SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

BBB

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BBB ? ? BBB? The Three B’s make me think of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. How about my own personal BBB? Bicycling, Books, and … hmm. What’s that third one? Beethoven would be just fine. There’s the first movement of his Seventh Symphony, with those glorious French horns! King Stephen Overture! After a slow introduction, the beginning of the quick section has always made me think of  “Shortnin’ Bread”. What else could B-3 be? Bars? As in Clif Bars? There are many flavors to chose from; Sierra Trail Mix is my favorite. There are Luna Bars,  too. I like the Chocolate Peppermint flavor. Bangladesh, as in take a bicycle tour there? In general, Bangladesh is a safe country, and it’s mostly flat. Touring cyclists are accorded near-celebrity states there, which I’m not sure I would enjoy. I prefer to be anonymous. I hope the third B of cycling isn’t bedlam! That’s what a pile-up in Tour de France can look like. It’s a miracle that more of those riders don’t suffer horrific injuries. Road rash looks bad enough! Any more B’s? Belgium? In that country, you can choose flat or hilly routes. How about the Baltic? You can enjoy cycling routes in Poland or Lithuania. 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 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 Lost My Touch August 19, 2024 Results? August 18, 2024 Shut off the Furnace! August 17, 2024 Peak Season August 16, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Quest Bars

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Introducing Quest Bars! I just added a new product to my Shop:. the Quest Double Chocolate Chunk Bar! A friend mentioned Quest Bars to me just yesterday. When I went to pick up some refills at Walgreen\’s, I looked for them. There they were, along with protein powders and other such items. Chocoholic that I am, I chose the chocolate-y one. There were other flavors, and I think I\’ll return to the store soon to get a few. I\’m always on the lookout for new ride foods!

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Old Faithful?

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Old Faithful? Old Faithful is a “must see” if you visit Yellowstone.  You can bring your own “old faithful” if you want to bicycle through the park. Road biking season starts once the snow has been cleared from the roads. For a short time in Spring, only non-motorized traffic is allowed on the roads. Repeat in the Fall. Doesn’t that sound marvelous?   Enjoy wildlife sightings: coyotes, bison, elk, eagles. Just be sure to give these denizens of the park their space. Maybe wear jingle bells🎶 on your shoes if you want to avoid startling a grizzly bear. Springtime weather in Yellowstone can be fickle, as it can in many places. Wear or carry warm clothing, such as leg warmers. Even after the park’s roads are open to motor traffic, the road cycling can still be pretty good; at least where there are shoulders. You still have to be on guard, of course. (So what else is new?) For a more exciting cycling experience in Yellowstone, try out some mountain biking. Available trails range from easy to intermediate. The Mount Washburn one sounds interesting. Many years ago, we visited Yellowstone. One of the things we did was to take a ranger-guided walk up Mount Washburn to the fire watch tower. We followed a dirt road; I guess what’s called a fire trail. On the way, I kept smelling skunk. Yes, on those road trips of ours we occasionally passed a flattened “stink animal”, as German aptly calls it. I know what skunk smells like. I mentioned several times that I kept smelling skunk. It turned out to be what the ranger told us was skunk flower. I remember it as resembling violets in appearance; but it smelled like skunk! So if you want to see Yellowstone “close up and personal”, dust off your Old Faithful, and bicycle through the park. 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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It Feels Like Saturday

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It feels like Saturday today! A change in routine confuses my brain. This morning I finally got to the salvage store, a trip I normally make on Saturdays. I had been busy going to other stores, where I would be more certain of finding exactly what I wanted. By the time I got home from those excursions, motor traffic would be building up. Going to the salvage store means I must ride alongside three lanes of traffic for couple of blocks; so I want to go there early. Besides that, I suspect that the good stuff goes early. It was quite a change to ride to the salvage store on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, there was more traffic than there would be on Saturday morning. But I got to the store and back in one piece, which is what matters. Today I looked for something called Taco Complete; none was there. Guess I’ll have to order some online. There weren’t any refried black beans, so I got refried pinto beans. I really prefer the black beans, but pintos are OK. In fact, I got a 5-lb bag of dried pinto beans! Of course I rooted through the make-your-own-grab-bag bins. Two small bags, or $6.00, got me 37 snacks; including seven Kind bars! In fact, that grab-bag business is my favorite thing about the salvage store. Getting back home was rather a problem. When I started out at about 8 am, the wind was only around 8 mph. Before I got back home, it had risen to 16 mph; and (you guessed it!) it was a headwind. Even though it feels like Saturday, I’m glad it’s not. If it were, tomorrow would be long-ride day; and  the weather is shaping up to turn nasty yet again!

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Ex Libris

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Ex Libris: this book is mine! It arrived a day or two after Easter. \”What Do I Eat Now?\”  was written especially for people who have diabetes or pre-diabetes. I find it to be very easy to read. It discusses various aspects of the diet: carbohydrate control; portion sizes; BMI; how to read labels. Of course there are some recipes; and tips for eating out and other special occasions. There\’s advice for grocery shopping, cooking, and meal planning, too. In fact, this book is a great complement to The American Diabetes Association Vegetarian Cookbook. Getting back to BMI, I see by the BMI table on p. 12-13 of \”What Do I Eat\” that, two months ago, my weight had me at the upper limit of a \”normal\” BMI for my height. What\’s more, there\’s physical build to be taken into consideration. In Ride Your Way Lean, author Selene Yeager  brings this up. You can take two people of the same gender; same height; and same weight. However, one of them has a small frame and the other one a medium frame. The person with the small frame might actually be overweight, while the one with the medium frame is at a good weight. I have a small frame, and am barely five feet tall. Therefore I have no doubt that weighing 125-126 pounds was TOO MUCH. My cycling library now has some new additions. Where did I put my bookplates? You know, Ex Libris.

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Seeing the Light

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Seeing the Light I think I’m seeing the light. If you read much about cyclist’s training, you’ll learn of the importance of core work. So why is core work so important? When I first graduated from adult trike to hybrid, I found that after 15-20 minutes’ riding, my abs would sag; I’d go sway-backed; and my arms feel would start to feel like limp spaghetti. That wasn’t good for my lower back. It was annoying to have my arms hurt. It wasn’t long before I realized that I had better do something about it, so that I could ride in comfort. I looked up various exercises for upper body and core in my cycling books. I had to begin by doing only a few reps of each exercise. Honestly, my arms, obliques, etc. were weak as water! Over time I’ve been able to do more reps, but I still don’t do a great many of these exercises. I’ve always kept in mind that, after all, I wasn’t body-building. But as perhaps you can guess, this meant that my progress was slow. Just since last week, when I do hard efforts, I notice that I’m pulling a little with my arms as I pedal. It helps me to put more strength into those pedals; and lets my weight lift slightly from the saddle. So that’s why we see pro cyclists with good arm musculature! I use that same technique when climbing. Not that there’s any real climbing on my usual cycling path; just a few humps to get over. I also have a new idea. Begin increasing the reps of my arm-development exercises; maybe three extra reps per session to start. It might help me to sustain higher speeds for longer. Any reduced weight on the saddle ought to make long rides more comfortable. Wow! I’m finally seeing the light!

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Unexpected

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Something unexpected happened today. In fact, there were two unexpected things. As planned, I did a long ride today (32.10 miles; long for me at this point). When I first got up, my legs felt weird; sort of quivery. In fact, I felt a tad shaky in general. After I ate a banana, I felt somewhat better. I filled the Camel-Bak; cut up two Clif Bars; and got the Zym that I prepared last night out of the fridge. Then I checked NOAA. It was cool enough for leg warmers, vest, and a lightweight skull cap. Then off I went. NOAA said the wind was from the NW, or a headwind outward-bound. I worked at riding 15 mph or more for 5 minutes at a time. I was surprised that I felt stronger than usual! After a little over 16 miles, I stopped and turned around. Then I seemed to get a HEADwind! It was much harder to ride 15 mph, in part because my legs were getting a bit tired. Even so, I still felt somewhat stronger than usual. I checked NOAA again after I was home; the wind had switched around to the North. That explains a lot, doesn\’t it? Headwind on the way home, as happens all too often. With five miles still to go, I began to feel very tired. I didn\’t seem to bonking, but I decided it would be wise to eat another piece of Clif Bar. After about two miles of easy pedaling, I felt a lot better. My mileage today fell a few miles short of the 35 I had been thinking about doing, but 32.10 is quite respectable. So if your legs feel a bit \”off\”, try riding anyway. You might get a pleasant surprise. Oh, and the other unexpected thing: when I weighed myself this morning, I saw that I had lost some weight! Maybe that explains yesterday\’s craving for ice cream?

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Replay

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A replay of last Sunday\’s weather seems likely. At 8 am the wind was already fairly strong; and now a wind advisory is in effect until 11 pm. More severe storms are possible. Again, the area of highest threat is farther North; but that doesn\’t mean we can let our guard down. Between tired legs and wind already 12 mph, I did a very short ride this morning. If not for the Bike Easy April Challenge, I would have taken a day off from riding. As it was, I rode over to the nearby park; made one circuit; and headed home. The wind seemed to be strengthening, and the sky looked a bit stormier. I need to replace the sensor batteries in my Garmin. The one for the speed sensor has been giving me a Low Battery signal. I might as well replace the battery in the cadence sensor while I\’m at it. If, that is, I can manage to get the covers off the battery compartments! My weekly long ride I\’ve postponed until tomorrow. As it turns out, I could have done it today; but it\’s not the best idea to risk getting caught in severe weather when I\’m miles from home. My legs are likely to do better after getting some rest today, anyhow. I\’m starting to get a hankering after ice cream. Again. But why? I have candy at home. OK, let\’s face it, I love Cherry Garcia. And Talenti has some marvelous flavors, too. My favorite part about Talenti is the re-useable containers! But if I get a pint of ice cream, it\’s too tempting for me to sit down and devour the entire pint in 20 minutes. That\’s a scene that I replay too often!

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At the Helm?

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At the helm sounds like sailing. I know this much, I wouldn\’t want to be at the helm in the conditions that we could get tomorrow! Again, severe T-storms are possible. \”Helm\” is also German for \”helmet\”, which is how I got to thinking of helms, tillers, and sailboats. I had noticed that the helmet I\’ve had for about 18 months was too loose. Why? It had seemed to fit before. Now that it\’s been warm enough sometimes for me not to need a skull cap, the helmet is too big. Maybe the ratchet was wearing out? So, off to the bike shop. At present, customers aren\’t even being allowed inside. COVID-19 has infiltrated nearly everything! Someone had to bring a couple of helmets out for me to try on. While I was at the bike shop anyway, I got a tube of Chamois Butt\’r. I decided to wear the new helmet to ride back home, but didn\’t have a way to cut off the tag. So there I was, riding along with the yellow MIPS tag dangling from my chin strap. It made me think of Minnie Pearl and her hat with the perpetual tag hanging from it. OK, now I have a new helmet. What to do with the old one? I still have my hemet before that one for a spare. I don\’t like to throw helmets away, but I don\’t know what else to do. Sunday is my usual long-ride day, but I\’m not so sure it would be wise to try one tomorrow. I\’ll see what the weather is doing in the morning. And next time I ride, I\’ll be wearing my new \”helm\”.

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Appalachian

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Appalachian Bicycling along the Appalachian trail? Yes, indeed! This trail spans more than 2000 miles, running through fourteen states from Maine to Georgia. This is not an adventure to be undertaken lightly; especially if you’re aiming for more than a single day’s riding. Parts of the AT are quite rugged. Hazardous weather is a possibility. Summer can see strong T-storms; and cold weather can bring snow and ice, making riding much more difficult. Packing for this adventure seems to be quite a challenge. You want the right stuff, but don’t need to be weighed down with things you won’t really need. To begin with, how about the bike? Is a touring bicycle best? If you’re going to spend nights along the trail, will you need a tent? A sleeping bag? Oh, and don’t forget, there are bears there! We visited Great Smoky Mountains when I was a kid. I remember them as being quite wet; a waterproof tarp to put under your tent wouldn’t be a bad idea. Neither would a poncho. And a first aid kit … there we go, getting overloaded already! Naturally there’s more than the Appalachian Trail to cycling in North Carolina. These routes range from the easy Neuse River Loop from Mini City, to the expert Roadbike Loop from Brevard. So many trails, and so little time to ride them! 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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