SpokEasy

November 2019

Heads Up?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Heads up about cycling in Yorkshire! Okay, I don\’t know whether that map is of Yorkshire or somewhere else, but cyclists from there have some things to tell the rest of us. Climb a \”chimney\”? I think I\’ll skip that 33 percent grade. Besides, I\’m not Santa Claus. The cafe stop? Yorkshire pudding sounds interesting. I\’ll bet it would be great with maple syrup! Or how about melted cheese and fresh chives? Tea beats out coffee? If you mean green tea, I agree. Drop a green tea bag in a pint jar full of water; put on the lid; and let sit in the fridge overnight. The expression \”chain gangs\”, for me, conjures up images of convict labor. It\’s refreshing to find chain gangs that are people who ride bicycles. I guess they mean that they\’re \”chained\” to those bikes! Riding up a lot of short, steep climbs would harden your muscles, I\’ve no doubt. I think it might do me a lot of good as a cyclist if I could tackle such rides more often. It isn\’t raining all the time in Yorkshire? Hooray!! But I\’d take along a poncho, just in case. The item about Yorkshire having/not having a Tour puzzles me. It seems to contradict itself. Can anybody figure it out? A hill that isn\’t a hill?? I guess even I could manage that! As to whether Yorkshire is \”sexy\”, I\’ll let the individual judge. My opinion might not agree with the next person\’s. Actually, when I\’m out for a ride, I don\’t think about such things. I just ride.

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Thailand

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Thailand Looks like a beautiful place! 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.” How would Thailand be as a cycling destination? According to at least one person, there’s nowhere better to ride. I like the idea of avoiding the usual touristy spots. Bypassing the beaten path lets you see more of the real ways of a country. Food, for instance. Food seems to be everywhere in Thailand. The article mentions scooters with a side-car rigged up as a mobile kitchen. I think that’s neat. And the food, it seems, is delicious. Not having to cook would make a cycling tour much easier. No worries about finding somewhere to set up your kitchen in the first place! No washing up afterwards! You can use the time you save on kitchen duty to get in a few more miles on the bike each day. Spice Roads offers group tours in Thailand. If I went to Thailand, I think  I’d like to visit Bangkok. It would be good to see the real city; my view of Bangkok is admittedly much colored by “Anna and the King of Siam” (now said to be a complete fabrication). I did learn this much from the book: NEVER touch anybody’s head. Thailand’s climate is tropical. The average annual temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit (almost 28 degrees Celsius); and it’s humid. I ought to be used to hot and humid; I’ve lived in it all my life. So maybe Thailand would be a good bicycle tour destination for me. 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 ¡Feliz Navidad! December 22, 2023 Joyeux Noël! December 21, 2023 Fröhliche Weihnachten! December 20, 2023 Christmas Past December 20, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

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In the Lab Again

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In the lab again? Since when did I turn scientist? Well, the kitchen is a laboratory of sorts, isn\’t it? It\’s a place to experiment with recipes: substitute this, omit that, etcetera. Last Saturday I went Feed Zone again, with yet another variation of Chicken Tikka Masala (pg. 229). Only I didn\’t use chicken; I used hot dogs. I also substituted medium buffalo wing sauce for the tomato sauce. By itself, the buffalo sauce was really too sharp for my palate; but mixing it with the yogurt toned it down very nicely. So here\’s the breakdown: 1 cup thinly sliced onions (mostly white onions this time); 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt; 1 cup buffalo sauce; 1 tsp salt; 1, 12-oz package beef hot dogs, thinly sliced crosswise. First I mixed everything but the hot dogs; it\’s a lot easier to stir without them! (BTW, the salt is optional). Then I stirred in the sliced hot dogs; put a cover on the pot (yes, I mixed the stuff right in the cook-pot!); and let the mixture marinate a couple of hours. Then I put the pot over medium heat; let it heat with an occasional stir; and when it was bubbly, I turned the heat way down and let it simmer for 15 minutes. That\’s all there is to it! I bet this would make a nice party dish. Something to think about, with the holiday season coming up.

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Can Can

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Can Can We don’t have to visit Paris for the can can! WHAT? Can Can? Have I landed in the Moulin Rouge? Mais, non. Paris is a long way off. I just got to thinking about that dance while preparing my “Thanksgiving feast”. And then I got to thinking of Offenbach! For my dinner I decided to fix boxed mac n cheese. I wanted to put in some peas. The frozen ones that I have were frozen too solid, and I didn’t want to wait for them to thaw enough for me to get out only a half-cup of them (I was just back from a bicycle ride, and getting hungry!). So I opened a can — or tin, as the British say — of peas. I didn’t have a turkey to roast, so I opened a tin of chicken to add to the mac n cheese. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without cranberry, so I opened a tin of cranberry sauce. Sweet potatoes make a nice foil to the tartness of cranberry — you guessed it. I opened a tin of sweet potatoes. The fancied-up mac n cheese, with cranberry and sweet potato, made a very nice meal, with some pimiento-stuffed olives on the side. Of course that negated the calorie burn I achieved while riding! Today I got in 16.10 miles. At one point in my route, there are homes whose backyards abut the foot of the levee. Someone had at least one live turkey in the yard! I heard it gobbling, and saw it with its tail spread into the famous turkey fan. I can’t say whether the bird was a pet or … dinner. Getting back home was pretty tough. As all too often happens, I had a headwind. That’s when I have to keep telling myself, I can, can, can.

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The Double-Edged Sword

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Double-Edged Sword Event preparation is like a double-edged sword. Just look at me, for example. Because of the pulled hamstring I suffered in early October, I had to ride very short and very easy for three weeks. Then, because I’m working to correct my left leg’s pedaling technique, I’ve continued to keep my rides shorter and easier than usual. I want to get back into good condition; and it seems to be taking quite a long time.  It’s easy for me to think that having a century planned for next April is the incentive I need to really work at it. It might be. I know I need to increase my cruising speed; and that might be the prod I need to work on intervals to improve my strength. Knowing that I’ll be riding 100 miles in a day in just five months might goad me into pushing for longer rides right now. On the other hand, having that 100-miler looming could prove frustrating if I’m not improving as fast as I would like. If I skip a ride or two because the weather is horrible; or I’m feeling very tired; I feel guilty. I would also worry that skipping rides will mean that I won’t be adequately prepared come event day. So there you have it. Event prep can cut both ways. It’s a double-edged sword.

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When a Bike Isn\’t

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When a bike isn\’t a bike?! How could a it be anything else? When it\’s a sulky, that\’s when! \”The sulky (informally known as a \”bike\”, and also known as a spider) is a light, two-wheeled cart equipped with bicycle wheels.\” I was surprised to finally learn what a sulky really is. I\’d always had the notion that it was some sort of horse-drawn carriage that could hold an entire family. I saw the sulky plow mentioned in some children\’s literature, but didn\’t know what it really meant; and I never thought to look it up. Sulkies are used as rural transportation in many locations. They are also used in racing, and can be pulled by either horses or dogs. Looking at such pics makes me think of a recumbent pulled by an animal. Now that we know when a \”bike\” isn\’t one, let\’s get over being \”sulky\” and climb aboard our BICYCLES.  

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Penny-Farthing

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The penny-farthing is quite amazing. How did people ride them? A penny-farthing doesn\’t look like it would be easy to mount in the first place! This is the kind of bicycle that Mark Twain wrote about, and it seems that his experience with the machine was not a positive one. If you\’re eager to give it a go, this video provides advice. That gentleman sure makes it look easy. I wonder whether the \”cowboy mount\” that some people use when starting their bicycles has its origins in the way a rider mounts a \”PF\”. I\’m not sure I\’m up to the PF challenge. I know I wouldn\’t dare try it without a helmet! I wonder how many PF riders suffered fatal head injuries during the PF\’s heyday. After all, when you\’re on one of those contraptions you\’ve got much farther to fall than you do when you\’re on a \”safety\”. I\’m not sure I\’ve ever seen anyone actually riding a PF, but one of the local bike shops has one — or a replica — hanging from the ceiling. That big wheel looks like it\’s almost as tall as I am! Oh, and I guess a PF wouldn\’t be a good idea if you suffer from acrophobia.

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Addition

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My addition skills are better that this, I hope! Fortunately I don\’t need math skills to be able to ride. Today I added another mile or so to my outbound route. My average speed was actually a bit faster than last Sunday\’s, and with similar wind conditions. Here\’s what I did that was different: I worked on 30-second intervals of  pedaling a lot faster. At one point I did a full minute of pedaling hard into the wind. I hit a peak cadence of 120 rpm, and without bouncing in the saddle. That effort also got my heart rate up to its max. I stayed on the small ring a lot. My left ankle still wants to hyperextend itself, and it\’s easier to keep it from doing so if I\’m in a relatively easy gear. Easier gears also make it easier to pedal faster! It was cooler than I really like, but cold weather is more tolerable on a sunny day. Of course I wore leg warmers, and the pair I used today has about had it. One of them has a run in it for some time; and today I snagged the other on something and put a hole it in! To that nuisance I can add having had to take a detour to get home. A train was just sitting there, blocking my usual crossing. The lead locomotive was more than 3/4 miles from home, and the end was several blocks past the crossing. That meant riding over a very bumpy street to get back home. Oh, well. That did give me an extra half-mile or so to add to this year\’s mileage total. I like that kind of addition!  

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I Got Lucky!

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Yes, I was lucky this morning. After I checked the forecast last night, I expected to have to ride through rain to get to the salvage store. As a matter of fact, it did rain at about 7:15. By the time I started to the store, the rain had stopped; but it was still overcast. I wore my poncho in case it started to rain again. It was warm enough that I could leave the hood down. If it did start to rain, it would be easy enough to stop and remove my hemet; pull the hood into place; then put the helmet back on. I did in fact run into a patch of mist not far from home. I stopped and put that hood over my head in case the mist morphed into heavy rain. But it didn\’t 🙂 At the store I parked my bike under an awning. I forgot to put a plastic bag over the saddle, and of course the edge of that awning was dripping! It was a good thing I had the poncho on, or my shorts would have gotten all wet. On the way home there was another patch of mist; but by the time I actually got home, the sun was starting to come out. Today I took the trailer, and it sure felt hard to pull the thing. I\’m so glad that I got lucky and had the headwind on the way out, for a change. It was worth the effort, though. Among other things, I hit the make-your-own-grab-bag bins. Two large bags cost $10 —  81 snacks for ten bucks! Some of them will make good ride food. Which reminds me, it\’s time to start extending my Sunday ride to 20 miles or so. The weather should be good tomorrow, so I can saddle up, grab a bargain snack, and pedal away.

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Like a Broken Record

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We do sound like a broken record, don\’t we? This non-stop discussion of food in the pro peloton does get tiresome. Or even of on-bike food for us purely recreational riders. Pro cyclists competing in, say, La Grande Boucle burn so many calories that they end up going catabolic, with their bodies in effect eating themselves. Paradoxically, during a long stage race the riders find it harder and harder to eat enough! Eating, in fact, come to seem like force-feeding to them. That\’s only while they\’re on the bicycles and racing. In addition to the hours in the saddle, pros in a multi-day race need to be eating almost all the time that they aren\’t sleeping! It\’s staggering to think of it. When I\’m about halfway through a ride of 3-4 hours at a pace that\’s far from racing speed, it starts to get hard to eat. I lose my appetite. That definitely came into play when I did the tricycle century. I anticipated finishing that ride in good appetite, eager for a nice, big dinner out. To my surprise, I wasn\’t hungry at all! So in a very small way, I can understand the problems of keeping fueled during three weeks of intense racing. I\’m glad I don\’t have to do it! But haven\’t I said that before? I sound like a broken record, don\’t I?

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