SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Catch?

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What am I trying to catch? My fondest cycling dream? We\’ve all had the experience of waking up from a dream and thinking: WHAT made me dream THAT? This morning I fell asleep after my alarm clock went off. When that happens, it\’s usually when I do have any dreams that I remember. And this one was weird. First I was dreaming that I had walked over to the local Walgreen\’s. The store\’s entrance kept moving itself, so it was very hard to even get inside. When I at last did \”catch\” that entrance, the store\’s name had changed to something else; I don\’t remember exactly what. Then I wanted to get a pint of my favorite ice cream. The carton I picked up, although still sealed, was obviously at least three-quarters empty. I was very disappointed at having to take Neapolitan over Cherry Garcia. Mixed in with all that was a sore lower back. I had to be very careful to keep it straight, or it would feel strained. Even in my dreams I can overdo something; in this case back extension exercises. It was a relief to wake up from that, and have my back be all right, especially as I had planned to shoot for 50 miles today (I did 51). And to go to Walgreen\’s and be able to get that Cherry Garcia ice cream. That dream was one I would have liked to get past a dream catcher!

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Ride Notes

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Now for some ride notes: I did fifty-one miles today! As all too often happens, I had a headwind on the way back home; and most of the time I was on the small ring, using a low gear and rapid cadence. Today the wind wasn\’t quite as strong as it was last Sunday: 9 mph instead of 11. Maybe that\’s why I felt stronger. I certainly averaged more than three quarters of a mile per hour faster? Thus it seems to bode well for Tour de Cure. Naturally I hope for a day with no wind; and I hope even more for a day without rain. The various routes for the local event have finally been posted. It looks like the 60-mile one (it\’s posted as 60 miles, not 63) is very similar to my usual Sunday long ride. It goes maybe 5 miles beyond my usual turnaround point; but I\’m sure I can manage an extra 9-10 miles. As a general rule, during these weekly long rides I have a bite to eat every 15 minutes. On the way back home today, at about 38-39 miles, I began to feel really weary. What a temptation that was to slow down and take it easy! I decided I might be running low on fuel; so I ate three or four bites. Sure enough, very soon I began to feel better. End of ride notes. That\’s why keeping yourself fueled during long rides is so important. Incidentally, I\’d better go eat lunch; then wash my cycling clothes.

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Long Ride Prep Time

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Long Ride Prep Time So many roads; so little time! It’s long ride prep time: Saturday evening, and time to start getting things ready tomorrow! Long ride prep time means I’ve put my electrolyte drink in the fridge to chill, and prepared my recovery drink. I’ve chosen my ride food for tomorrow, and plan to try a new one: pitted dates! As to the Camel-Bak, I like to wait until just before the ride to fill the reservoir, in case it should leak. I also pack a cable lock in the Camel-Bak’s pocket, in case I have to make a stop at a store. The weather forecast looks good. It’s gotten warmer again, but it will be clear, and the wind not too bad. Nine mph is still more than I really like, though! When I look at a pic that shows a view like the one above, I wish I had such a route to ride. I could use some occasional variation from the MRT. The catch is, is this route hilly? This sure looks like a downslope; and if what goes up must come down, then the road that goes down must surely go back up!

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GEORGIA on My Mind?

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Georgia on My Mind? Why would I have Georgia on my mind? Some years ago, I began using a program called Google Analytics; abbreviated as GA. When I see that, however, the first thing I think of is the postal code for the state of Georgia. We visited Georgia when I was about 12 or 13. I know we were at Stone Mountain. It’s so long ago that I remember very little of it; only that we were there. When I was in high school, there was always a radio blaring on the school bus. That must be where I heard a song that had something in it about Georgia on My Mind. In fact, those words are the only thing I can remember of the song. The reception for the radio on that bus apparently wasn’t the best, because it usually was hard to understand the lyrics of any song. Not to mention that there was also the constant talking of a busload of kids. But how about bicycle rides in Georgia? I’ve heard of the Six Gap Ride. That’s beyond my capabilities, for sure! I don’t even have a mountain bike. Even that shorter Three Gap is more than I can mange, I would guess. Trying to train for such a ride when I live in flat country would mean going out and pushing hard in a very hard gear, working up to doing it for … who knows how long? Ten minutes? Twenty?? Oh, my aching legs! 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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Apparition?

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A strange apparition is normal, I guess, when you ride in the dark almost every morning. Yesterday morning on the return leg of my ride, I noticed something in the sky, ahead and off to my left. At first I thought, \”airplane\”; but all I saw were white lights. There didn\’t seem to be the blinking red and green lights that all airplanes have. Whatever it was didn\’t seem to be moving, either. It looked like it had more lights than an airplane would; and the lights seemed to form an inverted crescent. I finally figured it was probably some kind of drone. I\’ve seen people \”flying\” drones, and drones can do some amazing things. They can hover, I believe, and there\’s talk of using drones to deliver packages! I\’m sure they\’ll think of other uses for drones. For instance, will Meals on Wheels become Meals on Drones? Could that whatever-it-was apparition have been … a UFO? Well, technically, yes. It was flying (or hovering), and I didn\’t know what it was. UFOs are an intriguing subject; but when it comes to \”flying saucers\”, I admit that I fall into the skeptics\’ camp. As usual, I had to watch where I was riding, so I couldn\’t observe it too closely. After maybe five minutes I lost sight of it. Who knows, though. Maybe some time I\’ll see it again.

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Monkey Business?

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Does monkey business do any good? Maybe it does. I suspect that we all have cycling moments when we hope that nobody but these three are around. From earliest childhood I was taught that there are certain words that One. Does. Not. Say!! If I did say them in the heat of a near-crash or some other cycling bad moment, I hope that Hear No Evil were the only person nearby. I\’d be ashamed if anyone heard me say such things. Long ago I made up my mind not to be embarrassed by the occasional tumble. If it did embarrass me to go down, I\’d want nobody around, unless it were See No Evil. Maybe it\’s like the old query: If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is there to hear it; does it make a sound? Similarly, if nobody sees me fall, did I fall down? Even if Hear No Evil and See No Evil did hear and see, and they tell Speak No Evil, it ends with him, right? Because he doesn\’t talk. So maybe monkey business isn\’t all bad.

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Upper Crust 2

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Upper crust 2! To continue yesterday\’s blog: I seem to always be looking for cycling tips. Some articles are very long, too! That\’s why I\’ve split this one up. Item #18: Keeping to a straight line while looking for bicycles/traffic coming from behind is a skill that, for me, still needs a lot of honing. Somehow it\’s easier on the hybrid. Huh? What\’s that, Item #19? There aren\’t hills where I live. If I want hill practice, I have to ride to where there are overpasses. As to standing to pedal, I have a long way to go with that, too. Oh, Item #20! Layering. That can be a nuisance, especially on a ride of several hours. I might get warmer than I like; but after I\’ve put in the other stuff I need to carry, there\’s not room in my Camel-Bak\’s pockets to stash a jacket. The best I can do is to un-zip the jacket. I hope I don\’t need Item #21 on Tour de Cure day. I know pretty well what to do to fix a flat, but have very little practice doing it. Consequently I\’m all thumbs at it. That\’s why I use tire liners, and tough Gatorskin tires. Item #22: I can\’t comment on racing. I\’ve never become interested it, and with osteoporosis I\’d likely be considered at too great a risk for injury should I be in a crash. But I see no reason to let osteoporosis keep me off the bicycle! Item #23: Do I trust my bicycles? This article seems to be speaking of technical downhill riding, and I don\’t yet feel up to trying it. I\’ll take their word for it. And to continue… As Item #24 says, some days any cyclist feels \”off\”; even those of the upper crust. We\’re humans, not machines. But hey! If you got out and rode, even for only 5 miles, that\’s something! Ah, Item #25: FOOD!! Prep \”pocket\” fuel? I sure do. I cut my energy bars in pieces and put them in the top-tube pouch, where I can get them. The Camel-Bak covers up my jersey pockets, so there\’s no sense in putting my ride food there. As to Item #26, I\’ve become rather a lone wolf. It would be great if I could ride in a small group more often. I could get used to riding near other riders, and maybe even start learning how to draft. Unfortunately not many people would want to ride as early in the day as I do! Back to that old saying about not giving up. Item #27: try, try again, doesn\’t apply to me if you\’re talking about highly technical MTB trails. It does apply to keeping up the efforts towards a big ride. Don\’t look at me, Item #28! I haven\’t had a car for nearly 16 years, and have become thoroughly used to doing without one. It\’s hard sometimes, because I can\’t drive myself and the bicycle to other riding trails. But 99.99% of the time I\’m very glad I don\’t have a car. I hear you, Item #29! Especially if it\’s cold and I get caught in the rain. We cyclists may need to be hardy to bundle up and ride despite the chill, but there\’s no sense in going out bare-legged and in short sleeves when it\’s cold enough to frost. And to finish… I believe any cyclist who has undertaken a long ride knows Item #30 very well. Yep, sometimes you just have to concentrate on keeping the tired legs going, so as to finish the ride. \”You\’ve come this far; don\’t give up now!\” It\’s how I got through my first century. And finally, Item #31: Act invisible? Let\’s all be ghosts! All joking aside, remember that \”cagers\” (what some cyclists call people who drive motor vehicles) might not see you. We hear more and more about distracted driving and the disastrous consequences. Load your bicycle up with lights! Wear a reflective vest! Stay alert, try to make eye contact with drivers. Let\’s all stay safe out there! Most of all, remember that you don\’t have to be upper crust to enjoy bicycling!

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SLIDE SHOW!!

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SpokEasy finally has a slide show! I\’ve had it in mind for quite some time; but didn\’t remember much about how I\’d built the landing page\’s slide. At the time, I had to have someone talk me through it. Thus I needed someone to talk me through building the \”Bikes on Brain\” slide, with the help of a screen-sharing function. Once that session was ended, I didn\’t dare do anything else until I had built the next three slides. The slides need some refining,  I\’ll admit, but at least they\’re there!

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Upper Crust?

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The upper crust is what we would love to be, isn\’t it? We don\’t all have it in us to become elite cyclists, more\’s the pity. All the same, many or most of us would like to become better at cycling. And I\’m sure you don\’t have to be female to find some good advice here. Item #1: For my road bike, I usually run 100 psi in the tires. I actually find it physically difficult to pump in more than that! So far I haven\’t experimented with using lower pressure, but from what I\’ve read a slightly lower psi has better traction in the wet. Item #2: My road bike\’s saddle is a Selle Italia Gel-Flo. The stock saddle that came on the bicycle was flat and very hard, and not at all comfortable to ride on! I LOVE Item #3! It sums up why I ride — my legs enjoy it! Item #4: I practice on-bike eating when I\’m going to ride more than about 20 miles. I need to know what works best. For instance, it seems to me that Nature Valley XL Bars don\’t cut it. Yes, I think they\’re delicious, but on long rides they lack the \”stick to my ribs\” quality that I need. Item #5: I don\’t get many chances to practice group riding. Often I wish I did. I need to learn more about riding in close quarters when on my road bike and clipped in to my pedals. The same applies to Item #6, practicing \”the bump\”. I do, however, try to be predictable, especially when I must ride alongside of motor traffic. Item #7: If a thing has more than one use, go for it! Rubber gloves for rides on a cold and rainy day sound like a very good idea. I hope I remember it next time such a day rolls around. Re: Item #8: I don\’t like any shoe that doesn\’t let me wiggle my toes! I try to remember to lift with my quads part of the time instead of always pushing down on the pedals. Item #9: I\’m not into all that Strava stuff, and in fact strive to keep my \”stuff\” — whether it\’s for cycling or not — at bay. My apartment seems rather crowded at times, but I always maintain that it\’s not a space problem; it\’s a stuff problem! Now let\’s look at Item #10: Lights? Oh my, yes! There are too many light-less riders out there without my becoming one. Add a reflective vest — the more garish, the better — for added visibility. Item #11: I\’m not a racer, but if I were, I\’m sure it would be a good idea to look strong and alert while waiting for the starting gun. Psych out the competition! Like the color red? Maybe you\’d enjoy Item #12. Beets? OK as borscht; I\’m not crazy about plain beets. They taste too earthy to me. And if they really do lower blood pressure, I\’d probably do better not to eat too many of them! So this subject landed on Item #13? Unlucky 13? Or at any rate, not exactly pleasant. Last Winter I finally took to \”snot rockets\”, although it\’s embarrassing to admit it. But I was so tired of wiping my nose (which runs nonstop on a cold day) on my gloves! I\’ll lump Item #14 and Item #15 together: Sunblock? Of course! And Chamois Butt\’r, too. While we\’re on the subject it, I\’ll add SPF lip balm to the mix. It\’s only too easy for me to forget about lip balm when I\’m going on a long ride, but lips are skin and can get sunburned like the rest of me. As for Item #16, sometimes I have to prod myself rather than cheer myself on. There are days when I actually don\’t feel like riding, but after I\’ve done my ride I\’m glad I did. Oh, and do not, do NOT, forget about Item #17: Water! I think I\’d rather bonk than collapse from dehydration. Bring on the Camel-Bak! In addition to the water reservoir, there are pockets for stowing extra food, a cell phone,  etc. Continued tomorrow.

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Storms on My Mind

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I have storms on my mind. We all do this time of year. Hence, here I go again with this hurricane pic. There\’s a storm out there in the Gulf of Mexico now; and of course that makes me think more than usual about weather. I can easily look up forecasts online; and that\’s spoiled me. But suppose I didn\’t have that luxury? How did people know what the weather might do before modern forecasts; and before there was even The Old Farmer\’s Almanac? They observed. They learned from experience. Over time they came to know what to expect from what they saw; and they passed this wisdom down to successive generations. They weren\’t always right, I\’m sure. Even knowing what to expect might not always have done much good. For example, centuries ago inhabitants of small islands would have come to know when a hurricane was approaching; but they had no way to go to a safer place. We\’re lucky to not have to rely solely on watching clouds and smoke spirals, aren\’t we? Even so, I\’ve got storms on my mind.

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