SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Whirl

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Is your head in a whirl? With Christmas just a few days off, anybody\’s mind can be spinning. It\’s not always strictly Xmas stuff, either. I\’m trying to juggle several blogs-in-the-writing. And work on the Shop, too. I\’m glad I\’m done with shopping for the holiday. The chances of rain are high for tomorrow, and who likes to be struggling with bags and packages while trying to hang onto an umbrella at the same time? On top of that, over the next few days things will be ever more hectic at the stores. That\’s a good reason to get all your stuff early! It\’s much easier on the nervous system. Christmas cards are sent, except for a couple of last-minute ones. In fact, I\’d better get them written tonight. Gifts were shipped at least a week ago. I don\’t like to be gnawing my fingernails, hoping that stuff sent off at the eleventh hour will get to its destination before December 25! I\’m certainly looking forward to being able to get some extra sleep during the holiday break. Between work on this site, and trying to get in a morning ride before going to work, I\’m not getting enough shut-eye. It\’s enough to put my head in a whirl, I can tell you. How nice it will be to sleep until 7 am, and still be able to go riding!  

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Long Time No Hundred

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Long Time No Hundred Long time no hundred mile ride! It’s hard to believe that my last century ride was six and a half years ago. I did that last one on the road bike; but yesterday I got to reminiscing about the centuries that I did with the hybrid. Especially the first one. That first two-wheeled century was a major aggravation in one way. Somebody had been strewing tacks on the bike path, and I wound up getting two flats. I wondered whether it might be a copycat case from that year’s Tour de France. In addition to the delays caused by flat tires, I made a halt at around 58 miles to change into fresh shorts. After that I felt much more comfortable. It was October, and still quite warm. Ten miles or so later, I needed to stop at a convenience store for another snack or two. I was getting very, very tired by then, and was starting to feel bonkish besides It gets dark pretty early in October. At about 6:30 pm I had to stop and put the lights back on the bike. I still had  some 15 miles to go! The headlight soon began to go dim; so I had to stop again and get out the back-up headlight. And then the handlebar bag kept knocking the light off the handlebars! Halt yet again to hang the handlebar bag from the bike trunk’s handle. All those halts were a big bother. My legs were so tired that starting up again was no easy matter. It was 8:15 pm when I finally rolled up to 100 miles. I was worn out, but the satisfaction of seeing your bike’s computer turn up triple digits makes the long, hard day worth it!

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Racy?

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Not that kind of \”racy\”. PLEASE not that kind! I mean “racy” as in, How would I fare as a bicycle racer? None too well, I fear. For starters, I’d get dropped in short order. I’m not fast enough to hang with even the lowest level of amateur racers, I’m sure. Maybe this advice would help? I also have far, far to go with improving my power-to-weight ratio. To begin with, I need to lose at least 20 pounds! My anaerobic endurance isn’t up to scratch, either. Not even my aerobic endurance is so great at present. I lost a lot of it because of that pulled hamstring, and the work to correct my left ankle’s behavior. It greatly reduced my mileage, and I couldn\’t ride as hard as I normally did. Then there are my sensitivities to “stuff”. Could I  take part in a race without getting overwhelmed? I read once about a certain pro tour rider – I forget which one – who allegedly poured an entire bottle of cologne over himself before a race. How does he stand that? Ambitions to take part in bicycle races means participating in group rides. It\’s important to learn how to ride in close proximity to other riders; learn to draft; and your new-found cycling buddies may even be able to help you find a coach — and that first race.

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Shivering

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I\’ll be shivering tonight! Tonight the low will be around 37 degrees, with a wind chill well below freezing. It might be wise not to try riding the road bike outdoors tomorrow. For one thing, my face would be totally exposed to the cold. For another, leg warmers alone won\’t be warm enough. With old-ish shorts whose legs slide up, and old-ish leg warmers that slide down, I\’ll have problems if I wear slacks over the leg warmers. I\’ll have no way to pull the shorts\’ legs back down, nor the leg warmers back up. Even indoors it will be cold, except in front of an electric heater. Pedaling in the trainer ought to get me warmed up, though! The catch is that it\’s tedious as can be. It bears repeating every Winter: Do\’s and Don\’t\’s of riding in cold weather. You don\’t have to live where it snows for three months straight to suffer problems from getting too cold. I hear the wind blowing, and this place is not the most weather-tight one in the world. I\’ll have to choose between shivering on the bike, and shivering indoors. Not much of a choice, is it?

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A Chinese Twist

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A Chinese Twist A Chinese twist on tikka masala? Well, I like Chinese food with lots of soy sauce. I like sweet and sour sauce, too. Last Saturday did another experiment with hot dogs. This time, instead of the tomato sauce called for in the original tikka masala recipe, I used sweet and sour sauce. I got the idea on a recent visit to the salvage store, when I found a jar of the stuff. For the onion, I used the yellow-skin type. I would have preferred red onion. However, in the [regular] supermarket that morning, red onions cost a staggering $2.19 per pound! I guess they’re not in season. I had a yellow onion at home, so I didn’t buy any onions. No curry powder in this concoction. Not this time, anyhow. If I make these sweet-and-sour hot dogs again, I’ll try it. After all, some dishes that you find in Chinese restaurants are quite piquant. After I ate some “Chinese Hot Dogs” for lunch, I froze the rest. I like to do that — cook up something over the weekend and freeze part for later. It means not having to do so much kitchen work during the week, and putting a Chinese twist on an old favorite made a nice change.

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Chocolate

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Chocolate seems to have become quite the panacea these days. It\’s a pick-me-up when we\’re feeling down. Got a special occasion coming up? Don\’t forget to get a supply! And with Christmas right around the corner, my thoughts naturally turn to that delight. Chocolate doesn\’t have to be unhealthful. Dark varieties are supposed to be quite good for us;  and cyclists can actually benefit from the substances found in this food. Flavanols can enhance performance when taken before a ride. A popular recovery drink among cyclists is chocolate milk. My favorite is whey protein powder — I\’m sure you can guess which flavor! — in skim milk. Oddly, I wasn\’t very fond of chocolate as a young child. It seemed rather bitter to me, and I preferred the more sugary candies. I\’ve certainly changed! And there are now so many varieties of the stuff that it can be hard to choose one. We can get it plain. We can have it with fruits and/or nuts; or cream-filled. It comes in white, dark, and milk varieties. I could go on and on. Back in pre-Columbian times, such treats were undreamed of. I wonder what those folks would think if they could know how chocolate has changed over the centuries.  

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Nebula

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Nebula is what I wind up thinking about on mornings like last Tuesday. The fog was simply terrible; and \”Nebel\”, the German word for \”fog\”, sounds rather like \”nebula\”. I went out for a ride about 5:15 am. The evening before I had seen that there was a dense fog advisory; and as soon as I walked out the door, I could tell it was foggy! As usual, I went up on the levee. Visibility was so poor most of the ride that I dared not get up a decent pace. I never know when and where there will be some dark-clad, un-lighted person up ahead. Add to that the need for longer stopping time. In such a fog, the wet on my wheels\’ rims mean the brakes don\’t grip as well as usual. Many times I even stopped when I wanted  a drink of water. I didn\’t want to have to drop a bidon to grab the handlebars when somebody suddenly materialized right in front of me. In that dark and fog, I might not have found it again. At least at 71 degrees it wasn\’t cold. Cool enough for leg warmers, jacket, and skull cap, but I could still wear half-fingered gloves. The next morning it was much cooler, but with heavy overcast. So which do you think is worse: feeling your way through a nebula, or threatened with rain?  

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SUN-day

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It was SUN-day this morning! I was surprised that it was sunny, because I checked a weather site just before I went out; and it said fog. Not that I\’m complaining about the lack of fog. Last week I got more than enough of it. I like clear weather for my Sunday long rides. I put in 21.80 miles. Not so very long, is it? Getting back home was a slog because the wind was strengthening; up to 13 mph before I got back home. It makes me feel like such a weakling when I\’m plodding along at 10 mph or less, and other riders whiz past me like I\’m standing still. This past week some of my rides were very short, partly because of fog, and partly because I had a hard time getting myself moving at all. I could tell this morning that I\’m out of condition. My breathing seemed harder than normal, and my legs got tired more easily than pleases me. Towards the end of the ride, my left ankle began to pull its old trick. I even noticed my right ankle seemed to be trying to do the same thing! Maybe I should have done a shorter ride? It\’s a good thing that Monday is off-bike day. The forecast says there could be severe T-storms tomorrow afternoon. I do not want to be on a bicycle in un-SUN-day weather like that!  

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Cycling and Autism

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Are cycling and autism incompatible? Can children with autism learn to ride a bicycle? They certainly can, although it might be harder for them than for “neurotypical” kids. Children with autism may have balance and/or proprioception difficulties. Having them work on balance bikes can help them to  improve in these areas, which will be helpful both on the bicycle and in other activities. The repetitive nature of pedaling is said to be well-suited to someone who is on the autism spectrum.  Living with autism can be very stressful, and cycling can help to relieve pent-up stress; and the child who has autism can be very proud of having learned to ride! Read one parent’s account here. What about cycling for those with Asperger’s? This isn’t the same thing as autism, although there seems to be a certain amount of overlap. And yes, a child who has Asperger’s can learn to ride a bicycle. By all accounts that I’ve ever seen, children who have autism or Asperger’s typically have a difficult time fitting in with their peers. Maybe riding a bicycle could help them to find a group that lets them feel that they belong — and even shine! No, cycling and autism/Asperger’s are not incompatible!

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Staredown?

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Staredown? Did you ever notice that climbing stairs seems harder than a long ride? I’m having a staredown with déjà vu here. Didn’t I blog about this already? If so, I haven’t found it. Anyway, here goes. I can’t speak for all cyclists; but I, for one, find climbing a flight of stares — I mean, stairs — harder than riding miles on a bicycle! Climbing stairs was harder even than riding my tricycle for miles. That’s puzzling, don’t you think? After all, putting in all those miles should be making our legs strong. Shouldn’t we be able to climb stairs with ease? Apparently we cyclists aren’t alone in having difficulty with stairs. It happens to marathoners, too. What’s going on? Blame it on the muscle fibers that come into play while walking up the stairs. This activity requires us to propel ourselves upwards, and the effort sets off our fast-tiring fast-twitch muscle fibers. Add to this the fact that stair-climbing is an anaerobic activity. And we’re also fighting gravity! Besides all that, walking up stairs uses different muscles than bicycling or running. I guess I’ll have to give those stairs a good staredown, and tell them not to bother me.

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