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Author name: Cecile Levert

Home Stretch

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Outdoors /

Home Stretch 🥅 Today’s Featured Product! 🎇 Kind Dark Chocolate Cherry New!! Larabar Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store!   At last we’re in the home stretch of hurricane season! Now I’m less tempted to wish for a set of Home Bicycle Folding Rollers. These are a way to “ride” when you can’t go outdoors; and they can be used with MTBs and road bikes. Hybrids, too, I would suppose. Years ago, I had a set of rollers; before I had a road bike. I actually became fairly adept at “riding” the rollers with the hybrid; but couldn’t seem to manage with the road bike. Rolling without Rollers 🛞 So I do my rolling without rollers; and I hope I reach the home stretch of tomorrow’s ride withoug getting rained on. Speaking of rolling, I think my legs could use a session with a foam roller.Maybe it’s because I’m still re-adapting to a road bike; but my legs feel stiff and tired. At least it looks like wind conditions will be favorable tomorrow — but there’s a 30% chance of rain. The temperature still doesn’t feel like Fall; and Fall seems to come later every year! 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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Kaput?

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Kaput? 😰 Today’s Featured Product! 😊 Water Bottle Cleaner Tablets New!! T10 Electric Tricycle for Adults For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Oh dear; is my Garmin going kaput? During my last two rides, it’s stopped working; although I had charged it up. It didn’t even do me the courtesy of giving a Low Battery warning! My current model is the Garmin Edge 530, which doesn’t seem to be available at present. Maybe it’s time to get a new model. Or does the old 530 need a new battery? These electronic bicycle computers, such as the Garmin AMOLED shown here, have more features than I truly need. I like to track mileage and time; and to watch my speed as I ride. It’s helpful to track my heart rate and cadence. But as long as I do  most of my riding locally, I don’t need bicycle computers with route planners and GPS. I’m rather tempted to get a much simpler model — if one exists! After all, these devices that require electronic input are just more things to go kaput! The Elecronic Age 🔌 I don’t like it much, but I’m being dragged into the electronic age. My new road bike has electronic shifters; and I’m struggling to figure out the app that will let me keep tabs on the derailleurs’ charge. Electronic shifters are much easier on my hands and wrists; an important consideration given my age and history of CMC arthritis. But figuring out all these apps and electronic stuff is a headache! 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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Strong Arm?

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Strong Arm? 💪 Today’s Featured Product! 🌠 Kodiak Protein Balls New!! VEVOR Folding Adult Tricycle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I don’t seem to have a strong arm on the bike. When I was on the road bike day before yesterday, riding one-handed gave me trouble. I kept swerving; and my legs felt tired as well. I guess I need to use my kettlebell more; and do more core- and arm-strengthening exercises in general. Then maybe I’ll have a strong arm for one-handed riding! After all, I won’t want to have to stop every time I need to grab a bite of food. I wish I could take Kodiak Protein Balls along; but when I mixed them, I didn’t put in quite enough liquid. I ended up with something too crumbly! Gray Day 💨 It’s been a gray day; although not very windy. I don’t mind not having a strong wind; especially when I’m riding. Wind noise is bothersome to my ears; and I ought to get me a pair of Wind-Blox Pro. And of course, battling a headwind for mile after mile is very tiring. Today I skipped the ride; and that gave me some time to get other things done. For example, I began looking through the kitchen cabinets. I found a box of brown sugar that was too old to keep; and I’d forgotten how much electrolyte drink mix I had! I guess I should take inventory more often. 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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Come On Fall

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Come On Fall 🍂  Today’s Featured Product! 🎃 Women’s PRO Barrier Jacket New!! GripGrab Winter Lobster Gloves For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Come on, Fall! Where are you keeping yourself? Here we are, on the verge of November; and we haven’t gotten a real cold front yet. I’ve said many times that it’s not fun riding in the cold and wind; but this is the wrong season for afternoon temperatures around 80 degrees! Mornings are cool enough for a vest or even a jacket; and my leg warmers are seeing regular use. I actually like it when it’s just cool enough for those leg warmers; then I use up less sunblock. Clouds ☁️ There have been a lot of clouds today; and that helped keep it from getting so hot. I went out early, and did only a very short ride. My legs felt a little sore after yesterday’s ride; but not to a degree that made me wish for Voltaren Gel. I think that I actually need a day off from cycling! Now that Biketober is over, I can take some time off without feeling guily. Tomorrow should be a good day for it, as rain is possible. But it’s not getting cold yet. Come on, Fall! And now we have to think about Christmas.  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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Out of Order?

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Out of Order? ⛓️‍💥 Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 CASTELLI Leg Warmer New!!   LOYALHEARTDY Wheel Unicycle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store!   My legs seemed out of order today; and I don’t think it was the leg warmers. It was cool enough to wear them; but leg warmers don’t provide energy or strength. I think I might have gone a bit too far; and I had a headwind on the way home. It’s not the best thing to get too ambitious too soon! However, Biketober isn’t over yet; so I wanted the mileage. This morning I tried on-bike eating. I suspect that a plain banana before starting wasn’t quite enough; and maybe an HOL bar wasn’t enough. Thank goodness I had some “goos” with me! I ate one at the turnaround point; and had to stop on the way home for another! BOOtiful Day? 🎃 I’m sure that many people are hoping for a “BOOtiful” day tomorrow; or, to be more exact, a bootiful evening. I remember the fun of going trick-or-treating as a kid; and the excitement of sorting through the candy after getting back home. There were some candies that showed up only at Hallowe’en; so we kids were delighted to get them. But I don’t remember ever seeing anyone going trick-or-treating on wheels! Or even one wheel; but for a sufficiently skilled rider, that might have made a terrific clown set-up. Unfortunately, that simply isn’t safe in a crowd. I’ll see what the weather is doing tomorrow morning; and I hope my legs won’t be out of order! 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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Rolling Smorgasbord

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food, Outdoors /

Rolling Smorgasbord? 🍕 🍌 Today’s Featured Product! 📣 Souke Men’s Winter Jacket New!! HOL Bone-Broth Protein Bars For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! A long bicycle ride can feel like I’m on a rolling smorgasbord. Advice about long-distance cycling emphasizes training your gut; and it’s time for me to get back to it. Before I begin a long ride, I’ll cut a protein bar into pieces; put the pieces in a snack-size plastic bag; and put the bag into my top-tube pouch. Then I can reach it easily, for one bite every 15-20 minutes. I have quite a variety of protein bars on hand; hence the remark about a rolling smorgasbord! When I shop at the salvage store, I watch for such items; and today I found HOL Bone-Broth Protein Bars. That’s something new to try! Something New 🆕 Something new to eat can be fun; and might even lead to a new favorite food, whether on the bike or not.  Sometimes, too, I wish for something new in the way of riding paths. It’s nice to have a good place to ride close by; but I admit that the same old route day after day gets somewhat tedious. It’s still warm; but some mornings have been cool enough for a jacket when I begin a ride. Then I get almost too warm on the way home! 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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Not April Showers

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Not April Showers 💦 Today’s Featured Product! 🌟 ROCKBROS Cycling Shoe Covers New!! DARKBEAM Bike Tail Light For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Rain at the tail end of October is not April showers; but rain at any season might need special gear: ponchos; raincoats; even shoe covers, such as these ROCkBROS Cycling Shoe Covers.  They sound nice and cozy; but I personally would be concerned about ripping the soles to shreds with my attempts to clip in. Riding in rain or fog presents problems if you wear glasses; but I like to keep ARCHXX Lens Wipes handy. They seem to work quite well; and are also good for a fogged-up rearview bike mirror, or a smudgy cell phone screen. Lens wipes are also easier to carry than a spray bottle of lens cleaner. In the Dark? ⚫️ Rain, even when it’s not April showers, is no fun in the dark; so I’m glad I don’t have to do it any more. I remember pre-dawn rides when I was battling wind that drove the rain into my face. That made it harder to see; and I was getting soaked, despite a poncho; and my hands and feet were turning to ice. I never had gloves like GripGrab Winter Cycling Gloves; but I wonder how much they’d really help in this climate. Rain here tends to be heavy and soaking; and clothing designed for light rain doesn’t stand up well to such showers. I hope the coming Winter isn’t too wet; I don’t want to miss rides for the weather! 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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Keep Warm

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Keep Warm 🔥 Today’s Featured Product! 🙂 Sunny Mini Elliptical Trainer New!! CASTELLI Women’s Endurance Bibshort For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Now that it’s almost November, I think about how to keep warm. So far our weather hasn’t been cold; but that will end some day! We can keep warm on the bike by layering; but suppose conditions are simply too nasty for outdoor activity? A Merach Walking Pad can let you get ample exercise! Its heavy-duty frame can support up to 400 lbs/181.43 kg; and its brushless motor lets you go up to 4 mph/6.4 kph. Quiet operation is great for indoor use; and the Merach Walking Pad can fit under a desk. Work out while working! Prepping the Wardrobe 🧤 Prepping the wardrobe for cold-weather rides means I need to wash the full-finger gloves that I never got around to washing last Spring. FanVince Winter Gloves sound great; but I don’t really need the touch-screen feature. Mornings now are cool enough for leg warmers; and even a jacket! Temperatures in the low 60s are fine with me; but I’m not anxious for those mornings when it’s in the 40s; and a strong wind is blasting away. I know one thing, I won’t want pickle ice then! 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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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The Lowdown?

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The Lowdown? ⬇️ Today’s Featured Product! 😃 Never Give Up New!!   Sponeed Men’s Cycling Shorts For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! The lowdown isn’t to be confused with the Lowe-down! This morning I did only a very short ride; and I went to the local Lowe’s to put some CFL bulbs in their recycling bins. I also had an old headlight that had stopped taking charge-up; an ancient cell phone; and a few other items. I was tired of seeing them taking up space and collecting dust; so I finally prodded myself into getting rid of them. How about the lowdown on the actural ride? The weather was very good for cycling this morning; and I thought of heading for the park after I visited Lowe’s. Unfortunately I saw that I didn’t have adequate hydration for a longer ride. I had a water bottle; but no electrolyte drink. After about half an hour of riding, I was getting thirsty beyond what plain water could manage.   More Than Water 💦 Hydration is about more than water; but I wonder what serious swimmers do about hydration. They’re already surrounded by water! It’s amazing how much I need electrolyte drink; even when the air temperature is barely above freezing, and I’m pedaling at a leisurely pace. I guess it’s all that heavy breathing. It looks like tomorrow will be good for a ride; and I want to put in some miles on the road bike. We’ve got more wind coming later this week; so I want to ride when I don’t have to fight a headwind!   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 Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as Cecile Levert. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ

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Hunter?

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Hunter? 🏹 Am I a hunter? After all, I saw the moon this morning. It was beautiful! Sometimes I wish there were more than one full moon per month. But I’m afraid I’ve lost my touch for riding in the dark. I seldom do it now; and it feels strange. On top of that, even at 5:15 am, there are people walking up there on the levee; some of whom are wearing dark-colored clothing. And not carrying lights! Even pedaling at 10 mph at most, I don’t see them until I’m too close for comfort. Creeping up on people that way makes me feel too much the hunter! Too Fast?⏩ I’m not trying to build up to fast, am I? Now that I have a road bike, I’m doing rides of 19-20 miles twice a week; plus shorter rides. Is that a bit too much? In addition, I’m now at that awkward in-between phase where the road bike still isn’t quite completely comfortable; and the hybrid is starting to feel clunky. At present, neither bike feels quite right. Maybe tomorrow I’ll do a short ride on the hybrid; then a longer one on the road bike the next day. Biketober isn’t over yet!.But thank goodness the wind wasn’t too bad today! 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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