Let\’s get into semantics, shall we?

Exactly what does “experienced cyclist” mean? For that matter, what does “cyclist” mean?

“Experienced” might mean two or more years of regular pedaling; or many seasons of pro racing. It might mean a seasoned bicycle tourist; or the casual weekend rider; or even the number of miles racked up just for the heck of riding. My eleventh anniversary as a rider is coming up; and the miles I\’ve pedaled on trike, hybrid, and road bike total well over 55K. If sheer mileage counts, I think I can say that I\’m experienced!

Racing is another matter. So far I haven’t been interested in racing. I don’t think I have the competitive edge needed for it; and I don\’t have the time to train for racing. I’m hardly an experienced century rider, either. After all, I’ve done only four; and last time I did one was in July 2013. 

Now for the second question. Exactly what is a cyclist? At its most basic, a “cyclist” is anybody who rides a bicycle (or a tricycle!); and the more regularly you ride, the more of a cyclist you become. It helps to have an incentive: it can be losing some weight; preparing for a long touring adventure on two wheels; or training up for a 100-miler.

I myself never needed much incentive. The day I got the tricycle, I instantly discovered that my legs love the sensation of pedaling; and the rest, so the saying goes, is history.

Now for more semantics. What constitutes \”ride food\”? It can be whatever you want to eat; but as you ride longer and longer distances, you\’ll need proper nutrition. You don\’t wan\’t to run into the bonk, except on paper!

So What\’s Food?

In my early days of long Sunday rides on the trike, I took along miniature gumdrops and Combos to eat. They were easy to carry; and easy to grab as I rode. As time went on, my rides got longer; and I discovered that these snacks don\’t have the sustenance I need for long rides. I then began to experiment with some recipes that I had found online; and I tried various protein bars.

I watched for new things to try when I visited stores; and the grab-bag bins at the salvage store often yielded things that I could try as ride food. As a result, FitCrunch bars are a now a favorite. I might bring sandwiches along on my long rides, but they\’re too bulky.

After the first few months of long rides, I started to take along electrolyte drinks as well as water. Here, too, there are quite a few options: some have carbs; and some don\’t. I prefer the low- or non-carb variety, because I get plenty of carbs from those FitCrunch bars!

More semantics: what\’s a \”long\” ride? For a beginning rider, ten miles might seem very long; and for the cyclist who\’s been riding for years, it could mean a double century! At present, my long Sunday ride is about 40 miles; and that\’s not so very long compared to the hoped-for century ride!

This much is evident when it comes to the cycling world\’s semantics: there\’s plenty of room for interpretation.