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Author name: Cecile Levert

Who Needs a Grill?

BACK ISSUES, equipment, Outdoors /

Who Needs a Grill? 🍳 Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 Kraft Slow-Simmered BBQ    New!! adidas Five Ten Freerider For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Who needs a grill in their personal space now? The heat index this afternoon is 106 degrees; and that’s already more than hot enough! I’d rather be eating pickle ice pops than sizzling meat. It’s gotten so that I’d rather cook with the microwave than turn on the stove; but some things need stovetop use. As for baking in a conventional oven — that’s going to generate far too much heat! Who needs a grill in addition to all that? Broken Record 💿 I sound like a broken record here — ride early! Especially if you don’t have a shady trail to follow! Does the Natchez Trace qualify? It’s gotten so that I use my Camel-Bak for the ride to the salvage store. Even for that short ride, plain water doesn’t seem to suffice when the weather is so hot; and I want electrolyte drink as well as water.  That means I need to use a bottle for the electrolyte drink; and with only two bottle cages, I have to do something else if I’m to bring along enough water! Wednesday night and Thursday, we might have T-storms; and that might cool us off a few degrees. But it will still be hot. 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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Three Week Blink

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Three Week Blink 👁️ Today’s Featured Product! 💥 HaoHakka X-Large Duffle   New!! Eurobike X1 For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I just did a three week blink, I think. You know how they say, blink and you’ll miss it? I’ve hardly paid any attention to the Tour de France; and now it’s almost over! While I enjoy looking at the TdF pics, I still haven’t been able to get interested in participating in racing; and it’s more fun to ride without the pressure that comes with racing. Serious racing means a lot of travel, too; and I don’t have the finances for that. I’ll gladly remain a  homebody-type cyclist, even if I do a three week blink now and then! Four Day Broil 🥵 We’ve got a four-day broil coming. The heat index tomorrow and Monday might touch 109 degrees! The hottest part of the Summer is yet to come; and it makes me think, if only a three week blink would let us bypass it! That means more early rides, which is rather hard on me. I’m no longer accustomed to rising at 4:30am! But I want to finish my rides before the heat gets too intense; and if I want to ride 20 miles, it’s better if I get moving by 6:30! 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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Product Comparison

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Outdoors /

Product Comparison ⚖️ Today’s Featured Product! 👍 Kryptonite Incite XR New!! Mongoose Argus Trail For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Let’s get into some product comparison here: wearable fan versus cooling rag. I got to juggle exactly those two choices in recent days. With the prospect of a possible power outage, I charged up the fan. The fan helps to cool me; but I don’t enjoy the sound of it so close to my ears. And of course the fan can run for only so long. The cooling rag doesn’t have to be charged up; and it’s much easier to pack along if I don’t need it right away. It looks like product comparison doesn’t need to go very far! Choose One 1️⃣ I’ll certainly need to choose one for the upcoming days; and no, I don’t mean the protein bars. The long-range forecast shows a lot of heat from tomorrow through next Tuesday; and I’m going to need a way to beat that heat. How did people manage in the days before wearable fans; air conditioning; and cool rags? Not that I need to ask.They built their daily lives around it; and in addition, they were accustomed to it. Thinking about it makes me realize how spoiled I am. I can grab that cool rag any time; and drape it around the back of my neck when I need to go out in the heat. Which reminds me, I wonder how RAGBRAI is going? 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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Much Ado about Nothing?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Much Ado about Nothing? 😩 Today’s Featured Product! 🏆 Kryptonite U-Lock New!! BAR U EAT For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Yesterday turned out to be much ado about nothing. We hardly got anything from that tropical storm. That’s a good thing; but it’s far too soon to let our guard down. Peak hurricane season is still ahead! The wind, however, is still a brisk 14 mph; with gusts up to 24 mph. Maybe I’ll be lazy and skip the ride, unless the breeze calms down later. Or is this more of much ado about nothing? Lazy? 😴 Or maybe I’m just lazy, and feel like playing possum. I expected it to be pouring this morning, so I didn’t set my alarm clock last night; and didn’t wake up until seven o’clock. That’s about the time I usually start a ride! As it turns out, the weather is clear and sunny. As of 9:15 am, anyway; there’s still a 30% chance of showers. The heat index could reach  105 degrees, too. Riding in those conditions wouldn’t be fun; but we’ll see. I might get too tired of sitting around indoors; and go out anyhow! So I’ll plan for an early ride tomorrow; and throw in some hard efforts. I need the exercise!   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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Batten Down the Hatches?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Batten Down the Hatches? ▩ Today’s Featured Product! 👏🏻 Sport Shake New!! Hurricane Bike Saddle For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store!   Is it time to batten down the hatches? We’ve under tropical storm warning; and I’m relieved that I got home from today’s appointment before bad weather closed in. I’m glad I’m not rushing around trying to get supplies at the eleventh hour! I charged up my cell phone; and am recharging my charger block. I made sure my Arctic Air fan was charged up, too. If we lose power, I’ll need a way to beat the heat! Wait! 🫸 All I can do now is wait. The wind speed is 20+ mph; and unless it’s behind me, I sure won’t be fast! If the wind strengthens, there’ll be the risk of flying objects, whether identified or not. Even tomorrow, wind gusts could reach 30 mph; and I figure will be wiser not to go out if I don’t absolutely have to. Rain is expected, too; in fact, we already got enough precipitation to make the ground wet. So let’s batten down the hatches and wait. But that’s the hardest part — waiting!   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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Odd Ride

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Odd Ride 🌀 Today’s Featured Product! ☄️ Keto Bars New!! B.T.R. Nation  For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Today’s was an odd ride. Not the the route resembled a roller-coaster track; but it was still unusual. I seldom work a visit to Walmart into a ride; but today I needed to. Several weeks ago I bought an item that turned out to be the wrong thing; and I needed to return it. I couldn’t postpone the trip indefinitely; so I finally prodded myself into doing it. Then I headed for the park to ride a few laps. Goodness knows what the weather will be doing tomorrow; and anyway, I have an appointment downtown! Watch! 👀 Part of the reason for an odd ride was, we’re under tropical storm watch. There’s also an extreme heat warning that went into effect at 10:00 am! The heat index is 108 as of 2:00 pm; so I’m glad I’m not out there now. Between a 10:00 am appointment and the prospect of wild weather, I don’t plan to ride tomorrow. Besides, the forecast says the heat index tomorrow could reach 114 degrees! I expect I won’t be back home much before noon, when the day gets really hot; and I want to keep cool! 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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WHAT Do I Believe?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

WHAT Do I Believe!? 🤨 Today’s Featured Product! 🎊 Cuvccn LED Reflective Vest  New!! RXBAR High Protein   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! WHAT do I believe? The local forecast keeps changing; and watching this video hasn’t increased my certainty. Will we be getting tropical storm conditions; or won’t we? What do I believe? One thing is for sure: don’t stock up on microwavable meals! A tropical storm might well knock out the electricity; and then 1) I won’t be able too cook at all (electric stove here); and 2) if the outage is more than brief, I’ll have to worry about my food going bad! Don’t Stock Up! 🛒 I have to remind myself, don’t stock up until after this weather crisis is past. Don’t even go get a new cabbage right now! The heat index is over 100 degrees anyhow; so why go out if I don’t really need to? There’s plenty of canned stuff here; and even some Star Kist Beef Creations. They’re a salvage-store find; are shelf-stable; and actually taste pretty good. How about riding? Not as of 3:00 pm today! It is HOT out there; and today I’m rather tired. Normal after two consecutive 20-mile days, I suppose; but it shows how far I need to go before I’m really 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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Wary Eye

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Wary Eye 👁️ Today’s Featured Product! 📣 Master Lock Cable New!! Schwinn  Volare 1300 For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! It’s wary eye time again! It was bound to happen at some point. I wonder, will scanning the sky with binoculars keep that tropical system away? If it know it’s being watched, will it back  off? If only it were that simple! We might have tropical storm conditions by Wednesday night; but the good thing is that this system is already hugging the coast; so I guess it won’t be able to develop much. Even so, we’ve got to keep a wary eye out. I have an appointment downtown on Wednesday morning; and I hope any foul weather waits until at least noon to move in. That ought to give me time to get home. Braced? 😬 I hope I’m sufficiently braced for anything that the tropical system might bring. My guess is that we’ll have heavy rain; possibly some street flooding; and of course a power outage is possible. So I’m not too worried — the forecast keeps changing, anyway! If anything, I should be more concerned about heat: the heat index day after tomorrow might reach 112 degrees! 🥵 Tomorrow I’ll do a short ride; after two consecutive days of 20 miles, I need to ease up for a day. For Tuesday, I’ll play it by ear. Wednesday I think I’ll skip the ride — I’ve got to keep a wary eye out!   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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Made to Move

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Made to Move 🏃🏽‍♀️ Today’s Featured Product! Nature Valley Granola Bar New!! Gooch Guard For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! The human body is made to move, they say. Is that why my legs enjoy pedaling? It took about ten minutes for me to become addicted; and I’m so glad I have a good place to ride! Today I did some work to try to improve my leg strength. I went for a 20-mile ride; and during the first half, I practiced pushing against the wind for two minutes at a time. I did two or three sets of three efforts each; with two minutes between efforts. I’m made to move, right? So I might as well move! Gosh It’s Hot! ♨️ But gosh, it’s hot! I made an extra effort to get going earlier; it was already 80 degrees before 7:00 am; and a heat advisory was set to go into effect at 10:00 am. Indeed, before I was halfway back home, I could feel how hot it was getting. I’m glad I had a tailwind then; usually I get the headwind during the inward-bound half of a ride. The next few days look like repeats of today; so I’ll have to continue getting up by 5:30 am. That’s rather tough; since my retirement I don’t want to get up so early! 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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Sweltering,

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Sweltering 🥵 Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 Sparthos Training Mask New!! Shimano Tourney FC-TY501 For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Afternoons are becoming sweltering. The heat index today reached 100+ degrees; and I didn’t want to go out to ride in such heat. Normally I ride early in the day to avoid the hottest hours; but today I had to go downtown for a 10:30am appointment. It was noon by the time I got back home; and I didn’t want to ride then. It was rather sweltering out there; and I was tired, too. Baked Cyclist? 🥖 Riding at midday during this season can result in a baked cyclist; and I’m in no hurry to get baked. But “baked cyclist” sounds like some kind of dessert — akin to Baked Alaska. It looks like RAGBRAI riders will have plenty of heat to cope with; but as I remember, it got hot enough during last year’s ride! A cool rag helped; and I was very glad to have it. I ought to be used to heat and humidity; and if I head to the park to ride, I usually find at least some shade. So, am I getting overly concerned? It’s not as though I go out and try to ride 20 miles in 90 minutes or less!     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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