SpokEasy

April 2019

Bicycles in War

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Bicycles in war? We like to think of the bicycle as a vehicle of peace, don\’t we? We participate in charity rides; and go on long rides just for fun. We use bicycles as non-polluting transportation. But for a fact, our beloved bicycles have been used in war. I have to admit that that makes a certain amount of sense. Bicycling is faster than marching; and bicycles are far quieter than motor vehicles! They probably don\’t make as much sound as marching troops, either, as long as they\’re properly lubricated. I don\’t envy the soldiers who had folding bicycles added to the loads on their backs. And to make a parachute jump with one? I\’ll bet it didn\’t feel good to the paratroopers who happened to land with that bicycle under them! It also might not have been so good for the bicycle, but I suppose that\’s another story. Bicycles, whether in war or not, have the advantage of being cheaper to run and to maintain than motorized vehicles. They need far less storage space. Bicycles might be carried over places that would be impassible to other means of transportation. Bicycles, unlike cavalry horses, required no feed, and didn\’t need stables. They also didn\’t get colic! I guess, however, that the drone might predominate in future conflicts. Bicycle troops might be unneeded. Then we can forget about bicycles in war; and all pedal away in peace.

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Back to the Lab

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It\’s time to head back to the lab! I want something new to eat! I don\’t wear a white lab coat, and test tubes and Bunsen burners are lacking. All the same, the kitchen is a laboratory of sorts. Think about it. Wouldn\’t you get rather bored with making the same dish over and over, the exact same way? Sooner or later you\’d start to experiment, wouldn\’t you? You\’d try a different seasoning, or a different vegetable; pasta instead of rice, and so on. A couple of weeks ago, I did that yet again. I hauled out The Feed Zone Cookbook, and turned to the recipe for Angel Hair with Bacon and Sweet Corn (pg. 140-141). I didn\’t have any bacon, so I substituted 1/2 cup of cooked black beans, Note: next time, use a full cup. I also didn\’t have angel hair pasta; but I did have an 8-oz box of elbow macaroni, purchased at the salvage store for 50 cents. It was exactly the right amount, so I used it. I don\’t know how much two ears of corn make when the kernels are cut from the cobs. I gambled on 1/2 cup. Another note: Next time, use more corn. I didn\’t have any fresh tomatoes, and forgot to open a can of tomatoes. No big deal. Just remember it next time! With no fresh basil on hand, I used 1 tsp parsley flakes and 1/2 tsp dried basil. I cut the olive oil back to 1 Tbsp, and used freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste. Pretty good! I declared the experiment a success. Soon I\’ll be heading back to the lab, trying something else new!

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Day 16

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It\’s Day 16 of Love to Ride! This would have been a perfect morning to ride on the levee. The wind was calm, and the temperature was in the upper 50s. Unfortunately my road bike’s rear tire was down to 60 psi this morning, and I had pumped it up after I got home after Sunday’s flat. Has that tire been leaking? I didn’t quite dare risk flatting when I was 6-7 miles from home; so I went to the local park to ride. Last night was one of those miserable nights when I just can’t sleep, so I didn’t want to push too hard today. On the way home, however, I couldn’t resist seeing whether I could hit 20 mph without a boost from a stiff tailwind; and I got close: 19.7 mph. I\’ve now got an anxious eye on the weather forecast; and I\’m not the only one. It looks like tomorrow will be all right, but Thursday could bring severe T-storms. By Friday it should be clear; but the wind might be 20 mph! Saturday the wind will probably be less than on Sunday, so I might do my long ride on Saturday. The next day, then, I can sleep in and go for a short ride. As with other things in life, we cyclists must plan ahead. That includes the rest of the Love to Ride Challenge; this is only Day 16.

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Wearing a Groove?

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If pacing wears a path into the floor, is riding in a pace line wearing a groove in the road? A pace line certainly looks \”groovy\”, as people used to say. I\’m always saying that learning to draft would be a good idea. The catch is, the pace lines that I see while I\’m out riding are too fast for me😕.  In fact, I find the idea of drafting rather scary to begin with. I have a long, long way to go before I can comfortably ride close to other riders, whether they\’re to my side(s), or before and behind me. There\’s also the time aspect. Cyclists who want to meet for a group ride must coordinate their schedules, and decide on a meeting place. Weekdays I have an hour or so before 6:30 am to ride. Then I have to get ready to go to work. On top of that, I don\’t have a car. A meet-up place more than a mile or so from home is therefore out of the question. Riding in a pace line of course doesn\’t negate the need to keep hydrated. If it\’s a long ride, more than an hour or so, the riders also have to fuel themselves. At least I do know that you should do your eating and drinking when you\’re at the end of the line. Well, maybe some day I\’ll be able to learn how to draft. Then I\’ll be wearing a groove in the road!

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Day 15

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Day 15, and halfway there, as Love to Ride continues. It’s rather a pity that Monday is no-ride day. The weather was great for riding this morning! True, the temperature had dropped to 54 degrees; but the wind had died down almost completely. What cyclist doesn’t love an un-windy day? Leg warmers, etcetera, would have taken care of the chilliness. I just said that Monday is no-ride day. That\’s because I normally do a long ride, as much as 50 miles, on Sunday; and recovery is said to be the most important part of training. That\’s why I usually don\’t ride at all on Mondays, not even to work; but when a Love to Ride challenge is on, I make a special effort to bike to work every day. As to the weather, it\’s rather annoying when the morning temperature is cool enough for slacks and vest + cycling jacket; and by the time I leave work it\’s too warm for slacks; and I don\’t need both vest and jacket. That means a crammed bicycle trunk, especially when I also have a cable lock with me. With all that stuff in the trunk, it feels like I\’m lugging around a bowling ball! But soon the weather will be warmer, and I won\’t need such a big change of wardrobe between morning and afternoon. I\’ll be glad to have less stuff to lug around, especially as today is only Day 15. We\’re halfway there; but there\’s still halfway to go!

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Do We Need This?

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Do we need this? A riding test? Good question. I see some cyclists doing things they should not do. It makes me think that anybody who wants to ride a bicycle beyond the home driveway, would do well to take some kind of cycling skills course. I myself have had very little of such \”schooling\”. But I began to read about bicycling safety as soon as I ordered my tricycle; and most of what I know is from books and web sites. Even if you can\’t get to a hands-on (or should I say, FEET-on?) course, read all you can about cycling safety. In fact, read those things over; and Over; and OVER. Eventually you\’ll start to remember them while out riding, as various situations arise. Back to the riding test. Do we need this? What would they test? I\’d have to practice not swerving when looking behind me, that\’s for sure! But what about that case of the cyclist hitting, and killing, a pedestrian? Of course I don\’t know the facts; but was it a matter of the cyclist not looking where he was going? Or did the pedestrian suddenly step out in front of him? Unfortunately you can test and test and test, and some cyclists will still do things that are  \”thou shalt not!\”

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Day 14

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Love to Ride, and by golly, it\’s now Day 14. I love to ride, yes; but I do not love to get a flat tire! The worst of the severe weather bypassed us. The wind was still pretty strong this morning, and I felt tired anyway; so I decided to do only a short ride. I planned to ride ten miles or so out, taking it easy; then back home with (for a change) a tailwind. Eight miles out I suddenly noticed a peculiar ka-thump, ka-thump as I rolled along. I wondered, was I noticing the not-so-smooth surface more because of my low speed? About then the surface changed to a smoother one, but the ka-thump noise didn\’t go away. I stopped to check my tires. Front tire, OK. Rear tire? Flat 🙁 And no garage with a mechanic handy. I know what do to to change a tube; but actually doing it is another matter. I was having a very hard time just getting the tire loose from the rim! I\’m lucky that another rider stopped to help me. Truth be told, he did most of the work, for which I am thankful. Otherwise I might be out there yet! And I\’m also very thankful for tire liners. Otherwise this would probably happen more often. It\’s also good that I carry the necessary tools and a spare tube with me. After we got my tire fixed, I was going to take it easy going back home. Then the wind got behind me, and temptation took over; and I made several efforts to go fast. I maxed at 23 mph, which for me is fast. Now somebody tell me, what can I do with the old tube? Keep it as a souvenir of Day 14?

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More How To\’s

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Now for some more how to\’s! You\’d think this would be easy: to be a cyclist, just get on the bicycle and ride! But since so much seems to have been written about it, I must conclude that it\’s not quite as simple as that. Need some more how to\’s? Here\’s how my own personal How To has unfolded over the years: I started riding an adult trike. My legs said, \”Wow, we love this!\”; so I kept riding. I soon discovered that riding the two miles or so to work didn\’t satisfy me; and I started putting in extra miles before going to work. Before long I was rising earlier and earlier in the morning so I could ride those miles. Next I got my first pair of cycling shorts; and I noticed how undressed I felt while wearing them. It took a while for me to get used to it, and stop feeling indecent. Before I knew it, I was doing longer and longer rides on Sunday mornings. I started to take along food, extra water, and electrolyte drinks. My interest in long-distance cycling grew. Then I got in my first 50-miler; and I thought more and more about doing a century. So I set my mind and worked up to it — and I did it! I felt great about this considerable accomplishment. And all that was before I graduated to two wheels! Then, over a period of about 15 months, I got going on a hybrid; and then a road bike. I decided to let the old tricycle go; the guys at the shop had told me that it was \”on its last legs\”, and I didn\’t use it much any more. I kept riding, and realized that I was hooked for life. 

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Day 13

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Love to Ride; and it\’s Day 13 so soon? Why the four-leaf clover? Well, they do say that 13 is supposed to be unlucky. Might as well be forearmed. Despite the forecast for strong wind, I rode to the salvage store. I wanted to load up on snacks to take to work. The store\’s make-your-own-grab-bag offer is terrific for that. I brought along the zip-lock bag (large size) that I got when I was last at the store two weeks ago. Today I got 39 things in the bag, which boils down to about 13 cents per item. Some of those things cost over $2.00 in regular stores. I\’ll not weary you with a complete breakdown, but I found candy bars; 4-packs of Snackwell\’s sandwich cremes; and more! Of course that\’s not all I got; I also bought bologna; canned goods; and other stuff. By about 9:00 I was heading for home. That\’s where you could that Day 13 brought my dose of bad luck. I had a headwind, as I had known I would. I checked the forecast, after all! Now it\’s 12:45 pm, and there\’s a wind advisory in effect. T-storms are also possible at any time. I had thought I might go for a spin on the road bike this afternoon; but common sense says I\’d do better to stay under cover.

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Another View

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Another view never hurts; so let\’s take a look. If you ride a bicycle, that makes you a cyclist, right? Not everyone agrees, and that\’s okay. We don\’t have to call ourselves cyclists because we ride bicycles. Sometimes I wonder whether I, myself, am a \”real\” cyclist. Yes, I ride regularly. I have a road bike, and do most of my miles on it. I use padded cycling shorts, and have cold-weather gear such as leg warmers. When I first took to riding, I immediately discovered that my legs liked the feeling of pedaling; and they still love it! I enjoy putting in the miles. Well, most of the time I do. Is that what makes one a cyclist? If so, then count me in! But am I out there training for hours a day, five or six days a week? No, I\’m not. Do I have a training schedule of any sort? Not exactly. Do I train seriously? Not if the lack of a coach means I\’m not serious; and is my diet up to scratch? Definitely not. I don\’t go everywhere by bicycle, and seldom have dreams about riding (I don\’t dream much at all, for that matter. Blame it on the sleep disorder, I guess). I don\’t have a bucket list full of cycling tours to make once I\’m retired. Those long tours sound wonderful, but my finances dictate otherwise. So now, am I a cyclist; or not a cyclist? Do I need another view from an impartial second party? I don\’t think about it too much, or I\’d drive myself crazy. I just ride.

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