SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

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

Passengers

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Passengers I’ve never had passengers on my bicycle; so I can’t speak with authority. Some cyclists, however, do need to carry passengers; and here are some products that can help. I’ve mentioned the trailer many a time. In fact, I fear I’ve become quite the squeaky wheel about it! I don’t have either kids or pets; and have never used mine for anything but cargo. I did have a child, though, I’m sure I’d be glad to have the trailer. Some riders prefer to transport a child in an over-the-wheel child seat. I think I would prefer to use a trailer, because I have an idea that the trailer is more stable. Even a heavily loaded trunk seems to affect bike handling. A passenger over the rear wheel, I suspect, makes bike handling even more of a challenge; and who wants to land on the ground while the little one is riding along? Whether you go for the trailer or the over-wheel seat, don’t forget the child’s helmet! Other passengers are – well — not quite passengers. Some riders want to bring “Rover” with them, so the dog can get a good run; but how safe is it to ride one-handed while holding a leash with the other hand? This no-hands leash is one solution! And now I’ve gotten to thinking of the passenger pigeon! I’ve really got to be careful what I write about, don’t I?

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Double Dose

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Double Dose I’ve gotten a double dose, you might say; and it isn’t pretty like this double rainbow. I have arthritis: both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis! I got some OA in my knees many years ago; and they used to crackle like crazy. Now they do it far less; and maybe all the cycling helped! The RA was diagnosed only a few months ago; but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have it much sooner.  Maybe what I thought was “tendonitis” was actually RA! I’m not sure the bone spur in my hand is a result of arthritis; but I suspect I may need surgery for it. That won’t be fun; it will probably mean several days off the bike; and that, in turn, will mean more difficulty in reaching the year’s mileage goal. I’ve also got a double dose of bicycles: the hybrid and the road bike; and that’s far more pleasant that having two types of arthritis! The hybrid is my “work pony”; and the road bike is the “fancy trotter”. The hybrid gets me to and from work; and helps me bring home the groceries. It’s also there if the road bike is out of service for a while; so I don’t have to miss riding altogether! I can hardly believe that bike is ten years old already; and I hope it lasts many more years. The road bike is my “gym membership”; and it’s how I get in most of my miles. I ride for the heck of it; and entering races has never been on my bucket list. Speaking of racing, aka speed, I need to get back to my “force work”. I made one effort to reach 20 mph this morning; and couldn’t get there!

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Forty Percent

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Forty Percent Today, my ride to and from work boosted me to the forty percent mark. My Love to Ride goal for 2022 is 5000 miles; and now I’m up to 2000! I’m glad the chances for rain in the next few days are below forty percent; and right now, it looks like Sunday won’t be bad. Yesterday I did 42.1 miles; and next Sunday  I want to push for 45 miles. Maybe a bit more! But I think I need to be more careful about hydration; and maybe I needed to eat more, too. Yesterday afternoon I was prone to feeling a bit lightheaded and dizzy; and during my ride I gained only a half-pound. Usually I gain at least one pound. I hope hurricane season won’t be bad; but that may be a vain hope. There’s already a tropical wave off the coast of Africa; so again, the season is off to a premature start. It’s time to begin making plans in case another Ida heads our way. Luckily I have plenty of canned goods; and I always use a manual can opener. I don’t want to rely on electric power to get my food out of the can! As usual, my biggest worry is what I’ll do if we have to evacuate. This is one of the very few times when I can’t help wishing I had a car! It would be much easier to leave town. But I digress. Getting back to my mileage goal, maybe I did a bit too much yesterday. I rode so little during the preceding week; and suddenly cranking out 42+ miles was a big leap. My legs were tired and sluggish today. Or is it just because it’s Monday?

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Bare Skin Time

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Bare Skin Time We’ve got to take care of that “top layer”! It’s warm again; and that means it’s bare skin time. That, in turn, means it’s time for lots of sunblock! I can’t have too much of this on hand. I almost have to take a bath in it; and it’s rather annoying. When I get home from my Sunday long ride, I have three or four layers of sunblock to wash off; and I really don’t like washing all that stuff down my drains. That’s the price I pay for not needing leg warmers and long sleeves! I’m getting back into riding after a week of low mileage. Mondays I usually only ride to work; and Tuesday was prep day for a medical procedure. Who can ride long and/or strong on Jello® and Mountain Dew®? I didn’t even do five miles that day! The next day, of course, I couldn’t ride; and Thursday I made a supermarket run before work. Friday I finally got to do a real ride; and yesterday I rode to the salvage store. Today I put in 42.1 miles; and according to my Love to Ride statistics, that gets me to 1996 miles so far this year. I need to bump it up to 2500 by the end of this month; and that will take some doing. I’m lagging on my progress towards my 2022 mileage goal; and if I have to have surgery for that bone spur in my hand, I’ll lose several more days! Bare skin time at least makes it easier to get out on the bike. When it’s cold and windy, I have to prod myself into riding; and it takes longer to get dressed! Now I probably don’t need to worry about that until October.

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What the Doctor Ordered

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

What the Doctor Ordered Is this what the doctor ordered? Pills might be just what the doctor ordered. Or increased exercise; or maybe a change in diet. Helpful if you’ve got prediabetes hanging over your head I’m not elated at having to take any medication long-term; but if an ℞ is what the doctor ordered, what else can I do? But today I rode to the salvage store; and to my delight, the grab-bag bins were well stocked. It took some digging; but I found a dozen — yes, that’s right, twelve — RXBars! I found me some ride food today! Some were Peanut Butter Chocolate; some were Chocolate Sea Salt; and some were Blueberry. If this is what the doctor ordered, then the doc should be very happy with me! I also found a half-dozen Special K Protein bars; and five or six junky snack items. I sat down after I was home to calculate my savings; and the grab bag meant major savings: it boiled down to about 13¢ per item; and at the drug store RXBars are usually 2/$5.00. Multiplied by 12, I saved over $26 right there! I don’t want to bore my readers by elaborating on what I saved on everything I got at the salvage store; but suffice it to say that I saved something on just about every item, even if was only three pennies. Pennies add up, though! Today I took the trailer; and what a welcome relief it was to have almost no wind! Even so I stayed on my granny gear most of the time. I just didn’t feel like working hard; and I didn’t need to. There was no need to hurry; and why not take it easy now and then? Sometimes rest is just what the doctor ordered!

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Forgetful Friday

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Forgetful Friday Sometimes we just go totally blank! Today was Forgetful Friday, all right! First, I forgot to put on my chest strap. Maybe that’s normal, because the last time I used the road bike was Sunday. I didn’t notice until I turned on my Garmin, and saw there was no heart rate reading. I wanted to get out there and ride; so I decided not to bother with my heart rate today. Tracking your heart rate can help with your training Then, after I had carried my road bike down the steps, I noticed that I had forgotten my cell phone. Back in I went to get it; and I turned off the bike’s tail light while I was fetching the phone. Then I forgot to turn the light back on! What next; will I forget how to ride a bicycle? I hope Forgetful Friday never gets that far! How Friday Went I was pessimistic about this morning’s weather. The forecast looked like it might be too stormy to ride; and in fact we got a huge downpour around 1:00 am. I heard it raining; and there was lightning and thunder as well. At 5:00 am, the sky was partly clear; and it wasn’t raining! I was both surprised and relieved; and went for a ride. Even so, it felt like taking chances, because the weather can change very quickly. It began to drizzle a bit shortly before I got to work; and I’m glad it didn’t really rain again until a little later. I felt sorry for the Tour de Rouge riders. I figured they were pedaling through the rain; and I hope they didn’t have such conditions all the way from Houston! I hope Forgetful Friday doesn’t extend past today. I must remember to get some cooking done this weekend; and I don’t need to forget my appointment with the rheumatologist on the 18th. For one thing, I want to discuss what I can do about that bone spur in my left hand. When I’m on the road bike, it makes shifting from the small ring to the big ring painful; I hope this doesn’t make me cranky! and it affects other aspects of my daily life as well. I’m not in a hurry for surgery; but I can’t think of any other way to get rid of that spur. If only Forgetful Friday could make it go away! Share via:

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CATabolic?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

CATabolic? Don’t go catabolic!  I sure felt like I was catabolic yesterday morning. Tuesday all I could eat and drink were clear bouillon; yellow or green Jello®; and clear liquids. Then there was that awful prep; and yesterday the test. The prep is far worse than the procedure! It left me feeling utterly drained and exhausted; and I wonder whether that’s how Grand Tour riders feel by the third week of a race. I read somewhere that, by that point, the riders’ bodies are going catabolic, because they burn so many calories; and because it gets harder and harder for them to eat enough. It was a great relief to get back home after the procedure, and be able to eat some real food! Do Grand Tour riders feel the same elation at the post-race meal? By late afternoon I still felt rather groggy from the morning’s sedation; and had to let riding slide. This morning I made a pre-work run to the supermarket; and boy, did it feel good to be riding again! Then I rode to work; and of course I rode home at the end of the day. The odds for tomorrow morning’s ride don’t look so good; and Tour de Rouge might get wet! Tour de Rouge? I don’t remember hearing about Tour de Rouge before; but that doesn’t mean I didn’t. This six-day bicycle ride goes from Houston, TX to New Orleans, LA. I saw route signs for it next to the railroad crossing near home; and looked it up. TdR is a fund-raiser for people who have intellectual or developmental disabilities; such as autism or Fragile X Syndrome. The route covers an average of 90 miles per day; and this year’s ride ends tomorrow, right here in New Orleans. I’m not up to 90-mile rides yet; and to do it every day for six consecutive days is far beyond my present capabilities. If I tried, I’d go catabolic for sure!

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Weak as Water?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Weak as Water? Weak as water? Think again! “Weak as water” is an odd expression. Often it’s used to mean just plain “weak”; and that’s how I felt this morning after — ahem — colonoscopy prep. I’m glad it’s over for another five years! We don’t want to be weak as water while riding; and that’s why proper fueling is so important. But don’t forget to stay hydrated. Water is necessary for life itself, after all. Keep hydrated! Water is the “force of life”. And over time, water can wear away rocks. The moral: persistence pays off! On the other hand, water can wreak utter havoc. A mere six inches of moving water is strong enough to knock over an adult; and one foot of swift water can sweep a car away. Hurricane Katrina is branded into our minds as an example of what water can do; and the possibility of a repeat performance is always in the back of our minds. Of course we know the power of water — namely, rain — to ruin a ride. In hot weather it keeps us cooler; but even so I, for one, don’t like riding in the rain. When the rain begins while I’m out riding, I’m always concerned that lightning is about to break out! It’s much harder to see in a heavy rain; and wearing a poncho doesn’t work at all well when I’m on the road bike. Unfortunately, road bikes and ponchos don’t mix. It looks like we aren’t expecting rain before tomorrow night; so maybe I can make a pre-work run to the supermarket. Rain chances are greater on Friday; so I can’t be sure whether I’ll be able to ride and stay dry. I suppose we cyclists are all gamblers: we’re always gambling on suitable riding weather!

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Count Me Out

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Count Me Out If only counting could stay this much fun! You’ll have to count me out from some things. Often enough I’ve mentioned such long-distance events as RAAM; or PBP. With long and hard training, maybe I could become strong and fast enough to qualify for participation; but both demand a good dose of self-sufficiency. Riders need to be able to fix mechanical issues; and they need to be able to fix a flat quickly and easily. That right there is a “count me out”. If I practiced, I might be able to change a tube much more quickly; but will my hands be able to tolerate it? Always carry a spare! Flats happen. I have rheumatoid arthritis; and the base joint of my right index finger is swollen. I also have a bone spur at the base of my left thumb; and between the two, getting a tire on and off its rim is difficult and painful. If I can’t fix a flat on my own, RAAM and PBP are beyond me; especially RAAM. After all, RAAM is a race; PBP isn’t. I had to count me out of a regular ride this morning. Today I have to stay on a clear-liquid diet because of a medical procedure I have scheduled for tomorrow; and it sure is a nuisance! Jello® and Mountain Dew® aren’t much sustenance for real miles; and I did only a short ride on the hybrid. Tomorrow I probably won’t get to ride at all; but I hope to get a regular long ride Sunday. It will be hot; but I suppose I have to expect that. After all, it’s May; and sometimes that summery heat and humidity begin in March. And before I know it, it will be hurricane season!

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Inertia

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Inertia We all have to fight this sometimes! Oh, inertia: we have those days when we just don’t feel like riding; and merely getting ready for a ride seems like a major undertaking. For me, such inertia is more likely to strike when it’s cold and windy. It’s irksome and time-consuming to put on all those layers; and extra layers on my legs interfere with pedaling. Multiple layers “up above” make me feel weighed down; and I lose track of which pocket has which thing in it! On cold days, I know that my nose will run like crazy; and I need warming packs for my hands. But having those things inside my gloves is awkward. Of course the opposite occurs, too: when it’s already 80 degrees at 5:00 am, I don’t always feel like going for a ride in a sweltering steam bath. We’ll be getting such weather before long; and it’s likely to persist as late as November! Already I see more insects when I’m out on the bike; and I’m not looking forward to riding through thick swarms of miniature moths; gnats; and whatever else is out there. On long-ride days in that heat, I have to plan for extra hydration, too. Plain water simply doesn’t suffice after about 45 minutes. Hydration to help “propel” you forward! I wonder how Tour de France riders manage in the hot days of July! I guess they’re better acclimated to it than I am; after all, they’ve spent years in training; and I’m a mere amateur. I have to fight inertia when it comes to household chores, too. Evenings and weekends, I get occupied with other things; and cleaning falls by the wayside. But do I ever need to get some cleaning done! Well, there’s always mañana.

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