SpokEasy

April 2023

Daily Ride Nutrition

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Daily Ride Nutrition Daily ride nutrition is something to which I haven’t given much thought. Before I retired, I ate a pre-ride snack (usually a banana and peanut butter); went for my morning ride; and after that it was just off-bike food for the rest of the day. Now, however, things are different. With hopes of RAGBRAI 2024 in my mind, I’m working to lengthen my daily rides. As those rides get longer, I’ll need to start eating on the bike. The question is, what should I eat? It was one thing to pop bites of assorted protein/energy bars during my 40-mile Sunday rides. That won’t do as I advance to the point of several 40-milers per week. I suspect that MET-Rx bars and their ilk aren’t the best idea for almost-daily use. For one thing, freehanded use of energy bars can be very expensive! I’ve gotten spoiled by finding them cheap at the salvage store; but lately I haven’t found very many of them. What alternatives are there? Meat snacks aren’t cheap; and for on-bike fare, they’re harder to chew than I like. They also make me too thirsty; and aren’t filling enough. Sandwiches are bulky, and hard to manage while rolling; even if I cut them into quarters before setting out. I guess it’s time to haul out Feed Zone Portables again. Rice cakes (made from sticky rice) might well make better daily ride nutrition than store-bought energy bars! And, my gut needs training. This morning I ate a banana; two tablespoons of peanut butter; and a cup of almond milk before setting out. I rode about 8.2 miles before turning back for home. As usual, I had a headwind. With six miles left to go, I began to feel hollow; and wasn’t sure I could reach home before I got too hungry. I stopped to eat a GU-Gel; and after a few more miles my stomach suddenly felt uncomfortable. I wasn’t even working to push my pace today! RAGBRAI seems to involve a LOT of eating; and if eating one “goo” makes my stomach feel weird after a few miles, I’ve got a long way to go! So daily ride nutrition is important!      

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Travels with Bicycle

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Travels with Bicycle Travels with bicycle (with apologies to John Steinbeck may well require special protection for your “ride”. Sure, such protection doesn’t come cheap — but neither does replacing a good bicycle. Airplane luggage holds can be perilous places. I remember hearing about a saxophone that was allowed to go into an airplane’s luggage hold — and something punched all the way through the hard case and the sax! Why let that happen to your bicycle? The Thule RoundTrip Case, transition model, protects your valuable ride; is easy to pack; and even has wheels so you can pull it along. That last characteristic is especially important if you’ve got other baggage to lug, too. The Thule RoundTrip Case weighs 39 pounds, which some users find bulky and heavy. Suppose I get to go to RAGBRAI next year? Will travels with bicycle require one of these cases? I guess that depends on how I’ll get to and from Iowa. If I have to fly, I’d better get a special travel case for my bike. If I don’t have one, arriving in Iowa with a ruined road bike will be an absolute nightmare! The cost of the Thule might save me several thousand bucks! $999.95  

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RAGBRAI Thoughts

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

RAGBRAI Thoughts RAGBRAI thoughts are very much in my mind lately. I’m thinking of going for the 2024 event. Why not the 2023 ride? It would be terrific if I could go this year: after all, RAGBRAI 2023 is the fiftieth anniversary of this ride! But for several reasons, I think it’s wise to wait until next year. For one thing,  I’m not sure my hand will be able to tolerate it. I had CMC arthroplasty barely three months ago; and my hand hasn’t yet returned completely to normal. Yesterday I wasn’t able to operate my road bike’s left-hand shifter! The occupational therapist has said, take it easy; if it hurts, don’t do it. Can I be sure that my hand will be up to the stress of a week-long ride a few months from now? For almost ten weeks, all the “riding” I got was very short sessions on a WattBike®. It kept my leg muscles from becoming completely atrophied; but now I’m pretty much starting over from scratch. I have to  re-condition those muscles! That’s a gradual process; it will do more harm than good if I try to build up my daily mileage too quickly. My longest ride since surgery has been about 19.3 miles; and I need to be used to riding at least 60 miles per day if I don’t want to suffer during RAGBRAI. My concern is not only building up my daily distance; I know I’m not ready at present for hills! I’ve made a bit of a start on hill-training by trying to pedal faster than is comfortable when I’ve got a headwind; but so far, only for very short intervals. I need a lot more than that! Then there’s the question of transportation between here and Iowa. I’m a non-driver; and if I fly, or take a train, I’ll need a sturdy case for my bicycle! And I’ll need a duffle bag for clothing; a sleeping bag; and if I don’t use a charter service that will set up tents, I will need to borrow or buy a tent! I’m sure there’s more; but that’s why RAGBRAI thoughts have me saying, hold on — not so fast!  

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Where Is It

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Where Is It? Okay, where is it? Where’s that rain the forecast was talking about? Is it over there? We’ve been under flood watch since 7:00 am this morning, and no rain so far; except I thought I felt a few drops on the way to Whole Foods. But that hardly count as “rain” — not around here! The forecast seemed rather grim to me; but I’m glad I took the chance and rode to the store. Sunblock was on sale; and I bought two tubes. I also got bananas; an avocado; and bread. When I got home the sky was still gloomy gray; but it didn’t seem like a cloudburst was imminent. I decided to try a jaunt on the road bike. While I was preparing for the ride, I started to hear a train’s  horn. Oh, great, I thought. Where is it? Is that train going to keep me from accessing the bike path; or is it still far enough away for me to beat it? Just as I was going out the front door, I heard the thrumming sound of a locomotive’s engine; and then the blasting loud horn. I decided to ride to the railroad crossing for a look; and I saw that the train was a long one! It was moving slowly, too; and I didn’t want to stand there waiting.  I took the detour to the park; but by that time the park’s walking/cycling path was rather crowded. I made one full circuit; and the way to the bike path meant another half circuit. By then the train was gone; and I could get to the levee bike path. The wind was blowing at about 12 mph; and the clouds down near the horizon had a banded look. The sun was trying to come out; but I didn’t like the look of those clouds! So I didn’t ride very far before turning towards home. Now here it is, noon; and I’m still waiting for the skies to open. I hope they don’t decide to do it tomorrow morning; and keep me from riding to the salvage store.  It looks like the weather on Sunday will be nice; but over Sunday night more rain is in the forecast. I wish it would rain now, and get it over with. I’m getting tired of wondering, where is it?

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That Crazy Garmin

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

That Crazy Garmin What’s up with my bicycle computer? This morning that crazy Garmin suddenly gave a screen reading that said, “Incident Detection”; and I couldn’t get the screen to return to its normal riding readout. I had no idea what that readout meant. Had my heart rate strap come loose? (It hadn’t). Was there (oh, please, NO!) an active-shooter incident ahead? Fortunately, there wasn’t. Maybe I accidentally bumped one of the Garmin’s buttons while steering the bike one-handed. Whatever it was, that crazy Garmin drives me crazy sometimes! Electronics can do some strange things, that’s for sure. Maybe it will be back to normal for my next ride, whenever that may be. It depends on what’s up with the weather! The forecast for tomorrow shows a high chance of rain; and the next day doesn’t look much better. I might have to haul out the trainer. I still forget sometimes that I’m retired, and don’t have to ride at 5:00 am; if the weather forbids an early morning ride, I might be able to ride later in the day. But this morning I did ride very early. It’s full moon time; and luckily the clouds didn’t obscure the moon the entire time. I saw the moonlight on the river; and I’ve really missed that. The forecast for tomorrow doesn’t look good at all. T-storms are likely; and I don’t like to ride when lightning is around. I guess all I can do is wait for tomorrow morning, and see how things are; and if conditions are OK, I can ride to Whole Foods. I want bananas; and at the rate I’ve been going, I’ll soon be out of sunblock! It will be great if I can also get in some miles on the levee bike path; but I’m not counting my chickens. Weather around here is so capricious!

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Got It Taped

BACK ISSUES, equipment /

Got It Taped? Have you got it taped? BV EVA Handlebar Tapes sure can help! These tapes, designed for road bikes, provide cushioning against shocks and bumps; and resist UV rays; water; and fading. The 3M backing makes these handlebar tapes easy to install. Handlebar end plugs and finishing tapes are included. Available in Black; or White. $11.98 Today I decided to get new handlebar tapes for my road bike. The old tape was coming loose; but I’m not sure how well I could do installing these tapes by myself. I have an idea that the process would be easier with two pairs of hands. I can see the tapes sticking to themselves and getting hopelessly snarled if I try to do it alone; and I suspect that the bicycle needs to be held firmly in place for the tapes to be pulled snugly enough during the wrapping. That right there needs two strong hands! Thus I decided to rely on the bike shop. I called ahead of time; and they said they wouldn’t be able to take care of it immediately. Since I knew I would had to leave the bike there, I walked it to the shop. My legs were rather tired, anyhow. I rode 19 miles this morning; and (of course!) had a headwind on the way home: 12-13 mph. By midday, that wind was up to 18 mph; so I was glad I rode earlier. I didn’t notice what brand of handlebar tape the shop had; but I chose blue tapes. My road bike has always had white handlebar tape; so blue handlebars are going to look strange for a while!

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Wide Tires

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

WIDE Tires! If you like wide tires, how about trying the Mongoose Malus Fat Tire bicycle? Those four-inch tires can tackle just about any surface, be it sand; snow; or the road. The Mongoose Malus has a MTB-style steel frame; and its front and rear disc brakes provide a lot of stopping power. The 7-speed shifter works smoothly for an enjoyable ride. Mountain-style handlebar helps you maintain complete control on the trail. This bike is for riders from 64 to 74 inches in height, which would exclude me. Sometimes being “vertically challenged” is tough! I hope it’s possible to add some kind of fenders to this bicycle for times when you don’t want to ride off-road. Those wide tires throw up a lot of water and muck, I’m sure; and if this is how you have to ride to work, you don’t want to get muddy!  I guess it would be possible to rig this bike as a commuter. A rack over the rear wheel would let you carry a pair of panniers; then you can carry lunch; a change of clothes; or, on weekends, a load of groceries!  What I’d like to know is, don’t those wide tires offer a lot of resistance? To me, that’s a drawback; especially for long rides. These fat-tire bicycles can get up considerable speed, though. I’ve been passed by riders on fat-tire bikes while riding my road bike!

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