SpokEasy

December 2022

Out At Last

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Out At Last! I got out at last today! By afternoon the temperature had warmed up to the low 50s. I was tired of being cooped up indoors; and decided to go for a short ride. It was sunny and clear; and almost no wind. I would have liked for it to be 10 degrees warmer; but low 50s is a lot better than barely above freezing! I didn’t try any interval work, nor did I push for  speed; I just rode. For two days I hadn’t even put in any time on the trainer; so it was enough to just be riding. It looks like our Arctic blast is on the way out at last. Some poor folks are still buried in snow; and I hope they get relief soon. We didn’t get a single flake here; when it does get cold enough for snow, it’s usually because a cold front blasted all the clouds away. That’s certainly been the case this time! Now I must think of my 2023 riding plans. Early in the year, I’m having CMC arthroplasty; and following the procedure, I’ll have to be off the bicycle for at least a few weeks. Maybe I can set up the bike in the trainer; but I must discuss that with my surgeon. Once recovered from the surgery, I hope to get in some good mileage. I’ll be retired, so I don’t have to worry about getting to work; and I can start putting in extra distance. Maybe I can even dream of doing another century!

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Saris Fluid 2

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Saris Fluid 2 The Saris Fluid 2 trainer is useful when the weather makes outdoor riding difficult or impossible. Some parts of the country are presently buried under several feet of snow; and others have problems with icy surfaces. We just had a cold snap, with temperatures dropping well below freezing; and chill factors in the teens. For New Orleans, that’s phenomenal. It rarely gets that cold at all; much less stays that way for several days. As a result, I don’t have polar riding gear. If I want to ride outside during such a cold spell, I need to wear two pairs of pants over leg warmers and cycling shorts. That makes my legs feel too bound up; getting on and off the road bike is awkward. I need three or four layers on my chest; and with a wind, even that isn’t enough! Thanks to our humidity, a cold wind cuts through any number of layers. Keeping hands and feet warm? So far I haven’t found a way to do that when it gets so cold. Warming packs help keep my hands warm; but my poor fingers still freeze. Double socks — including thermal socks — don’t keep my feet warm. Even with a helmet liner, my head quickly gets too cold. So, going out on a bicycle in such conditions is risking hypothermia. I’ve got enough problems without that. It’s been so cold in here, anyway, that all I want to do is park in front of the electric heater. Getting “kitted up” to do a stint in the trainer took a lot of  willpower! So, tedious as it is, I did some stints in the trainer. I don’t actually have a Saris Fluid 2; but my old Cycle Ops is close enough. I didn’t worry about speed, cadence, and so on; I just pedaled half an hour to try to keep my leg muscles from atrophying! This trainer is Zwift compatible. $179.97 Fluid 2 trainer $239.95 Smart version Expert assembly $89 per unit

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Cabin Fever

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Cabin Fever Ice! At 1 pm; and in New Orleans! Take a good  look while you can; this is a rare sight, indeed. Yesterday I hardly poked my nose outdoors at all; and by noon today I had cabin fever. I needed to get outdoors for a bit; but riding a bicycle isn’t fun when I’m stiff with cold; and so bundled up that I can hardly move. I decided to walk to a store that’s a half-mile or so from here. Tomorrow I’m having Christmas dinner with old friends of the family; and I want to take a little contribution with me. I already had several cans of hummus (purchased online), and I want to take a can of it to the dinner. I decided to get some crackers to go with it. So I bundled up: slacks over a pair of tights; long-sleeved blouse; vest; and several windbreakers.  Two of the windbreakers had hoods, to go over a stocking cap. As an aside, that’s a good reason not to ride when it’s so cold: even with a helmet liner, my head hurts from said cold. To me that’s quite miserable! To continue with the bundling-up routine, I wore double socks; including thermal socks. Even so, my feet got cold! And I wore my heaviest gloves, with warming packs inside; but my fingers got cold anyhow. As long as I was in the sun and out of the wind, it was warmer outside than it is in here! Riding might help me get warm, at least as far as my upper body goes; but my hands and feet would still be too cold. Double layers on my legs won’t be enough. After all, the chill factor is still several degrees below freezing. So I guess I’ll just have to put up with this cabin fever. By Monday night it’s supposed to “warm up” to the low 40. I’ll be glad when I can stop worrying about keeping my pipes from freezing!

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Frigid Holidays

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Frigid Holidays! We’re in for some frigid holidays! At present the temperature is 57 degrees; but overnight it’s going to plunge to the mid-20s. For us, that’s VERY cold. The wind is expected to pick up, too; and from midnight there’s a wind chill advisory. I’m ever so glad I don’t have to go to work tomorrow! I’m not going to try to ride outdoors tomorrow; that’s certain! Judging by past experience, I’m not sure the most sophisticated thermal socks will keep my feet warm; and multiple layers on my legs make pedaling a chore. When it’s so cold and windy, it seems impossible to put on enough layers to keep my upper body warm; and even with a helmet liner, my head aches from the cold. There’s the oft-mentioned nuisance of a runny nose; and in the kind of conditions predicted for tomorrow, my nose would be “flowing like the River Shannon“, as some people might say. This extreme cold is going to last a few days; but no snow for us. When it gets cold enough to snow, it’s usually because a cold front has swept the sky clear of clouds. In a way that’s good. Sunshine might help keep my place a bit warmer. Even so, it will be frigid holidays. As to riding, I plan to hook the bicycle into the trainer and pedal a bit. That might keep me warm — unfortunately, only as long as I keep pedaling. I must remember to leave a faucet running overnight; and I did the laundry this afternoon. If the pipes do happen to freeze, at least that’s one thing I won’t have to worry about! I have several gallon jugs of drinking water; and plenty of canned food. I might as well be hunkering down for a hurricane!    

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Thin Skin

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Thin Skin I have thin skin, I think. This morning it was 42 degrees; and the wind was 21 mph! I couldn’t face going for a long ride in that; especially as it would have meant fighting the wind all the way back home! Late in the morning, after it had warmed up a little, I rode over to the drug store. I’m going to try fexofenadine for my stuffy head. It was 2:00 by the time the temperature finally warmed to the high 50s; and the wind had dropped to 10 mph. I went for a short ride with the hybrid. I’m glad I got in a few miles, especially as tomorrow looks iffy for riding. In the morning, there’s a 30% chance of showers; and by afternoon, the chances go up to 70%.  Maybe I’ll go ride in the park; and use the hybrid so I can carry my poncho in the trunk. If I think tomorrow will be bad, Thursday night it’s expected to plummet down below freezing! The high temperature Friday won’t be much above freezing. I’m glad I don’t have to go to work Friday, because cold temperatures won’t be the only problem. It’ll be windy, too: gusts up to 35 mph! I’ve got thin skin, for sure. In such temperatures, I’m already freezing, no matter how many clothes I’ve got on; and fierce wind like that goes right through multiple layers of clothing. If I’m to ride, I’ll have to put the road bike in the trainer. I tried putting the new hybrid in my Cycle Ops 2; but it doesn’t fit. Or did I do something wrong? I actually hope that’s the case; and that I can figure out what the problem is. I’d rather not ride outside when the chill factor is sub-freezing — ‘cuz I’ve got thin skin!

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Tricycle Adult Folding Bicycle

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This Week’s Feature The Tricycle Adult Folding Bicycle is a great solution if you want to take kids along; but balance difficulties forbid use of a bicycle with a child seat.  This single-speed “ride” has front suspension; 20-inch wheels; and a chromoly steel frame. The rear seat can hold two youngsters. The child seat is equipped with a seatbelt for safety. Baskets let you carry home groceries; the kids’ school needs; or your change of clothing for work. Fenders keep you and the trike cleaner on wet days. For riders up to to 6’1″/180 cm; maximum load 440 lb/200 kg. Trike weighs 77 lb/~35 kg. For both men and women. The Tricycle Adult Folding Bicycle carries a one-year warranty. $497.01  

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Give It a Whirl

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Give It a Whirl Sometimes it’s good to give it a whirl. A new twist on things can be fun. It might be tweaking a favorite recipe; or using a new route to get in your usual mileage. But yesterday’s weather gave a different meaning to “give it a whirl”; namely, there were tornadoes! Our forecast was for possibly severe T-storms in the afternoon. Things didn’t look too bad during the morning; but from noon onwards, the sky got more and more gloomy; and the wind picked up. I was getting nervous about having to walk home through a storm; and finally left work at 2:00 pm, so as to beat the storms home. On the way, I heard a few grumbles of thunder. It wasn’t raining yet when I arrived at home; and I was glad I beat the rain. I sat down and watched a YouTube or two; then started some work on my website. My cell phone was right next to me; and a few minutes before 4:00 pm, it rang with a tornado warning. YIKES!! I donned my bicycle helmet; and went to sit next to my closet, ready to jump inside if things got wild. I remembered what I heard when the Feb 13, 2007 twister went by, and listened for that; but it didn’t happen. There was a lot of lightning for a while, though. Arabi was one of the unlucky locales this time; and a different twister a little West of here resulted in several deaths. It’s sad anytime such things happen; but just before Christmas makes it worse! And the weather is about to get colder, too. I’ll have to bundle up to ride again. Not my favorite thing; but I’ll just have to give it a whirl.

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Cut It Short

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Cut It Short I had to cut it short today, big time. The forecast was for isolated T-storms by 7:00 am; and scattered T-storms as the morning went on. That, of course, had me a bit on edge. It was just after 8:00 when I finally got going; and the sky looked pretty stormy already. The sun had peeked out a few times, though; so I wore my sunglasses. Of course that made the clouds look all the darker! I had ridden only a half-mile or so when it began to sprinkle; and it looked like I was heading straight for worse weather.  Going back home seemed like the wiser course. But it wasn’t really raining yet; and I rode the hybrid to the nearby grocery store. I needed bananas; and this store keeps them right inside the entrance. Hummus and frozen blueberries were on my wish list; but I don’t know where that store keeps them. Concerns over the weather meant I didn’t want to spend a lot of time looking for them; so I’ll have to go without. When I got out of the store, the sky was darker; and I donned my poncho before beginning the ride home. On the way, the wind began to blow in  the way it does when it’s about to storm.  When I got home, I checked the weather online. There was a T-storm in progress at the airport (about 11-12 miles from here); and heavy rain. So it’s a good thing I cut it short. If I had kept riding, I would have been caught in it!  It began to rain here about 9:20 am; and actually, it’s nice to be indoors for it. But speaking of cutting, I’ve got a huge cauliflower that I have to chop up.

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More Fog

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

MORE Fog! More fog! I’m tired of those ground-hugging clouds! Yesterday morning it was quite foggy when I rode. Luckily there was a clear patch; so I got to see the full moon. But I couldn’t see its reflection on the river because there was too much mist. The farther I rode, the worse it seemed to get; so I went home early. I thought conditions were bad yesterday; but this morning it was worse! I didn’t even try to go on the levee. I rode over to the park; and the fog was so bad, I had to remove my glasses after a half-mile. Things were pretty bad in the park; and it makes me nervous when I can hardly see where I’m riding. On the upside, I heard an owl in the park! But one circuit was enough, given the conditons; and I went home. Naturally I’ve checked the forecast for tomorrow and — more fog. And yet more the next morning! Now is the kind of time when I wish I had some anti-fog spray.  Maybe I can ride a bit later tomorrow, because I won’t be going to work. I have an appointment; but not until 9:45 am. It’s time to consult the hand specialist about surgery for that pesky CMC arthritis. Occupational therapy has helped a little; but I still have trouble with pain. Looks like only surgery will get rid of it. Unfortunately, that will mean time off the bike!  

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Same Old Question

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Same Old Question It’s the same old question again: IS this December? It certainly doesn’t feel like it today. Day before yesterday, at least, it was cold in the morning; and I had to cut my ride short because I couldn’t get warm. What a feeble start to Winter Wheelers! Yesterday it was a good bit warmer; and today feels more like May than Christmas coming. It was foggy in the morning; and I got rather hot riding to and from the salvage store. More fog is in the forecast for tomorrow morning; and it’s going to be warm for at least a few more days. In a way I’m glad, because knowing it’s warm means less guessing about how many layers I need for a ride. At the same time, this just doesn’t feel right for the season. So, is it December, or not? Same old question! I’m thinking about tomorrow’s ride. A low of 64 degrees tonight means I’ll probably want leg warmers. I’d rather be a bit too warm than not warm enough! I think I’ll be able to get away with half-fingered gloves; and that’s a good thing. The fingers of my full-fingered gloves are really a bit too long; and tend to snag my “feed bag“. Then I wind up spilling my food! I hope to get in more than 29 miles tomorrow. I’ve met my mileage goal for the year; but that doesn’t stop me from being a mileage hog.

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