SpokEasy

March 2021

Adagio Reprise

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Today was an adagio reprise. I planned to do a short, easy ride with the road bike; and then ride the hybrid to work. This plan was especially important as bad weather is expected to set in sometime tomorrow; and for several days heavy rain and even T-storms are likely. In fact, we\’re under flash flood watch beginning at 8:00 am tomorrow. My morning at home turned out to be quite leisurely. I guess I need an adagio reprise now and then! I was very sleepy; got up a bit too late; and saw that, by the time I got out there with the road bike, it would be nearly time to be back home! So I decided to skip it. I combined the pre-ride snack with breakfast — can you believe I ate bologna? — and took my time packing the bike trunk and a pannier for the ride to work. Why the pannier? For one thing, it was a bit too cool for shorts this morning; but I knew I\’d want shorts by the time I left work. Even though rain wasn\’t expected today, I packed along the poncho. It was cloudy when I left for work, and I didn\’t trust it not to rain! A pair of slacks and the poncho take up a lot of room in the trunk; and I wanted to hit the drug store after work to stock up on sodas. There\’s absolutely no way I could have fit them into the trunk along with that other stuff! I wanted a few Power Crunch bars; but the store was out of them. I spied a new product: Vital Proteins Collagen Bar, and got one to try. In my estimation, it falls somewhere between Fit Crunch and Quest. Picking up the Tempo Now that it\’s already 6:25 pm, the adagio reprise must be over; and I can tell you, an adagio reprise is never long enough! I\’ve got to be picking up the tempo: prep tomorrow\’s lunch; clean up the kitchen; and do my off-bike exercises. I\’ve been terribly slack about them for months; and I don\’t need to lose the conditioning that took so long to develop! Tomorrow I see the nutritionist. I was having a lot of trouble with getting hungry too often, so something about my eating pattern is probably off-kilter. Maybe I need a few more calories than I\’ve been getting; or could I actually need more carbs? I\’ll find out. I just hope it\’s not pouring when it\’s time to go to my appointment!

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Still Plodding

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I\’m still plodding along. If anything, today\’s ride was slower than last Sunday\’s! This past week I missed two days\’ riding; and then I had the after-effects of the second dose of COVID vaccine. Today I still didn\’t feel like doing much; so I didn\’t push things. Well, not pace-wise; I did put in a little over 30 miles. Unfortunately my not pushing things happens too often. If I really want to improve my pace, I need to push myself harder and more often. So many days I feel sort of tired, and that means frequent \”sorta hard\” rides. Mediocre training leads to mediocre performance. I\’m not training for an event, which means I don\’t have much incentive to train hard. Even if I were working up to, say, Tour de Cure, I probably wouldn\’t be doing much better. History repeats itself, as they say. Today at least seems a bit more Spring-like. It was about the same temperature as yesterday, but the clouds were less dense; and the sun actually came out during my ride. Of course I had a headwind on the way home, and as a result I did quite a lot of low-gear spinning. But I wonder: do I need to eat more during my long rides? Would that help me to ride a bit faster? Today my Garmin showed post-ride that I had burned 885 calories; and I ate 736 calories\’ worth of bars and GU-Gels. That\’s a calorie deficit of 149; and I don\’t think it\’s enough of a deficit to cause real problems. I certainly didn\’t feel bonkish! Monday, as a rule, is off-bikes day; but it looks like bad weather will be moving in by Tuesday. So I think I\’ll do a bit of a ride tomorrow, even if I\’m still plodding.

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\’Tis Spring?

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\’Tis SPRING? It sure doesn\’t feel like it! Last Saturday, it was about ten degrees warmer than it was this morning. Today it\’s chilly and overcast; and that gloomy gray doesn\’t look much like Spring, either. But at least it wasn\’t raining, and I hitched up the trailer for the trek to the salvage store. This time it was really worth it. I found canned chicken, 99¢ for a 5 oz can; and I stocked up on chicken. It\’s combination white and dark meat, and not the all white meat that I prefer; but hey! It\’s chicken. For ages it seemed that the salvage store rarely had canned green beans; but today I found them. They finally had hummus again, too. Naturally I hit the grab-bag bins. This time I found only one Fit Crunch; but I enearthed two XL Bars. I like being able to get packs of M&Ms there. I have to watch the carbs, especially stuff like candy; and with M&Ms I can eat just a few pieces at a time. The same goes for candy bars that are easily broken into sections; or, if the temptation is too great, I can eat one bite and toss the rest! At those cheap prices, I don\’t have to feel too guilty about throwing the stuff away. Writing about food was making me hungry; and of course there was the ride to and from the store to whet my appetite. I ate some pilaf for lunch; and then I had to buckle down and get to work on my taxes. That time of year always comes much too quickly! At least I\’m not too tempted to cavort around outdoors right now. \’Tis Spring? As I already said, it doesn\’t feel like it.

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$10 a Day

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$10 a Day is one former pro\’s story of how he bought his first bicycle, just so he could get places; and his rise to the pro ranks. I first encountered this book through Google searches about becoming a pro cyclist. Sure, I knew I was much too old to be entertaining any notions about turning pro; but I was curious. First I read the excerpts from $10 a Day that were online. I thought they were interesting; and eventually I got the book from a library so I could read the whole thing. It\’s been a few years, so my memory is now hazy; but $10 a Day shows that pro cycling is not all glamor and glory. For instance, I believe the book mentions a Summer spent in a stink-bug infested house where the author\’s team was training. Not for me, thank you! I think I\’ll stick with being an amateur. So what if I still look like a rookie? And, if you\’re on a pro cycling team, do you get to choose what you\’ll eat on the bike? Maybe; but as an amateur I have complete freedom. I can plan for Fit Crunch bars, RXBars, whatever. $10 a Day is available in both print and kindle versions.

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Coming to Naught

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Good intentions are coming to naught, yet again. I had planned to skip all grocery stores this weekend; but now I see that such a plan isn\’t quite practical. I ran out of scallions several days ago, and really miss them. I have part of a yellow onion; but it\’s getting too old. I\’m out of bananas; and I want a cauliflower. I\’m running low on bread, too. I thought of going to Whole Foods; but the lure of the salvage store is hard to resist. I never know when they\’ll have a lot of goods that will let me stock up big-time; and I\’m reluctant to miss an opportunity. I\’m also reluctant to miss the ride! Of course I can order online from Whole Foods. Doing that would let me ride to the salvage store tomorrow morning. I don\’t like trying to hit both stores on the same day because of traffic concerns; and the later I go, the more people will be at the store. I had my second COVID-19 vaccine dose day before yesterday; but why take chances? Another factor is that ordering groceries online seems a lot more costly than buying them in the store. That\’s no surprise; I\’m paying for the convenience. There\’s no such convenience attached to the salvage store, and I don\’t expect that there ever will be; so if I want stuff from both stores tomorrow, I have to order online from Whole Foods. Yesterday morning I saw that my ride plans were coming to naught when I suddenly felt light-headed and very tired. My arms and legs still felt achy this morning, so I headed for the local park and rode five easy laps. It was good just to get out and ride; and we all need to take it easy sometimes!

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Saint Gone Wild?

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Had the good saint gone wild yesterday? It was Saint Patrick\’s Day; and some nasty weather moved into the Southeast region. It was windy all day; and by 2:40 pm we were under tornado watch. Some states, such as Alabama, had already reported twisters. When I left work at 4:30 pm, the wind was 18mph; gusts were up to 35 mph; and we were under a wind advisory. I was glad that I left the bicycle at home! From my work station, I can see out of the windows if I just turn around; and from mid-day onwards I was keeping an anxious eye on the sky. I had an errand I needed to run before going home; and that heightened my uneasiness. The \”saint gone wild\” wasn\’t expected to hit until about 8 pm; but you never know with these things. Suppose it began storming several hours earlier? I had my poncho with me; but fortunately didn\’t need to use it. Come to think of it, a poncho isn\’t much help in a wind like that; and an umbrella is useless. I reached home about 5 pm; and fixed some supper. I tried a new salad: avocado mashed with lemon juice; and mixed with chopped raw cabbage. Then I settled down to wait and see how crazy the weather was going to get. As it turned out, we didn\’t get much bad weather. Today, as of 4:45 am, the wind is still 15 mph; but I\’d be getting ready to ride anyhow if it weren\’t for the fact that I feel weird. I keep getting lightheaded. Reaction to yesterday\’s \”jab\”, I suppose😕. Lightheadedness doesn\’t mix well with two whees, so I think I\’d better skip the ride. Geez, has my body gone wild?

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Reversal

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I’ve undergone a complete reversal. Thirteen months ago, my poundage had me borderline overweight. This past Monday I had a doctor’s appointment; and the doctor told me my BMI was 19! Now I’m verging on UNDERweight. Well, I don’t want to vanish into thin air. Now I need to find a way to maintain my weight; yet still keep tabs on the carbs. I’ve got to keep that prediabetes in mind; I suspect that prediabetes isn’t “cured”. Even if my A1c levels are back to normal, I suspect that I\’ll always have to be careful. After work that day, I decided to blow my spendcation and get Chinese take-out for supper. I\’m tired of getting hungry too quickly after eating; and when I told the doctor about it Monday, she suggested that I schedule another session with the nutritionist. Anyway, I thought that having a humongous meal might bring me back on a more even keel. Maybe I need more calories, considering the amount of riding I do. But do I need more carbs? It\’s already often difficult to plan a day\’s meals; fit in roughly 2000 calories; and not go over 200 grams of carbs. I also try to minimize cholesterol. If anything, that complicates matters; because it means curbing cheese, meat, eggs, and poultry. As long as I can keep up the cycling, I should be able to keep my weight under control; and avoid becoming \”skinny obese\”. Exercise also helps to control diabetes/prediabetes. Now if only I could bring about a major reversal in my slowpoke pace!

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Czechia

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Czechia 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.” This Prague-to-Vienna trip sounds terrific. Eight days long, this tour takes you past castles and vineyards; and well-preserved medieval towns. Sounds good for the history lover. But I suspect that I’d want a triple crankset! The Bohemia tour is an out-and-back trip, beginning and ending in Prague. You can choose a beginner; advanced; or pro-level tour. I haven’t read the itinerary very closely; but it looks like this one is e-bike-oriented. I find the idea of mounting an ebike intimidating. I’ve got an idea that such a “ride” might run away with me! The Prague to Dresden tour sounds quite attractive. It’s designed for an age range of 2 to 99; so maybe it isn’t as strenuous as a tour packed with climbing! I think I might enjoy the Vltava Cycling Trail, thanks to Smetana. But there are castles along the way; as well as museums and churches.  As always, give some thought to climate and weather. Summers in Czechia are warm; Winters are cold and snowy. Altitude matters too, of course. Higher elevations are, naturally, cooler; and also tend to be more rainy. Determine what clothing you’re likely to need during your tour. Is rain likely? Will it be chilly? As of September 2023, with COVID seeming to make a resurgence, maybe it’s not a good time to travel; but Czechia sounds like someplace to keep in mind.   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 2024 January 1, 2024 Out with a Bang December 31, 2023 Seven-Up December 30, 2023 Feeling Sheepish? December 29, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Fuel Efficient?

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Fuel Efficient? Have I become more fuel efficient? Or was I actually eating too much during those Sunday long rides? In recent months, when I do a ride of 29 miles or more, my “menu” often includes a Fit Crunch bar; an RXBar or Quest bar; and a “goo” or two. I’d cut the bars into pieces before I went out on the bike: I usually cut them into quarters. Most of the time I ate most of the pieces before I got back home. Yesterday I switched tactics. I cut the Fit Crunch into sixths; and the Quest bar into eighths. I left the RXBar in its wrapper as “backup”. I ate all of the Fit Crunch; but I finished my ride with half of the Quest bar uneaten! Does that mean I’m becoming more fuel efficient? My legs got tired, but I didn’t feel hungry; let alone bonkish. I think I’ll let this be my ride food routine for a while; and see how it goes. What about my pre-long ride meal? You can hardly call it a “meal”: usually it’s just a banana and some peanut butter. As a rule, I begin my long ride half an hour or so after eating; and a huge breakfast probably isn’t the best idea. I don’t think my gut would be very comfortable with it! But I begin on-bike eating after the first 15 minutes of pedaling. Then I grab a bite every 15 minutes after that. Turnaround point is GU-Gel time. Most flavors of GU contain a bit of caffeine, so I get a bit of a pick-me-up. Then I head home, continuing the bite-per-15-minutes routine; and hope that it’s fueling enough. 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.” 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 Five Minutes September 7, 2024 Indoor Pros and Cons September 6, 2024 Foul Weather Bike September 5, 2024 To Ride or Not? September 4, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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The Plodder

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Just call me The Plodder. I\’m still quite the slowpoke! During my Sunday long rides, I don\’t want to push too hard for too long. I might end up burned out far from home; and then getting home would be a miserable slog. Today for example, I averaged only 11.61 mph over 29 miles. At the same time, I get the feeling that I can ride a bit more strongly against the wind than I used to. This is where a power meter can be useful. Speed can actually be deceptive, because so many variables come into it. A strong headwind can push your speed way down, but X watts is X watts; headwind, steep climb, or what. A power meter would let me see whether I\’m actually improving. Unfortunately power meters are too expensive for me. So I was the plodder this morning, as is only too usual; but at least I rode the return leg non-stop, which is a bit of progress. Most of the time I need to make a halt or two on the way back home. Often I\’m slow enough that the time comes to reapply sunblock before I can get home; and I can\’t do that while I\’m riding! Incidentally, how do Grand Tour riders manage that? The weather is feeling more Spring-like. Soon I can dispense with the leg warmers, which will mean less laundry; but it will also mean using a lot more sunblock. I\’m glad I have several tubes of it in reserve. Not needing to wear a cycling jacket also helps lessen the laundry load; but it means the drawback of fewer pockets. Soon I\’ll be hauling out the sun sleeves. And carrying along more electrolyte drink. But I\’m quite sure of this: I\’ll still be the plodder!

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