SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Rolling Lab

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Do you ever feel like your bicycle is a rolling lab? My road bike sure is! For years, I\’ve experimented with different kinds of on-bike food during my long Sunday rides; and over time I\’ve come up with some favorites. I also have learned that some foods don\’t work so well. FitCrunch bars are one of those favorites. I got started on FitCrunch bars when I first found some in the grab-bag bins at the salvage store; and getting them at those bargain-basement prices sure spoiled me! Before FitCrunch bars came along, I often used Clif bars. I phased out regular Clif bars on the advice of a nutritionist, because they\’re high-carb; and low in protein. Clif Builder\’s bars are another story; and sometimes I use them instead of regular Clif bars. For today\’s ride I decided to take along pieces of an Epic venison strip, as well as pieces of Met-Rx, and a Special K Protein bar. I wanted to try something other than all those bars; and as long as I\’m still entertaining notions of doing a century, I\’ll need greater variety in my on-bike menu. The oft-repeated advice for all-day rides is, do not try any new food or drink during the event; so I\’m trying it now. Thus I need to make my bicycle a rolling lab! Results The results of today\’s food experiment: Epic venison tastes OK; but it has a bit of pepper. The pepper is liable to catch in my throat, and make me cough. I think I\’ll look for something else if I want savory on-bike food. Another rolling lab experiment of mine is to eat a bit less on the bike; and now I cut those FitCrunch and other bars into eight pieces, instead of six. So far it seems to work well. Things that don\’t work well for long rides include Combos. I like them, and their saltiness is good on a hot ride; but they have no sustenance. They also have the drawback of crumbliness; and those crumbs tend to stick in my throat. If I want a salty snack, olives are good; and if you want something salty, but don\’t want the fat content of Combos, this is a way around it. Today\’s ride felt harder than last Sunday\’s; and no wonder! The wind was stronger than it was last Sunday; and I also rode several miles farther. Oddly, I didn\’t burn quite as many calories today; and I\’m sure I was working just as hard. In fact, I became quite tired well before I finished the ride. But Winter Wheelers is in progress; and I wanted the miles!

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Somebody Moves the Ends

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\”Just when you think you can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends.\” I don\’t remember where I first saw that quote; but it seems to be quite accurate. Think about it. You start trying to work up to a century; and then something throws the proverbial monkey wrench into the machinery. The upshot of it is that you don\’t get to do that ride. I started trying to work up to a century in July; and was aiming for an October 9 ride day. My program included on-bike force-development exercises once a week; and I worked towards longer and longer bursts of pushing for 15 mph or more. Sounds like a sensible plan, doesn\’t it? Along came late August; and with it, Hurricane Ida. Then came several weeks of little or no true exercise; and when I returned home the third week in September, I was too out of shape to consider an October century. My weekday morning rides seem back to normal; but my weekly long ride is still only 42-44 miles. I\’m not sure I\’m ready to jump from forty-something miles to a full 100 miles. If I try it; and the day I choose presents me with a strong wind; I\’ll have a tough time. In other words, somebody moves the ends. Half of me thinks I need to work up to regular Sunday rides of 55-60 miles — maybe even 70 miles — before I\’m ready for a century. I probably need to work on increasing my pace during those long rides, too. The other half of me says, You want to ride a century? Go for it! So what should I do? I don\’t have to decide this minute, but I need a firm date in mind; and please don\’t move the ends.

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Bessport Camping Tent

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The Bessport Camping Tent might be just what you need for next Summer\’s adventures. It\’s lightweight and weather-resistant; and easy to set up. It can even be moved without taking it down first! Aluminum alloy stakes included. Roomy enough for two people. Several colors available. I\’ve never tried bike-packing; but if I do, I think I would want one of these tents. A camping tarp to lay down underneath it is a wise idea; especially in damp climates. I don\’t want to try to sleep in a wet tent! Oh, dear. See where I\’m heading? A Bessport Camping Tent; then a tarp; and next it will be cooking equipment and who knows what else!

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Darkness

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Darkness Riding in darkness is nothing new to me. I don’t remember exactly when I took to pre-dawn rides; but it’s been years now. Last night’s forecast for dense fog was spot-on; and between fog and the dark, I had to ride more slowly than I like. Eventually I had to remove my glasses so I could see! But maybe I needed a slower, shorter ride. Last week I rode more than usual; and my legs have felt tired much of this week. Of course bicycling in darkness means you have to take some precautions: good lights; reflective clothing; and extra caution until you adjust to such conditions. There are still times when shadows play tricks on me; and I have to stay alert at all times. Riding on top of the levee in the dark; and riding to and from a store in the dark, are two very different things. One of the local main roads runs parallel to the levee; and of course there are vehicles with bright headlights down there. But at least they aren’t at eye level. Running errands by bicycle in the dark means that an approaching vehicle’s lights are right in my face. Maybe my 500-lumen headlight has the same effect of the driver, though; so can we call it 50/50? How about personal safety when riding in darkness? I have some apprehensions about it; but if I want to ride, I just have to do it. A riding companion wouldn’t hurt; and might even help me with my attempts to improve my pace! They say, if you want to get faster, ride with folks whose cruising pace is little faster than yours. More fog is in the forecast. I’m glad I won’t have to ride in the dark tomorrow morning.

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Losing Count

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I think I’m losing count, here. Several weeks back, I thought I had reached my eleventh anniversary as a cyclist; but I was wrong. It was TWELVE years! Well, you know the saying: Time flies when you’re having fun; and I’ve sure had fun! Of course there were times when riding wasn’t so much fun while I was doing it. There were cold days when I got caught in the rain, and with a nasty wind to boot. On top of that, when it gets at all cool, my nose acts up; and that sure isn’t fun. In fact, it\’s quite disgusting. There were long rides when it was 80 degrees early in the morning; and I was out there in the blazing sunshine for several hours. Now and then I got caught in a T-storm; and fog plus darkness isn’t my favorite thing. But after a ride, there’s always the satisfaction that I did it; even if the ride itself wasn\’t all that pleasant. It will always be that way; but I intend to keep on riding, even if I\’m losing count of how many years I\’ve been doing it! Fog! Speaking of fog, we\’re getting a foggy spell. A dense fog advisory was issued yesterday evening; but despite the forecast, the fog wasn’t bad this morning. It was patchy; and really not very thick. Much of it was quite shallow; and I could still see the moon. There’s more fog in the forecast for the next two mornings; and tomorrow things might be very different. I\’m definitely losing count of the times I\’ve complained about misty mornings! If foggy conditions make your glasses too misty, anti-fog spray might help. I tried something like it once; and the fumes from the spray\’s residue made my eyes burn. Maybe that\’s just me; I\’m sensitive to stuff like that. Maybe I\’ll try it again sometime. Meanwhile I hope for decent visibility during tomorrow\’s ride.

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Bundle Up!

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Bundle up and get ready to ride! Winter Wheelers begins today! Our weather is going to be rather mild for the next few days, with lows in the mid-50s; but with patchy fog Thursday night through Friday morning. It looks like I won\’t have to bundle up much; and that\’s fine with me. Other parts of the country won\’t be blessed with this relatively balmy weather; and where there\’s plenty of snow, a fat tire bike might be a good idea. When the weather turns cold, of course we bring out the cold-weather cycling togs; but there\’s a bit more to winter riding than polar clothing. Lip balm is a good idea; and as long as your face isn\’t covered by a balaclava, don\’t forget the sunblock! Sunburned noses can happen in Winter, too. Good sunglasses are a must; especially if the day is sunny, but there\’s snow on the ground. You\’ll get the sunlight from above; and reflected glare from the snow! I can\’t say for sure, but maybe polarized lenses are wise for such conditions. If you have trouble with cold hands, Hotnwarmer Packs are a great help. I\’ve used them since las Winter, and I like them; but I wish I had room for them in my shoes! Even thermal socks don\’t quite cut it on the most frigid days. Incidentally, exactly what is \”frigid\”? To me, it\’s anything below 45 degrees; and if there\’s a strong wind, frigid begins as high as 55 degrees! For someone in New England, that\’s probably shirt-sleeve weather. It depends on what you\’re used to; and cold weather is more tolerable in drier climates. My Cold Rides It\’s cool enough now for me to need leg warmers; and a skull cap; and heavyish gloves. I also need to wear my vest under my jacket. On the coldest days, my water bottles get well chilled; and keeping hydrated during a long Sunday ride means that I get chilled from drinking cold fluid! I wonder whether a polar water bottle is good for keeping liquids warm as well as cold. I tried one once, but it\’s longer than a standard water bottle; and I had trouble getting it in and out of the bottle cage because of my road bike\’s frame size. This morning it was in the mid-50s; so I didn\’t have to bundle up too much. I kicked off Winter Wheelers with a ride of 13.2 miles; and it was worth it. I saw Orion setting; and I saw what\’s left of the moon, with the dark part showing. I love that! There were patches of ground fog; and I saw orange sky as the sun began to rise. I hope we don\’t get a cold snap like we did this past Winter; but if we do, all I can do is to bundle up and ride.

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What to Get?

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What to get? Christmas shopping often drives me crazy, because of that \”what to get\” question. What would this or that person want; and where can I get it? As a complicating factor, I need to choose gifts that are small in size, and not too heavy; and thus easy to ship. If you don\’t have to worry about shipping packages halfway across the USA, things might be easier. Do you have a little one who wants to ride? For a very young child, a balance bike might fit the bill. Do not, of course, forget the helmet! If mom and dad want to go walking; but the little one can\’t keep up; a Steer and Stroll Trike is a possibility. There\’s even headgear for kids as young as one year. For older kids, there\’s this bike. It\’s called a \”boys\” bike; but I see no reason why girls can\’t use it, too. There are baskets to put on the handlebars; and — of course — helmets. For a way to take along a young \’un by bicycle, there\’s a bicycle-mounted child seat; or, if you think that will cause problems with your balance, there\’s the trailer. What about gifts for the adult cyclist? I\’m not buying for a cyclist, aside from myself; and my budget won\’t let me give bicycles as gifts. But there are more modest possibilities, such as books. That reminds me: maybe your youngster would enjoy a Bayou Country story! As usual, I don\’t know what I want for Xmas; at least, not from the material standpoint. I want good weather for a ride; but I want that every day, not only on December 25! I did most of my Xmas shopping yesterday; but it felt awkward. I didn\’t know what to get!

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Body Image

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Body image isn\’t what I think of first when I think of cycling. In fact, to be honest, I don\’t think about it much at all; but I\’m sure that there are riders who do. I\’m not a psychologist, and I\’m not a nutritionist. If you need help with this, please consult the appropriate professional. It\’s just that I began thinking about the subject after I listened to this video; and common sense says that it isn\’t only dancers who can have trouble with body image. Do riders who have short legs yearn for long legs; and are there long-legged cyclists who wish their legs were shorter? Are broad shoulders a disadvantage for aerodynamics? How many cyclists wish they could wave a magic wand, and change their physiques? Getting back to legs, how much does leg length matter in cycling? It seems to me that, if the bicycle is correctly fitted to the rider, overall leg length shouldn\’t matter. I\’ve read that a proportionately long thigh provides better leverage; but that\’s all I know. If I were much younger, and were into serious training, I might well be far more concerned about my body image: my weight; and my general shape; how I look on the bike; and much more. As things are, I don\’t worry about it; and why waste my energy fretting over it? I\’m not on show, after all! Weighing In As to weight, I lost 25-26 pounds between February 2020 and this past June. I was actually borderline overweight in early 2020; and my A1c levels were in the prediabetes range. This provided strong motivation for me to clean up my eating habits. My A1c levels dropped, but to a point barely below prediabetes; so I needed to keep watching my diet — body image or no. The catch is that I had gotten rather burned out on meal planning, carb-counting, and so on. I got careless for a month or two; and was just starting to work my way back on track when Ida struck. Afterwards, I was away from home for nearly a month; and wasn\’t preparing my own meals. My A1c levels skyrocketed; and I\’ve been struggling with my diet ever since. It\’s harder to keep on track when I\’m not working from home! When I\’m at work, I can\’t just run to the fridge and grab some hummus; so I wind up eating total junk.

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Gloomy

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It was a gloomy ride today. The forecast said, light rain at 7 am; and in fact there was a bit of a drizzle. But I rode, anyway. I knew that, if I waited to \”see whether it would stop\”, I might not get to ride; and I\’m trying not to become a fair weather cyclist. That drizzle persisted for most of my ride; and I\’m glad it didn\’t turn into a heavy rain. After two hours or so, the sun came out for a bit; but it was still raining. The wind was about 7 mph while I was riding back home; and it was a headwind, as usual. Today I cut my mileage a little, to 40.40 miles. Yesterday I got a double dose, you might say; so I decided I wouldn\’t push too hard on this ride. Next Sunday maybe I can bump it up to 45 miles or so. Of course, after this morning\’s jaunt, my poor road bike is all mucky. That\’s the problem when I ride while the ground is wet; but there isn\’t much falling out of the sky. All that dirt and grit gets splashed up; but there isn\’t enough rain to wash it off the bike. Here\’s my question: is it better to wash that dirt off as soon as I\’m off the bike; or is it really OK to let it dry, so that I can brush it off? It\’s on the chilly side to be outdoors with a hose! I\’m glad I rode when I did. It\’s still gloomy gray, and I have other things I need to do; such as make squashed sauce, and wrap Xmas gifts. It looks like we won\’t get any more rain for a while, and I like that. It\’s good for riding.

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