CAL, Author at SpokEasy - Page 23 of 162

Cycle Sweden

Cycle Sweden 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.” Want to cycle Sweden? It sounds like you’ve come to a good place! This bicycle-friendly nation has well-developed cycling paths; and cycling routes are well marked. Here are five major routes: The Kattegattleden route explores the western coast of Sweden. Its 242.33 miles run from Helsingborg to Gothenburg, and affords beautiful views of the sea; wonderful dining; and world-class cycling. There are eight stretches to this route, so you can choose just one; or ride it entire. Sydostleden, with 167.77 miles, begins inland; and leads to the East coast of the country. You can visit fishing villages and small towns; and buy fresh produce from farm shops. The Gotlandsleden route is a long one at 310.69 miles. It includes quite a diversity: soft-sand beaches; meadows and forests; and more. Thinking of those “white gravel roads of limestone glittering in the sun”, however, makes me squint. Don’t forget the sunglasses! The Mälardalsleden Trail sounds like a good one for me. Much of its 273.40 miles lead through plains; and that sounds like it’s nice and flat! Finally, there’s the 223.69 mile-long Dalslandsleden. This rural route is also quite easy to ride; and there’s not much traffic. Sounds great! When is the best time to cycle Sweden? That depends on what part of the country that you’ll visit; but in general, for warm weather, May to September is best. For a cycling tour, that’s when I’d go! But despite the country’s northern location, Summer temperatures can reach 86 degrees Fahrenheit. That sounds cool when your locale has been getting extreme heat warnings; but if you’ll be riding all day, don’t forget to take it into account. Of course, don’t forget about the budget! Maybe make this a cycle-camping trip? ABOUT ME I began this website primarily as a way to present the story of how I accomplished a century ride on an adult tricycle. Other riders of adult trikes might want to know whether it’s possible. It sure is! You can read all about it in My Story. I live in New Orleans; and retired in January 2023. More time for cycling! Website designed by Cecile Levert © 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 Roadie Again! January 5, 2024 Pomp and Circumstance January 4, 2024 I Bee’d Lucky January 3, 2024 Sunblock Day January 2, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Steamed!

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I got steamed today! Big Boy came into town Friday evening; and departed from the Fly this morning. I wasn\’t able to see it Friday, although I heard that steam whistle (it\’s LOUD!). The moon is at the full, and of course I wanted to see it. In fact, this is the first time in several months that my moon view hasn\’t been thwarted by cloudy skies! So I did a very short ride to see the moonlight on the river; came home for a bit to get my Camel-Bak and ride food; and went out again. The forecast predicted another heat advisory for today; and I decided to make my ride rather short. I wound up making it even shorter than I intended, because I wanted to see that train. Something in me still hasn\’t grown up! I could have done some more miles, because the train was late in departing. It was supposed to leave at 8:00 am; and it was more like 30-40 minutes later when Big Boy at last got moving. But I rode out six miles or so; turned around; and rode to the Fly. Here is where I did a bit of cheating. I walked my bicycle alongside the parked train, because I\’m not at all confident of my ability to ride on a grassy surface; and I left the Garmin on. I finally turned it off, because I forgot to charge it up Friday night; and I knew it was running low. Escorts I admit I was a bit steamed about having to stand around so long while I waited for Big Boy to start. The sun was already getting hot; and I was getting hungry. I don\’t know what the delay was. Some of us bystanders were joking that Big Boy must have spent last night in the French Quarter. When the train finally came past, I (and a mob of other cyclists) rode alongside of it. We were escorts to a bit of history! I would have loved to see the train going over the Huey P., but I had no idea how long it might take the train to get there; and besides that I needed a bathroom break. Hence I decided to go home. Back to my pre-Fly ride. I made several 5-minute efforts at pushing for 15 mph or more; and couldn\’t complete the third one. My legs were really feeling it; and my heart rate had edged into the max. I noticed that eating at that effort level is definitely harder! The food tended to stick in my throat. Or was it because of the Clif Builders Bar texture? It\’s 10:15 am, and already 89 degrees. If I were still out there, I\’d really be getting steamed!

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Detour

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Who likes a detour? I don\’t; and I had to detour twice on this morning\’s trip to and from the salvage store! On the way to the store, I had to ride about half a mile out of my way to reach the bike path because a train was sitting there. The lead locomotive was idling just short of the next crossing; and I hoped the train would be gone by the time I got back home. That was a vain hope. The train was still there; and even worse, it had edged forward just enough that the crossing was blocked! I didn\’t quite dare try walking my bike around the front of the locomotive; so I had to ride to the next crossing, a good seven-tenths of a mile away. It was quite hot by then, too; and that made me all the more anxious to get home. I was relieved that I had decided not to use the trailer today. Those detours were enough of a nuisance without the added drag of that trailer! Between the trunk and the panniers, I still brought home a decent load. Tomorrow OK, so I made it to and from the salvage store; and I also made a short trip to the drug store to bring home some sodas. But what about tomorrow\’s ride? Tomorrow will be as hot as today; and I have to adjust my ride plans accordingly. I want to put in the miles — say, 50 or even more — but what good does that do me when I get overheated? It might help if I could get cold fluid; but that\’s difficult or impossible. Even if I could get it, it won\’t stay cold for long! How about putting my electrolyte drink in an insulated bottle? I tried one; but it\’s a bit too long for my road bike\’s frame size. When I tried to pull it out of the bottle cage, the tip of the nozzle bumped into the head tube; and it was quite annoying. On top of that, the fluid inside didn\’t stay as cold as I wanted, for as long as I wanted. So for tomorrow, a shortish ride; and I hope I\’m not forced to detour by another train!

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Athlete\’s Guide to Diabetes

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The Athlete\’s Guide to Diabetes is a practical guide to staying active despite diabetes. It includes advice for numerous sports; and helps lessen the trial-and-error aspect of managing blood sugar levels around your activities. If you\’re a female athlete, there\’s also a bit about the hormonal cycle, and how it can affect blood sugar (see page 49). There\’s even the statement that you don\’t need to be an Olympian to be considered an athlete (see page 135). I like that one! I got this book when my A1c levels were pre-diabetic. Five months ago, my levels were back just below the pre-diabetes range; but I haven\’t been doing well with my diet the last month or so. Since I went back to full-time on-site work, managing my eating habits is a lot harder; and unfortunately I gained back several pounds. Yesterday evening I got take-out Chinese food for supper; and maybe that \”blow\” is what I needed to boost me back on the right track; and The Athlete\’s Guide to Diabetes can help, too.

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Athlete\’s Guide to Diabetes

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Bare Arms

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Bare arms might be more comfortable in this hot weather. Long sleeves are certainly too hot; but on the other hand, arms unprotected by sleeves are more vulnerable in the event of a crash! News reports frequently emphasize the need for everyone eligible to get vaccinated for COVID-19; and that means bare arms, too. Now we hear about covid boosters, but you need to be eight months past your second covid shot to get one; and I have three months to go. That is, if those booster shots are ready in November; and I\’m able to get one. COVID-19 isn\’t the only thing out there. Don\’t forget about the flu! Today after work I went to the neighborhood drug store; and got my flu shot. Now it\’s out of the way, and off my mind; and I can plan the weekend\’s activities. My original idea was to skip grocery shopping tomorrow, and get that flu shot. But since I got it today, I can head for the salvage store tomorrow morning. This time I think I\’ll leave the trailer home, and travel a little lighter. It will be very hot again; and an excessive heat warning is in effect from 9:00 am tomorrow. Sunday There\’s also an excessive heat watch for Sunday; and I\’m considering my ride plans. I want to ride out early to see the full moon; and put in 12-14 miles. After I\’m home from that, I can have something more to eat; and then maybe I\’ll do another 30 miles. As a rule, I don\’t do any force work or pace-pushing on Sundays; but it looks like this is the time for an exception. I\’ll be riding fewer miles; so I can add more intensity. This will be a chance to practice on-bike eating while working harder; and I must remember to take along some olives. Maybe the heat is why I get so tired during those long Sunday rides; but possibly I need more salt. Munching olives is more agreeable to me than swallowing salt tablets; so let it be olives! Despite the heat, I\’ll skip the bare arms. Sun sleeves actually keep my arms cooler; and it\’s nice to be able to use less sunblock. I\’ll move on to bare arms when I get back home.

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Coup de Grace?

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We were spared the “coup de grace” from Tropical Storm Grace; that is, unless she unexpectedly and drastically changes course while over water. The Yucatan and Mexico aren’t so lucky. Grace is \”only\” a tropical storm at present; but hurricane conditions are predicted by tomorrow for eastern Mexico. It looks like Sunday’s long ride will get a coup de grace in the form of extreme heat. The forecast is for a high of 94 degrees; plus mostly sunny. That will mean a VERY hot ride; and a long slog on the way home. We were under a heat advisory today from 9:00 am; and another is already posted for tomorrow. An excessive heat watch is in effect for Saturday; and I won\’t be surprised if one is posted for Sunday, too. That\’s bad news for riding out 25 miles; and of course 25 miles back home. Maybe I can do a comparatively short ride; but work at pushing the pace. This afternoon it started to rain while I was unhitching my bicycle to ride home from work. On went the poncho; and I pulled the reflective vest over the poncho. If I don\’t do that, the poncho flares out so much that I can\’t see anything else in my hybrid\’s rearview mirror! The precipitation was spotty on the ride home. Sometimes it was just a light drizzle; and sometimes it came down pretty hard. Not far from home, it had poured a short time earlier; and the bike path was awash. All that over a distance of 2.25 miles! My poor bicycle now needs a good cleaning; and a good chain lube. I won\’t mind a few days now without rain; but I\’m ready for this heat to end!

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Thrown for a Loop?

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Do Tour de France riders ever feel like they\’ve been thrown for a loop? Maybe not; but I might feel that way if I rode even one étape. Riding 100 miles in one day is tough piece of work for me, and Tour de France stages are often longer than that; roughly 225 kilometers. That\’s almost 140 miles! If I do such a ride, it will be amazing, all right. Every time I finished a 100-mile day, part of me couldn\’t quite believe that I did it! After spending seven or eight hours pedaling, even if I don\’t do it non-stop, I\’m rather dazed. Fatigue really does get to me after a day-long ride; and I\’m rather spacey at the end. But the feeling of accomplishment is marvelous! Speaking of spacey, lightheadedness and orthostatic hypotension often set in four or five hours after a Sunday long ride. I\’m not sure why. I don\’t do a Sunday ride the way I do force intervals, after all! If I did, the ride would be quite short. For that matter, I did force intervals this morning; and several hours later noticed that pesky \”OS\”. If it was a reaction to those hard efforts, it doesn\’t take that much to trigger OS. I didn\’t even get into my maximum heart rate range, let alone stay there! Maybe I should carry salt tablets with me on those Sunday rides; and take one halfway through. I think I better try taking a salt tablet before a weekday morning ride first; because if salt tablets and riding don\’t mix well, I don\’t want to find out when I\’m 25 miles from home. In addition, taking salt might increase my need for hydration; and if I get dehydrated, I\’ll really be thrown for a loop!

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Bells and Whistles

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Some folks love to have all the bells and whistles; but much of such elaboration is wasted on me. That’s especially true where electronic devices are concerned! Just look at my Garmin It has many features that I never use: I don\’t much care about Personal Records; and I don\’t really need the Race mode, because I don\’t participate in races. I\’m not sure my Garmin includes GPS; but maybe my new cell phone has it. If I take a spill during a Sunday ride when I\’m miles from home; and am unable to get back on the bike and ride; I’ll need for somebody to be able to locate me. Otherwise I might be stranded for a long time. My bicycles do have some bells and whistles. Each one literally has a bell; and each bicycle has a handlebar computer. If nothing else, I want to track mileage and time; and I keep an eye on my average speed. No; I’m not getting faster any too fast?. This morning, incidentally, I simply felt too tired to work at pushing the pace. Even more important than bells and cycle computers are lights. It can be hard to see cars in bright sunshine if they don’t have their headlights on; so it must be much harder to spot an unlit bicycle! I added fenders to the hybrid the day I bought it, for (slightly) cleaner rides in messy weather; and I got a rear rack for it, so I can carry loads. Over the years I’ve accumulated trunk, panniers, and trailer. I have an under-saddle pack for the road bike. And I have toe clips on the hybrid’s pedals, and … it looks like I have a lot of bells and whistles, after all!

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Batten Down

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Must we batten down? It\’s hard to say at the moment. Fred has gone ashore; but we still have to watch Grace. As of yesterday evening she had been downgraded to a depression, but is expected to re-strengthen. She\’s heading for the Gulf; and who knows what will happen then. The current five-day cone shows the most likely path heading for the East coast of Mexico. All we can do is cross our fingers; and prepare to batten down if storm conditions threaten. As if the Delta-variant surge weren\’t enough, we have to worry about storms! I know that hurricanes are possible every Summer; and that\’s why I got a crank-powered flashlight. As long as my hands work, that flashlight should work; and I don\’t have to worry that I\’ll run out of batteries for it. I think I might have a hand-cranked weather radio around here, too; and I must hunt for it. Now is the time; not when a hurricane is on the doorstep! After the pandemic began, I used my frequent trips to the salvage store as a chance to stock up; because who knew when stringent stay-at-home orders might strike. I still have the feeling that it might happen! Of course this stocking up served a double purpose: it had me prepared in case a hurricane struck. What will I do if we get tropical storm conditions? I\’m not worried about food; and I have several jugs of drinking water. But how about exercise? Same old story: I\’ll have to \”ride\” in the trainer. But if one of those storm systems does head our way, I hope I get enough of a weather window to ride outdoors before it makes landfall.

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Author name: CAL