SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Author name: CAL

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

Costa Rica

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Costa Rica Costa Rica has a number of cycling tours to offer, with durations of six to fifteen days. These tours rely quite heavily on the mountain bike; and you’d better get your biceps in shape for the white-water rafting! The 8-day Coast-to-Coast tour crosses the country from East to West. You’ll ride past villages and farms; fields of sugar-cane; and banana plantations. There’s even a volcano along the route; and coffee plantations as well.. If you want a longer Coast-to-Coast tour, there’s the 15-day route. This tour is physically challenging — you’ll engage in mountain biking; kayaking; and white-water rafting. Included is a bicycling climb over the Continental Divide. For a 10-day jaunt, you can undertake the Pacific, Arenal & Caribbean Coast tour. It includes cycling and river rafting; and hikes to view waterfalls. You can take a soak in the Arenal area’s hot springs to ease out those kinks in your muscles. These are only three of the tours available; and I must say that they all sound strenuous. I don’t even have a mountain bike; but maybe my hybrid would do? Costa Rica can get very wet, especially in the southern part of the country. In that warm climate, you might be able to get through the rain without a poncho, unless you’re at  high altitude. January through March is the dry season; so I, for one, would prefer to schedule a tour during that time. The average annual temperature is 89 degrees; and having a way to keep cool sounds like a wise precaution. From beaches to mountains; white-water to coffee growing areas, Costa Rica offers a wide variety of adventures! 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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labeling pics

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Labeling Pics boy doll yuk tongue mini pump phone talk yell shout clouds levee bridge belgium cook wok food grass book daisies blowers bike bicycle ride road fireworks celebration display thailand? siam? india? temple scotland cliff sea penguin bird antarctica south pole shop store door entrance book kindle? thailand taiwan laos Singapore maylasia cambodia greece ohio australia israel california franc japan pakistan mongolia austria switzerland matterhorn mexico firth of forth scotland texas fire mississippi

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On Parallel Courses

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

On Parallel Courses When riding a group, you want to stay on parallel courses. It can get disastrous if riders swerve into each other! They say that riding on rollers is a good way to develop the skill of holding a straight line; and maybe I need to work on that. In fact, I did have a set of rollers years ago; but never got confident on them — especially not on the road bike. I think I was too tentative when I started pedaling on those rollers; and slick tires on non-rubberized rollers are tricky! But what’s going to happen when two tropical systems are on parallel courses? Both Franklin and Idalia are headed northwards; and the former seems to have been overindulging in Energy Shots. He’s up to Category 4! Unless Idalia drastically changes her course, New Orleans probably doesn’t have too much to worry about; although I suppose we’ll feel some effects (wind, rain). But Franklin? I hope he curves out to sea and dissipates. If he continues on his present path, it looks like he’ll slam into Connecticut; and my brother lives there with his family. I hope they’ll be OK. Is it possible for weather effects from these two storms to combine forces? I certainly hope not! I suspect that the results would not be good. As long as they stay on parallel courses, they probably won’t meet; and although they’re moving at about the same forward speed, Franklin is a good bit farther North.  I might have a few windy days ahead of me. Maybe it’s a good time to practice riding on the drops.

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Gravel Bike

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Gravel Bike This Tommaso Siena Gravel Bike is ready to go when you’re heading for some rough riding surfaces. Extra-wide tires offer better traction than the narrow tires of a road bike; and the 21 gears can help you adapt your pedaling to varied terrain. I’m not a gravel rider myself; and I’m sure not ready for the Dirty Kanza!

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Hutch

BACK ISSUES, equipment /

Hutch? Rabbitroom sounds like a hutch to me. I’ve never had a pet rabbit; but of course I’ve heard about a rabbit hutch. These gloves sound like great wear for Winter rides. So far I’ve never found any gloves that really keep my hands warm on cold days. Even if they did keep my hands warm, full-finger gloves make eating on the bike awkward. It might sound like insanity to be talking about heated gloves now. Our afternoon high temperatures have been at or near 100 degrees nearly every day for weeks; and excessive heat warnings have become the norm. These warnings go into effect as early as 10:00 am; and I try to be back home from riding by that time. Going out to ride when it’s baking hot is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you have to be extra careful about hydration; and the you certainly want to avoid heat stroke! On the other hand, riding in such heat is the only way to get acclimated if you’re aiming at an event such as RAGBRAI. Iowa can get hot and humid; and the average daily mileage for RAGBRAI is something like 60+ miles! That means riding during the heat of the day. How to get acclimated? It’s a matter of starting with short, easy rides; and building up distance and speed. Use a hydration system; and take a electrolyte drink. Allow youself plenty of time to get used to hot rides. But don’t drive yourself crazy about it; you don’t want to make yourself into a basket case. Or should I say, a hutch case?  

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Waterproof

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Waterproof? When I see a product touted as “waterproof”, I’m frankly skeptical. Too many times I’ve been caught in a heavy downpour that soaks my jacket and everything else! Rain here is typically heavy enough to penetrate the “waterproof” zipper on a bicycle trunk! All the same, I wish I could try out some waterproof jackets, such as this BALEAF model. It would be nice to ride through the rain and stay at least halfway dry! If the jacket doesn’t cut it, a rain suit might work.  We’ve had so little rain in the last few months, though, that we’re going to forget how to ride in it. A major annoyance of mine is the visibility problems that come with riding in the rain; especially if there’s a wind to drive the rain into my face. That was especially annoying when I was still riding before daylight. Dark + wind-driven rain has me pedaling almost blind! At least my skin is waterproof; but that wasn’t much consolation when I had gotten soaked; and it was cold out; and I had to go to work — often getting all wet again in the process. I don’t have that particular pain in the neck now that I’m retired; but I know I’ll get poured on one of these days. At least now I can stay put after I get home; and if it’s cold, I can enjoy a mug of hot chocolate. Incidentally, do you find it easier to cope with riding in the rain, if the shower begins when you’re already out? I certainly do; probably because the only course of action I have is to keep going. And if I’m still home when the lightning starts a-crackin’, it’s wise not to go out until things settle down!    

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Watered Down

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Watered Down? Proper hydration is important; but you don’t want to get watered down. It’s actually possible to drink too much water; and that can lead to hyponatremia. So while a Camel-Bak is great to have for any long ride — especially in this heat — it’s important to take along electrolyte drink, too. Even when it’s not hot, after I’ve been riding an hour, plain H-2-O stops working. No matter how much I drink, I’m still thirsty. My stomach starts to feel uncomfortable, too, with all that fluid squelching around inside. Who needs an upset stomach on top of being too hot? An electrolyte drink is what you need then. I’ve tried a number of such beverages: Nuun and BioSteel among them. GU-Gels contain sodium; but here’s the catch: those things make me thirsty! I’ve also heard that downing too many energy gels can cause gastric upset. Not fun. Speaking of watered down, what do you do when you get caught in the rain while riding? Some riders look for a place to wait out the shower; others keep plodding on. I generally opt for the latter course of action. Around here, there’s no telling whether rain will stop in 15 minutes; or continue for hours!

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Over the Hump

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Over the Hump Sometimes, when cycling, you’ve got to get over the hump. When I first began riding, getting over any kind of hump felt very hard. I read various cycling websites and books for hints about climbing. One source said, shift into harder gears as you near the top of an incline. WHAT?! That seemed to me the opposite of what riders needed to do; namely, to shift to easier gears on the way uphill. But I know a little better now. About two and a half years ago, out of the blue, I found that I was pulling up on the handlebars and easing my weight on the saddle when “climbing”. I noticed that this let me push harder on the pedals. It’s harder on my legs; but I seem to be able to climb more effectively when I do it. And it does, indeed, help me to get over the hump if I shift to the next hardest gear as I near the top. It gives me more to push against; and that provides a boost. Another tidbit of advice for climbing is: don’t let up your efforts until you’ve finished the climb, that is, wait to relax a bit until you feel gravity starting to pull you down the incline. I’m finding that it’s true. Not that I really ought to hand out advice on climbing. The humps I know are simply places where pipes go over the levee. Our terrain is flat, flat, flat. What would I do if I wound up living in the Ozarks?

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Covered with Snow

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Covered with Snow 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.” Covered with snow, we are not. Snow, in fact, is very rare here — the last time we got any was in 2008! Nevada, however, means, “covered with snow”; and the Silver State offers a number of bicycle trails. If you want snow, there are skiing opportunities as well. The Austin Mountain Bike Trail Network offers trails for MTB enthusiasts at all levels. For the advanced rider, there’s the one-mile, downhill-only Pony Canyon trail. A novice MRB rider might want to try out the 4.5-mile Castle Loop Trail. If you’d rather hike than bike, head for the Bently Heritage Trail. This five-mile, hikers-only route along the Carson River offers some beautiful scenery and the chance to spot some wildlife. See some Nevada high country while getting exercise by railbiking! The V&T Carson Railbike Tours follow the Virginia and Truckee Railroad through the Carson River Valley. Sounds like fun!  There is also the River Mountains Loop Trail at Henderson — 34 paved miles for biking; horseback riding; or hiking. Maybe that’s the one for me! The altitude there is not quite 1900 feet; and maybe I could manage that.  Today it’s 93 degrees; the heat index is 105; and we’ve got an air quality alert! It’s hard to think of cycling in such heat; and even harder to imagine being covered with snow. 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 Still Blue January 20, 2026 Danube Wannabe? January 19, 2026 No Snow! January 18, 2026 Is Weather a Woman? January 17, 2026 Load More TRANSLATOR

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