SpokEasy

December 2024

New Year’s Eve Bash

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

New Year’s Eve Bash 🎆 My New Year’s Eve bash might not seem like a bash to most people. I’m not going out to celebrate; I’m not setting off firecrackers (I believe they’re actually illegal here); and I’m not popping the cork. I’d far rather stay quietly at home, where I can easily get another layer if I start to feel chilly; don’t have to worry about getting hit by a carelessly lobbed firecracker; and where I don’t have to worry about the, um, results of hydrating. And where I can go to bed when I get tired! I tried to find pretzels, without success. I think it’s supposed to be good luck to eat pretzels for New Year’s. But I did have a small bottle of eggnog in the fridge; and I drank some of it today (without any booze!); and I’ll have some tomorrow. Half of the bottle is in the freezer, to have later on. So you see, my New Year’s Eve bash is pretty tame. Quite mundane, in factdon. Farewell 2024 ✈️ I can hardly believe it’s already time to say, Farewell 2024. In a few hours’ time, it will soar off into the sky. Then begins another year of riding; with some good miles tomorrow to start the New Year right. My desire to ride tomorrow, in fact, is a good reason to keep my New Year’s Eve bash very low-key.  Today I rode the hybrid; I didn’t dare risk having the pedals freeze up again, perhaps when I was 10 miles from home. When I got home from riding, I called the bike shop to be sure they were open; and walked the road bike over there. The problem with the pedals turned out have a very simple fix. When I had the bike tuned up, someone fastened the rear wheel too tightly! I’m amazed that the trouble didn’t show up immediately. But that means I can ride the road bike tomorrow — after I say, Farewell 2024. 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 ✍🏻 New Year’s Eve Bash December 31, 2024 Something Is Rotten December 30, 2024 Rev It Up December 29, 2024 Rein in the Rain December 28, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Something Is Rotten

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Something Is Rotten? 😷 It seems that something is rotten; and I’m not talking about the State of Denmark. I’m having trouble with my laptop; and it’s making it impossible for me to work on my Store. I wasn’t sure whether the problem was with the website itself; or my laptop’s system. Long story short, it might be several days before I can get things ironed out; so no wonder I think that something is rotten. Maybe ice cream will make me feel better, emotionally if not physically. I really do not need to be eating ice cream, candy, and so on. I’m continuing to work at minimizing such treats. Something to think about as we head into 2025! Frozen 🧊 As if computer prohlems weren’t enough, my gears got frozen this morning; and I have no idea why. I had to stop pretty suddenly; and I was on the big ring. When I tried to turn the pedals by hand to get back on the small ring, they refused to budge. It took me a good 10 minutes of struggling to move the chain by hand before I could get moving again. Incidentally, that showed me that I need a good chain-cleaning system; that supposedly clean + lube stuff doesn’t seem to clean. Or am I using too little of it? So tomorrow I’ve got to ask the bike shop what might have made those gears get frozen. And I’ve got to get a chain-cleaning kit. I used to have one years ago; and switched to the self-cleaning lube because I didn’t know where I could dispose of dirty, oily water. I’m glad my fingers didn’t get frozen as I was working; and it’s going to be on the warm side again tomorrow.  It looks like New Year’s Eve will be foggy; but that won’t stop folks from getting out there with the firecrackers. I stay home and away from all that noise and commotion. I want to save my energy for a January 1 ride!  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 ✍🏻 Something Is Rotten December 30, 2024 Rev It Up December 29, 2024 Rein in the Rain December 28, 2024 70K! December 27, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Rev It Up

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Rev It Up 🛣️ Tomorrow I must rev it up again. I skipped the ride today; but in my case, rev it up doesn’t mean hopping aboard any kind of e-bike. In fact, I want to continue relying on muscle power for as long as I can. Now that I’ve met the 70K-mile goal, I think I need to cut the mileage a little; and start doing some intensity work. This should help me to increase my strength; and they say it’s a good way to burn more calories. When you ride at the same old pace all the time, your body’s calorie-burning furnace adapts; and you need to push the pace to increase the calorie burn. That’s especially true if you want to shed a few extra pounds. Two Days Left 2️⃣ Only two days left of 2024! Fast away the old year passes!  And it seems like 2024 just began. Between my two bicycles, I’ve pedaled almost 5000 miles this year. To make it to 5000 miles, I’d need to ride something like 64 miles over the next two days. That’s a little bit much for me at this point; but I can aim for riding 5000 miles in 2025. RAGBRAI is still up in the air for me. Can I get there by train? Would I need a bicycle travel case? I’d better get more diligent about scouting social media for info. There’s got to be something there that’s helpful. As to training, it’s time to rev it up, and work on simulated hills. I’d need climbing legs for RAGBRAI! 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 ✍🏻 Rev It Up December 29, 2024 Rein in the Rain December 28, 2024 70K! December 27, 2024 Sparring? December 26, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Rein in the Rain

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Outdoors /

Rein in the Rain 🌧️ I wish there were a way to rein in the rain. Even with a poncho, riding in the rain still gets me pretty wet. It’s not only the getting wet; if the weather is at all cool, wet leg warmers feel like no leg warmers. My poncho’s sleeves aren’t full length; and my jacket sleeves get wet from the elbow down. And, if it’s warm weather, a poncho feels smothery! Thank goodness there was someone to rein in the rain as I rode to the salvage store this morning. But the sky was gray; and as I rode, I began to hear thunder. That made me uneasy; especially as it seemed to be getting closer! Backtracking 👣 The thunder continued to grumble as I waited for the store to open; and I heard more thunder as I shopped. All I could do was to hope that it would pass before I left the store.  I found Alani bars that I can use as ride food; but not the medium cheddar cheese that I wanted. I would have liked to find additional ride food; but maybe next Saturday I’ll be luckier. When it came time for backtracking to home, the shower had stopped; but all the same I got into the poncho. It’s a good thing I did! Nobody did anything to rein in the rain during this leg of my trip; and there were some bands of heavy precipitation. I’m glad they didn’t last long; and I’m glad I’m not backtracking right now! Since I got home, the forecast is saying there’s the possibility of severe T-storms. Now I’ve got one ear cocked for the severe weather alert on my cell phone. Sometimes these predictions don’t come true; but sometimes they do!   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 ✍🏻 Rein in the Rain December 28, 2024 70K! December 27, 2024 Sparring? December 26, 2024 Merry Christmas 2024! December 25, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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70K!

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70K! 🏆 Today I crossed the 70K (i.e. 70000-mile) finish line! My ambition was to meet that goal by the end of this year; and I’ve succeeded, with a few days to spare!  But nobody handed me a trophy. 🙄 I decided to celebrate meeting 70K miles with Chinese take-out for lunch. My fortune cookie said something about, take a casual walk on Sunday, to clear my mind. Maybe I will go for a walk on Sunday. I want to ride to the salvage store tomorrow; but the next day I think I’ll skip riding. Oh, horrors! Skip riding? Yep, you read that right. I think I actually need a day off. I’ve been riding so much, trying to meet the 70K goal, that I probably haven’t let myself have enough rest. For a fact, my legs felt tired today; and sometimes you do need to listen to your body. The Last Miles 🤔 What are my thoughts on the last miles of the 70000? First of all, I was worried about the weather. The forecast had mentioned the possibility of T-storms; never good news when I’m planning a ride. I heard a few brief showers as I was preparing to ride; and decided to use the hybrid and wear a poncho. And then the rain stopped! I didn’t quite dare take off the poncho, lest it start to rain again; and I got tremendously sweaty under that plastic!  I was just about to get on the levee bike path when I heard thunder; and that made me change my mind and go ride around the park. I didn’t want to be on top of the levee if a T-storm were about to break out. And then that didn’t happen, either, except for one grumble of thunder some 20 minutes after the first one. After four laps around the park, I couldn’t bear the thought of doing more laps; and headed for the levee. There was quite a stiff breeze up there; and I’m glad it was behind me most of the way back home. I decided to try Sweet Loren’s Breakfast Biscuits as ride food. I found that they don’t offer the sustenance I want and need for ride food; and it’s a good thing I also brought along an Alani bar and a few GU-Gels. The last miles seemed to take forever. I guess I was watching the mileage meter too much, in addition to getting tired. But now I can get back to just riding for fun! 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 ✍🏻 70K! December 27, 2024 Sparring? December 26, 2024 Merry Christmas 2024! December 25, 2024 Sugar Spikes December 24, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Sparring?

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Sparring? 🥊 Boxing Day sounds like sparring — oh, there I go again, thinking outside of the box. Sorry, bad pun. But if the weather is really foul where you live, you might want to think outside of the box and ride inside. As for this being Boxing Day, I’ve got a number of boxes that I need to get rid of. That’s the problem with online shopping. Now that Christmas is past, I’m working to get my palate back under control. I’m forever sparring with my sweet tooth! And, of course, I’m working at putting in the miles on the bike. I may as well finish the December Winter Wheelers with a strong showing. The Winter Wheelers Challenge actually lasts through January 2025; but soon I think I’ll take a day off from riding. We all need one now and then; and I haven’t taken one for a long time. After all, I’ve been working towards hitting 70K miles by the end of this year. Within Sight! 👀 That goal is now well within sight. For a couple of days I didn’t ride all that much; but today I knocked out 22 miles. I’ve got only 18 miles and a bit to go! I hope the weather cooperates tomorrow. If only CTRL Protein Meal Bars would let me “ctrl” (aka control) the weather! But they’ll help you to keep the bonk under control. These bars are made of wholesome ingredients; and each one supplies 15 grams of protein. Three flavors available: Peanut Butter S’mores (shown at left); Magic Charms; and Choc Chip Cookie Dough. A good addition to your “repertoire” of bars for on-bike eating! 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 ✍🏻 Sparring? December 26, 2024 Merry Christmas 2024! December 25, 2024 Sugar Spikes December 24, 2024 Gray Christmas December 23, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Merry Christmas 2024!

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MERRY CHRISTMAS 2024! 🎄 Merry Christmas 2024! Can you believe it’s here already? Christmas and cookies go together; so maybe you’d like to fuel your Yuletide ride with Trubar Cookie Dough bars. And enjoy a mug of hot chocolate afterwards.  Not that it’s cold enough here for hot drinks. At 6:00 am it was close to 60 degrees! I decided to go ride in the park, so I’d be fairly close to home in case in began to rain. To my surprise, there weren’t any kids on their new bikes there. I remember one year when there were quite a few of them, despite misty, drizzly, chilly conditions. I think I might have been using the tricycle then; and that’s a long time ago. But ever since, I expect youngsters trying out their rides in the park on December 25! 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 ✍🏻 Merry Christmas 2024! December 25, 2024 Sugar Spikes December 24, 2024 Gray Christmas December 23, 2024 Momentum December 22, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Sugar Spikes

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Sugar Spikes 🍭 Beware those sugar spikes, whether it’s a festive season like Christmas; or some other time of year. By ever so many accounts, eating sugary foods causes a quick surge of energy; but those spikes don’t last long. Then, your energy level crashes. That’s a good reason not to eat candy bars on the bike! I’ve had some sugar “spikes” today! Since I’ll be out visiting tomorrow, I had my own “Christmas” feast today; and that included a good dose of cookies! It’s better to do that at home, I think. And a day of blowing my diet sometimes is what I seem to need to get back on track. After a day of munching cookies and candy, I’m ready to get back to work at minimizing the sweets. Ride It Off? 🔥 Whether you get noticeable sugar spikes or not, you sure get calories from goodies. I hope I do enough to ride it off! This morning I put in 20.6 miles; and part of me wants to go out now and ride a few more miles to help work off what I’ve eaten. But it’s been clouding up since late morning; and I’m not in the mood to get rained on. I hope I can do a short ride tomorrow morning, so that I can rev up my metabolism a bit. Gotta be prepared for any sugar spikes! 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 ✍🏻 Sugar Spikes December 24, 2024 Gray Christmas December 23, 2024 Momentum December 22, 2024 I Prefer Overcast December 21, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Gray Christmas

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Gray Christmas 🎅🏻 It looks like we’ll have a gray Christmas. The forecast is for rain, and possibly even T-storms!  I guess rain shouldn’t be surprising, as it’s been getting warmer again. And, thank goodness, the hour-by-hour forecast doesn’t show rain before early afternoon on the 25th. I should be able to go for a ride in the morning. So maybe a gray Christmas won’t be all bad. I just hope Santa beats the downpour back to the North Pole! The Feast 🍗 🍐 🥔 What shall I have for the feast? My own personal feast, that is; and I plan to do that tomorrow. Not “athlete” food, though; but of course I’ll have on-bike food during my morning ride. Maybe a big stir-fry? I’ve got bok choy that I need to use up; and I can open a can of chicken and include chicken in the stir-fry. Or stir-fried vegetables alongside the chicken and some cranberry sauce? I think I’ll have the feast right after my ride; and that means doing the chopping tonight. Then it will all be ready; and I won’t be doing all that prep work when I’m tired from the miles — I’m planning on 20-22 miles tomorrow! This much is sure: I’ll have plenty of calories to burn off after all the food consumed tomorrow and the next day. I hope the predicted rain waits for afternoons! 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 ✍🏻 Gray Christmas December 23, 2024 Momentum December 22, 2024 I Prefer Overcast December 21, 2024 This Is Friday? December 20, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Momentum

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Momentum 🚴🏿 Whether on a swing or a bicycle, you’ve got to get the momentum going. Maybe these Whole Mayocoba Beans will give you the energy you need for it! I’m working to keep the momentum going for my bicycle rides. Winter Wheelers is still in progress; and my end-of-year mileage goal is within sight. Just under 78 miles to go; or slightly less than nine miles per day. And Christmas won’t be Christmas without a ride! 2025 🎆 It’s hard to believe that 2025 is almost here; and I hope I can keep the cycling momentum going into the New Year. The Cyclist’s Training Diary is one way to track your ride data; but I use a plain old spiral notebook. Whichever course you take, it’s good to have it all written down in one place.  I need to get busy looking for a way to get to Iowa if I hope to do RAGBRAI 2025. And I need to start switching my rides from merely piling up the miles to doing some real intensity work once or twice a week. I think you can say that I’ve done my base mileage; and that’s what you need as the foundation for working to develop better force and speed. I’ll ride the hybrid tomorrow. I want to hit the supermarket; and besides, my left shoe keeps coming unclipped by itself as I ride the road bike. Worn cleat, I guess. Always something! 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 ✍🏻 Momentum December 22, 2024 I Prefer Overcast December 21, 2024 This Is Friday? December 20, 2024 Head Start December 19, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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