CAL, Author at SpokEasy - Page 88 of 162

Mind Games?

Do pro cyclists play mind games in addition to the on-wheels tactics? What do they think about on the bike and off? It might sound odd that \”what to eat next\” can be a problem, but apparently it can. Riders in a Grand Tour have to keep enough fuel on the fire; they need to learn when to eat what. Do I need an energy gel now, or a rice cake? Will this or that food upset my stomach? Knowing \”when to push\”, it seems to me, is largely a matter of experience. For the individual rider on a solo ride, anyway. If the team director says \”Push Now\” during a race, the rider doesn\’t have much choice, right? How many riders think,\”Not AGAIN?!\” when the order to push arises? Transfers don\’t sound like fun at all. Who likes the thought of a long bus ride immediately after hours of intense racing? As for problems getting, sleep, how can they get up and race the next day after an unrestful night? Maybe that\’s another of their mind games. Just grit your teeth and ride, even if it feels like sleep-biking. Thinking about taxes isn\’t unique to pro cyclists, of course, but most of us don\’t have to be concerned about having earned money in several countries, each of them with its own tax laws. It must take quite some mental gymnastics to figure it all out! And \”who to sign with?\” could be difficult without knowing something of a team\’s financial backing, sponsorships, and so on. How does a rider find that info to begin with? It\’s a lot to think about. Let the mind games begin!

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It\’s Always Too Soon!

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It\’s always too soon when the time comes to prepare for Christmas. I\’m not equipped to bake, so at least I don\’t need to worry about making cookies. The problem is that I don\’t know what to get for anybody on my list! A calendar is a nice gift, and just about everybody needs at least one; but giving calendars every year gets boring. I\’ll send my brother and sister some groceries that they like, but that are unavailable where they currently live. That starts to seem rather thoughtless, though. Suppose I had children, and were buying Xmas gifts for them? Maybe a Strider Balance Bike if I had a toddler. It\’s supposed to be easier for a child to start with a balance bike and then shift to a pedal-bike, and skip the training wheels. For a very young child, the Steer and Stroll Trike lets the little one ride for a while; then Mom or Dad can push while the youngster rests a bit. Any cyclist would probably be delighted with gifts of leg warmers, gloves, and other accessories. Clif Bars and GU-Gels are other possibilities. Many cyclists would be thrilled to get a new bicycle for Xmas, but bicycles as gifts are way beyond my budget. To be honest, I don\’t want to get a new bike at present. WHERE would I keep it? Fortunately I still have a week or two to finish gift shopping; then I\’ll have to ship things off. It\’s always too soon!

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More Than the Vuelta

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

More than the Vuelta 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.” There’s than the Vuelta to a cycling tour of Spain. There’s the Basque country in the North. It’s interesting that the Basque language is unrelated to either Spanish or French. I wonder where it came from? Did it just ride in from nowhere? Are self-guided tours your thing? There are many to choose from that will let you see different parts of Spain. Lanzarote sounds interesting. For some reason I’ve had a thing about volcanoes since I was about eleven. The bigger the eruption, the more interesting it was! Hence Krakatoa was one of my favorites. For the enophile, the Rioja tour awaits. This 8-day guided tour takes you through Logrono, and three other towns as well. I think I’d find it interesting to visit the villages; but if doing so means I’d be expected to try the local vintage, I’ll have to skip that tour. My tolerance for alcohol has always been rock-bottom. Like old architecture? How about the Conquistadors tour? Visiting such places is like going back in time. Oh, and do you enjoy climbing? There’s the coast-to-coast Route des Cols des Pyrenees! There are other tours, too. If, however, you don’t like rain, you might want to avoid the plain! There’s more than the Vuelta to cycling in Spain. So grab your maps, clap on your helmet, and Ten un buen viaje! 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

If Only I Could!

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If only I could retire, like those guys! Not to sit around on a beach, though. I wish I could retire primarily because of health issues. I\’m so tired of wearing filter masks all day every day because \”fragrances\” are everywhere, and I\’m so sensitive to them. The cost of those masks does add up, and I have some concerns about possible long-term adverse effects of inhaling filter mask for hours a day. Leaving that aside, being able to retire would mean more time for riding. First, I could sleep until my body is ready to wake up; not when an alarm clock says it\’s time to get up if I want to fit in a ride before going to work. I wouldn\’t have to keep an eye on the time as I rode. With no time clock to answer to, I could do longer daily rides. Maybe I could finally get in another century or two! Retirement would mean more time for my web site! I could work on it and still have time for things like cooking. Maybe I could even try some more Feed Zone recipes! I would have more time to listen to music, and to read…if only I could retire.

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Heads Up?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Heads up about cycling in Yorkshire! Okay, I don\’t know whether that map is of Yorkshire or somewhere else, but cyclists from there have some things to tell the rest of us. Climb a \”chimney\”? I think I\’ll skip that 33 percent grade. Besides, I\’m not Santa Claus. The cafe stop? Yorkshire pudding sounds interesting. I\’ll bet it would be great with maple syrup! Or how about melted cheese and fresh chives? Tea beats out coffee? If you mean green tea, I agree. Drop a green tea bag in a pint jar full of water; put on the lid; and let sit in the fridge overnight. The expression \”chain gangs\”, for me, conjures up images of convict labor. It\’s refreshing to find chain gangs that are people who ride bicycles. I guess they mean that they\’re \”chained\” to those bikes! Riding up a lot of short, steep climbs would harden your muscles, I\’ve no doubt. I think it might do me a lot of good as a cyclist if I could tackle such rides more often. It isn\’t raining all the time in Yorkshire? Hooray!! But I\’d take along a poncho, just in case. The item about Yorkshire having/not having a Tour puzzles me. It seems to contradict itself. Can anybody figure it out? A hill that isn\’t a hill?? I guess even I could manage that! As to whether Yorkshire is \”sexy\”, I\’ll let the individual judge. My opinion might not agree with the next person\’s. Actually, when I\’m out for a ride, I don\’t think about such things. I just ride.

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Thailand

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Thailand Looks like a beautiful place! 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.” How would Thailand be as a cycling destination? According to at least one person, there’s nowhere better to ride. I like the idea of avoiding the usual touristy spots. Bypassing the beaten path lets you see more of the real ways of a country. Food, for instance. Food seems to be everywhere in Thailand. The article mentions scooters with a side-car rigged up as a mobile kitchen. I think that’s neat. And the food, it seems, is delicious. Not having to cook would make a cycling tour much easier. No worries about finding somewhere to set up your kitchen in the first place! No washing up afterwards! You can use the time you save on kitchen duty to get in a few more miles on the bike each day. Spice Roads offers group tours in Thailand. If I went to Thailand, I think I’d like to visit Bangkok. It would be good to see the real city; my view of Bangkok is admittedly much colored by “Anna and the King of Siam” (now said to be a complete fabrication). I did learn this much from the book: NEVER touch anybody’s head. Thailand’s climate is tropical. The average annual temperature is 82 degrees Fahrenheit (almost 28 degrees Celsius); and it’s humid. I ought to be used to hot and humid; I’ve lived in it all my life. So maybe Thailand would be a good bicycle tour destination for me. 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 ¡Feliz Navidad! December 22, 2023 Joyeux Noël! December 21, 2023 Fröhliche Weihnachten! December 20, 2023 Christmas Past December 20, 2023 Load More TRANSLATOR

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In the Lab Again

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In the lab again? Since when did I turn scientist? Well, the kitchen is a laboratory of sorts, isn\’t it? It\’s a place to experiment with recipes: substitute this, omit that, etcetera. Last Saturday I went Feed Zone again, with yet another variation of Chicken Tikka Masala (pg. 229). Only I didn\’t use chicken; I used hot dogs. I also substituted medium buffalo wing sauce for the tomato sauce. By itself, the buffalo sauce was really too sharp for my palate; but mixing it with the yogurt toned it down very nicely. So here\’s the breakdown: 1 cup thinly sliced onions (mostly white onions this time); 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt; 1 cup buffalo sauce; 1 tsp salt; 1, 12-oz package beef hot dogs, thinly sliced crosswise. First I mixed everything but the hot dogs; it\’s a lot easier to stir without them! (BTW, the salt is optional). Then I stirred in the sliced hot dogs; put a cover on the pot (yes, I mixed the stuff right in the cook-pot!); and let the mixture marinate a couple of hours. Then I put the pot over medium heat; let it heat with an occasional stir; and when it was bubbly, I turned the heat way down and let it simmer for 15 minutes. That\’s all there is to it! I bet this would make a nice party dish. Something to think about, with the holiday season coming up.

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Can Can

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Can Can We don’t have to visit Paris for the can can! WHAT? Can Can? Have I landed in the Moulin Rouge? Mais, non. Paris is a long way off. I just got to thinking about that dance while preparing my “Thanksgiving feast”. And then I got to thinking of Offenbach! For my dinner I decided to fix boxed mac n cheese. I wanted to put in some peas. The frozen ones that I have were frozen too solid, and I didn’t want to wait for them to thaw enough for me to get out only a half-cup of them (I was just back from a bicycle ride, and getting hungry!). So I opened a can — or tin, as the British say — of peas. I didn’t have a turkey to roast, so I opened a tin of chicken to add to the mac n cheese. It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without cranberry, so I opened a tin of cranberry sauce. Sweet potatoes make a nice foil to the tartness of cranberry — you guessed it. I opened a tin of sweet potatoes. The fancied-up mac n cheese, with cranberry and sweet potato, made a very nice meal, with some pimiento-stuffed olives on the side. Of course that negated the calorie burn I achieved while riding! Today I got in 16.10 miles. At one point in my route, there are homes whose backyards abut the foot of the levee. Someone had at least one live turkey in the yard! I heard it gobbling, and saw it with its tail spread into the famous turkey fan. I can’t say whether the bird was a pet or … dinner. Getting back home was pretty tough. As all too often happens, I had a headwind. That’s when I have to keep telling myself, I can, can, can.

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The Double-Edged Sword

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Double-Edged Sword Event preparation is like a double-edged sword. Just look at me, for example. Because of the pulled hamstring I suffered in early October, I had to ride very short and very easy for three weeks. Then, because I’m working to correct my left leg’s pedaling technique, I’ve continued to keep my rides shorter and easier than usual. I want to get back into good condition; and it seems to be taking quite a long time. It’s easy for me to think that having a century planned for next April is the incentive I need to really work at it. It might be. I know I need to increase my cruising speed; and that might be the prod I need to work on intervals to improve my strength. Knowing that I’ll be riding 100 miles in a day in just five months might goad me into pushing for longer rides right now. On the other hand, having that 100-miler looming could prove frustrating if I’m not improving as fast as I would like. If I skip a ride or two because the weather is horrible; or I’m feeling very tired; I feel guilty. I would also worry that skipping rides will mean that I won’t be adequately prepared come event day. So there you have it. Event prep can cut both ways. It’s a double-edged sword.

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When a Bike Isn\’t

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When a bike isn\’t a bike?! How could a it be anything else? When it\’s a sulky, that\’s when! \”The sulky (informally known as a \”bike\”, and also known as a spider) is a light, two-wheeled cart equipped with bicycle wheels.\” I was surprised to finally learn what a sulky really is. I\’d always had the notion that it was some sort of horse-drawn carriage that could hold an entire family. I saw the sulky plow mentioned in some children\’s literature, but didn\’t know what it really meant; and I never thought to look it up. Sulkies are used as rural transportation in many locations. They are also used in racing, and can be pulled by either horses or dogs. Looking at such pics makes me think of a recumbent pulled by an animal. Now that we know when a \”bike\” isn\’t one, let\’s get over being \”sulky\” and climb aboard our BICYCLES.

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Author name: CAL