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Author name: CAL

Rough Riders

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Remember Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders? Maybe mountain bikes would have served them better than horses — MTBs with dropper seat posts! Unfortunately for the Rough Riders, the MTB hadn\’t yet been invented. The \”safety bicycle\” came along in the mid-1880s; and bicycle infantry dates to the late 19th century. The mountain bike didn\’t show up until after WWII; and dropper seat posts came even later. Maybe the terrain where the Rough Riders fought was too rough for the bicycles of the day; and in fact not many of their horses got there with them. They wound up being foot soldiers. I sure don\’t belong to their ranks; whether on foot or on horseback. I\’m too spoiled by using a bicycle to be of much use in the infantry; and I\’d be of even less use in the cavalry. For me, \”in the saddle\” means — you guessed it — a bicycle ride! All joking aside, a dropper seat post can smooth a ride over rough ground. That\’s especially important when you\’ll be riding long. Getting bounced up, down, and around in the saddle is tiring; not to mention that it\’s hard on your tender parts. The coil spring mechanism of the dropper post makes the ride a little softer. I never tried a \”dropper\”. I don\’t know how much up-and-down it causes; but I was concerned that this motion would cause dizziness. There are some rough street surfaces around here; but I\’m sure they\’re nothing compared to technical MTB trails. Riding over said surfaces is aggravating; but not to the point that I want to swap seat posts for it. I\’ll stick to (relatively) smooth riding paths; and forget about being a Rough Rider.

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Semantics

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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.

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Grabbing Blind

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Grabbing blind isn’t always the best idea. Who knows what  you might get? When I’m on the road bike, however, I need to pull out my water bottle, and put it back into its cage; and without looking. I\’m certainly grabbing blind then! Getting the bottle out is rarely a problem; but putting it back is another story. Sometimes I have no trouble. Other times I’m wavering all over the bike path; I can\’t seem to control the bike; and I can’t find the right spot to put that bottle. I don’t know why it happens; but I wish this skill were more reliable! I\’m not comfortable with looking down to find the bottle cage. I need to keep my eyes focused on what\’s ahead of me, especially if it\’s dark. Often enough I\’ve complained about path users who are hard to see in the dark; and I think I\’m afraid that, if I do look down to find the bottle cage, I\’ll be upon such a person without time to stop. Shopping online can be blind grabbing, too; especially where clothing is concerned. I don\’t want to order a pair of shorts from a web site; and have them not fit. Even if it\’s the same brand and size that I\’ve used for the past decade, sizing can change. Personally, I\’d rather try on those shorts at a bike shop. Scheduling an important event, whether an organized one or a just-to-do-it one, is yet another form of the blind grab. Nobody can know months in advance what the weather will be like on any particular day; and that\’s one of the aspects of planning a century that makes me nervous. Still Thinking About It I\’m still thinking about doing a 100-miler; but I don\’t think I\’m ready to do it before this month is over. By next month our nasty Winter weather is likely to be here; but at the same time, it can get quite warm in December. So, will it be clear; or rainy? Cold; or will it get into the 80s? Will I be blessed with a wind still day; or must I battle headwinds half the time? In way, a big ride is easier when I KNOW it will be hot all day. I don\’t have to layer up, and then either get too hot; or try to stash all those things into my Camel-Bak. I\’ll see how things go for the next few weeks. But if I do the big ride before New Year\’s, whatever day I plan it, I\’ll be grabbing blind.

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Fata Morgana

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Is there a fata morgana in cycling? If so, I\’ve never seen one; but such mirages are out there. After all, it looks like the fata morgana can occur anywhere, as long as the atmospheric conditions are just right. What would a mirage look like to a cyclist? To the weary rider battling strong headwinds for 100 miles, maybe a non-extant rest station will suddenly appear in the distance. I read something about RAAM; and this \”contest of sleep deprivation\” can result in hallucinations for the riders. They can afford only a few hours\’ sleep per night because they must always work to reach the next checkpoint on time; and naturally they become sleep-deprived. I think I\’ll skip RAAM! I ride in the dark a lot; and sometimes things look weird. A shadow resulting from sometimes looks like an object in the bike path. Fortunately my eyes have learned to adjust to these \”visions\”; and I rarely have problems with them. When I\’m tired and sleepy, of course it\’s hard to stay alert; and then I have to forget about speed work. I don\’t need to doze off over the handlebars and crash. It isn\’t a mirage when a poorly lit — or unlit — person materializes ahead of me. I wish it were a mirage; or that people would carry flashlights in the dark! Sometimes I\’m uncomfortably close before I can see those people; and I don\’t want to hit anyone. If I did, I would be the one who got hurt; because the contact would cause me to land on the ground. One morning last week I glimpsed what may have been a meteor. It lasted for several seconds; but it was half-hidden by the treetops. Or was it a fata morgana? \’

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Potholes

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Potholes are only too common in my neck of the woods. Many streets are in poor condition; and surfaces are often rough. That\’s why I use tough tires! For the most part, the levee bike path is in much better shape than many local streets; and I\’m glad I have it easily available. Even that path has its rough spots. There\’s one about 18 miles out that\’s two large potholes trying to merge into one. It\’s so bad that I didn\’t even try to ride through it yesterday. It\’s not only rough; but quite deep. I hope they fix it soon. The street where I live has been undergoing construction for quite some time; and it\’s a big mess. I don\’t like riding through it at all; but sometimes I have to. If I go to the supermarket before work, I don\’t quite dare return home via the longer, bike-path route. That means crossing railroad tracks; and who knows when a train might come along? I especially don\’t like riding through rough, bumpy, potholes when I\’m on the road bike. Even now, after years of riding, I don\’t feel quite sure of my handling skills unless I take such surfaces slowly and carefully. I\’m glad I can avoid such surfaces while riding to work; and I\’m glad I don\’t need to use the regular streets to get in my miles on the road bike! Then there are the potholes that life throws at us. Things don\’t always go smoothly, as we all know; and hurricanes, for example, come along to plague us. Incidentally, there are still many blue-tarp roofs out there. They were plainly visible as I was riding yesterday; and I hope those people can get repairs completed before the temperatures start falling into the 40s.

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Rabbit Rabbit

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I kept coming across the expression \”rabbit rabbit\” in social media; and wondered what it was about. It\’s a good luck formula! If you say \”rabbit rabbit\” aloud; the first thing after you wake up; on the first day of the month; it\’s supposed to bring good fortune. Or maybe a present. It\’s too bad I didn\’t know about that, or I would have said it Monday when I woke up. But as my birthday is approaching, I might get a present, anyway. When I awaken in the morning, my mind is usually on the bicycle ride; and I\’m not thinking about bunnies, unless I wonder whether I\’ll see one during my ride. I haven\’t see one for some time; but I guess they\’re still around. I didn\’t spot any interesting wildlife during today\’s long ride. I\’ve extended said long ride to 40.4 miles. I was dismayed that my average speed was slower than last Sunday\’s; but then I went back and checked my log. The wind was stronger today than it was last Sunday; so that might account for my pokiness. My legs really felt the effort today, too. I also slowed myself down by walking my bicycle over one of the humps out there. Since I began going out that far again, the surface of one side of that hump is all torn up! It\’s two big, nasty potholes; and today I simply did not feel like trying to ride through them. At such moments I wish I were on a mountain bike; and I hope the path gets repaired soon. Milestones I\’m little short of some milestones; and I don\’t need to say \”rabbit rabbit\” to get there. My road bike is almost to the long-term mileage total of 30K; and unless something really drastic happens, I should be able to ride those 50.84 miles within the coming week. Thy hybrid is almost to 16K miles; not quite 23 miles to go! Incidentally, I wonder how many miles that hybrid would have on it now, if I had never bought the road bike. Another milestone is that November 14 will mark 12 years of cycling! I never imagined this when I decided to get the tricycle; and it just goes to show that you never know what might happen. I think next Sunday I\’ll ride an additional mile or two; and hope for a calm day. Rabbit rabbit!

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Bellwether Men\’s Shorts

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Bellwether Men\’s Shorts are designed with both comfort and performance in mind. The gel padding absorbs bumps; and the high-spandex fabric can stretch in many ways. Reflective highlights provide added visibility durning night rides; and the leg bands do not bind. Bellwether Men\’s Shorts sound like a good deal. Real cycling shorts are definitely much more comfortable than regular shorts for riding, especially in hot weather; and in my humble opinion, they\’re worth the cost. Chamois Butt\’r helps with comfort, too; especially on long rides. These \”bottoms\” should be washed after each use; so it\’s wise to have several pairs on hand. I wash mine by hand; and in this humid climate, the chamois can take several days to get dry. Therefore I usually have at least three pairs that I use in rotation; and as of this writing, I\’ve got five pairs! The more, the merrier?

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Bellwether Men\’s Shorts

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Bellwether Men\’s Shorts are designed with both comfort and performance in mind. The gel padding absorbs bumps; and the high-spandex fabric can stretch in many ways. Reflective highlights provide added visibility durning night rides; and the leg bands do not bind. Bellwether Men\’s Shorts sound like a good deal. Real cycling shorts are definitely much more comfortable than regular shorts for riding, especially in hot weather; and in my humble opinion, they\’re worth the cost. Chamois Butt\’r helps with comfort, too; especially on long rides. These \”bottoms\” should be washed after each use; so it\’s wise to have several pairs on hand. I wash mine by hand; and in this humid climate, the chamois can take several days to get dry. Therefore I usually have at least three pairs that I use in rotation; and as of this writing, I\’ve got five pairs! The more, the merrier?

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Perpetuum Mobile?

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I think of perpetuum mobile when I\’m spinning in a low gear while battling a headwind. We cyclists might be said to be perpetual motion machines, anyway. We ride a lot; and our legs do a lot of moving! Hence perpetuum mobile. When I ride, I work to minimize the coasting; and if you\’re on a fixed gear bike, so I\’ve read, you can\’t coast! It\’s keep pedaling or stop moving; and that must take some getting used to. Especially when you\’re thoroughly accustomed to a freewheel. But it might be fun to be able to ride backwards! Today was another trip to the salvage store; and I sure thought of perpetuum mobile while riding back home. I had a headwind of 16 mph to fight; and I was on my granny gear much of the time, pedaling fast. The trailer, of course, added to the wind resistance; not to mention its weight. I\’ve become reluctant to go to the salvage store without that trailer, even though it often seems like a lot to drag along. I never know when I might make a good find; and sometimes it\’s too much for the panniers. Besides, I haven\’t quite shed my stock-up-while-I-can mentality of the pandemic; and in fact we still don\’t know what\’s coming with that. I don\’t think it\’s over yet. It looks like the wind won\’t be as strong tomorrow, thank goodness. I\’m planning to shoot for 40 miles; and 20 miles against a headwind to get back home isn\’t fun. Maybe I could use a fairing; but how would that affect bicycle handling? And what about the added weight? I think I\’ll skip the fairing. I\’ve got to think about cooking; laundry; and tomorrow\’s ride food!

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Burning up the Path

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I was burning up the path day before yesterday! I went out on the road bike, and did force work. When I checked my ride data afterwards, I discovered that I had hit a max speed of 21.96 mph! It\’s not a record, but it\’s a little bit of progress. Of course I\’ll take that! Besides, I made my record speed when I had a stiff tailwind. If I were riding the Hotter N Hell 100, I wouldn\’t have to worry about burning up the path. That path is already burning up! I know I\’m in no condition to undertake a century ride in temperatures that can rise over 100 degrees; and that ride can be pretty windy as well. I\’ll have to stick with more modest path-scorching: namely, increasing the length of my Sunday long rides. I plan to shoot for 40 miles this coming Sunday. It looks like the weather will be good; but last night I was glad I wasn\’t out there! At 6:30 pm, the wind was 20 mph! And from the North, which means a headwind on the way home. Overnight low temperatures are now falling below the mid-50s; so I have to pull out the full-fingered gloves. I hope we don\’t get a cold snap like last Winter\’s, when the weather got below freezing! That\’s when I long for polar cycling clothing; but I\’m reluctant to buy something that I\’ll use only a few times per season. Burning up the path on a cold, windy day makes my torso get quite warm; but my hands and feet are another story. Even thermal socks don\’t always keep my feet warm enough; and I need a new pair of oversized gloves that have room for warming packs. Gosh, I feel like a pyromaniac.

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