SpokEasy

April 2024

Goodbye Leg Warmers?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Goodbye Leg Warmers? 👋 Can I say, goodbye leg warmers for the season? This morning I thought I’d need them, as it was 66 degrees. But before I finished my ride, the things were too warm! The forecast predicts highs in the 80s for at least a few days; and that might mean the end of Spring. May is rather early for Summer to set in; but it’s happed as early as March. So it won’t only be, goodbye leg warmers; I can also wave goodbye to long sleeves and helmet liners. Well, helmet liners to keep warm, anyway. I want to try mine as cooling beanies this season. I have some kind of cooling band; but it’s narrow, and tends to slip out of place. I’ll drape it around my neck; and next thing I know, it’s falling off! Ride Easy 🚴🏿 Today I reminded myself to ride easy. I’m lucky I didn’t have a strong headwind to fight. I’m also cutting mileage a little this week; no 20-mile jaunts. How about a ride to Walmart tomorrow, to check out their sports section? Maybe I can get one or two things to try for my prospective RAGBRAI. At least, I can see what they have. And the shopping list is growing. I won’t itemize here; but as I watch more videos about RAGBRAI, I think of more and more things to add! But it’s better to think of them now; not a year from now. Then I won’t have to think during the event, oh no, I should’ve gotten X. If I do get to participate in RAGBRAI, I want to be able to ride easy. 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 Old Tease April 29, 2024 Time to Back Off! April 28, 2024 Don’t Drag Yourself Down April 27, 2024 Mister Finnegan April 26, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Old Tease

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Old Tease 😝 Weather can be an old tease; and it makes me feel quite the sourpuss. Especially when I can’t sure that I can rely on the forecast. This morning I checked a weather site; and it indicated T-storms and possibly heavy rain. I looked up a different weather site; and it showed T-storms starting about 11 am. I decided to ride and get in a few miles; but I did it the sissy way.   First, I went to the park. If it did start storming, I’d be fairly close to  home. And I used my hybrid,  because it has fenders. If it did start to pour, I wouldn’t get a  wet, dirty stripe up my back. Using the hybrid meant I could take my trunk, which let me pack my poncho. I applied sunblock; pumped up the tires; and headed for the door. Then I realized that it was raining. That old tease we call weather was acting up! Adjustments 💦 So, that meant adjustments. I pulled on the poncho; and started off. I found that it wasn’t raining as hard as I thought; in fact, it was barely a sprinkle, which soon stopped. The sun was coming out too; and I quickly became too warm. On top of that, the sunblock make the poncho stick to my legs. After a quarter-mile I had to stop and get out of that rain gear.  Then, on to the park. The appearance of the sky drove me crazy. For a while it would cloud over, and look like a storm were imminent. Then the sun would come out again! As I approached the end of Lap 2, I  decided it might be best to make some adjustments to my ride, and cut things short. As of 12:40 pm, it looks like I needn’t have worried. Who knows, though. Bad weather might still be coming! Nature sure is an old tease. 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 Old Tease April 29, 2024 Time to Back Off! April 28, 2024 Don’t Drag Yourself Down April 27, 2024 Mister Finnegan April 26, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Time to Back Off!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Time to Back Off ⏱️ I think it’s time to back off this coming week. I have an older edition of the book shown at left; and on page 139, it discusses how to increase your mileage. “Obey the 10 percent rule”; and, “Increase in steps”. Don’t pile on extra miles each and every week; your body needs time to recover before you start additional distance or intensity. So I think I’ll make the upcoming week’s rides short and easy. No speed work; and no force work. It’s not as though I feel like I’m dying; but for seven weeks now, I’ve averaged 100+ miles per week. While I enjoy doing the miles, I don’t need to burn myself out; or risk overuse injuries. Especially not if I want to do super-long rides in the future. So, as I said, it’s time to back off for a week. They even say that taking it easy for a short spell helps make you more eager to ride! Weather 🍃⛈️ Of course there’s always the weather to take into account. Will it rain? How strong is the wind? Yesterday it got plenty strong as I was riding home from the salvage store. So strong that at one point, I had to stop and got off the bike so I could get a drink of water. Before I got moving again, another rider passed me and said, “This wind is no joke!” Today’s weather brought strong, gusty wind again; and I went to the park to ride laps. I just didn’t feel like battling the breeze on top of the levee. Tomorrow through Wednesday will bring the chance of T-storms. I do NOT enjoy being on top of that levee when the lightning gets to cracking. It makes my skin crawl! 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 Time to Back Off! April 28, 2024 Don’t Drag Yourself Down April 27, 2024 Mister Finnegan April 26, 2024 Capricious! April 25, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Don’t Drag Yourself Down

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Don’t Drag Yourself Down 🏋🏻 It’s so easy to say, don’t drag yourself down. In practice, it can be anything but easy. Persistent headwinds, for instance, are discouraging as well as tiring. Today we’ve had a wind advisory from mid-morning; and riding home from the salvage store was hard work, even in my granny gear. I was glad I didn’t have my trailer to drag me down.  Sure, riding hard against headwinds is one way to develop better strength; but don’t drag yourself down by doing it for hours every day! In fact, I didn’t ride hard today. If there’s a stiff wind tomorrow morning, I’ll go ride some laps around the park. RAGBRAI Practice? 🚲 On the other hand, working against headwinds is good RAGBRAI practice. Many a video I’ve watched mentions headwinds. The event’s route is from West to East, as the winds in Iowa often blow that way; but it can’t be counted on. And, I still don’t know how steep the climbs in RAGBRAI are; nor how long they are. On the way home this morning, I rode up a short, vehicular-access road to the top of the levee. I timed myself; and the ascent took 12 seconds. I’ll bet the hills in Iowa are longer than that! More numerous, too. What if they’re all as steep as that road I took today? Getting back to the wind, Jazz Fest is in progress. I hope they aren’t getting blown away! 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 Don’t Drag Yourself Down April 27, 2024 Mister Finnegan April 26, 2024 Capricious! April 25, 2024 Warming Trend April 24, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Mister Finnegan

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Mister Finnegan 🍃 Sometimes I feel like Mister Finnegan (as my mother used to sing it); at odds with the wind. Early today it wasn’t bad; just 8 mph. But it was blowing from the SE; so I had a headwind on the way home from my 8:00 am appointment. By noon, the wind had increased to 15 mph; and tomorrow it’s going to rise to about 17 mph — right about the time I’ll be riding  home from the salvage store. And a headwind, of course. Sunday will be quite windy, too.  Riding against the wind might be a good time to be the stoker on a tandem. The poor captain takes the brunt of it. Even so, hold onto those whiskers, Mister Finnegan! Hunker Down! 🚴🏿 It’s getting warm enough that I need a jacket less and less often. Wind makes it seem cooler, as we all know. But adequate attire for a windy ride is only half the battle. How do you hunker down when fighting a headwind? There’s riding in the drops. I find that the “dropped” position makes it easier for me to push the pedals harder, even if I don’t actually go any faster. It takes the worst pressure of the wind off of me as long as I stay there.  How about aero bars? The whole point of them is to be able to attain a more aerodynamic position; and the more aerodynamic you can make yourself, the better you can cut through a headwind. I’ve never tried aero bars; I’d rather keep my hands where I can brake quickly if necessary. They’d let me really hunker down, though! 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 Mister Finnegan April 26, 2024 Capricious! April 25, 2024 Warming Trend April 24, 2024 Luna Moth? April 23, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Capricious!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Capricious! 🐐 Is your weather as capricious as ours? I’m thinking specifically about wind!  Our barometric pressure isn’t low; but is it falling? Per the forecast, T-storms aren’t expected before next Monday. So why is the wind getting stronger? At 8 am today, the weather site I checked said the wind was 5 mph. I went out on the road bike just before 9:00; and by the time I turned around to come back home, it was blowing at 12 mph. And a headwind, of course!🙄 There were some pretty strong gusts, too. Wind sure is capricious! It hardly helped that I felt somewhat tired, after yesterday’s on-bike force development exercises. In general, I keep the day following such work short and easy; but tomorrow morning I have a doctor’s appointment, and might have less time to ride my miles. The wind will be quite strong all weekend; and I wanted to get some distance in now. I want to hit my target of 100 miles per week! Goals 🥅 Set goals, they say. I’m glad I’m not truly time crunched; or meeting goals might be much more difficult. I may have mentioned that my current goal is 100 miles per week. So far this week, I’ve put in 71.3 miles. But I don’t have to go to work! If I were still working, riding 100 miles a week would be harder; especially as my Sunday long-ride route currently has a two-mile segment that’s closed off (and it will be closed at least a year😬!) This closure begins barely 13 miles out; and when I do a long ride, I want and need to go farther than that! The only alternate to the closure that I can see, is to ride on a state highway that can be very busy; and I don’t feel safe doing that. My goals don’t include becoming roadkill! 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 Capricious!, April 25, 2024 Warming Trend April 24, 2024 Luna Moth? April 23, 2024 Keep It Neutral! April 22, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Warming Trend

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Warming Trend 🔥 A warming trend is setting in; and I don’t mean these hand warmers. In fact, I’ve needed them less often this past season. That’s another advantage to not needing to ride at 5:00 am! It’s a bit warmer by 7:00; and the sunlight helps it to seem less frigid. For two or three nights, it’s gotten unusually cool for late April; but last night wasn’t as cool as the previous night. By 10:00 am today, it was 74 degrees; and tonight won’t be as cool as last night. So we’ve got a warming trend going. I went out early again this morning to see the moonlight on the river. It was cool enough then for leg warmers; but the temperature rose to the mid-70s. by 10 am. I got a terrific view of the moon; and it was worth having to drag myself out of bed so early. Maybe I should go back to pre-dawn rides all the time? Pink? 🌷 They’re calling this full moon the pink moon; but it doesn’t look that color. Unless, perhaps, you’re viewing it through rose-colored glasses! Whether the moon appears pink or not, a ride is a great way to enjoy it. We were lucky this morning, with ideal conditions for a ride: clear; calm; and the temperature was just about perfect. That’s about as rare as a blue moon! 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 Warming Trend April 24, 2024 Luna Moth? April 23, 2024 Keep It Neutral! April 22, 2024 Melting Point April 21, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Luna Moth?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Luna Moth? 🌕 Sometimes I think I’m a luna moth in disguise. Why do I enjoy the sight of moonlight on the river so  much? Am I a really such a hard-core nature lover? Today I “just rode”, not worrying about pace; or working to develop my strength. I knew it was full-moon time; and I wanted to see the moon shining on the water. Last month, the moon was too high in the sky; and not in the right position. This morning things were much better!😄 Not only that; on the way home, I stopped so I could turn around and try seeing the moonlit water again. I was astonished at how low in the sky the moon already was; and in fact I watched as it sank below the trees. So, am I a luna month? Is 1000 Enough? 🚴🏿 Aside from the luna-moth musings, I ask, is 1000 is enough? Enough miles for a cyclist to tackle RAGBRAI, that is. Some videos that I’ve listened to say, if you’ve got one grand miles in your legs, you should be RAGBRAI-ready. I take that statement with a grain of salt. As far as mileage alone is concerned, it may be accurate. But does it take into account terrain? Is 1000 miles enough when you ride where hills are scarce to non-extant; and developing the legs for hills is difficult? I ride year-round; and my 11-year-old road bike has nearly 37K miles on it. Theoretically, that’s easily more than enough miles; but I’ve ridden them mainly on flat ground. Many videos about RAGBRAI mention hills. So I’ve got to learn to climb better; and that’s tricky when you live where it’s flat. On top of that, how long are those climbs in Iowa? What’s the gradient? How many climbs in a day? Unfortunately that’s a tricky question, as the event’s route changes every year! 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 Luna Moth? April 23, 2024 Keep It Neutral! April 22, 2024 Melting Point April 21, 2024 Bee in My Bonnet? April 20, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Keep It Neutral!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Keep It Neutral! ⚙️ C’mon, wrists; keep it neutral! Lately my right wrist keeps moving into a hyperextended position as I ride; and after about half an hour, my hand starts to feel numb. I don’t know why it’s only the right wrist that does that; but now I’ve got to pay more attention to that wrist. As I was about to start down the levee access ramp near home, my thumb was too numb to operate the lap button on my Garmin! So I’ve got to keep it neutral! I tried to work on my pace this morning. Outward-bound, I had a good tailwind; and 5 minutes of pushing for at least 15 mph was little problem. Coming back home, it was all I could do to push it to 12-13 mph for 25 seconds. I ended up working just to keep moving. This Is April? 🌷 This is April? The weather sure doesn’t feel like it. Last night the temperature dropped to the mid-fifties; unusual for us at this time of year. The wind was quite strong today, too: 15-16 mph, with gusts 25-28 mph! That didn’t stop me from trying a new electrolyte drink: Gatorade Zero. When I ride more than 12 miles or so, I need electrolyte drink, even if it’s freezing cold outdoors. Last Saturday I found Gatorade Zero Powder Packets at the salvage store (Glacier Freeze flavor); and decided to try it. Meh. It’s tolerable; but I’ve tried other electrolyte drinks that I liked better. But this is a good time to experiment if I’m considering next year’s RAGBRAI! It gives me plenty of time to try things out; and consider what I’ll need if I do get to tackle RAGBRAI. But oh, this crazy weather! This is April? 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 Keep It Neutral! April 22, 2024 Melting Point April 21, 2024 Bee in My Bonnet? April 20, 2024 Farsighted April 19, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Melting Point

BACK ISSUES, Food /

Melting Point 🫠 Now that the weather is warming up, I must keep the melting point of various ride foods in mind. Gatorade Bars, for instance. Gatorade Bars have a chocolate coating; and that gets half-melted in a hurry. Even on cold days, it can be quite a mess if the weather is sunny. If only I could carry a cooler along on my rides! This morning it was some 10 degrees cooler than it was yesterday; and I did such a short ride that I didn’t need to bother with ride food. Thus the melting point was of no concern today. But I don’t expect this cooler spell to last long. Soon it will stay at 80 degrees overnight! Slump? 😴 I feel like I’m in quite a slump, because I didn’t ride much at all today. I may as well have stayed in the sack all day!  But I can get going again tomorrow; and I could go out right now. Much of the rain seems to have missed us; and now the sun is trying to come out. But I already totaled up this past week’s mileage and time; and I don’t feel like re-doing it. There’s the slump again! I probably don’t have to worry about the melting point tomorrow. The predicted high temperature is about 72; yesterday morning’s LOW temperature! Cooler weather also means I can cook without getting too hot. This morning’s mini-ride was to pick up bananas and zucchini. My freezer is starting to get rather empty; and I want to make squashed sauce! 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 Melting Point April 21, 2024 Bee in My Bonnet? April 20, 2024 Farsighted April 19, 2024 Don’t Go to Sleep! April 18, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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