SpokEasy

December 2019

Vision

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The upcoming New Year will be one for vision, won\’t it? After all, it\’s 2020, right? I don\’t have 20/20 vision any more, but I can still do without glasses most of the time. Besides, we don\’t really need glasses to conjure up a vision of the next year\’s cycling goals, do we? Naturally I hope to do better than I did this past year. The hamstring injury cost me several hundred miles. Then there was the work I did to improve my left-foot pedal stroke; that meant shorter, easier rides for some weeks. Indeed, I\’m not really finished with that work. I\’ve still got to watch that left ankle! How about my goals for the 2020 cycling year? Improve my cruising pace? That\’s been on on my goal list year after year, and I\’ve still not accomplished it. I guess I\’m too lazy. Same thing goes for riding another century. Another good goal would be to get my diet and weight back under control. Several years ago I actually consulted a sports nutritionist, who advised a diet based on lean meats and lots of veggies. Here\’s the rub: I don\’t like handling raw meat; and don\’t have a lot of time for cooking if I\’m to keep this web site and blogging going. I need to conjure up a vision of how I can juggle all that!  

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Crunching

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Crunching the numbers, that is. Sometimes it just has to be done, although crunching potato chips, or Combos, or corn chips is much more fun. December 31 is the day to add up the year\’s total bicycle mileage. Here\’s what I have: road bike:  3052.43 miles; 277:32:54 hours hybrid     :   1044.91 miles; 131:45:56 hours I admit I\’m a little disappointed with my grand mileage total of 4097.34 for the year. I had hoped to do more. Naturally I didn\’t expect to pull a hamstring. That cost me several hundred miles, I\’m sure. I went for a ride this morning. I wanted to be sure I got in some miles before the year\’s end — and before people start setting off fireworks. I can\’t know when an ill-aimed pyrotechnic might blow out one of my eardrums, or put out one of my eyes. And gunpowder smoke reeks! Today I met with some friends for lunch. The place where we went was crowded, and that was late morning/early afternoon! And far from the places where you could expect mobs of people on New Year\’s Eve. My dislike of crowded surroundings is why I stay home. The noise would drive me crazy, too. After lunch I was in an ice cream mood, so I went to the drug store and got some. Then, back home to start working on blogs. Do I plan to see in the New Year by composing blogs?? No, I don\’t think so. I\’ll want to get some sleep so I can go riding in the morning!

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2020

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Does the approach of 2020 have you feeling extra-adventurous? Does a MTB trip seem like too little? Maybe a fantasycart Unicycle will fit the bill. So far I\’ve had no desire to try a unicycle. Having nothing to hold onto means no handlebars for steering. I guess riding a one-wheeler means a lot of reliance on core strength. I don\’t see how else the rider could steer except by using the core and hips. Enthusiasts of one-wheeling are by no means left out of cycling adventures. They\’ll even tackle Mongolia! Bike-packing with only one wheel must call for extra work to learn not to let the weight of a Camel-Bak pull you over backwards! Then there\’s getting the hang of a \”uni\” in the first place; never mind having added weight on your back. As always, one step at a time. Get used to the uni first, and then start working on riding it with a load. The one year I was able to spend in graduate school, I often saw a guy riding a unicycle around campus. More than once I saw him riding that uni with an UNCASED trombone in his hand. I found that shocking; and never could help thinking that, if he wiped out, you could say goodbye to that \’bone!        

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Out with the Old

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Out with the old! The old road bike chain, that is.  Seems quite fitting that I get a new bicycle chain on the verge of a new year, doesn\’t it? Over the past week or two I noticed that, when I shifted cogs on my road bike, the shifting wasn\’t crisp. The chain hesitated before actually moving. That seemed weird. I began to think that this could mean the bike\’s chain needed replacing. After this morning\’s ride, I measured the chain. Sure enough, it was time for a new one. So, off to the bike shop. I also suspected that the rear derailer might need adjusting. I got the new chain. They didn\’t say that the derailer had anything wrong with it, but the did say that the pulleys were getting worn. Oh, bother. More expense. But maybe it\’s to be expected. I\’ve put 24,000+ miles on that bicycle. I wish I could afford to \”out with the old\” all my leg warmers and shorts, and buy new ones. I also need to replace my second pair of cycling shoes. Unfortunately that\’s too much for a single visit to the shop. People used to say that, what you do as the new year begins, you\’ll do all year. So I don\’t need to start 2020 by being a spendthrift!  

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Azerbaijan

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Azerbaijan 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.” Does it puzzle you that a cyclist would want to tour Azerbaijan? It seems like such an exotic, faraway place. I admit, though, that its name is likely to bring a chuckle. A character in one of Agatha Christie’s novels said that somebody was going to a place that sounded like “azure basin”! As always seems to happen, I find that cyclists have, indeed, made forays into the country. Cycling in Azerbaijan has a relatively short history; less than 100 years. They seem to be making up for it, though; by both citizens and visitors. Want a list of possible routes? There are plenty of them. Ride through Baku sounds good for the  beginning bicycle tourist. Nice and short; with very little climbing. A road bike is fine for this route. Xankandi Sahari should appeal to hill-climbing enthusiasts. There are uphill routes and downhill routes; long tours; and short, quick rides. As always, learn about the climate of your target country, and pack the appropriate clothing. Azerbaijan has nine climate zones; be sure you know what kind of weather you might encounter. There are the usual concerns about safety; both personal safety and riding on the roads. And etiquette, naturally. In Azerbaijan to criticize the ruler, or his family, is strictly taboo; and  absolutely never mention Armenia. Etiquette is a tricky area; what is polite, or at least tolerable, in one culture might be the height of rudeness in another. If I were to go for a cycling tour in that nation on the Caspian Sea, I’d have a lot of studying to do! 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 Holiday Food December 16, 2023 Glad I’m Home December 15, 2023 Getting Wild December 14, 2023 Sooner or Later December 13, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Nouvelle Cuisine?

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Nouvelle cuisine as it’s supposed to be, probably would not include hot dogs! I did try another new twist on chicken tikka masala today, so I got the “nouvelle” part right, at least. To be precise, it’s another version of “Chinese hot dogs“. Yesterday at the salvage store, I found sweet & sour sauce. It’s not the same brand as last time, but that’s OK. It also has a different flavor, but that’s OK, too. It seems sweeter than the brand I had last time. Maybe that’s all to the good, as this time I put in curry powder; and the sauce doesn’t clash with it. I needed to use the whole jar of sauce, and had a good time scraping out the residue with a finger and licking it up. Then came the sad part — discarding the jar. My upbringing screams at me to keep it; practicality says NO, I don’t have room to keep any more jars on my shelves! Naturally today wasn’t all kitchen work. I had to ride to the supermarket to get the yogurt; and after I was home from the store I went out on the road bike. At 10 am the fog hadn’t entirely burned off; and the sun was also dodging in and out of clouds. I didn’t know when the weather might turn bad; and the wind seemed to be getting stronger. I went sissy and turned back early. I got home; ate some lunch; and then launched into preparing my new invention. Part of the fun of nouvelle cuisine is inventing names for your new creations. “Kung Bo Hot Dogs”, maybe?

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You Call THIS Winter??

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Can you call this WINTER? Here it is, December 28. Winter began, officially, a week ago. But does it feel like Winter? Far from it! In fact, it\’s almost hot. The temperature now, at 1:45 pm, is in the high 70s. I\’m glad it\’s  overcast, or it would feel much hotter. But is it going to rain? I rode to the salvage store this morning, and was rather worried that it might pour. The sky was heavily overcast at the time, and the forecast said there was a 30% chance of showers. It didn\’t rain during my trip to the store, but there\’s been a  bit of drizzle since then. Is it a warm-up to the downpour? For tomorrow, it\’s a flip of the coin: 50% chance of rain. I need to go to the supermarket to buy plain yogurt, which I forgot to look for today; and I need to get in a jaunt of 20 miles or so. It will be a lot more pleasant if it isn\’t raining. Tomorrow night a cold front is expected to come through, and then the temperature will drop to about 48. From 78 down to 48 is quite a drastic change. We don\’t seem to get the chance to get used to cold weather before it heats up again. It makes me think that Summer is much easier to deal with, because we\’ll know what to expect: hot and humid. As for right now, well, do you call this WINTER?  

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Double Malady

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I sure got a double malady today: brain FAG and brain FOG. About noon I decided to ride over to the bike shop, to look for a new pair of gloves. I got there only to realize that I\’d left my \”wallet\” home. I had also forgotten to re-set the bicycle computer before starting out. I had to go back home to get the wallet; then went to the bike shop. Afterwards I rode back home; re-set the bike computer; and started over to the park. I figured I\’d ride around it a few times and go home. Not halfway there I realized I didn\’t have any ID with me! I had left the wallet at home, so I went back there. And stayed. But how did my brain get so scrambled? It\’s been gray, drizzly, and misty all day. Such weather is liable to make me foggy-headed to begin with. I went out to run an errand before 9 am, but didn\’t use a bicycle. I needed to visit the bank, so I got my driver\’s license out from the baggie with the cell phone, where I usually keep it. I put it in my \”wallet\”; another baggie where I have my work ID and other things I\’m likely to need often. When I got back home, I forgot to put my license back where I usually keep it; and I set the \”wallet\” on the shelf where I normally keep it at night, instead of putting it in my pocket. No wonder I got into such a mix-up. I worked on Products in my Shop for an hour or so. That seems to be as much as I can tolerate at a stretch. My brain starts to say NO MORE, and brain fag makes me physically tired as well. Brain fag can also trigger brain FOG. When such a double malady strikes me, it\’s no wonder I wound up forgetting things.  

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To Your Health

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\”To your health!\” is a popular toast. Health is essential to everyone. Of course there are days when we feel under the weather, like this kitty. Riding isn\’t fun then, and sometimes we need to take a day or two off. But what about those who live with chronic health issues? What do they need to do in order to ride? An obvious example is diabetes. The article makes it plain that living with diabetes is quite the balancing act. Before starting a ride, there\’s blood-glucose testing to be sure your levels are neither too high nor too low for you to ride safely. And determining which foods are best for you before, during, and after riding. How about GU-Gels? If you have diabetes, are they OK for fueling any time, or only when glucose levels threaten to drop too low? Some people suffer from arthritis. Can they be cyclists? They sure can. Cycling is non-impact, making it easier on the joints than, let\’s say, running. Pedaling can be done at a wide range of intensities; every rider can choose what works best for him or her. Cycling can help with weight control; an important point, as excess poundage puts more stress on the knees, hips, and feet. Some people have balance issues, whether as the result of a stroke; the presence of another neurological issue; or inner ear troubles. Some people simply find the idea of being on two wheels too scary! They need not not miss the joys of cycling. There are adult tricycles! It\’s also possible to buy a stabilizer kit for an adult bicycle. Let\’s not forget people who don\’t have the use of their legs. They can get in on the cycling act, too. Hands can get you places! Cycling has great health benefits, and there are ways for most of us to get them. Let\’s not miss out! To Your Health!

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Silent Morn

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Silent morn? Isn\’t it supposed to be Silent NIGHT? It\’s a silent morn when you go out riding at 5:40 am on Christmas Day. There was far less traffic than usual, and fewer people out cycling or jogging. The fog was much less than I thought it might be. Sometimes fog means pea soup, but this time there was just a little light mist here and there. It\’s two weeks since the moon was full, and I hoped to see the old crescent rising when I went out this morning. Alas, much of the sky was overcast. I\’m glad it didn\’t rain. With no need to rush back home, I went out for over seven miles before turning back. The wind was calm. What a marvelous Christmas gift that was! For a while I was riding at 15+ mph. During the last mile, I made a very hard push to see whether I could hit 20 mph. I made it! I could sustain it for only a few seconds, but I got there. Because it was still dark, I got to see some beautiful light displays. That\’s another good reason to ride very early on December 25. I spent the day with old friends of the family. It was good to see them all again. At least one of them asked me about my web site! Of course there was lots of food, and we all took home leftovers. I\’ll have to go for a good ride tomorrow to burn it off. Let\’s hope it won\’t be raining.

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