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September 2026

I Dodged the Bullet

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

I Dodged the Bullet ⁍ Today’s Featured Product! 🎇 Sports Stud Earring     New! Titan 60-Can Cooler For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I dodged the bullet this morning — sort of. I had a 10:30 am doctor’s appointment at a medical facility that’s only about two miles away by bicycle; but according to the forecast, rain and T-storms were likely. I didn’t want to be up there on the levee if a storm broke out as I was underway! Miss the Crowd 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 I wanted to miss the crowd, so I left home shortly after six o’clock to catch a public bus. There seemed to be a break in the weather then. I guessed wrong. I dodged the bullet as far as rain went; but as I walked to the bus stop (at least a mile away), the lightning began to move in! It got uncomfortably close before the bus arrived; and I was glad I hadn’t tried to use my bicycle. Unfortunately the weather meant that I wound up not riding at all today! I did put in a good two miles of walking; so I got some exercise. I hope to get out for a good ride tomorrow; but I’ll keep an eye on the weather. The rain threat isn’t over yet. 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 Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Endless Storms

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Endless Storms ⛈️ Today’s Featured Product! 😄 Vevor Dog Bike Trailer New!! Leikefitness Exercise Step Platform For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Of late, the forecasts predict seemingly endless storms. “Chance of showers and thunderstorms” comes up only too frequently; and every evening I’m wondering whether I’ll get to ride the next morning. Twenty-mile rides are becoming more frequent; and long distances aren’t fun in the rain. Even short jaunts can get miserable if it’s pouring; and that’s  before taking concerns about lightning into consideration. Oh, these endless storms! Going Places 🚦 When I need to be going places, weather comes into even sharper focus. Visibility is important any time; but it’s even more vital in rain and fog. Even if I have a backpack with light-up arrows on it, being seen is only half the problem. How about my being able to see?  Lens wipes help; but only so much. If it’s raining very hard; or the fog is “pea soup”; riding a bicycle is rather a nail-biter. It’s tiresome having to take a wait-and-see approach on a day-to-day basis; but what else can I do? This is one of the things that makes me glad to be retired. If I can’t ride early in the day, I can go out later. IF the heat index isn’t 100+ 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 Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Not Over Yet

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

Not Over Yet 🥵 Today’s Featured Product! ☄️ Tom Danielson’s Core Advantage New!! Bicycle Handlebar Clock   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Summer’s not over yet; and I won’t be reaching for heat wraps anytime soon. On the contrary, I need to keep that cool rag handy! This morning I didn’t ride; the forecast looked like there could be T-storms this morning. Wouldn’t you know, nothing happened; so I hope I can ride tomorrow morning. But I need to be home by nine o’clock; I’ve got a 10:00 am appointment to get this season’s flu shot. Unfortunately, T-storm season is not over yet; and neither is hurricane season. Regarding T-storms, I just have to watch the forecasts; and keep the poncho handy when I ride. As for hurricanes, we can only watch; and hope for the best. Hard Riding? 🚲 I’ve been trying to do some hard riding; but is it enough? I’m still on the hybrid; although I hope to get a new road bike  soon (how much longer will I keep saying that?) I’m trying to spend more time on the big ring; and it’s taken quite a while for me to reach that point. Sometimes I go by distance; other times I go by, well, time. It depends on how much of a headwind I’ve got. But I need to work up some more strength; especially if I hope to do RAGBRAI again next Summer. There’ll be hills; and I’d also like to be able to finish a day’s mileage by 5 pm. Maybe I could manage hard riding next July  if I can work up my strength now! 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 Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Sunday Dinner

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Sunday Dinner? 🍽️ Today’s Featured Product! 🎊 Goodie Girl Blueberry Biscuits New!! Viribus Folding Adult Tricycle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Sunday dinner is supposed to be pleasant, right? Especially when you don’t have to do the cooking! For some folks, Sunday dinner is steak; others turn to chicken. But — bugs? I remember a list of how-to-tell-you’re-a-real-cyclist items. (Not this one; but I can’t find the one I want). One was being able to identify bugs by taste. I thought of that today when, just before I got home, I caught a bug in the corner of my mouth. I have no idea what it was; but it did not taste good! You may be sure that I spat it out in a hurry. If only I could breathe through my nose better while riding! Looking Ahead 👁️ Looking ahead to the week, I think I’ll ride tomorrow; and take Tuesday off. It looks like rain/T-storms are more likely the day after tomorrow than tomorrow; and it’s important to be flexible in your riding plans. Tomorrow is already Labor Day; and soon it will be Fall — officially, anyway. I’m not expecting our weather to cooperate with the calendar. It will be nice when I can ride without having to worry about heat advisories! 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 Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Toil and Trouble

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Toil and Trouble? ♨️ Today’s Featured Product! ☺️ Bikewa Men’s Rain Jacket New!! Happybuy 7-Speed Folding Adult Trike For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Double, double, toil and trouble, as the chant goes. I don’t know about toil and trouble; but we got double rain today. The first shower began around 11:00 am. I was glad to be back from the salvage store well before it started to rain. Riding home from the store, I could see rain on the other side of the river; and I had forgotten to bring along the poncho! It rained again around 5:00 pm; and I hope the forecast for tomorrow is accurate. It doesn’t show any precipitation; and now that we’ve had a good shower or two, I’m ready for a break from rain.   Ready for a Break ⛓️‍💥 I’m ready for a break from rain; and also from this cold. It’s been making me tired and rather listless; and my off-bike exercises have fallen by the wayside as a result.😕 The tropics are quiet for now; and we’re always ready for a break in that respect. But we’ve got two more months of watching over our shoulder, so to speak. I need to get in some good miles tomorrow; I missed riding yesterday and the day before. Despite that, my legs felt pretty strong today. Could I be in better shape than I think? 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 Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Endless Woes

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Endless Woes 😢 Today’s Featured Product! 💫 Winter Gel Clings New!!   ADDMOTOR ARISETAN M-360 For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Sometimes life seems like endless woes. I need an old kit bag to stuff them into! A week ago Tuesday, I came down with a cold. Even now, my head feels stuffy; I’m a bit dizzy; and I still am tired. Last Saturday, I developed an odd swelling on my right arm; and it cropped up for no apparent reason: no cut; no bruise; no insect bite. To keep it brief, it seems to be an erythema nodosum; and it might be connected to rheumatoid arthritis. Or even to this cold that I have. These nodules typically resolve on their own. But trust me to  get something with an unpronounceable name! Labor Day 🛠️ 🪏 Here it is, Labor Day weekend already. It’ll be Christmas before we know it; and then 2027 will be upon us.  But until then, it’s day by day; and I’m always watching the weather. The heat continues unabated (no surprise there); but rain is harder to predict. I hope I can ride tomorrow; I’ve already missed two days. Oh, these endless woes! At least we’ve been spared the woes of a hurricane so far. Long may it last; we’re having a freakish season. 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 Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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

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Thwarted Again!

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Thwarted Again! 🚧 Today’s Featured Product! 🤩 Women’s Quest Road Shoes New!! Bull Trail Adult E-Trike For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Thwarted again! Just when I’m getting to work to extend my mileage, I’ve got to stop and figure out an alternate route! Some kind of work has just begun on the bike path, right at the point where I get on. Who knows how long it will take; and it won’t be fun riding alongside traffic to reach said path at another point. I’ll be cross; and so will my bicycle!  Advance Notice 🗣️ I wish I could get some advance notice when projects like this are imminent; then I wouldn’t get nasty surprises. I suppose there might be notices about these things; but where? Not everyone subscribes to a newspaper; and not all of us have TV. So here I am, thwarted again. It’s hard to have so few riding paths available; even getting to the park will be complicated by this current bike-path work.  I don’t want to take more time off from riding; I’ve missed a lot in the past year. And if I can’t ride much, how can I train up for next year’s 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 © 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 Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Back to Scratch?

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Up to Scratch? 🚲 Today’s Featured Product! 🎊 KAKIGO Electric Adult Tricycle New!! Slsy Adult Mountain Tricycle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Am I finally getting back up to scratch? That’s sure somethng to smile about! Between a trip out of town, and then a cold, my distance has been kept short. Today I rode 20 miles for the first time in several weeks; and now I’m waiting to see how my legs will feel tomorrow. I hope they aren’t quivery! But I have some appointments day after tomorrow; so I want to put in some good miles tomorrow. And, of course, I want to get back up to scratch. Cooperative Weather 🌞 ⛈️ But will I have coopertive weather? That’s something I often don’t know until right before a ride, when I can check the current conditions. Thankfully, we don’t need to worry about Edouard here! Today I worked at riding on the big ring. I’m trying to get some real strength back into my legs. If my legs do feel quivery tomorrow, I’ll know why!     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 Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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