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SpokEasy

October 2026

Shorter and Shorter

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Shorter and Shorter 📏 The days are getting shorter and shorter. So, for several days, have my rides. Day before yesterday, I rode 19+ miles. After yesterday’s hard efforts, even at lower mileage, my legs felt rather sore; so today I took the hybrid for a short ride in the park. It turned out to be a shorter ride than I had planned! I was thinking of doing several laps; and I did only one. That’s a pity; the weather was great for riding. Unfortunately I was rather tired in general. Oh, well. I’ll try for 12 miles or so tomorrow. Planning for Cold 🥶 I’m planning for cold weather now. These warming packs are great; and I’m so glad to have them. When the temperature starts to fall below 50 degrees, even heavy gloves don’t keep my hands warm enough! And it’s a pity there isn’t room for them in my cycling shoes. With days getting shorter and shorter; and cooler temperatures moving in; I’m looking at my cold-weather wardrobe. There will be days when I’ll have to resort to layering. Sooner or later I’ll have to steel myself to ride when the air temperature is little above freezing; and the chill factor even colder. Before you know it, I’ll be complaining about how tired I am of riding in the cold. Not long ago, I was griping about the heat! But while this pleasant weather lasts, I want to work at increasing my mileage. 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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Cold Weather Pros

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

Cold Weather Pros ➕ Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 GU-Gel Tri-Berry New!! NEKRASH Duck Bike Bell For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Believe it or not, there are some cold weather pros! I’ve brought up the cons often enough: I get cold easily; my nose runs like crazy; cold wind stings my eyes and makes them water. And a cold wind somehow feel stronger than a not-cold wind. But when it’s cool enough for leg warmers and long sleeves, I need far less sunblock. Wearing a skull cap helps protect my ears from wind noise. Another of the cold weather pros is, the sun doesn’t beat down as hard as it does in hot weather. Unfortunately the sun is lower in the sky; and it’s in my eyes more! Breaking in the Road Bike 🚲 I’m busy breaking in the road bike. Yesterday I rode 19+ miles. Today I did a much shorter ride, but included harder efforts of 2 minutes each. I need that if I’m to get stronger! After 14 minutes of leisurely pedaling, I began to push the pace for two minutes on; two minutes off. I did five or six such efforts; and they sure got my heat rate up! I don’t know my exact heart rate; the sensor doesn’t seem to be working. After lying around idle for a year, I guess the battery died. But I could tell that I was likely in Zone 4. And tomorrow? Maybe take it easy on the hybrid. Breaking in the road bike doesn’t have to mean riding into overtraining. 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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Cycling Doies Strange Things!

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Cycling Does Strange Things! 🎃 Today’s Featured Product! 🎃 Body Sport Aerobic Step   New!! Earth MTB For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store!  Cycling does strange things to my mind. Is it just me; or does it happen to everyone?  This morning I was on the road bike, busily pedaling against a headwind. I wasn’t thinking of anything in particular; when out of the blue, “Talleyrand” popped into my head. I couldn’t remember where he came into the scheme of things; but I knew I had to look him up when I got home. I though maybe he was involved in the War of the Revolution; but he was involved with Napoleon.  I Got Close! 🚲 I was thinking of pushing the road bike to 20 miles today. But as I said, cycling does strange things. Or maybe not so strange. When I got to the turnaround spot, which is a hair over 10 miles on the hybrid, the road bike’s computer said something like 9.85 miles. Different tire size, I suppose. But I got close to my mileage goal! This was the longest ride on the road bike to date; so naturally my legs were a little tireder than usual. Even if cycling does strange things, this is not among them. I tinkered with the chain ring shifting on the way home; and when I halted at a stop sign half a mile from home, I wasn’t quite sure which gear I was in. So I walked the remaining distance.  Maybe a shorter, more intense ride tomorrow? I haven’t decided whether to shoot for RAGBRAI 2027; but if I’m aim for it, it isn’t too soon to begin working up to it! 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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Calming Down?

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

Calming Down? 😌 Today’s Featured Product! 😍 Larabar Apple Pie New!! Szynic Bike Seat For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Is that wind finally calming down? Last night and this morning, the forecast still predicted gusts up to 20 mph. I couldn’t quite face that on the road bike; so I rode the hybrid in the park. And then there didn’t seem to be any such gusts! My legs felt stiff, probably because of yesterday afternoon’s ride on the hybrid. I had quite a headwind on the way home; and such rides make me feel like I’ll never get anywhere!  Tomorrow the wind will still be about 10 mph; so “calming down” is a relative term. But I need to get back on the road bike!   Ready for 20? 🚲 I need to practice on the road bike; but am I ready for 20 miles on it? It will be great when I am! For the past few weeks, I’ve done short rides on the road bike; and rides on the hybrid. Bit by bit, I want to extend the distances on the road bike. Even when I’ve worked up to regular 20-mile rides on the road bike, I want to ride the hybrid a few times a week. No point in letting it sit idle; and I’ll still need it for shopping trips. So it needs to stay in shape! 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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Sit It Out

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Sit It Out 🪑 Today’s Featured Product! Skratch Labs Hydration Packets New!! Eurobike HY XC550   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Today I decided to sit it out. Wind gusts were as strong as 32 mph at the time I usually ride; and that’s too strong for me! Instead of riding, I did an errand that involved some two miles of walking. The wind will still be rather strong tomorrow; and I think I’ll head to the park and ride some laps. I’ll see how things are in the morning; and if the wind isn’t as strong as the forecast predicts, I can head for the levee! Hope for Calm ☺️ I sure hope for calm tomorrow; I don’t want to sit it out another day. I need the exercise! Before long, I hope I can start doing intense efforts on the road bike. So far I’ve been concentrating on getting comfortable with riding the bicycle. I think I’ve made progress in that area; and I also need to start  pushing for longer distances. I’m not sure I’m quite ready for 20 miles as a “roadie”, though. It takes time to work up to long distances. I’ll see how it goes; and it will be great when 20 miles on the road bike is just another 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 © 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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Holding Its Breath

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Holding Its Breath 😮‍💨 Today’s Featured Product! 🚀 ADDMOTOR CITYTRI   New!! Populus 700c Road Bike For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! That weather seems to be holding its breath. I’m waiting for those 35 mph-gusts; and in fact there’s a wind advisory in effect. But so far the breeze is only 7 mph. In light of the forecast for tomorrow — gusts up to 35 or 40 mph — I went off schedule and rode to the salvage store today. The wind will be from the North tomorrow; and that means a headwind on the way home. The effort of fighting such a wind makes me feel like I’m wearing a hypoxic mask; and I’m not eager for it! If I were training to race in the mountains, there would be some point in it. Before a Storm ⛈️ Some people say that, before a storm, it feels like the air is holding its breath. I don’t dispute it; but I don’t seem to have that sensitivity. Or is it only that I didn’t grow up working outdoors all day, every day? If I had, maybe I could read Nature! Then there’s post-storm worries. Is it really over? Is the threat of lightning past? Will I need a poncho? Or a jacket? I’d want one tomorrow; it’s supposed to drop below 60 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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Steady!

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Steady! ⚖️ Today’s Featured Product! 👍 JungleA Exercise Step Platform New!! Quest Double Chocolate Chunk   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I’m delighted to say that I feel more steady on the road bike now. My start-ups seem more secure. The process is going more quickly than my earliest efforts at riding on two wheels. It will be a while, though, before I can manage a water bottle on the road bike. The bottle cages on the new road bike are tight; and at present I have to stop when I want a swig of electrolyte drink! Poco a poco 🤏 I’m not fast yet; but poco a poco accelerando, as they say in music. Get faster little by little! Just now, trying to pull out a water bottle while rolling would probably make me veer all over the place. I’m not steady enough yet to attempt it; and I think I need more practice at one-handed riding first. Putting that bottle back into its cage would be a lot harder than getting it out; and I’ll have to be prepared to let a bottle drop. Then I’ll have to stop and pick it up. I remember that from my early days of using a road bike. It was quite a nuisance; but there’s always a learning curve! 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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Wind A-Comin’

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Wind A-Comin’ 💨 Today’s Featured Product! 🧨 Delta Cycle Foot Fenders New!! Mini Bike Tire Pump For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I hear tell that we’ve got wind a-comin’. By Friday night, it’s really going to be blowing! Gusts could reach 40 — yes. that’s FORTY — mph! That’s enough to blow me right off the levee; so it looks like I may have to skip the ride.  A set of “cat ears” would be nice to have with that wind a-comin’; as it is, wind whistling around my helmet’s straps is uncomfortable for my hearing. Forecasts can always change, though; and I hope this one changes! Tire Liners 🛞 I’ve gotten tire liners for the road bike; so a tire repair kit isn’t a top priority. I know what to do to  change a tube; but doing it is another matter. At best, I’m all thumbs at it. At the bike shop, I mentioned that riding the road bike seems to tire my legs more than riding the hybrid. They said it does, because I’m using my muscles in a different way. My perception that I need a different kind of legs for said road bike is accurate! Now if only I had the legs to fight a 40-mph wind!   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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Different Kind of Legs?

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Different Kind of Legs? 🦵🏼 Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 BALEAF Men’s MTB Shorts B New!! INSANITY Base Kit For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Does riding a road bike require a different kind of legs from riding a hybrid? It sure seems like it. It’s great to start feeling like a roadie again; but it seems to me that pedaling the road bike tires my legs more than riding the hybrid. And walking seems to need a different kind of legs from cycling! First TIme! 1️⃣ Today I took the new road bike on the levee for the first time. It was still a short ride; not much over eight miles. However, it seemed to tire my legs more than 20 miles on the hybrid! But soon I hope to be doing longer “roadie” rides — and relearning how to get a bottle in and out of its cage while rolling! Instead of going for another 8-miler on the hybrid, I decided to stay home and do some cooking. Then I rolled the road bike over to the shop for tire liners.  It’s not ready yet; so tomorrow I plan to do a 20-mile ride on the hybrid. I’ll have to ride carefully, though. There’s a dense fog advisory in effect! 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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Beef It Up!

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

Beef It Up! 🐮  Today’s Featured Product! 🙌🏻 BALEAF Men’s Cycling Jacket New!! Merach Walking Pad For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Sometimes I take it into my head to beef it up. I enjoy rice and beans; but now and then I want something — um — meatier. Yesterday I got busy in the kitchen; and this is the result. I’m going to combine some of it with canned corn; more onion; and more tomatillos. I need to make a “garbage soup” soon, too; then I must stop cooking. The freezer will be too full! I need to beef it up on the bike, too. My rides are too often too leisurely! Working Up ⬆️ I’m working up to longer rides on the road bike. Not today, though. All I did was to take a few things to the Salvation Army donation center. Round trip, just over five miles. It makes me feel quite lazy. 😴 Tomorrow, I plan to do a longer ride; but I might stick to the park. I don’t have tire liners for the new bicycle yet; and I certainly don’t want to get a flat when I’m six or more miles from home. That would be a long walk! Fall seems to be trying to come. This morning it was only 65 degrees! I don’t expect the weather to stay cool, though. In fact, afternoon high temperatures are still in the 80s! 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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