SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Bracing for Impact

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We\’re all bracing for impact here. Sally, now a hurricane, is still making a beeline for us. Just now it doesn\’t seem that a hurricane is approaching. About 10:30 am the wind dropped; and the sun started coming in and out. That\’s actually typical when a tropical system is headed our way. The weather will seem quite nice, but those who have experienced hurricanes know that it\’s the calm before the storm. Indeed, conditions are likely to deteriorate by this evening. For my own preparations, I made enough ice cubes to fill up the ice cube bin in the freezer door. Then I refilled the ice cube trays again. I need to do all I can to keep that freezer cold as long as possible if — or, more likely, when — the power fails. I\’m trying to use up some bologna that I have. Ditto the vanilla yogurt. I don\’t want to have to throw away a lot of food. I can\’t use up all that I have in the fridge before tomorrow without eating far too much, so I hope the power doesn\’t go for at least 24 more hours. I\’m also bracing for impact by having secured my garbage and recycling bins to the fence. At lunch time I trotted over to the neighborhood Starbucks® and got a bag of chips. Why am I buying potato chips when I\’m watching the carbs? For one thing, I don\’t have to eat them right away. For another, I wanted to get in a little more outdoor activity before Sally forces me to stay indoors between tonight and possibly mid-Wednesday. In fact, I wound up getting double! I got home and discovered that the chips weren\’t in my bag, and had to go back to get them!

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Here Comes Another One

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Here comes another one! New Orleans must brace for a hurricane again. Laura bypassed us, but now Tropical Storm Sally is moving through the Gulf; and it looks like she\’s aiming directly for us. Even worse, she\’s getting stronger, and moving slowly. A slow-moving hurricane is bad news, because the storm has more time to intensify. True, the residents in the area of probable landfall have more time to prepare; but it also keeps us gnawing on our fingernails longer! That\’s not my idea of fun. When Hurricane Laura struck southwestern Louisiana late last month, thousands of people from there came to New Orleans; and now, here comes another one! Those poor storm refugees. Out of the frying pan, into the fire! I\’m glad I went to the salvage store yesterday, and thus didn\’t need to make a frantic trip to the store today. A hurricane warning means a mobbed store, and the shelves are probably stripped bare by now! I have several jugs of drinking water, and plenty of canned goods. I\’m not too worried about batteries and flashlights. I know how to make a simple olive-oil lamp; and in a pinch I can do that. My plan last Friday was to take a break from riding today, and ride tomorrow. Sally\’s approach changed that! This morning I went out for a short ride on the road bike, and I don\’t know why I felt tired. Maybe it\’s the carb restriction? Weather permitting, I\’ll ride tomorrow morning. It won\’t be easy with a wind of 13-14 mph. If I can\’t go out, there\’s always the trainer. Not that I really enjoy it, but it\’s better than nothing.

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Trial

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A trial, yes; and I hope it wasn\’t an error! Today, for the first time, I hitched the trailer to my road bike for the trek to the salvage store. The hybrid is in the shop, so it was that or skip going to the store. The road bike isn\’t fitted with a rack, which meant either 1) using the trailer; or 2) buying very little. I wanted to stock up on canned goods, so I used the trailer. Pedaling the road bike to pull that trailer feels very different from riding the hybrid while hauling the trailer. I hope this trial wasn\’t too much for poor \”Scottie\’s\” rear spindle! I guess I\’ll find out soon enough, and I hope I won\’t be sorry. That might or might not occur tomorrow. The weather outlook isn\’t so great right now. There are currently six tropical systems under surveillance! We could have tropical storm conditions by Monday night. I know we\’re in peak hurricane season, but six at once is a bit much. Have the tropics been taking steroids? Even if I can\’t ride tomorrow, I have plenty of \”homework\” to do. I need to work on my FEF lists, and I have my new book to read. Maybe I\’ll do some cooking, too. At any rate, I have plenty to keep me busy.

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FEF

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FEF? How did I come up with that one? FAQ has been around for ages; but FEF? I mean, Frequently Eaten Foods. With all this carb-counting, I want to look up quickly how many grams of carbohydrate any one food has. Ergo I want a list of the foods that I eat most often. For starters, I\’ve written down old-fashioned rolled oats and long-grain brown rice. Legumes, too: lentils, black beans, etc. I\’m working up a page for each food category: grains/breads; vegetables, and so on. What kind of carbs you eat is important, as we know. Simple carbs, the sugary stuff, should be minimized. I\’m not cutting sweet treats out entirely; that\’s a bit to drastic. What\’s more, I know it will backfire on me only too soon, and then I\’ll be scarfing down ice cream by the pint. Complex carbs, such as whole grains and legumes, are the ones that I\’m trying to emphasize. Luckily I\’ve read a lot about vegetarian eating and protein complementarity over the decades. Thus I\’m not totally unprepared for this pre-diabetes way of eating. Getting back to simple carbs, I\’m inventing ways of using up the \”naughty\” stuff in my food supplies; and believe me, I have enough to last me until New Year\’s. Or even beyond! My habitual raids on the grab-bag bins in the salvage store have left me with scads of candy bars. I\’ll cut a candy bar into 5-8 pieces, so I can grab just a little bit once a day. The bars that already have grooves in them are easy enough to break apart. And I\’ve got measuring spoons! One tablespoon of M&Ms®, instead of a handful. Now that I have pre-diabetes, my riding is more important than ever. It\’s even extra incentive for my riding Tour de Cure!

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Bad Timing

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Bad timing happens. Take yesterday evening. I had an appointment for a COVID-19 test; it\’s part of the protocol for working on-site part of the time. I rode my hybrid there; and on the way, the struts (or whatever you call them) holding the front fender in position suddenly popped loose! I got them back into place, but discovered that the front brakes were knocked a bit out of line. This of course caused brake rub, and made pedaling noticeably harder; and I couldn\’t get those brakes back in line. I decided to take the bike to the shop at lunchtime today to see about the brake problem; and last night I suddenly remembered that I needed to measure the chain. When I did, I found that it was overdue for replacement. This morning I called the bike shop to be sure of their business hours. They said they were open until 2 pm, and off I went. It\’s a good thing I did go today. The shop will be closed all next week because they need to catch up on all the repairs; and if I had the hybrid at home, I wouldn\’t want to use it. I don\’t want to wear out the brake pads, and a worn chain is bad for the gears. Why is this bad timing? I want to go to the salvage store tomorrow. \”Katy\” has always been my go-to bicycle for that. But I tried putting the trailer hitch on my road bike, and it seems to fit! This is also unfortunate timing from the Cycle September point of view. Of course I can do a few extra miles on the road bike to compensate for the hybrid being out of commission; but I\’d rather ride to work than walk!

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Justin Morgan?

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Justin Morgan? Justin Morgan Had a Horse is another of the books I enjoyed as a kid. Justin Morgan was a real person, and his horse became the founder of the Morgan breed. He lived in Vermont; so if we go riding there, maybe we can follow in his tracks. Or should I say, hoof prints? As Vermont is the Green Mountain State, I naturally think of it as being all mountainous. I imagine one steep, grueling climb after another; with summits at altitudes that have me gasping for breath. Vermont, then, sounds like a great place for mountain biking. Whether by MTB or road bike, I often wish I could visit the state in Fall, and see that famous Autumn foliage. There are various state parks to explore; and I sure would want to ship home a supply of maple syrup! For the roadie, Vermont offers various inn-to-inn tours that let you explore the lower Champlain Valley by bicycle. Ride over rolling hills, and visit the small villages. Luggage is transported, but otherwise these tours are self-guided. If you include Lake Champlain on your route, you might even see Champy! For the MTB enthusiast, there are inn-to-inn tours in the Green Mountains. Test your mettle! Ride over a variety of unpaved surfaces. Most of these trails are beginner to intermediate in difficulty. Even so, I suspect that I’d soon learn that I’m made of aluminum foil; not titanium.  Whoa, there! All those trails followed, and we still haven’t seen Justin Morgan? There are horseback trails in Vermont, too. Saddle up and trot away! 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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Remember the Maine?

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Remember the Maine? “Remember the Maine!” was a rallying cry during the Spanish-American war. We don’t have to remember the Maine while on a bicycle tour; but if we’re going to explore New England on two wheels, why not begin in Maine? It’s as good a starting point as anywhere else in New England, right? There are many trails to explore! You can start with the St. John River Valley, with distance options from 25 to 100 miles.You’ll get some terrific views of the St. John River and Long Lake. There’s Cycling Acadia; in a national park on Mount Desert Island. Six routes are available; and there are a number of inns and wonderful restaurants. Then there’s the East Coast Greenway, if you’re feeling really ambitious. This route of 2600 miles reaches from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida! Maine in the Summer is warm, and can be humid. Winters are long and cold; and likely to bring plenty of snow. Sounds good if you like to ski!   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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Spice up the Peloton!

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Spice up the Peloton! 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.” Mention of Hungary makes me think of this runaway-tempo polka. If I were working on sprints, playing it through my head might help me to keep my legs going. If I go bicycle touring through Hungary, of course I won’t need to ride that fast. Good thing, too; I don’t want to miss the scenery! Or wear myself out in ten minutes. It’s a tour, after all; not a race. Good, that’s settled. Now, which route do I want to tackle? There are so many that it’s hard to choose. Here’s one list. The Danube Cycle Path Passau-Budapest sounds interesting: Baroque towns; orchards; and, of course, many views of the Danube. EuroVelo 13, the “Iron Curtain Trail“, follows the former Iron Curtain. The trail stretches for 4,750 miles; and covers 20 countries. That’s one very long ride!  For a challenge, there’s the Hafen von Fonyód ride, with over 700 feet of climbing. That’s one way to spice up the peloton. There are some good reasons to explore Hungary by bicycle. Scenery; the people; the cuisine. There’s the excitement of visiting someplace new. And of course, fun!   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 Sunblock Day January 2, 2024 2024! January 1, 2024 Out with a Bang December 31, 2023 Seven-Up December 30, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Luxury!

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Oh, the luxury of not having to get up early! For me that\’s quite the rarity. It happens most often when Monday and a holiday — Labor Day, in this case — coincide. It was wonderful to not have to get up until almost 8 am. I could take my time with breakfast, and not have to rush off to work. Monday is usually my off-bike day. But Love to Ride Cycle September is on, and I try not to skip days during such periods. So I rode to the drug store to get a few things; among them some RX Bars for my next Sunday long ride. Of course — and alas — I also bought Diet Cokes. Back home, I washed dishes and cooked brown rice. I though of cooking quinoa, too, but both quinoa and rice are pretty high in carbs. I started reading my new book. Then I got hungry, and heated up some Kooky Kookaburra for lunch. Unfortunately it looks like kidney beans are high in carbs! So are many other legumes. I might have to cast aside my Hoppin\’ John variations ?. Well, let\’s hope not! Getting back to the book: it mentions a related web site called Diabetes Motion. It\’s somewhere to start if you don\’t want to buy a copy of the print book. Incidentally, it\’s another luxury to not have to rush through lunch. They say you digest your food better if you aren\’t eating with one eye on the plate and the other on the clock. I can believe that. I certainly enjoy my food more that way!

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Tanking Up

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Tanking Up Tanking up, for a cyclist, is about keeping enough fuel coming in. Of course we don’t need the fuel that an army tank would, but we want to avoid The Bonk. How much fuel is needed? What kind? This depends on myriad factors; individual taste preference and any special dietary needs among them. For instance, I’m working at watching the carbs. But how do I manage that when I’m out riding for several hours? For example, take an RX Bar. The Mixed Berry flavor has 24 grams of total carbs. I need to eat one of these bars per hour if I want to avoid bonking. If I ride for 3-4 hours, that’s 72-96 grams of carbs! We haven’t gotten to post-ride tanking up yet, and that’s as important as on-bike food. My go-to recovery drink has long been a cup of skim milk (or unsweetened almond milk), with a scoop of chocolate whey protein powder in it. They say that the body is best able to use carbs within 20 minutes of completing a long ride. How many carbs here are too many? I have to include them in my day’s carb count. Yesterday I bought a small canister of vegan protein powder. I compared carb content of that and the whey powder; and guess what? They both have the same carb count per serving. Thus it will amount to, Which one tastes better? Yesterday evening I took three jars, and put a cup of almond milk into each one. Then one jar got whey powder; one got vegan powder; and one got 50/50. I put them in the fridge to chill. Post-ride taste test: I liked the 50/50 mix best. I put the others in the freezer for another time. I don’t need to toss back 30 grams of carbs.    

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