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SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

Cycling enthusiast; classical music lover; experimenter in the kitchen!

Disaster

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Disaster 🌪️ Today’s Featured Product! 🎇 Safety Wing Cycling Reflector New!! Mind Diet Kitchen For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! A disaster doesn’t have to mean something as drastic as a tornado. There are the smaller, garden-variety mishaps, too. I had one today, resulting in the loss of a water bottle. I had just taken a drink of water; and managed to drop the bottle. My rear wheel went right over it; and the pressure caused the bottle’s cap to split into pieces! So now the bottle itself is of no use for my rides. Naturally I lost all the water; and it’s a good thing I still had electrolyte drink. And only about two more miles to go. If I had been ten miles from home, that would have been much more of a disaster! Homebody 🏡 Today I planned on doing a rather short fitness ride; then making a trip to the Salvation Army’s thrift store. As I rode, though, the wind seemed to get much stronger. After I got home, I decided to be a homebody. I can go to the store another day; and this morning I made a garbage soup. My head is stuffy today; and that’s no  help. At least the weather should be OK for riding tomorrow and Thursday. Friday, unfortunately, doesn’t look so good — and I have to go downtown Friday afternoon! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Stop the Suspense!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Stop the Suspense! 😧 Today’s Featured Product! 🎆 Schwinn Airdyne New!! Bicycle Repair & Maintenance For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I feel like telling our weather to stop the suspense. Is a T-storm going to break loose; or not? I’m glad bad weather wasn’t threatening when I rode this morning; nor when I walked to FedEx shortly afterwards. The forecast says, T-storms are possible this afternoon. I went out about 12:30 pm, and sure enough, the sky towards the Northeast looked stormy. Not what I like to see when I’m on my way to buy some greeting cards, with envelopes that’ll get stuck shut if they get wet! Not Yet ⏰ T-storms this afternoon? Well, not yet. Come on, stop the suspense! And this is nothing to the suspense of watching a tropical system, hoping it won’t head our way. It looks like I won’t have to worry about bad weather tomorrow morning; but the heat is building up. It’s almost time to get out the cool rag. After I began using one, I wondered how I got along without it. When the mercury rises, it’s important to keep cool! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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I Broke 100

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food, Outdoors /

I Broke 100! 💯 Today’s Featured Product! 🎉 BikeHand Foldable Bike Stand New!! Dynacraft Magna Major For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I broke 100 miles this past week! It looks like I’m finally getting back to normal! This morning I rode out 10 miles; and took a break for 5-10 minutes while I chowed down a Clif Builder’s bar; and reapplied sunblock. Then I started back home; and oh, the headwind! I had to keep shifting into my lowest gear; and all that rapid pedaling sends my heart rate way up. It’s quite tiring. But at least I broke 100 miles this week! Just Call Me Granny 👵 “Just call me Granny” kept running through my head as I battled 12 mph headwinds for miles. I felt like such a snail when other riders whizzed past me like I was standing  still! I’m really not a big fan of riding in my lowest gear. It slows me to a crawl; and today my left foot slipped out  of the toe clip. I had to stop; and starting up in the lowest gear is actually tricky. There’s no resistance; and I had to try four times before I could manage to shift into the second cog so I could get the bike moving. The trick was, I needed to shift as soon as I made the first pedal downstroke. I’m glad I was home soon after 10:00 am. The forecast said, showers and T-storms from early afternoon. I don’t want to be another Roy Sullivan! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Pack Away

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Pack Away 📦 Today’s Featured Product! 🧨 Besrey Tricycle New!! SLS Aero Top-Tube Bag For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I guess it’s time to pack away the cold-weather riding gear. Overnight low temperatures are now in the low 70s; and afternoons reach as high as 85! It will be a relief to not have assorted jackets; leg warmers; and other such items cluttering up the place. For one thing, with repeated uses those things do get sweaty; and when I walk through my front door it smells like a locker room in here!   Pack Up 🧳 Once we pack away the Winter cycling clothes, maybe  it’s time to pack up the panniers for a bicycle tour! I just hope we won’t find closed roads all over the place. Only, I’m completely inexperienced with bicycle touring. Except for last year’s RAGBRAI, I’ve never been on such a ride . I have a great deal of admiration for riders who do serious bike-packing — carrying all their gear (tent; camp-cooking needs; etc.); and facing all kinds of weather and road conditions. It’s very different from RAGBRAI!     Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Unofficial Summer

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Unofficial Summer 🥵 Today’s Featured Product! 🎊 Crankbros Unisex Adult Mallet New!! KaZAM Co-Pilot Bike Trailer For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! It’s unofficial Summer! I rode in shirt sleeves this morning! Indeed, by noon it was 82 degrees. Now I can think seriously of packing away the cold-weather gear. I’m getting hankerings after corn on the cob, too; but it’s not in season yet. I must eat some in honor of RAGBRAI come July. Maybe some watermelon, too. Today I pushed for 22 miles; 20 miles is starting to feel a bit too easy. There was little wind, which helped; and I spent some time riding on the big ring. That sure gets my heart rate up! Even though it’s only unofficial Summer, I’m thinking about the upcoming hurricane season. I hope we won’t have to be bracing for storms this year. Bracing for Storms 🌀 It doesn’t hurt to consider hurricane plans now; including the wild notion of riding with a Cat-1 hurricane wind behind me. If, that is, I can be sure said wind won’t blow me head over heels! Bracing for storms means stocking up on bottled water; seeing to it that the pantry is full; and being sure I’ve got enough of my prescriptions. To be honest, it’s a major nuisance; and I hope those hurricanes stay away! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Dial It Back

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Personal Care /

Dial It Back ⏱️ Today’s Featured Product! 🎉 KneeRover Deluxe KneeCycle New!! Joystar For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Some days we need to dial it back a bit. It might be fatigue; or maybe we can’t do a long ride because we have to go somewhere. At any rate, I decided to dial it back today. Then tomorrow, I’ll shoot for 20-22 miles again. It look like I’ll have clear weather for it; and the worst of the heat isn’t here yet. Warmer weather means more exposed skin, though; which in turn means more sunblock! What’s the Skinny? 👂🏻 So, what’s the skinny about sunblock? How much do I really need to use? I personally look for the fragrance-free types, because fragrances bother me. If only there were sunblocks that lasted several hours! All the ones that I find need to be reapplied every 80 minutes. So tell me, how do Tour de France riders reapply sunblock? I try to wash off sunblock as soon as I finish a ride; I’ve got an idea that it’s not the best thing for the skin to leave sunblock on all day. And I do it outdoors, too. Sunblock probably isn’t the best thing for plumbing! Don’t forget, Summer vacation is very close. Kids need UV protection, too! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Two in a Row

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Two in a Row! 🚢 Today’s Featured Product! ☄️ Castleberry’s Brunswick Stew New!! JXLHZLF Handlebar Bag For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Two in a row sounds like a nice little beginners’ pace line. I know just enough about pace lines to know, don’t try to start learning how to draft in a big group of riders! But I wasn’t drafting today; and in fact, so far I’ve never tried it. My two in a row was two ships, not far apart; and that’s rare. I like to watch ships! I was able to see their names and write them down; then I googled them once I was home. The first, I found, sails under the flag of Panama. The second ship sails under the Cayman Islands red flag. Do Ships Help Riding? ⚓️ But, do ships help riding? No, they don’t; not directly. However, the hopes of seeing ships helps spur me to go out ten miles. There’s a great view of the river from there! Today I tried riding on the big ring, on and off. It helps develop strength, I think. There wasn’t quite as much wind this morning, and the next few days will be sunny. Good thing; we need a break from rain! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Round Five?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training, Uncategorized /

Round Five? 🥊 Today’s Featured Product! 🌠 Ibera Bicycle Wall Hanger New!! Copper Cow Coffee For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store!  It seems like the weather is delivering Round Five. Here comes yet more rain! Luckily I beat it this morning; and it looks like rain is unlikely for the next few days. But tonight we might get a good downpour. Round Five isn’t over yet. With a respite from rain, I can go out there and turn up the steam — and I don’t only mean heat and high humidity. Turn up the Steam ♨️ I’ve been too lazy about hard efforts for a while; and I need to turn up the steam again. I can begin with efforts 2-3 minutes long; and go from there. Or, I could also try riding 1 mph faster than usual; and keeping it up for my entire ride. That sounds like very little; but I’m riding the hybrid, after all. It’s considerably heavier than my road bike was; and I often have to work against a headwind. I’ll be glad when I have a road bike again. I hope my body hasn’t forgotten how to ride one! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Cycling Moms

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Outdoors /

Cycling Moms 👩 Today’s Featured Product! ✨ Allen Deluxe Trailer & Stroller New!! Blue Quartz Hydration Backpack For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! To cycling moms — and all mothers — Happy Mothers’ Day! There are quite a few ways to being along youngsters on a ride; from trailer/strollers for very young children, to trailercycles that let an older kid ride along without fear of separation. Never having had children, I can’t vouch for how well these things really work; but I’m sure there are plenty of parents who have tried them out; cycling moms and cycling dads as well. Twenty at Last! 🚧 Today my mileage hit 20 at last; for a change, there was no virtual road block in the form of bad weather. I had a frustrating three days of cutting rides short; and I was glad to get in some real distance. I saw rabbits again today! A ride of 20 miles gives me quite a lot of time to watch for wildlife; and to listen for bird calls.  And watch the sky. It looks like this week won’t be as stormy as last week; so I can keep on putting in the miles. And cycling moms are probably glad of it, too. The little ones won’t need a raincoat! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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SINKo de Mayo?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

SINKo de Mayo? 𝍅 Today’s Featured Product! 💥 Schwinn Fitness IC New!! Biosteel Zero Mixed Berry For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Today looks like SINKo de Mayo; as in lots of rain, and ensuing deep water at the curbs. The forecast indicated the possibility of locally heavy downpours; and when this happens, some people move their cars to the neutral ground. Normally, parking on the neutral ground isn’t allowed; but vehicles parked along curbs could get flooded if it rains very hard. At such times, this rule is temporarily waived; and it’s not always SINKo de Mayo. It can happen in December! Rain, of course, follows no rules; it does whatever it want to do; and whenever it wants. It doesn’t wait politely for us cyclists to complete a ride; and such was the case this morning. Tired Is Good 🫩 Tired is good? Usually I don’t think like that; but is certainly seemed true today. Because of the forecast, I didn’t want to try riding to the salvage store. I rode to the park to do some laps, instead. But I felt tired; after just one circuit I decided to head home. When I got on the bike path again, I was dismayed to see a very stormy-looking sky towards the Northwest. I sure wanted to beat that home! Before I could get back home, there was some light rain/misting; and at least one very hefty wind gust. But so far (10:00 am), we haven’t had the heavy downpour that I was expecting. It drives me crazy when T-storms are predicted; but don’t happen. Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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