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SpokEasy

June 2026

Whirlwind

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Whirlwind 🌪️ Today’s Featured Product! 🚀 Yuwell Blood Pressure Monitor New!! Skidmore’s Leather Cream For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! What a whirlwind of weather we got early this morning! After days of dire-looking forecasts, it all came at once. First, my cell phone woke me at 4:40 am with a tornado warning. Nothing happened except for some rain and thunder; so I checked the weather online. The local forecast didn’t show a tornado warning. I went back to bed. At 6 am, another tornado warning came through; this one for a location about 12 miles to the West; and 15 minutes later, a tornado was reported right here in Orleans Parish! As it turned out, that one was 6 or 8 miles from here; and it resulted mostly in tree damage. I’m glad it wasn’t worse!   Blow Me Away? 💨 The wind could blow me away today.  Gusts are still up to 23 mph; and we’re still under flash flood watch. It looks like more rain isn’t expected for the next few hours; so maybe I can get out for a few miles. And hope another whirlwind doesn’t “whirl” up; 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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Here Comes Number One!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Here Comes Number One 🌀 Today’s Featured Product! 💥   UV Long Leg Sleeves   New!! VELMIA Bicycle Saddle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Here comes number one already; and I don’t mean protein bars. Tropical Storm Arthur is out there. It seems early for such activity; but then again, hurricanes have formed before the official season begins. As of now, it looks like Arthur will go inland at the Texas/Louisiana border; and steer Northeast over central Louisiana. Apparently we’ll be spared a direct hit; but I expect we’ll still feel some effects from Arthur. Here comes number one; and I hope successive hurricanes don’t follow too closely. Meanwhile ⏳ Meanwhile, how about riding? Can I ride tomorrow morning? If the weather is bad, I might have to wait much longer than five minutes! Late this morning, I got a text from the local power company. It warmed that severe weather is expected later in the day; but as of mid-afternoon, it hadn’t arrived. Maybe it will move in overnight, and into tomorrow morning. This morning I rode out about 5.5 miles; and planned to head from there to the park to ride some laps. On my way to the park, the wind gusts got really strong; and I decided it was wiser to go home. And … nothing happened. Weather drives me crszy!   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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Wait and See

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Wait and See 🔮 Today’s Featured Product! 🎊 HH Hofnen Ponytail Hat New!! Retrospec Apollo-Lite For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I’m tired of all this wait and see regarding the weather. The forecast might say one thing in the morning, and by midday it says something else; so who knows what’ll happen? I feel like I’m trying to squeeze in some miles between one rainy spell and the next. And I’m always on guard about lightning! Tomorrow morning might be OK for a good ride; but as usual, I have to wait and see. Extra Weather Worries 🙁 Now we’ve got extra weather worries. That trough in the Bay of Campeche has become a potential tropical cyclone! It’s very close to land; so it might have trouble developing. I hope so; and I hope the local weather lets me ride. Today I made it short; and I tried pushing the pace against the wind a few times. I need more of that! I hope I can ride long tomorrow, so I can bank some miles in case that proto-tropical storm does come to something. Meanwhile, I’m glad I’m not located in a low-lying neighborhood. Heavy rain is possible; but I can’t say when it might arrive. Wait and see — 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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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What’s Coming?

BACK ISSUES, Outdoors /

What’s Coming? 🤔 Today’s Featured Product! 👍 JJ Keller Safety Vest New!! EUROBIKE 29″ For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I never know what’s coming. The weather forecasts change so fast, it sometimes seems like there’s no point in trying to keep track.  The threat of T-storms might keep me from riding; and then nothing happens! Today it rained hard for a short time, but nothing to make flooding seem likely; and I didn’t hear any thunder. At the moment, things don’t look good for tomorrow morning’s ride; but I’m not sure I want to attempt a ride just now. The heat index is 92 degrees; and the UV index is high, too. Soon it will be getting late to go for a ride today, anyway; and since I’ not sure what’s coming, maybe I’ll stay in. Those Tropics! 😤 Those tropics are exasperating; as with local weather, I don’t know what’s coming. I’ve been watching the trough that first emerged in the Bay of Capeche a few days ago. It’s moving at a crawl; I could probably ride faster! But it’s gotten somewhat stronger; and I’ve got to keep watching it. I hope I can get out tomorrow for a ride. I need some hard efforts; but with T-storms possible, I think I’ll ride in the park. That’s not a good place for speed work! 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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Difficult Planning

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Difficult Planning ✍🏻  Today’s Featured Product! 👏🏻 BALEAF Men’s Sleeveless Jersey New!! Bike Basket Front For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I’ve got some difficult planning to do; not for the first time. How do I plan a week’s rides when the forecast is stormy? It’s helpful to be able to decide I’ll do X on a certain day; and Y the next day. Bad weather can easily derail such a schedule. And if the threat of T-storms means difficult planning when you’re at home, it’s harder if you’re on a bicycle tour.   Day by Day 🌅 Here I go again, planning day by day. At least this week, I don’t have to worry about getting in a ride around both rain and doctor’s appointments. That’s a help; but it’s getting so hot now that afternoon rides are not a good idea. If I were preparing to do RAGBRAI, however, I’d need to start doing afternoon rides. Just a few miles at first; and gradually longer distances. The mere thought makes me feel hot — the heat index at the moment is 99 degrees! 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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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My World Is Shrinking!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

My World Is Shrinking! 🌎 Today’s Featured Product! 🏮 Smart Bike Tail Light New!! WTB Volt MTB Saddle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! My world is shrinking, for sure. They say all the time that it’s a small world; and I’m inclined to believe it. This morning, while waiting for the salvage store to open, I was chatting with another customer. It turned out that they ride with my attorney! As I rode home, it seemed even more that my world is shrinking. A pair of riders caught up with me; the same ones with whom I rode a few miles in 2024. At the time I was just learning about the Big Ride in Iowa; and they’re regulars at RAGBRAI! Wish List 📋 Who doesn’t have a wish list? Not that I have a death wish — far from it — but at present I sure wish I had a trainer that fit my hybrid’s rear wheel. The forecast for next week shows a lot of nasty weather! At the store, another customer mention that a lot of heavy rain is expected; and T-storms are also in the picture. Needless to say, that’s not good weather for cycling! 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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Early Dog Days

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Early Dog Days 🐕 Today’s Featured Product! 🤩 CafePress Beautiful Ride Tote   New!! KOOTU Carbon Road Bike For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! It looks like we’ve got early dog days. The heat index this afternoon briefly reached 100 degrees! I’m glad I don’t have a thermal pool next door; and I for sure don’t need heated gloves out there! Early dog days means starting my rides earlier; although today I skipped it. I think my allergies are still acting up 🤧 But I hope I can ride to the salvage store tomorrow. Lazy? 💤 So I feel lazy for not having gone for a ride; but I did go for a walk. Not that I undertook a five-mile hike; but one mile is better than no miles. I did some intensive work on the website; and cooked up a garbage soup. Unfortunately cooking means dishwashing! I’ve been too lazy about intensive work on the bike. From what I’ve always read, you’ve got to push yourself to 15 mph sometimes, if you want to cruise at 13-14 mph! And it’s important to step up the intensity if you’ve got weight control on your mind. 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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Eye on the Gulf

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Eye on the Gulf 👁️ Today’s Featured Product! 🎉 Hornit Bike & Scooter Horn New!! Ayolny E-Bike For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! We’ve got an eye on the Gulf already; and it’s not yet mid-June! There’s a tropical wave in the Bay of Campeche. Fortunately it isn’t expected to develop into anything serious; but  it’s a reminder that we have to stay alert. We’ve got to keep an eye on the Gulf — it’s almost a ritual! t’s better than having to worry about earthquakes, though. Heat Tolerance? 🥵 I’m working on my heat tolerance; but it seems like slow going. Or am I having an “off” day today? Is 7:00 am already too late to go for a ride? For all-day cycling events in Summer, you can’t evade riding in the heat; so by all accounts, developing heat tolerance is important. But the temperature was about 82 degrees when I got back home. That isn’t all that hot by local standards; and I wasn’t riding hard. Maybe it’s allergies; or the everyday ups and downs of any exercise routine. At least I’m not training up for anything! 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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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How Dry I Am?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Personal Care /

How Dry I Am? 🌵 Today’s Featured Product! ✨ ROCKBROS Photochromatic Sports Sunglasses New!! Shimano ST-R2000-L Brifter For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Nobody knows how dry I am? Maybe not. Sometimes I think that I don’t know how dry I am. I use a hydration pack for most rides; and I also take electrolyte drink. Even so, I often start to feel an odd stuffiness/pulsation in my head an hour or two after I get home. I googled the symptoms; and they can indicate dehydration! I typically try not to drink enough that I’ll need a restroomm during the ride, because the places where I’ll find one are off the path at best. Maybe I should take along pickle-juice shots? Early Start 🌇 I try to get an early start on my rides; but maybe I need to go out even earlier — say, 6:00 am instead of 7:30 am. Lately I haven’t  been riding particularly hard. I wear my cool rag. About all I can do is try to drink more; and I have one pickle-juice shot left over from last July’s RAGBRAI. I plan to take it along on my next 20-mile ride; and drink it at the halfway point. If it works as I hope it will, I can order more.  I must keep that cool rag handy, too. Overnight low temperatures are now close to 80 degrees; and it will get hotter before long! 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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Adjusting to Heat

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Adjusting to Heat 🥵 Today’s Featured Product! 💫 Car-Free Living New!! Motoforti Universal Bicycle Spokes For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Here I am, adjusting to heat again. It’s come too soon, as usual. Today I wore my cool rag; but I wish I had started earlier than 7:30 am. By that time, it was already nealy 80 degrees! The wind is from the South today; and that seems to be a tricky wind direction. Sometimes it was a headwind; sometimes it was a sidewind. Now and then I had it as a tailwind; but not as much as I would have liked! However, I’m glad that ajusting to heat doesn’t meant acclimating myself the the heat and aridity of desert surroundings. That could be a major problem! I’ll Skip the Desert 🌵 So I’ll skip the desert, thank you very much. By the way, I should skip the dessert, too, luscious though it looks. Cycling in desert surroundings would require a lot of training and acclimatization. And plenty of water! Also, take along a compass, as a precaution. I’ve recently watched videos about people at various national parks who went on hikes in Summer; ignoring warnings not to go out during the heat of the day; and with one 20-oz bottle of water. These outings only too often ended in tragedy. I guess my body will adapt to the heat; but meanwhile it seems awfully hot all of a sudden!       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 © 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 ✍🏻 Facebook Twitter Youtube INTERPRETER Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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