swimmers, and so on? It might be interesting to find out.

How Do We Compare? Read More »

It Takes All Kinds

BACK ISSUES /

If it takes all kinds of cookies to make Xmas, then it takes all kinds of cyclists to make a pack. None of these sound too much like me. I would not dare to try holding on to a moving vehicle while on a bicycle, so Urbanicus Messengericus is out. I\’m not into either mountain biking or tattoos, so MEV is also out. I doubt that a I\’m a GSE. I\’m aware of the existence of gear inches, but typically give it little thought. I\’m certainly not going to tackle such mental acrobatics while I\’m riding a bicycle! Who would want to be like TEO? Not I. She sounds far too condescending and conceited. UAA? I hope not! But they warn you to take what UAA says with a LOT of salt. TCN? When I\’m on the bike, I need my breath for riding. Some might say that that means I\’m pushing too hard, too much of the time. It\’s difficult to be sure because I seldom get to chat during a ride. TAP is another off-roader. Although a ON-roader myself, TAP sounds like the one rider among these six that  I might like to have as a riding partner. Come on, NRI, are you trying to injure yourself? I think NRI needs The Cyclist\’s Training Bible. All hard,  all the time doesn\’t cut it. On the other hand, an NRI to cut through headwinds for me would be useful!

It Takes All Kinds Read More »

Day 23

BACK ISSUES /

Wow, it\’s already Day 23 of Love to Ride! Not riding yet? There\’s still time to sign up and log a few rides! You don\’t have to put in 46 miles, as I did day before yesterday. Just 10 minutes counts. My legs felt tired this morning. It\’s a good thing it was almost wind still. In fact, these Love to Ride challenges have me putting in more riding than I usually do. It\’s no wonder that I\’m feeling the effects by Day 23! I saw an armadillo. (Yes, I know, that pic is a hedgehog, but I didn\’t find a pic of an armadillo). I guess it was heading for home “in the twilight’s last gleaming”. Maybe I\’ll be seeing more wildlife now that it\’s getting warmer. Before long I\’ll need to wear sunblock on my face for my morning rides. Even at 6 am there\’ll be enough sun to make me \”slightly pink\”, as my sister says, if I don\’t use sunblock. That is, if it doesn\’t rain. There\’s a good chance of showers day after tomorrow. All I can do is to wait and see what happens.

Day 23 Read More »

Creaky?

BACK ISSUES /

Oh, the joys of getting older! With the growing suspicion that I may have arthritis in my left foot, I thought I\’d take another stroll through the field of foot care for cyclists. See October 2017 in the article\’s archives for a discussion on arthritis in the feet. Orthotics may be helpful. I first got a custom-made pair about six years ago; maybe seven years. I had only recently moved up from trike to hybrid, and when I rose partway from the saddle to coast, I could feel my left foot rolling inwards. That put strain on the inside of the knee, which of course is not good. Hence the orthotics. This past January I got home from a long Sunday ride, and my left toes felt like they were cramping up when I took my cycling shoes (with orthotics) off. I consulted my primary care physician, who sent me to a sports medicine clinic to get fitted for new orthotics. I always use them when I ride the road bike, but when it comes to sneakers, using them is more uncomfortable than not using them, even when I ride the hybrid instead of walking the mile between work and home. I\’m trying to arrange an appointment with the doctor to discuss what to do next. It\’s annoying to be unable to rise to \”demi-pointe\” because my left toes won\’t flex properly! I hope this won\’t mean time off the bike. Incidentally, I keep hearing a bit of a creak in the road bike\’s right pedal. Does my bicycle have arthritis, too?

Creaky? Read More »

Day 22

BACK ISSUES /

Already Day 22 of Love to Ride!  Today the only riding I did was to and from work. It is, however, a day for me to take note of. My cycling records show that it’s six years to the day since I bought my road bike. Yesterday the bike’s long-term mileage total passed the 22,000 mark. I know that’s small beer compared to the miles that a serious, competitive cyclist puts in; but I’m thrilled by it. What a way to mark Day 22 of Love to Ride! I find it rather an interesting coincidence that today is also Earth Day. My bicycle’s “birthday” fell on the day when we celebrate, among other things, non-polluting modes of transportation; such as riding a bicycle instead of driving a car. The weather is starting to warm up. Soon I should be able to pack away leg warmers, arm warmers, and cycling jackets until October; maybe even November. My nose won\’t get so sniffly while I\’m riding, and that\’s a major relief. Warming temperatures, alas, mean the bugs are coming out. Sometimes I ride through swarms of little insects, and have to be careful how I breathe. I don\’t want to inhale a bug and choke!

Day 22 Read More »

Thanks for the Memories

BACK ISSUES /

Thanks for the memories — IF they\’re there! You know how at times you can\’t seem to remember anything? Not even a rare trip to the shore? But they always say, you never forget how to ride a bicycle. That’s where muscle memory comes in. When I think about it, I see that \”MM\” is truly amazing; and it comes into every aspect of our lives; not only bicycling. Most of us don’t have to think about what our body is doing step by step as we walk; and we don\’t need to concentrate on what our hands are doing as we tie our shoelaces. Once we get the hang of it, we don\’t have to think about how our legs work as we pedal down the road. (Or down the mountainside, it you prefer). We can go into all the anatomical/biomechanical theory we like; we can know whether calf muscles or glutes are of more help when climbing; but how much do we think about it while we ride?  So let\’s climb aboard for a ride, and tell our muscles, Thanks for the memories!  

Thanks for the Memories Read More »