SpokEasy

January 2020

Layering

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Layering looks scrumptious when it comes to desserts. Layers are even more important when it comes to dressing for a ride in cold weather. The temperature isn\’t the only consideration. How strong is the wind, and how long can you expect to have to ride against it? How long a ride do you plan to do in the first place? Are you going to be doing an easy recovery ride, or do you plan to ride fast and hard? Is it raining? Snowing? Part of knowing how many layers to put on is plain old experience. With time, you\’ll learn what your tolerance for cold is, and what you\’ll need to wear. I, for one, want leg warmers once the temperature starts to go below 70. In fact, it\’s recommended to use them, or at least knee warmers, if it\’s less than 75 degrees. The market is loaded with cycling clothing made from high-tech fabrics that wick away perspiration. On that subject, how often have I read: do not wear cotton! Cotton holds the wet, and you could end up getting chilled. Wool, they say, it the preference of \”retro-grouches\”; and wool at least still keeps you warm if it gets wet. I keep around an undershirt; a vest (which is really an old cycling jacket sans sleeves); a cycling jacket; leg warmers; helmet liner; and extra socks. Keeping warm is a bigger problem in a humid climate. The dampness makes the cold penetrate right down to your bones. I especially have trouble with my hands and feet feeling the cold. Our cold season is relatively short, though. Soon I\’ll not only be able to stop layering; I\’ll be griping about the heat.

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Cheesy

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Cheesy might sound like an order at the neighborhood burger joint. It\’s also what happens when you have an extra cheese sauce packet from boxed mac n cheese. Day before yesterday I hung the panniers on the hybrid and rode to the salvage store. Among my purchases were four boxes of 4/$1.00 mac n cheese. I didn\’t notice until I was back home that one of those boxes had a slit in it. Probably it was accidentally cut open at a previous store. I didn\’t quite dare to eat the macaroni, but the packet of cheese sauce mix was intact. I kept the cheese packet and tossed the mac. After a chilly ride this morning, I decided to fix mac n cheese with double cheese. I have more than enough boxes of \”mac\”, and need to use up some of them. This was also a good opportunity to use up some more cans: one of chicken, and one of mixed veggies. The result is pretty good. I ate some as brunch, and can take some to work for lunch tomorrow. But I wouldn\’t dare to serve it to Grand Tour riders at the end of a stage. That would be cheesy, indeed!  

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Salvage Store Woes

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Salvage Store Woes 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.” Salvage store woes are catching up with me. I’ve blogged often enough about bringing home big loads from that store. That in itself is not a bad thing. I try to keep a good stock of non-perishables on hand; when a hurricane is threatening is not the time to have to rush to whatever store I can get to, hoping there will still be something left on the shelves. After months of big-load activity, however, I find that I have too much stuff. If I don’t stop it for a while and use up some of those canned things, I’ll need an extra room to keep them in! Oh, those salvage store woes! It’s hard, though, to be at the salvage store and see something at a great price — and leave it on the shelf. Sometimes I find Progresso® soups at $0.99 per can! I’m especially thrilled to find Progresso® Lentil at that price. I love that lentil soup over toast, with some cheese on top. Back to the problem of too many cans. Today I began working to put a dent in them, so to speak. It’s a good time for such work; the wind is so strong that I decided to let riding wait until tomorrow. And tomorrow is a holiday 🙂 First step: make what I call squashed sauce. I had some kind of mushroom pasta sauce. One “tin” down. That sauce was too pureed for me to see any “shrooms” (as my father called them). I had a small can of mushrooms. I added them to the sauce; tin number two down. Then I opened up a small can of condensed tomato soup and added the soup to the pot; tin number three. Finally, I chopped up two yellow crook-neck squash and added them to the mix. Hence the name, squashed sauce. I’ll still have cans on the floor, thanks to there being no room on the shelf; but I’ve made a beginning. And just watch — come Saturday I’ll be heading for the salvage store like a homing pigeon, and bringing home more cans; thus adding to my salvage store woes.

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Inconvenience Store

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Inconvenience Store An inconvenience store is what the salvage store turned into this morning. I usually pay by debit card, and the computer wouldn’t let my transaction go through. It wasn’t lack of funds; something was wrong with the computer. My total was twenty-something dollars, and I had all of six bucks with me. Luckily there’s a strip mall near the salvage store, where I could go and withdraw some cash from an ATM. It wasn’t an ATM run by my bank, which meant a service fee. ARGH!! Then it was back to the salvage store so I could pay for my stuff; pack it up; and ride home. I was halfway there when it occurred to me that I should have bought an onion. I forgot to even look for them. Aside from the inconvenience caused by the cash register today, shopping at the salvage store can be fun. Part of the fun is making up things to do with the stuff I find. For instance, today I found a bottle of hoisin sauce. Hot dogs are getting wanderlust again! Another find today: cans of fully cooked taco meat filling. I bet it would be good mixed with cooked lentils, served over brown rice. Or — of course — with sliced hot dogs! They haven’t been to Mexico yet, so why not? The weather, although crazy, cooperated pretty well this morning. The wind wasn’t all that strong, and it helped that I didn’t use the trailer. That thing inevitably slows me down. The sun was dodging in and out of the clouds, so I didn’t get rained on; but I was surprised at how warm it became. It doesn’t feel like January. At 11:20 am it was 77 degrees; but a cold front is expected tonight. It’ll be a chilly ride tomorrow!

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Alla Polacca

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Alla Polacca 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.” Alla polacca? Why not? Let’s get off those bikes for a little while and dance! Then, let’s start pedaling through Poland. Which route would I choose? There are many factors to consider when planning any bicycle trip: how much time you have; how far your money can go (of course!); your fitness level; whether you enjoy climbing or want to stick to less challenging terrain. The Baltic coast route looks like a good choice for me; it’s one of the flatter routes. I’m always harping on my lack of climbing prowess. The Central Europe Route would be a good choice for those interested in European history. It’s 5000+ kilometers of diversity! The Iron Curtain Trail, as its name indicates, follows the path of the former Iron Curtain. You’ll ride through 20 countries; and enjoy mountains; vinyards; and seaports. The Capitals Route sounds good: “attractive landscapes” and national parks.  The East Europe Route gets hilly towards the end. How well I could handle that depends on how long and steep the hills are; and how frequently they appear! Finally, the Baltic Sea Cycle Route follows Poland’s northern coast, and in fact overlaps the Iron Curtain Trail. I think the old cities would be interesting to visit. So there you are: alla polacca. Six possible bicycle trips through Poland; fueled, perhaps, by pierogi! 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 Roadie Again! January 5, 2024 Pomp and Circumstance January 4, 2024 I Bee’d Lucky January 3, 2024 Sunblock Day January 2, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Eye Spy?

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Eye or Aye? 🕶️ Aye, or eye? Aye, we need our eyes to spy. What else are eyes for? We sure need our eyes when we’re cycling, but we need to remember to protect them. There are many different colors of lenses. Which color is best for which conditions? For me, when the weather is clear and bright, dark sunglasses are a must. It isn’t comfortable — and is surprisingly exhausting — to have to squint against the sun. Not to mention that I also need to see where I’m riding. On a day when it’s overcast, but the light is still fairly bright, vermilion lenses are a great help. The sun doesn’t have to be in my eyes for me to suffer eyestrain. Clear lenses for riding in the dark are another good idea. There won’t be blazing light and glare at night; but night riding has its own set of eye risks. In warmer weather, there are insects to contend with. Who wants a bug in the eye; and possibly a scratched cornea as a result? I had a corneal abrasion many years ago, and I can tell you — it HURT! Even if it’s cool enough that there are few or no insects out, a wind brings the hazard of flying dust and other debris. Lenses, I suspect, also help reduce the chances of dry-eye. Artificial tears can help help relieve dried eyes, but I’d rather prevent the condition in the first place — while I’ve got my eye on the next ride. If you ride with a group, maybe you could have a rolling game of Eye Spy! Celestron Binoculars View in Amazon Compare WANGLY Polarized Lenses View in Amazon Compare

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Hot Dogs Abroad

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Hot Dogs Abroad We travel; so why shouldn’t our hot dogs travel too? 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.” Hot dogs abroad?! What’s that all about? It’s about the variations on chicken tikka masala, from The Feed Zone Cookbook. I took to using “franks” instead of chicken sausages; and began to substitute other things for the tomato sauce. These various sauces put a “hot dogs abroad” twist on things. I’ve taken hot dogs to Korea, with gochujang sauce. There have been two trips to China, with different brands of sweet and sour sauce. There was one “staycation”, when I used buffalo sauce. That’s about as American as you can get. Apple pie had better look to its laurels. Last Sunday I dusted off the passport, so to speak, and took hot dogs to Thailand! I found an 8 oz jar of pad thai sauce in the salvage store. I got a one-pound package of chicken franks. There were plain yogurt and half a red onion in the fridge at home, so I didn’t need to buy those. It didn’t take long to prepare the mixture; then I only had to let it marinate. I put that time to good use by washing the dishes; working on blogging; and listening to a YouTube of Mozart’s Great g-minor Symphony. And then I had to keep reminding myself that it was Sunday. It feels like Saturday when I go to the salvage store. If I really could go to Thailand, it would feel like vacation!

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Give Yourself a Hand

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Why not give yourself a hand? You\’re a cyclist, after all! Let\’s applaud that. You hands, however, need some care. When you think about it,  those paws of yours work hard: they\’re the ones that hold your bicycle on course; let you hydrate and fuel yourself while riding; and let you apply sunblock. Here are some tips for hand care: Gloves for cycling seem quite the no-brainer. Certainly I wear them; I\’m not about to skip them! There are short-finger and long-finger gloves for rides in different temperatures. First, the short-finger type. No matter how hot the day might be, no matter how short the ride might be, I want my gloves! Short-finger gloves have the great advantage of allowing normal finger dexterity. You can easily grab a bite to eat while rolling during long rides. I always miss that during long rides on cold days. When it gets cold, though, I have to wear long-finger gloves simply to keep my hands from freezing. That makes on-bike eating awkward. Some long-finger gloves now have finger tips especially designed for touchscreen use; but does that help when you\’re trying to dig a piece of Clif Bar out of your top-tube pouch? Maybe some day I\’ll get to try it! Chapped hands are a big problem for me as soon as the weather starts to get cool. The skin dries up, and the corners of my nails start to get painful splits. So, when the mercury starts to drop below about 70 degrees, I haul out the materials for making my hand cream. It feels better on my skin than any commercially available hand lotion that I\’ve ever tried. And smells better, too. On top of that, it\’s probably cheaper. I suspect that we forget to appreciate just what our hands can do. Could we ride without them? While giving yourself a hand for riding, let\’s not forget to give those hands some TLC.  

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Bated Breath

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Bated breath is what I get when the weather forecast isn\’t so favorable. By Tuesday or Wednesday of last week they were already talking about the possibility of severe weather later in the week. Thursday night a wind advisory had been posted for Friday evening through Saturday afternoon. The worst weather was predicted for Saturday morning. Great. I had wanted to hitch up the trailer and ride to the salvage store on Saturday. But the forecast was for showers and T-storms; some possibly severe. Add to that winds of 20-25 mph. Not optimal conditions for big-load day! Friday morning it was overcast, but at least it didn\’t rain while I was riding. I had to make it short, because I got started late. I decided not to ride to work. If it was going to be storming at quitting time, I didn\’t want to have to ride home through it. As it turned out, I could have used the bicycle, after all! Although there was some light rain while I was walking to work, there wasn\’t a drop as I walked back home. Saturday morning, at about 9:25 am, I thought I heard thunder; and soon the rain began. If I had ridden to the store, I would have gotten caught in it on the way home! It rained pretty hard for a while, and the wind was really strong. The NOAA site still showed the wind advisory; and a tornado watch until noon. In the end, things never got as dire as the forecast seemed to indicate. Often enough, my bated breath turns out to have been wasted worry. I suppose I should be glad of that. I hope next weekend goes better.  

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Skinflint

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A skinflint sure pinches the pennies, and hates spending money. We all know Ebeneezer Scrooge, I think? But it doesn\’t pay a cyclist to be too much of a skinflint when it comes to skin care. We might be out there for hours in sun and wind. A good sunblock is a necessity. Some are creams; others can be sprayed on. If you\’re riding with a child, don\’t forget that the children need sunblock, too. Expensive though sunblock may seem, it\’s a little cheaper than treatment for melanoma. If you dislike having sunblock on your arms, try some sun sleeves. They feel can hot when you first put them on; but after your ride gets underway, they start to feel cooler. Your legs don\’t have to get left out; there are leg sleeves, too! Skin care isn\’t limited to preventing sunburn and avoiding chapped lips. It\’s also about wound care. We\’ve all seen those Tour de France pics showing the aftermath of a crash. Those guys\’ skin looks like raw meat! Road rash should not be neglected. It\’s better than broken bones, no doubt; but you don\’t want it to get infected. Clean and dress it as soon as possible. Day-to-day follow-up care is also important. You may need a tetanus shot; check with your health-care provider to be sure you\’re up to date on this. Crashes can also result in cuts and/or puncture wounds; the same kind of precautions pertaining to road rash also apply here. So slather on the sunblock — or pull on the sun sleeves — and enjoy your ride, knowing that you aren\’t a skinflint!

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