SpokEasy

July 2021

A Salt and Battery?

BACK ISSUES /

I\’ll run afoul of the law for a salt and battery if I\’m not careful! I love salt; and at least one doctor told me to be sure to eat enough of it. My blood pressure has run low for years; and as a result I was prone to orthostatic hypotension. It hasn\’t entirely gone away, even with medication; and it\’s why I don\’t put my alarm clock on the opposite side of the room from my bed. If I jump up too fast, I go reeling; and that\’s not a good way for me to start my morning. Incidentally, I loathe electric alarm clocks. They sound like fire alarms! Many of the on-bike foods that I use lean towards the sweet end of the flavor scale. I don\’t object to that; but even my sweet tooth experiences sugar fatigue from time to time. Now that the weather is hot, I\’m experimenting with olives as part of my rolling collation. Salt is helpful when you\’re sweating a lot; and olives sure are salty! As to battery, I go through quite a lot of those things. My blinkie lights and my alarm clock need them; and many other everyday items use batteries. What bothers me about that is proper disposal of the dead ones. The few toxic-waste drop-offs that I know of aren\’t so easy to reach; and as far as I know, my neighborhood doesn\’t have a toxic waste pick-up service; so what am I to do? I don\’t have time to take dead batteries anywhere, anyhow, if I\’m to get my cooking done; and I mustn\’t forget the salt! So there you have it — a salt and battery!

A Salt and Battery? Read More »

Unlucky 13?

BACK ISSUES /

Was day before yesterday unlucky 13, even though it wasn\’t Friday? I set out to do six-minute intervals of working for 15 mph or faster; and it was hard to stay at the desired speed. I did two such intervals; and then I did a shorter one of 2-3 minutes, trying to push it to 17 mph. At the end of that effort, it was time to stop and turn for home. My legs felt rubbery when I got off the bike to turn it. My right leg had trouble clearing the saddle, and I nearly got tangled up in it. Was that unlucky 13? Riding home felt harder than going out did. There was little breeze; so I guess my legs were just tired. Maybe I\’m not ready for six-minute intervals yet? On the other hand, a certain amount of pushing past one\’s comfort level is part of training. The trick is not to do too much, too soon; but how do I know when it\’s too soon; and when it\’s already too late? As for \”that number\”, many cultures do consider it unlucky; but in Italy it\’s the opposite. Last weekend I saw something in a video about unlucky 13 in bicycle racing. A racing cyclist, at least in Le Tour, wears two number patches on the back of his jersey; one on each side. What of the rider who ends up as #13? One number patch — I believe it was the one on the left — is attached upside down; and the one on the right is right-side up. But does rider #13 also carry a four-leaf clover? It couldn\’t hurt😉. Day before yesterday, for a change, it didn\’t rain; so in that respect, 13 was lucky. I hope I get lucky with the weather on Sunday, too.

Unlucky 13? Read More »

Not Me I Hope!

BACK ISSUES /

This is not me, I hope: thinking of riding a century without training up for it. I remember a web site that said, some people have ridden 100 miles in a day with no training; but that they probably wanted to get rid of the bicycle afterwards! I can\’t imagine going out to ride a century with little or no training. The mere thought makes my legs ache; and even if it\’s possible, it doesn\’t seem like a good idea to me. A gradual build-up is a wiser approach. I\’ve done centuries before, so I believe I know a little about it. The Internet is full of so many century training plans that it\’s rather bewildering. Sometimes I wish I were able to ride a century each month for a while; and try a different training plan for each one. Then I\’d have a better idea of what works best for me; but I suppose that even seasoned pro riders are still tweaking their training plans! How can I have it all figured out in less than 12 years? Century training includes improving your strength on the bike. I don\’t live in hill country; but there are always headwinds! I need strength and stamina for that fight! Go on a long ride without food? Not me, I hope! When my rides reach 20 miles, I need to take along a GU-Gel or two; and for rides beyond that, I need food. That video has me puzzled about one thing: HOW do they manage those long rides without a Camel-Bak? I don\’t dare go for a long ride without mine!

Not Me I Hope! Read More »

How Much Is Enough?

BACK ISSUES /

How much is enough when it comes to on-bike eating? How much is too much; and, just as important, what’s too little? I guess that depends on a number of factors: how long you’ll be riding, and the pace you’ll be maintaining; your physical size; and possibly more. This past Sunday, I rode 54.2 miles in 4:20:35; and that’s none too speedy. I took along my usual on-bike fare: two FitCrunch bars and a Gatorade bar. I cut the bars into sixths before I began my ride; and put the pieces into small plastic bags. One piece every 15 minutes is my usual “fueling rate”, and I stuck with it today. I got back home with 1/6 of the Gatorade bar and 1/3 of the second FitCrunch bar uneaten. What I did eat, plus two GU-Gels, totaled 1154 calories; and I burned 1495 calories. So, how much is enough? Did I eat enough during today’s ride; or did I actually need more? I’m quite sure I didn’t bonk; so I know I didn’t eat too little. But could I ride more strongly if I ate a little more? I ended with a calorie deficit of 341, which doesn’t seem excessive to me. Too Much? There’s also the fact that the Sunday long ride often equals or exceeds my total for the rest of the week. Is that too much? On weekday mornings I don’t have much more than an hour to ride before I have to leave for work; and that makes it hard to put in as many miles as I’d like. Is that good for century prep? On-bike fueling isn’t the only consideration here. How much is enough when it comes to training up? What’s too little? I don’t need to train like a rider who is preparing to enter races; but if I’m to ride 100 miles in a day, I need adequate mileage. I also need work to help me ride more strongly for longer. Again, how much is enough of that? So many questions; and where do I get the answers?

How Much Is Enough? Read More »

Aren\’t We Lucky?

BACK ISSUES /

Aren\’t we lucky? We have all sorts of gearing nowadays; but this wasn\’t always the case! In fact, if this video is accurate, climbing used to be brutal for the cyclist. Can you imagine having only two gears on the rear wheel; and having to stop and get off the bike to switch gears? And, in addition, having to flip the wheel in order to change gears? That would be enough of an aggravation with the modern quick-release! And aren\’t we lucky to have easy-care cycling clothing? The chamois in cycling shorts is now made of synthetic material; but it used to be, literally, chamois. This leather shorts lining needed special care; but now all we have to do is wash our shorts. I do notice that the chamois needs at least 24 hours to dry, thanks to this humid climate; but that\’s a small price to pay for not having leather-lined shorts. What did cyclists do before the invention of Chamois Butt\’r? I read somewhere that some of them would slide a slice of raw meat into their shorts! Aren\’t we lucky that we don\’t have to do that? Especially now, with all the talk of e-coli. It also sounds like a waste of meat to me, because who would want to eat that meat afterwards? Not I! I\’ve been pretty lucky with the weather lately; and I hope it lasts. Yesterday, on the return leg of my ride, I rolled through some 9-10 miles where it had rained not long before; and I\’m glad that I didn\’t get caught in that downpour. One day, I know, my luck will run out. Again, the week\’s forecast is full of showers and T-storms! It\’s very monotonous; but at least a T-storm is preferable to a hurricane!

Aren\’t We Lucky? Read More »

Aren\’t We Lucky?

BACK ISSUES /

Aren\’t we lucky? We have all sorts of gearing nowadays; but this wasn\’t always the case! In fact, if this video is accurate, climbing used to be brutal for the cyclist. Can you imagine having only two gears on the rear wheel; and having to stop and get off the bike to switch gears? And, in addition, having to flip the wheel in order to change gears? That would be enough of an aggravation with the modern quick-release! And aren\’t we lucky to have easy-care cycling clothing? The chamois in cycling shorts is now made of synthetic material; but it used to be, literally, chamois. This leather shorts lining needed special care; but now all we have to do is wash our shorts. I do notice that the chamois needs at least 24 hours to dry, thanks to this humid climate; but that\’s a small price to pay for not having leather-lined shorts. What did cyclists do before the invention of Chamois Butt\’r? I read somewhere that some of them would slide a slice of raw meat into their shorts! Aren\’t we lucky that we don\’t have to do that? Especially now, with all the talk of e-coli. It also sounds like a waste of meat to me, because who would want to eat that meat afterwards? Not I! I\’ve been pretty lucky with the weather lately; and I hope it lasts. Yesterday, on the return leg of my ride, I rolled through some 9-10 miles where it had rained not long before; and I\’m glad that I didn\’t get caught in that downpour. One day, I know, my luck will run out. Again, the week\’s forecast is full of showers and T-storms! It\’s very monotonous; but at least a T-storm is preferable to a hurricane!

Aren\’t We Lucky? Read More »

Food on My Mind

BACK ISSUES /

I\’ve got food on my mind; perhaps too much so! There\’s the carb-watching, because I\’m working to keep prediabetes at bay. Naturally this means constant meal-planning; and that keeps food on my mind. Sometimes, of course, I get rather burned out, and have great difficulty in keeping on track. When that happens, it actually seems to be helpful to just let myself go for a couple of days. Ice cream! Candy! Cookies! Chinese food! After that, I\’m ready to get back to work on my diet. On Saturdays, I have to plan my on-bike food for the Sunday long ride. Yesterday I went to Whole Foods instead of the salvage store, and found a new bar to try. I suppose those bars might turn up in the salvage store grab-bag bins eventually; but I don\’t remember seeing them anywhere before. I taste-tested this bar; and it\’s pretty good! Food on my mind even invades my dreams sometimes. Yesterday morning I woke up, and remembered a really strange dream. I was in my kitchen, getting my food ready for the Sunday long ride. I kept finding things (salvage store finds, of course!) that I wanted to taste-test; and still hadn\’t cut up the bars that I need to take along for the ride. Meanwhile time was flying; and I was uneasily aware that, at the rate I was going, I wasn\’t going to get started until 10:00! Dreams are weird! On-Bike Dining On-bike dining is far from fine dining! I didn\’t take along the Bulletproof bar this morning, because it\’s better to try new ride foods when you aren\’t on a ride. Today\’s menu consisted of two FitCrunch bars; one Gatorade bar; and two \”goos\”. And some Nuun. Keeping fueled while riding naturally keeps food on my mind; and I need to watch the time on my cyclocomputer, so I\’ll remember to grab a bite or two every 15 minutes. In this hot weather, on-bike dining becomes quite messy, because the heat melts the bars\’ coating. It\’s annoying; but what can I do? I\’m not going to wait to do long rides until the weather is cool, or I won\’t ride until October. Or later! Back home after the Sunday long ride, I\’ve still got food on my mind. I\’m ready for my recovery drink; and I make it a habit to record what I ate during the ride; and how much of it. An hour or so after that, I\’m ready for a real meal. Today I got very lucky with the weather. On the way back home, I had an uneasy eye on some big thunderheads building up in the East — the way I was heading! The top of that cloud arched over in such a way that I was under overcast skies for much of my way home. I was concerned about lightning and rain; but at least I got some welcome relief from the heat! Then, beginning 10 miles or so from home, the bike path was wet; and it stayed that way until about one mile from home. I\’m glad I missed getting caught in that rain. Maybe our patron saint was looking after me!

Food on My Mind Read More »

Ride Lots

BACK ISSUES /

Ride Lots “Ride lots” is the advice that Eddy Mercks gave for getting good on a bicycle. “Ride lots” of course racks up plenty of miles; and for a mileage hog like me, that’s quite gratifying. But there comes a point when merely putting in more distance isn’t enough. How about developing greater speed? Good choice for people with balance issues When I first got the tricycle, I decided to just ride; and let speed take care of itself. I figured that, with regular riding, I would get faster over time. Up to a point, I did; but after that I was stuck at the same speed for several months. I finally saw that I had to make deliberate efforts at riding faster if I wanted to improve my pace. So I tried some basic interval training; and it did help. Road bikes make long rides easier! The same thing is true now, on the road bike. That bicycle is over eight years old, and I’ve put well over 28,000 miles on it; but my cruising pace still averages only 12-13 mph on most rides. Now that I’m thinking of doing a 100-miler in October, I’m working to improve matters. I’m not aiming to ride a sub-five hour century, goodness knows; but I want to finish in less than eight hours’ pedaling time. Nobody can say what the weather will be like on the big day; and if it’s windy, I’ll need the strength and stamina to ride against that wind for miles on end. So you see, “ride lots” is about more than just miles. It also includes riding faster than you usually do for longer and longer intervals; and it means working to increase your cadence against a hard gear, to develop better strength. Don’t forget to have fun, though! If it all starts to seem like drudgery, ease up for a few days; and then you’ll be ready to ride lots again.   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 Pedal or Walk? January 11, 2024 Swiss Cheese? January 10, 2024 Bucking the Wind January 9, 2024 Holding My Breath Again! January 8, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

Ride Lots Read More »

Allen Sports Bike Rack

BACK ISSUES /

The Allen Sports Bike Rack carries up to four bicycles. You and your friends can go to rides far from home. Try out some Rails to Trails paths. Or maybe RAGBRAI! This rack is constructed of sturdy steel; and after installation, can fold out of the way if necessary. I almost wish I weren\’t a non-driver. Then I could load up my bicycle and head out for an adventure!

Allen Sports Bike Rack Read More »

Pessimism

BACK ISSUES /

It\’s very easy to incline towards pessimism these days. The news is full of reports about disasters; violent crime; and, of course, COVID-19. That last has me wondering whether we\’ll be back to work-from-home in a few months; but actually, I wouldn\’t mind that. It was wonderful when I didn\’t have to rush off to work after my morning ride! I\’ve been weighed down with pessimism over the weather. Forecast after forecast predicts possible showers and T-storms; and the constant worry about whether I\’ll get to ride is tiresome. Storms can move fast; and getting caught in torrential rain with lighting isn\’t fun. At least we in New Orleans can be glad that Elsa let us alone; but hurricane season has a long way to go yet! When pessimism starts to be too much, a good bicycle ride can help — provided, of course, the weather cooperates! Even if it doesn\’t, the ride still produces endorphins; and that\’s always good. One of my major concerns about riding in the rain is: reduced visibility. I\’m not sure that anti-fog products on my lenses would help; and the faster I go, of course, the harder it is to see where I\’m riding. Wind makes visibility even more of a problem; and if I want to wear a poncho in the hopes of staying halfway dry, forget it! A wind-whipped poncho makes bike control more difficult; and lets the rain get me, anyway. That\’s enough on the subject. I\’m getting pessimistic just thinking about it! It looks like Sunday will be OK for riding; and, as I\’m gunning for 55 miles, I\’ll need good weather!

Pessimism Read More »