SpokEasy

July 2019

Hunkering Down — Sorta

BACK ISSUES /

I\’m hunkering down — sorta. Thanks to Tropical Storm Barry, I\’m enjoying a mini-vacation. I don\’t quite dare try to go for a real ride; at present the wind is as much as 22 mph. That makes bike handling difficult, and if the wind strengthens, there will be the hazard of flying objects. It was wonderful to not have to get up early in order to go for a ride. I\’m looking forward to retirement as being able to get in nine hours\’ sleep per night! I didn\’t have to go to work today, nor did I have to head out for the grocery store early, before road traffic built up too much. Actually, I wouldn\’t be surprised if many stores\’ shelves are rather bare now. When there\’s a tropical storm hanging around, bottled water, canned goods, and batteries sell like hotcakes. At around 9:15 am I hiked over to the nearby filling station, where I got a snack and a soda at the mini-mart. I didn\’t need either, but I did need to get outdoors for a bit. When I\’m at work I usually get outdoors a few times during the day, even if only for five minutes. I need those little breaks more than I realize until I\’m stuck inside because of bad weather. After a while I\’ll hook a bicycle into the trainer, and pedal a while. It\’s monotonous as you-know-where, but better than nothing. I have to do something to keep myself from going bonkers while I\’m hunkering down — sorta.

Hunkering Down — Sorta Read More »

An Unexpected Holiday

BACK ISSUES /

An unexpected holiday! Few things are more delightful. But I sure won\’t be spending it at the beach! Time to settle down and browse through a favorite book. I got to work today only to find a sign on the door stating that the campus is closed until next Monday. I hadn\’t thought to check the campus\’s web site, as the forecast didn\’t look like we\’d get bad weather again before this evening. I suppose it\’s a \”abundance of caution\” thing, especially after the flooding downpour of yesterday morning. Besides, there\’s still that system out there in the Gulf. It\’s not yet up to tropical storm strength, but it could impact us. In case it does, the campus has to prepare for it. Oh, well, I got in some exercise walking there. Before going home, I hiked to Walgreen\’s. They were out of gallon jugs of water, which really shouldn\’t be any surprise. I got three quart-plus-sized bottles of water and the holiday mood prompted me to get a pint of ice cream. After all, if we get rough weather and the power goes out, I won\’t be able to have ice cream for a while! Why not go for a spin on the road bike? I did go out early this morning, but now it\’s almost 10:00. They say the sun is at its worst between 10 am and 2 pm, and besides my legs still don\’t feel \”there\”. So I think I\’ll stay home and relax while I have the chance. Ah, the joy of an unexpected holiday!

An Unexpected Holiday Read More »

What a Day!

BACK ISSUES /

What a day this has been. Had I thought to check the weather online before leaving for work this morning, I might have stayed home. It was about 7:00 when I started out, and already raining. I wore my poncho and used my umbrella as well. I wasn\’t much more than halfway to work when it started to rain harder. I heard what sounded like transformers blowing. Fortunately I got to work, and indoors, before things got really bad. It became quite dark, it poured like crazy, there was close lighting — even a tornado warning! My brain felt like mush. Maybe because my legs don\’t feel \”there\”, either. When I woke at 4:30 am, it was raining hard. I decided to pedal in the trainer for a while so I\’d get at least some exercise. That was an endless 20 minutes! I work on a university campus and when, at about 10:20 am, we got an online message that the campus was closing effective immediately, I was only too glad to leave. I had to do some wading; some of the streets around here turn into lakes during a heavy rain. Cars parked along tbese streets get flooded. I\’m glad I don\’t have to worry about that. We could still get more bad weather, and in fact I hear thunder right now. Then there\’s that system out in the Gulf. We\’re already under a storm surge watch, and if it heads our way we can be in for torrential rain in the next few days. I looks like I won\’t get in much riding, and I\’d better keep poncho and umbrella handy! What a day we\’ve had; and probably more to come. What a drag!      

What a Day! Read More »

The Sky’s the Limit

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

The Sky’s the Limit The sky’s the limit; really. Can you imagine a 100-mile mountain-bike race at over a mile up? I feel breathless merely thinking about it. But a lot of riders head for Leadville, Colorado for just such an event. The course starts at over 10,000 feet altitude; and reaches well over 14,000 feet. The climbs/descents add up to something like 15,000 vertical feet. As this is a MTB event, I expect the ground to be covered tends to be pretty rough. Rougher ground means greater effort merely to keep moving forward. I notice that whenever I have to ride over a rough patch in the road; never mind climbing over such a surface. So just think of the calorie requirements of riders in the Leadville 100! That’s a lot of Power Crunch Bars, rice cakes, and Clif Bars. GU-Gels, too. And the hydration necessary! Leadville’s climate is semi-arid. That seems very dry to me; all the more so as I live where average annual rainfall is 60 inches. Fill up that Camel-Bak; and refill it at every opportunity! Better to have a bit more of a load on your back, than to “ride light” and get dehydrated. The Leadville 100 race sounds like a grueling event. To begin with, there’s the altitude. Merely qualifying to participate requires riding events with long, tough courses; lots of climbing is included. Earning a spot in the Leadville 100 is an accomplishment to be proud of. Finishing in less than 9 hours earns you a large gold and silver belt buckle. Need a little longer? Finish in less than 12 hours and you still win a silver belt buckle. Those riders have quite a piece of work cut out for them. They’ll really have to, um, get the lead out. They’ll also have to remember that the sky’s the limit. 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 Mini-Ride! December 7, 2023 I Still Can’t Ride! December 6, 2023 Unseamed December 5, 2023 A Stitch in Time December 4, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

The Sky’s the Limit Read More »

Not Only for Cycling

BACK ISSUES /

Helmets are not only for cycling. Sometimes I think that wearing a helmet at all times would be a good idea. This afternoon, just after I left work, I somehow stumbled just after walking down a few steps. I couldn\’t catch myself and landed on the ground, hitting my head on the cement sidewalk in the process. There seemed to be an awful lot of blood from it. Luckily I had a cloth that I could use as a compress! I also scraped up a hand and skinned a knee. Head injuries are nothing to fool around with, so I decided I\’d better get medical attention, just in case. Someone drove me to a nearby urgent care clinic. I filled out the paperwork (fortunately only a page or so), and only then learned that they don\’t do head injuries. I had to call my neighbor to pick me up and take me to the ER! As it turned out, it\’s nothing serious. They patched me up with some Steri-Strips, and gave me a tetanus shot, since I couldn\’t remember when I last had one. Much ado about nothing? Perhaps, but as I already said, you don\’t take chances with head injuries. If only I\’d had my bicycle helmet on when I tripped and fell! Helmets are not only for cycling.

Not Only for Cycling Read More »

A Conundrum

BACK ISSUES /

A Conundrum Cycling comes with its share of puzzling aspects. How’s this for a conundrum?  Recently I read that, the fitter you are, the more you suffer at altitude. That seems odd to me; I had expected the exact opposite. After all, people who regularly take part in vigorous physical activity improve muscle strength; their cardiovascular systems get stronger; and exercise helps to deliver oxygen to the body’s tissues. So why doesn’t fitness help an athlete to make better use of the lower oxygen levels in the air at high altitude? There seems to be no clear-cut answer. At least in part, it seems to be an individual thing. Some people are more prone to altitude sickness than others. Some adjust to the thinner air more quickly. Way back when, I heard about Olympics-bound athletes who went to Denver to train, so they could learn to deal with working out at altitude. I expect I’d have problems if I went to a cycling event in, say the Rocky Mountains. Many years ago I visited Denver, “the Mile-High City”, for a week. I felt out of breath the entire time I was there. Would using a hypoxic mask during my day-to-day sea-level rides help if I were training for a high-altitude event? DO those things work? Maybe. Maybe not. I think I’ll stay here at sea level, and let the high-altitude thing remain a conundrum.

A Conundrum Read More »

Proud as a Peacock?

BACK ISSUES /

Want to be proud as a peacock? Bragging has rather a poor reputation. But riding all the way across a state gives a person bragging rights, I\’d say. They do it in Georgia. Maybe other states have their own \”flavor\”. Oh, of course! Iowa has RAGBRAI! Lots of home-made pie, it is said. They ought to call it Rag-PIE! And Kansas. If you do that one, be on the lookout for Dorothy and Toto. There\’s even a bicycle ride across Louisiana. Be careful you don\’t run over a crawfish, and don\’t try to tangle with an alligator. Earning those bragging rights means training up, of course. You don\’t need to be able to sustain Grand Tour velocity for hours on end, but you do need sufficient endurance to ride up to 80 miles a day for however many days it takes to get across Georgia, Iowa, or whatever state it is. Then, when you roll across the finish line, you can be proud as a peacock! I\’ve wondered often enough whether my current fitness level is up to such a ride. I can put them on my bucket list, of course; but not having a car would make it hard to get to such events. I\’m reluctant to pester somebody else to drive me to Iowa or wherever I want to go. Flying there would be costly enough if it were only me. Add transporting a bicycle by air, and the cost would skyrocket. One never knows, though. Maybe one of these days a miracle will happen!  

Proud as a Peacock? Read More »

Keeping My Palate Busy

BACK ISSUES /

I\’ve been keeping my palate busy by trying out new foods! Yesterday I rode to the salvage store, this time hauling the trailer. It\’s amazing how much drag that trailer added even when empty! Once in the store, I made the usual beeline for the make-your-own-grab-bag bins. I filled up a small and a large grab bag. Sixty-three snacks for $8! So what if they aren\’t always the freshest. They\’re still edible. I saw Capri Sun Sport Grape Blast, a pack of ten 6-oz pouches. It cost $1.50, far less than the usual price, so I decided to try it. Pretty good! I also found 6-packs of V8 +Hydrate. Six 8-oz cans for $1.50. It\’s an orange-grapefruit flavor, and I must admit that I\’m not very impressed with it. But sometimes I need to try new stuff, partly to report on it for my web site! I decided to order pickle juice shots. It\’s too late for tomorrow\’s long ride, but I want to try downing one of those shots halfway through a long ride, to see whether it will keep me from getting post-ride orthostatic hypotension. And how would it be to get the pickle-juice kick ice cold? Maybe one day I\’ll try Pickle Ice Freeze Pops! It would make an interesting change from ice cream, wouldn\’t it? Today I tried a new food: goodnessKnows bar. I like the flavor, but the chocolate coating on the bottom of the bar got quite messy. It was HOT out there! Keeping my palate busy need not be expensive. In fact, it can be quite cheap!  

Keeping My Palate Busy Read More »

Le Tour Question

BACK ISSUES /

I\’ve got a Le Tour question. We read of many aspects of the TdF: what riders do when they need to \”go\”; eating during a race, and what not. What I\’d like to know is when and how they reapply sunblock while whizzing along at twenty-some mph. Do they have a special sunblock that lasts for five hours? Or perhaps, with their bike-handling skills, they can pedal no-hands while slathering it on. When I rode today, I sure needed lots of sunblock. It was clear, with no relief from the sun. I felt unaccountably tired; on the way home, I had to stop numerous times. Even in Zone 3, I kept feeling out of breath. Possibly it was that most of the time it felt like I had a headwind, and was pedaling at a higher cadence than usual and in a lower gear. It could have been the heat. It was only after I was back home that I learned that there\’s a heat advisory in effect. It said the temperature would be about 100 degrees! I drank lots of water; a gallon or so of it. That\’s about one quart per hour, and I was starting to feel bloated during the last few miles. I also guzzled over a quart of electrolyte drink. Now, over an hour after reaching home, and even with compression stockings on, orthostatic hypotension is creeping in. I\’d like to know exactly what causes it. It better not force me to give up riding! And I still don\’t have an answer to my Le Tour question.    

Le Tour Question Read More »

Wanna Go Car Free?

BACK ISSUES /

Wanna go car free? There are some good reasons to do so. A car is very expensive. Even after the monthly payments are finished and the car is, at last, really your own, the expenses are far from over. Gasoline. Oil changes. Maintenance checks. Insurance can cost an arm and a leg, plus a finger or two. You\’ll have constant worries  about the car being broken into, crashed into, or even stolen. And what does it cost to park the blasted thing? Even if parking is free, can you find a spot for your car? The neighborhood where I live seems to have been developed before a car for every household was the norm; much less several people in the same household each owning a personal vehicle. Most cars have to be parked on the street. I\’m so glad I don\’t have to take part in that battle. The author of this book tells about his decision to get rid of his car, and his realization of how much money he was saving by not owning a car. The various chapters discuss ways to live car-free, or car-light: using public transit; renting a car for the few times a year when you truly need one to get somewhere; using a motorcycle; and — of course — riding a bicycle. I had been without a car for some years before finding this book, but I still enjoyed it. If you wanna go car free, I suggest this book!  

Wanna Go Car Free? Read More »