SpokEasy

April 2019

An Easter Ride

BACK ISSUES /

Happy Easter, everybody; and it’s time for an Easter ride! I didn’t see a rabbit today, but I did see a bald eagle in flight. They’re easy to identify: a large, dark bird with a white head. Around here, at least, only the bald eagle fits that description. I had great riding weather. When I started, the temperature was in the mid-50s. On the way home, with 19 miles left to go, I got warm enough to stop and take off my leg warmers and skull cap. Homeward-bound I felt like I had a headwind; but when I stopped there was hardly any wind at all. I wasn’t even going any too fast, so I don\’t think it was my own forward-motion wind. In fact, I averaged barely over 13 mph. I made one attempt to crank it up to 20 mph, but didn’t get there. I guess I was too tired by then. My Sunday long rides, including an Easter ride, are about working on endurance; but often I start to feel too tired on the way home. Maybe I need to take more of a break before starting back from whatever turnaround point I choose. Before I could get home, I had to take a detour. There was a train blocking my usual crossing. I had to ride to the next crossing. I saw that the train was so long that it had been split in order to clear the way. Even though it was a freight train, perhaps it had a passenger that was running late? Let’s say, Peter Cottontail?  

An Easter Ride Read More »

Day 21

BACK ISSUES /

It\’s already Day 21 of Love to Ride; and Happy Easter, everyone! We used to dye Easter eggs every year when we kids were young. My mother would always tell us about the egg dyes that they had when she was a girl. They made beautiful colors, but were toxic. Can you imagine that? If any dye got through to the egg, that part had to be cut off and discarded.  Of course that was a LONG time ago. The egg-dye kits we had were very basic. I was always amazed when I looked at pictures of pysanka. I sill find them marvelous. They put egg-dye kits very much to shame. The people who make pysanka are artists. And Faberge eggs! They\’re astonishing. I\’d hardly dare have any around, even supposing I could afford them. I\’d be afraid of losing them, or managing to smash them, or even becoming a target for theft. I\’m quite content to let the originals stay in museums, and to leave replica Faberges to people for whom money is no object. Did you put out cookies for Santa at Christmas? Yes, we did that, but when Easter came, we\’d put out some carrots for the Easter Bunny! And now for a good, long ride! I have to burn off those jelly beans and chocolate eggs, you know. Besides, it\’s already Day 21 of the Challenge. I\’ve got to get in some miles for my team!

Day 21 Read More »

View From the Inside

BACK ISSUES /

Sometimes I want to get a view from the inside, but that isn\’t always easy to do. I watch video clips of the Tour de France; I see the pictures; and I wonder, what is it really like to be a pro cyclist? I\’ll never know for sure; and for a fact, most of us won\’t. But to get some idea, let\’s ask some pros! I wonder, if I were a pro cyclist, what I would like best about it. My early love for feeling my legs in motion? I could see new places; or might I become an adrenaline junkie, hooked on the excitement of racing? How about getting paid to do something I love; namely, ride my bicycle? What is the worst thing about being a pro cyclist? If I were a pro, training and racing in foul weather would be high on my list, as would crashing. All that traveling might easily become tedious; how do pro cyclists combat jet lag? We hear the stories of fans at Grand Tour races causing havoc. I\’m sure it\’s maddening for the riders to have to get past spectators who are in the road! A pro cyclist must keep close tabs on the diet; and that would also become quite burdensome. I hope I\’d be on a team that has its own chef; preferably one who\’s well-versed in The Feed Zone! It would be great if I could sample more of those dishes without having to make them. Or to have an old favorite, Simple Biryani, waiting for me after a training ride. I\’ll never get the view from the inside, though. I\’ll have to go on looking in from the outside.

View From the Inside Read More »

Day 20

BACK ISSUES /

Day 20 of Love to Ride, already! Not that I rode much at all today; barely over one mile. This morning the wind was really strong; and by early afternoon it was still 13 mph. My head feels stuffed up again, too, and it makes me feel tired. It\’s good that this is Day 20; I still have time to get in some real miles. I love to ride; but I love to eat, too, if the truth be told. I met with some friends for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant, and chose a lemongrass-chicken po-boy. Let\’s see — can my mouth open wide enough? That\’s the problem with po-boys and a small jaw! For food to fuel tomorrow\’s long ride, I have quite a variety to choose from; thanks to trips to the salvage store: assorted crackers, Snackwell\’s, and so on. When I went to my \”alternate bike shop\” last Sunday, I bought a single-serve of Skratch. I\’m drinking it today, because you hear over and over not to try anything new on a long ride. You never know when a change in food and/or drink might case gastric distress, or GI problems. I\’m trying to think of today\’s dearth of mileage as resting up for tomorrow\’s planned long ride. The wind will still be 5-10 mph, but that\’s much more manageable than 21 mph! At least it will be sunny. Clear conditions somehow make even the strongest wind seem a bit more tolerable. I think I\’ll shoot for 40-45 miles. Do you think I might catch sight of Peter Cottontail?

Day 20 Read More »

Longevity

BACK ISSUES /

Longevity. Who doesn\’t want to live a long, happy, healthy life? Exercise is an important part of that. Even if we aren\’t pro cyclist caliber,  riding is still good for us. I know that I could do a lot more for healthful living. My diet is a mess. I\’ve long been interested in meatless diet and nutrition, because I\’ve never enjoyed handling raw meat, poultry, or fish. I like even less cleaning up after having cooked such items. Unfortunately I\’ve been so busy the last year or so with my web site and blogging that I get home from work and just grab whatever is easiest, instead of preparing a decent meal. That means far too much junk food! The Feed Zone Cookbook and Feed Zone Portables are full of recipes for \”fast and flavorful food for athletes\”. I\’ve browsed through both books a good bit, and notice that the recipes in general tend to run high in fat. They are, however, designed with the pro cyclist in mind. A pro cyclist in training and racing would burn it off, I guess. OK, exercise (aka cycling), proper diet — what else? Get enough sleep (I wish my sleep disorder would let me!); and keep your mind active. Longevity is not rare. It seems that more and more people are living to become centenarians. As long as I can stay healthy, active, and independent, I\’ll go for it!

Longevity Read More »

More Stuff

BACK ISSUES /

Here\’s more stuff from my life! Today I had my first physical therapy session. I have some mobility issues in my left ankle; and apparently that\’s causing the discomfort in my toes! Isn\’t the human body weird? Speaking of foot problems, I rode through the park today; and I saw a duck that was trying to run with some other ducks. It obviously had some kind of injury, because it was limping. At any rate, the therapist gave me an exercise to repeat 10 times every day, to start working on that ankle. I have to keep going for further sessions twice a week for a while; and of course I\’m groaning over the expense. Always more stuff! It\’s also a nuisance because it means time out of work; but luckily I have the sick leave time to cover it.   I\’m glad that I don\’t have to take time away from riding! But the wind as I type this is blowing at 28 mph; and tomorrow is supposed to be windy, too. I\’m glad it\’s expected to calm down by Sunday.

More Stuff Read More »

Day 19

BACK ISSUES /

Love to Ride continues; and it\’s already Day 19! I almost missed the moon this morning. I set my alarm clock as usual; but when I turned it off I went right back to sleep. As a result, it was nearly 6 am when I finally got underway. There was enough daylight that the moon was starting to look pale, but I still got to see the moon path on the river. The wind was strong, and I didn\’t feel like fighting it; so after I got my \”moon fix\” I decided to go to the park. By this time of year, I put sunblock on my face before my weekday morning rides; and today, I forgot about it. Luckily I carry a tube of snblock in my under-saddle pack, and could apply some before riding any farther. Then I rode to the park, but made only one round. I had some errands to run, and wanted to get home. It feels quite chilly today for mid-April. Before I rode, I checked the chill factor: 55 degrees! I\’m glad I haven\’t packed away my electric heaters yet. The wind will continue to be strong today and tomorrow. At least the rain seems to be over for now. I\’m looking forward to a good Easter Sunday ride! I need to put in some miles, because it\’s already Day 19!

Day 19 Read More »

Caveat Emptor

BACK ISSUES /

Caveat emptor, they say: Let the buyer beware! Buying a used bicycle, I suppose, is rather like buying a pig in a poke. That\’s especially true if you don\’t know what to look for — which I don\’t. Thus I\’d need all the advice I could get if I wanted another road bike, and opted for second-hand. Buying a used mountain bike requires the same kind of caution. (Look here for a print version of the videos). What if I had bought a used bicycle? I\’d have known to be sure the brakes worked; but probably would have forgotten about checking the headset for unwanted play. Ditto for seeing whether the wheels are in true. I would have wanted to take a test ride to be sure the shifting worked; but might have forgotten to check the wheels\’ rims, and to be sure the gears weren\’t worn. If I were considering buying a used bicycle, I\’d want someone with me who can remind me to check this or that. Even if I have a written list with me, it can be easy to miss things! Having a companion would probably make it easier for the prospective buyer not to feel pressured into buying too quickly. Caveat emptor! After all, you don\’t want to find out too late that the bag has a cat in it.

Caveat Emptor Read More »

Day 18

BACK ISSUES /

Day 18 It’s Day 18 of Love to Ride! I went for an early-morning ride on the road bike, as usual. I got to see the almost-full moon; but when I reached “moon view point”, where normally can see the moon over the river, it was obscured by a cloud. I sure was disappointed. This morning I did a few “force” intervals, but didn’t feel very strong at it. Did I use too hard a gear? Did I need for more recovery from the last time I did force work? Again last night I didn’t sleep well, which may have been a factor. I checked the forecast last night, and decided not to ride in to work today. Yes, I chickened out! Conditions were going to turn nasty by mid- to late afternoon, right when I’d be riding home. I needed a bit of a break, anyway. After all, by Day 18 of a bike-challenge month, I’m a bit tired out! As it turned out, we were let go from work at 1 pm because of the possibility of severe weather. I ran into a light sprinkle on the way home; and stopped and get into my poncho. I probably needn’t have bothered, after all; but you never know when a few drops will turn into a heavy downpour. I wanted to be prepared if the floodgates opened! By 1:30 pm I was home. Now, at 2 pm, we have a wind advisory and a tornado watch! I’m glad I’m not out there riding now!  

Day 18 Read More »

Day 17

BACK ISSUES /

Love to Ride Day 17 already! The Saga of the Flat Tire continues. I had noticed that my road bike\’s rear tire seemed to have a slow leak. This morning I pumped it up, and risked doing my usual ride (out 7 miles or so and back), and didn\’t have trouble. Then I rode the  hybrid to work, as usual. When I got home in the evening, I checked the road bike\’s rear tire again. It had been losing air. I pumped it up again; and walked the bike to the bike shop, rather than risk a possible flat if I rode there. They found a hunk of glass in the rear tire, which I had missed. When I had the flat, I felt around inside the tire for such things, and didn\’t find any. I didn\’t pay enough attention to the sidewall, which is where that glass was. So now the rear tire\’s tube has been replaced yet again. And I wonder when I\’ll need to replace the tires again. My road bike\’s maintenance log last shows new tires in August, 2016! I can\’t quite believe I haven\’t replaced them since then. I\’ll have to browse through my ride log for a note about new tires; and next time I have a flat, I must remember to check the sidewalls! But I hope I don\’t have another flat tire. Day 17 means the Love to Ride challenge has more than ten days left.

Day 17 Read More »