SpokEasy

May 2019

Carbo-Loading

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Carbo-loading is something we\’re sure to see mentioned when reading up on cyclist training. It\’s important not to run low on glycogen during a ride. Sure, riding a bicycle burns fat; but fat has been likened to the wax of a candle, and glycogen to the wick. A wick-less candle doesn\’t burn very well, does it? Therefore we riders need carbs. What\’s the method for carbo-loading? Back in the 1970s it meant several days of  a very low carbohydrate diet along with intense training, then eating high-carb just before the event. Those days of little glycogen sound miserable to me. Nowadays the advice is to keep to your usual diet, but to increase the percentage of carbohydrate in your diet to 70 percent. You don\’t really need to stuff yourself with pasta, either. There are other nutritious, high-carb foods. I haven\’t participated in enough events, such as centuries, to have any real experience with carbo-loading. When I do my weekly long ride, I take along Clif Bars and GU-Gels as my main food. I also experiment with fig bars, Combos, and so on. I\’m very lazy as far as diet goes, anyway, I really need to get back on track. Maybe I\’ll even try carbo-loading some day.

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No Funny Looks Please

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I want no funny looks, please! For one thing, others\’ funny looks appear just as weird as I do! So don\’t look at me, cat. Day before yesterday the sun sleeves I had ordered online arrived. Today I took them to work with me. When I was ready to come home this afternoon, I rolled up my long sleeves, and put a sun sleeve on my right arm. Yes, that\’s correct; the right arm only. Then I rode home. Looking weird, people might say. Hey, it was an experiment! I wanted to see whether there would be any  difference in the way my arms felt. My right arm did feel a little warmer than the other arm, but the left arm seemed to feel the sun more. I plan to wear both sun sleeves for my long ride day after tomorrow. Then I\’ll probably be better able too say how well they work. The ride home from work isn\’t even three miles. A long ride of 40 or more miles will be a much better test. So next time you see me with only one sun sleeve on (sort of like Deedle-Deedle Dumpling), no funny looks, please. I\’m my own products testing laboratory.

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Fending off the Weather

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Fending off the weather is an inevitable aspect of the cycling life. What cyclist doesn\’t get caught in the rain occasionally? Or, depending on where you live, it might be quite often! Fenders don\’t keep you dry, but they do keep you from getting a dirty stripe up the back of your jersey. That\’s the drawback to my road bike: no fenders. A poncho can keep the worst of the rain off, especially if it\’s not too windy. Unfortunately a poncho can also billow out to the sides, making it difficult or impossible to see what might be coming up from behind. A flapping poncho also slows you down. A rain suit looks like it would offer more complete cover, without the billowing of a poncho. I suspect that a rain suit can get a rider really hot and sweaty; and neither rain suit nor poncho protect the feet. Shoe covers would be nice, especially if it\’s cold. Wet, cold feet make a body quite miserable. Waterproof gloves would also be nice. The problem is, exactly what does \”waterproof\” mean? In the kind of heavy rain we can get where I live, nothing seems to be waterproof! Lights are an important component of cycling gear. That\’s true even in clear daylight. If it\’s raining — especially if it\’s also dark — lights are even more vital. Ever notice how hard it is to see a car that doesn\’t have its lights on in a downpour? A cyclist without lights would be even harder to see. On a related note, a reflective vest is also a good idea; day or night, clear or otherwise. Or maybe forget about fending off the weather, and just ride in the rain; even if you don\’t sing while you\’re at it.

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We Have Ours Too

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We have ours, too? Our what? Those of you who happen to be religiously inclined are aware of the number of saints out there. There seems to be one for everything. Saint Joseph, patron saint of workers. Saint Cecilia, patron saint of music. And on and on. So, I finally thought, is there a patron saint of cyclists? There is, indeed. And do we need a saint! Ours is the Madonna del Ghisallo. Perhaps she can team up with Saint Christopher to help keep us safe on the roads. We hear so much about aggression by motorists towards cyclists. There are also reports of spectators at pro tour races throwing things at the riders, or strewing tacks on the road. That, in addition to everyday hazards such as bad riding surfaces, adverse weather, and the possibility of bonking. We need all the help we can get. Sure, cycling is about self-reliance. But a little assistance from \”upstairs\” doesn\’t hurt, either. Among the many saits, we\’re lucky we have ours, too.            

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RAGBRAI

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RAGBRAI 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.” RAGBRAI?! What on earth is that? Oh, those long rides to put on a bucket list! I’ve daydreamed about Adventure Cycling tours. And about riding the Katy Trail. Or at least doing another personal century ride. Now I’ve got another item on the list: RAGBRAI! Although there are moments in that video when I think that RAG-PIE is more like it! The Queen Anne’s lace (those white flowers growing beside the road) is beautiful. I get a big kick out of that Fiddler on Two Wheels. And did you catch the fleeting glimpse of the rider on a penny-farthing? I thought that the video made it look like RAGBRAI is a pretty flat ride. Not so fast. When I actually read about it, I saw that  this year’s route includes well over 14,000 feet of climbing! I guess I’ve never shed my childhood idea of Iowa as endless flat miles of cornfields. Well, come to think of it, I’m sure Iowa isn’t only about corn, just as Louisiana isn’t only about swamps. RAGBRAI sounds like a wonderful ride; but apparently it’s not about “register; show up; and ride”. It’s a sort of lottery. As I understand it, you pay the registration fee; and your name is “put in the hat”. If your name isn’t drawn to be a rider, the fee is returned. It’s too late for this year. But maybe I can dream of riding across Iowa in a few years? 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 Be Adaptable April 6, 2024 Smorgasbord April 5, 2024 The Power of Suggestion April 4, 2024 Bare Legs April 3, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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We Aren\’t Camels

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We aren\’t camels. We can\’t go for days — or even hours — without adequate hydration. You don\’t have to be riding through a landscape like this to have to guard against dehydration. It doesn\’t have to be hot, either. Even in cold weather, when I do my weekly long ride, I use my Camel-Bak. I fill it all the way, and sometimes I don\’t drink more than a third of it. But I think it\’s important that I remain used to riding with the full load, so that the weight doesn\’t come as a shock when the hot season begins. Water alone isn\’t enough. Electrolyte drink is also important, especially if you sweat heavily. You don\’t need to guzzle gallons of water and no electrolyte drink, and develop hyponatremia. Next, how often should you drink? And how much? There\’s a lot of advice out there. Some of it says that thirst is a poor guide; some says the opposite. Some says, if you suddenly start to feel tired or lightheaded, you may be getting dehydrated. (You also might need to eat something!) Finally, when your ride has ended, how do you tell whether you\’ve become dehydrated? When  you get up that morning, after you visit the bathroom but before you dress; or eat or drink anything, weigh yourself. Write it down. Post-ride, empty your bladder and weigh yourself again. If your weight is more than a pound less than is was before you began the ride, you\’re dehydrated. Don\’t forget, we aren\’t camels.  

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Memorial Day

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Once again, it\’s Memorial Day. Today we remember those fallen while serving in our Armed Forces. I personally have no connection with anyone who was killed in combat; at least, none that I ever heard of. For those of you who have, may they rest in peace and honor.

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Miles or Time?

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Should you train by miles, or by time? Which is the better way to train? Personally, I\’m a by-miles type. Supposedly that makes sense for road riding. For mountain biking, going by time is said to make more sense. Here\’s the reason: Maybe you\’ll ride an hour on a paved surface, using your road bike. You might cover 15 miles or more. Then the next day, you might ride an MTB for one hour on a difficult downhill track. You\’ll likely cover a considerably shorter distance, but the effort will be just as great; possibly greater. Thus the miles or time debate. If you measure both of those rides using miles, it will seem that the second ride was much less of a workout; even though you might have been working much harder. And you don\’t want to shortchange yourself, right? Incidentally, here\’s where a power meter can be useful. X amount of effort is X amount of effort, regardless of mileage. Even if you never ride a mountain bike, time could be a wiser way to train when your time available for riding is short; as it is for so many of us. Are shorter, harder rides what I need during the week? Would that help me to improve my cruising speed? Even though I\’m a good deal better at pushing it up to 15, 16, or even 17 mph, I can\’t sustain it for nearly as long as I\’d like. Keep trying, I guess. Maybe I need a time-management course?

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Am I Chicken?

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Sometimes I wonder, am I chicken? As usual for a Sunday, today was long-ride day. It didn\’t go very well. For one thing, I felt tired; both generally and leg-wise. Much of the ride felt like a slog. I forgot to check for a detailed forecast last night, but I knew it would get hot. Next Sunday I hope I don\’t fall back asleep, so I can get started by 6 am or even earlier. Today I didn\’t get going until 7:30! Because I felt tired, I didn\’t do much of trying to push the pace. It wasn\’t only my legs that felt tired; I was also just plain tired. When that happens, I always wonder whether I\’m being wise; or, am I chicken? At about mile 31, I got some brief relief from the heat when a cloud moved over the sun. On a hot day some overcast is welcome, as long as it doesn\’t mean lightning. About then is when I got a sudden attack of post-nasal drip. I coughed and coughed, to the point where I nearly got queasy. Snot rocket after snot rocket didn\’t help much. I had to stop and get out my roll of tissue so I could blow my nose. Now it\’s hot enough that, at least once during a long ride, I need to empty my spare water bottle into the Camel-Bak. Then I refill the water bottle in case I need it. Today at my rest stop, I was chatting with another rider who was wearing sun sleeves. He says they\’re hot when you\’re standing still, but once you start riding and get up a little sweat, the feel much cooler. I think they\’re worth trying.

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Going Wild

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Do you feel like going wild when traveling on two wheels? Some bicycle tourists like to stick with \”civilization\”. They prefer not to stray too far from sources of water, food, and so on. I\’m quite sure that I\’m that sort. I like it \”tame\”. Others love the challenge of being self-supporting so much that they\’ll head off into the middle of nowhere; the farther from settled areas, the better. Deep forests. High mountains. Even the desert! If it\’s that last one, they might want to follow a railroad line. Or they might want to make the first tracks across the veldt. As far as I\’m concerned, a ride on a day of 20 mph wind is wild enough. A desert can have a terrible sort of beauty, but it\’s no place for the inexperienced. In a desert area, such as Phoenix, you need LOTS and LOTS of water, even if you aren\’t riding a bicycle. That\’s before  you even venture out of the city. Head out into the desert and forget to bring a compass? You might be dead before you can regain your bearings, no matter how much water you\’ve brought with you. I haven\’t even gotten to the question of the bicycle yet. A road bike\’s narrow tires wouldn\’t be suited to a sandy surface. Maybe a mountain bike? Even a fat-tire bicycle? Going wild? I think I\’ll leave it to folks who are more adventurous than I am!  

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