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Author name: Cecile Levert

Thwarted Again!

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Thwarted Again! 🚧 Today’s Featured Product! 🤩 Women’s Quest Road Shoes New!! Bull Trail Adult E-Trike For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Thwarted again! Just when I’m getting to work to extend my mileage, I’ve got to stop and figure out an alternate route! Some kind of work has just begun on the bike path, right at the point where I get on. Who knows how long it will take; and it won’t be fun riding alongside traffic to reach said path at another point. I’ll be cross; and so will my bicycle!  Advance Notice 🗣️ I wish I could get some advance notice when projects like this are imminent; then I wouldn’t get nasty surprises. I suppose there might be notices about these things; but where? Not everyone subscribes to a newspaper; and not all of us have TV. So here I am, thwarted again. It’s hard to have so few riding paths available; even getting to the park will be complicated by this current bike-path work.  I don’t want to take more time off from riding; I’ve missed a lot in the past year. And if I can’t ride much, how can I train up for next year’s RAGBRAI?   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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Back to Scratch?

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Up to Scratch? 🚲 Today’s Featured Product! 🎊 KAKIGO Electric Adult Tricycle New!! Slsy Adult Mountain Tricycle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Am I finally getting back up to scratch? That’s sure somethng to smile about! Between a trip out of town, and then a cold, my distance has been kept short. Today I rode 20 miles for the first time in several weeks; and now I’m waiting to see how my legs will feel tomorrow. I hope they aren’t quivery! But I have some appointments day after tomorrow; so I want to put in some good miles tomorrow. And, of course, I want to get back up to scratch. Cooperative Weather 🌞 ⛈️ But will I have coopertive weather? That’s something I often don’t know until right before a ride, when I can check the current conditions. Thankfully, we don’t need to worry about Edouard here! Today I worked at riding on the big ring. I’m trying to get some real strength back into my legs. If my legs do feel quivery tomorrow, I’ll know why!     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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When I Don’t Ride

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When I Don’t Ride 😕 Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 Salted-Caramel-Truffle Protein Powder New!! Leather Makeup Bag   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! What do I do when I don’t ride? Sleep all day? Mope around because I’m not on the bike? I decided not to ride today, because rain and T-storms were in the forecast. We did, indeed, have some rain; but I didn’t notice when it began. I had my headphones on, listening to a documentary about Katrina. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 21 years since that hurricane. We’ve been pretty lucky since then; but it won’t last forever! When I don’t ride, I have more time to reflect on such matters; and to keep watching the tropics. Watching the Tropics 👀 Yes, we’re all watching the tropics (so what else is new?); and there’s a system out there that could become a named storm. As of this moment, it’s not heading our way; but I guess we could get some wind and rain from it. In fact, WeatherUnderground indicates a tropical storm warning for coastal Texas and SW Louisiana! Unless this system turns fiendishly freakish, it probably won’t amount to much; but we’ve still got to watch it. Tomorrow morning looks OK for a ride; but I hope I’m back home before any rain begins. Maybe I should learn to read tea leaves; and then I wouldn’t have to rely on forecasts! 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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Still Lagging

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Still Lagging 🐌 Today’s Featured Product! 💥 HiVisible Reflective Bands New!! Zukka Rear Bike Basket For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I’m still lagging with my cycling. This cold is hanging on; and it makes me feel tired. That causes me to keep my rides short; and I’m reluctant to include much intense work. Hence it’s taking me too long to get back to my usual mileage. This morning I went out rather early, at 7:30 am. As usual, I had an eye on the forecast; it said T-storms possible from 10:00 am.. Naturally I wanted to beat those storms; but as of mid-afternoon they hadn’t materialized! I get SO tired of planning my rides around bad weather that doesn’t come. What’s Next? ⏭️ So what’s next with this crazy weather? How can I tell? A home weather station might be helpful; but I don’t want to fasten things to the walls in a rental property. Besides, how can I be sure that readings aren’t being affected by conditions in here? As I’m still lagging with my mileage, I don’t want to miss too many days of riding. But the forecast for tomorrow isn’t the greatest; and I don’t want to ride in a T-storm, with or without a cold. 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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Flash in the Pan

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Flash in the Pan 🍳 Today’s Featured Product! 🎉 Women’s Sleeveless Tri Top New!! NDakter Bike Panniers   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Tropical Storm Dolly sure was a flash in the pan. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing; we don’t want or need a hurricane. Ler’s just hope she doesn’t regenerate. And the official season has three months left! I suppose I could say that my cycling hasn’t been a flash in the pan; and I hope I can keep it up. If I ever relocate, I want to move to a bikeable, walkable area; and one with good cycling paths available. The catch is, where? And how do I rebuild my health-care team? How do I get there in the first place? Thinking about it all is enough to bog me down before I start! Maybe Someday? 🗓️ Well, maybe someday I’ll do it; but the thought is overwhelming. It makes me want to take a nap in a box! When I returned to work post-Katrina, things still looked a bit uncertain; and for a while, I tried to figure out where I’d go if I had to quit New Orleans. It won’t hurt to start doing it again if I have ideas of relocating; even if it’s some years in the future. One big advantage now, is that I shouldn’t need to worry about employment prospects! Oh, and how do I transport my bicycles if I relocate? Is there a way I could make a one-way bicycle tour out of it? But that’s another bag of tricks entirely! 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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Rain for a Cold?

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Rain for a Cold? ☔️ Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 Bike Repair for Dummies New!! Quick-Dry Bike Helmet Liner For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I seemed to get rain for a cold this morning. It was raining; and I have a cold. I’m glad we’re getting our rain on a day when I don’t feel much like riding. Maybe I shouldn’t push too hard when I”ve got a cold, anyhow. Ergo rain for a cold might be a good thing! By early afternoon, the rain had let up; and the sun was peeking out here and there. I finally went for a ride, just to get moving. I don’t want to stay ground to a halt for too long. But I didn’t want to get caught oudoorst if rain and lightning were going to return; so I kept it short. Weather windows can be unreliable! In and Out? 🪟 So here I go, in and out the windows. Sometimes a weather window lasts only a few hours; and when that’s the case, you’ve got to ride while you can. But it looks like our rain is over for for a while, except for possible showers arounf 5:00 am tomorrow. I hope i’ts clear, so I can go out early and see the moon. It will be just past the full; and there was no chance of my seeing it this morning. I rode short and easy today. Depending on how I feel tomorrow, I’ll ride longer and harder. I really need to get back in shape! 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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Ground to a Halt

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Ground to a Halt ⤵️ Today’s Featured Product! 🚀 AYKRM 11 Color High Viz New!! Boma MTB Stud Earrings For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I’ve sort of ground to a halt; and I don’t mean coffee. I feel like I have a cold; and I didn’t have the energy to do much today. As always, cold symptoms have me concerned about the possibility of Covid. So I walked to the drug store to get a home test; and even that short walk was tiring! Happily, the test results were negative; and I’ll do a repeat test over the weekend. I hope I don’t stay ground to a halt for long. I have errands to do; and I need to get in some miles. Unfavorable 😔 Unfortunately the forecast for tomorrow is unfavorable. Showers and T-storms are predicted; and this is likely to cintinue all day. What a drag! Friday might be a little better; Saturday morning, too. Then stormy weather could return. All those stormy conditions are apt to keep me ground to a halt. I’m in no hurry to get struck by lightning! Naturally I keep watching the tropics. I don’t want to ignore the tropical map for a week; thenn suddenly learn that a hurricane is barreling towads us. That would be unfavorable conditions, indeed!   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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Disappearing Act

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Disappearing Act 🫠 Today’s Featured Product! 🎊 Good Grips Bottle Brush   New!! XAM Handmade Bicycle Bracelet   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I don’t need a magic hat (with or without rabbit) for a disappearing act. My water bottle pulled that stunt on me this morning. I got home at the end of a ride; and all of a sudden, that bottle was — just gone. I usually carry a bottle with electrolyte drink in a cage on the down tube; and sometimes, when I’m starting up, my thigh bumps that bottle. Now and then, the bottle even falls out of the cage; but it’s hard for me to believe that it happened without my noticing it. However, I can’t think of any other explanation for that disappearing act! I’m glad I had a few extra bottles stashed away. No Heat Advisory? 🥵 I’m surprised that there’s no heat advisory in effect this afternoon. Our heat index is 106 degrees, after all. I’d be delighted if this persistent heat pulled off a disappearing act! I took a break from heating up the kitchen with cooking; and got take-out Mediterranean food for lunch. I love vegetarian stuffed grape leaves! We’ll see whether that’s good ride food; I have enough of lunch left over to make supper! I don’t want to ride right now, though; it’s too hot. How do Grand Tour riders manage in heat like this? 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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Mind over Matter

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Mind over Matter 🧠 Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 MISSION Cooling Helmet Liner New!! Cyclist’s Survival Kit Necklace For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! How often do we hear, “mind over matter”? I say, be very careful about that! Yes, I’m working to increase my daily mileage; but I’ve found that the mind can push matter only so far; then matter starts to push back. So today I rode uder 9 miles, after yesterday’s 13.9. Incidentally, It would be a huge thrill for me to see the MATTERhorn “in the rock”; but could I climb it? No amount of mind over matter would make that possible! Besides, are MTBs even allowed on that peak’s slopes? It looks far to steep for that. And what about the weather? How much warning is there before a storm? More Weather Threats ⛈️ We’ve got more weather threats. A severe T-storm watch went into effect at half-past noon; and I’m glad I’m indoors. This watch lasts until 7 pm; so it’s lucky that I don’t have to go anywhere! There was a severe T-storm warning about two days ago; and that was quite a storm. We actually got some hail, which is rare for us. There’s a chance for more T-storms tomorrow; and once again, I”ll have to play it by ear. 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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Endless

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Endless 🎬 Today’s Featured Product! 🎉 District 2 Women’s Jersey New!! Never Give Up For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! This endless combination heat and humidity is dragging everyone down. I sure don’t want hot curry in this weather! Neither do I want a hot pool. Morning Glory Pool is beautiful; but far too hot for soaking. Especially when the heat index is over 100 degrees! !I went out for a ride at 7:30 this morning; and was back home less than two hours later. I knew it would be getting very hot by late morning; and I didn’t want to be riding then. This dry weather seems endless, too. We had a T-storm a day or two ago; but that was our first rain in quite a while. Hang in There 😬 I get so tired of “hang in there”. I’ve got only so much energy, after all; and I’m not hang-gliding! Unfortunately, we’ve got no choice but to hold on until cool weather arrives. It really does feel like we’re left in mid-air. This morning I did some one-minute hard intervals; and was I glad of the cool rag! I rode hard for one minute; then slow and easy for one minute; with three efforts per set. And ten minutes between sets. I reached the turnaround point halfway through set three. I’ve got a long way to go before I develop some real strength; and I mostly took it easy 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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