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Zombie

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I was a complete zombie yesterday. First, I was so sleepy that I didn\’t get up until 5:05 am; and that\’s close to the time that I\’m normally heading out on the road bike. I decided to skip the ride. That gave me an hour to get a few things done at home; and then I rode the hybrid to work. I didn\’t feel so great at work, either. I tried using my work station in \”standing mode\”; and it made me feel lightheaded. The sky clouded up as the morning went on; and around 11:30 am the thunder began. I was glad I didn\’t have to go anywhere! I expected another downpour; but it didn\’t happen. The overcast helped keep the temperature down; and I got home without getting rained on. The forecast at 5:30 pm showed rain and T-storms for today. Great, I thought. As usual, I could only wait and see what this morning would be like; and of course I checked up on TS Fred! But why am I such a zombie? I think several factors are at work. First, at this time of year doing a long Sunday ride means getting up by 4:30 am, perhaps a bit earlier; and that deprives me of a couple of hours of sleep. Even if I start those long rides by 5:00 am, it\’s very hot before I can finish. Second, back to the heat. Cold temperatures sap my energy; but heat indices of 100+ degrees wear me down, too. The twice-weekly physical therapy sessions are tiring; and I\’ve had a number of other medical/dental appointments recently. It\’s too much rushing around! I want to relax; and ride my bike; and get some sleep. I\’m tired of feeling like a zombie. Just Can\’t Win If there are days when I feel like a zombie, there are days when I just can\’t win. Today I got caught by trains twice! As I was carrying my road bike out the front door, I thought I heard a train; but I heard no train horn. But it was a train; and I don\’t know why it didn\’t blow for the crossing. That\’s very unusual. I had to wait several minutes for the train to get past; and I made my ride a mile or so shorter than usual, because I had to be at physical therapy for 8:00 am. On the way home, I got caught by another train; and it was a long one. And it stopped before it had cleared the crossing! When a train stops, who knows whether it will start up again in a few minutes; or sit there for a long time. I didn\’t want to find out; so I took an alternate route home. Of course I\’m checking up on Fred. It looks we don\’t have to worry about him; but there\’s another system out there, and goodness knows what it will do. We\’ll have to cross our fingers, but stay alert; this is no time to be a zombie.

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Caught!

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Yesterday I got caught in a downpour! Weather sure is a trap at times, isn\’t it? I had an appointment with the dentist in mid-afternoon. If not for that, I would have stayed dry; but sometimes things just don\’t go right. Half an hour or so before I left work, it began to thunder; and the sky was full of big, black clouds. It wasn\’t raining when I went outside, but I thought I smelled rain; and just as I mounted my bicycle, a few drops began to fall. At first it wasn\’t bad, and I hoped to get to the dentist\’s office without getting caught in heavy rain. Well, that didn\’t pan out! The sprinkle progressed to a drizzle; and by the time I was halfway to my destination, I could see heavy rain ahead. I stopped and dug out the poncho; and before I got it on, the deluge was upon me. Even with the poncho, I got pretty wet. I had the bike trunk with me; but it doesn\’t do much to keep my stuff dry in such conditions. The zippers are sieves in a heavy rain. And wouldn\’t you know, the worst of it was over by the time I got to the dentist\’s! T-storms are a hassle, for sure; but I now have a wary eye on Tropical Storm Fred. So far it looks like the Florida Panhandle is the part of the USA most likely to get hit. They can\’t yet say for sure where the storm will eventually go; but we all hope it won\’t be here! Come Saturday I want to head for the salvage store again. Between concerns over a tropical storm and worries over another possible COVID shut-down, I don\’t want to risk getting caught short of supplies! Advance Prep Works Yesterday afternoon I got home about 4:00 pm; and at least I didn\’t get caught up in a lot of kitchen work. Last weekend I didn\’t get around to making squashed sauce, as I had planned. Monday evening I ran too short of time for it; but I did most of the prep work. I chopped the veggies I needed and stored them in the fridge; then yesterday I only needed to open cans of pasta sauce and tomatoes; and chop the canned tomatoes. Then I dumped the tomato stuff and veggies all into a large pot and cooked it! It was quick and easy; so I say, advance prep works. Advance prep is in order for long rides, too. I don\’t want to get caught short of food on a long ride; so I plan my ride food the evening before, and try to take along at least one extra bar. Even less do I want to get caught short of water; so I top up the Camel-Bak reservoir as often as I can. As for weather during those long rides, I hope I don\’t get caught in a T-storm!

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Senegal

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Senegal Would a bicycle trip through Senegal mean riding under these trees? I’m not sure what they are — acacia? Gum arabic? But I think they look neat.  If you want to learn more about Africa,  Bicycle Africa offers small-group tours, with easy to moderate cycling that can be enjoyed by riders aged 9 through 70 and over. Senegal offers visits to historical sites; and for the bird-watcher, this country is in the West African flyway. You can start from Dakar, the capital city. There are a number of paved roads  leading from Dakar; but choose carefully. Getting from one route to another is hard once you’ve started down one road. At least the terrain is quite flat! Services such as lodging are hard to find in some parts on the country, so if you aren’t with an organized tour group, you may need to camp. The best time to visit is November-March, when temperatures are relatively cool then. As of December 2023, I’m not sure about the safety of travel to Senegal; I find varying accounts, and how do I know which is right? But if you can arrange the logistics, Senegal sounds like an interesting place for a bicycle tour! 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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Out of Gear

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It looks like my road bike is out of gear; or wearing out its gears. During my last two Sunday long rides, I notice the right brifter makes creaking sounds as I shift. Why does it do that? Is it getting worn out? Does it just need a drop of oil? What\’s going on here? Last night I took a good look at the crank set. The teeth on the big ring look like they\’re getting too worn. I suspect that the cassette, too, is due for replacement. I got a new one at about 14,000 miles; and that bicycle now has 29,000-plus miles on it. Why does everything happen at one time? Yesterday I felt rather out of gear because I needed to cut my ride short. I planned to shoot for 60 miles, but I got going later than I intended; and decided that it was wiser not to push for that last 10 miles. It wasn\’t as hot as the previous Sunday; but it was still hot! Hydration is a problem in such heat. I started to feel bloated because of so much fluid; yet I needed to keep the liquids coming in. That made it harder to keep fueling, because I felt like I didn\’t have room for any more food; but I didn\’t want to bonk! This is the point in the Summer when I long for cooler weather. I don\’t mean a drop to 40 degrees, but maybe 65 degrees at 5:00 am; not 80 degrees! Yesterday it was actually fairly comfortable until around 8:00 am; but from then on it got hotter and hotter. This week is an \”easy\” week: no force work, and no pace-pushing. I\’ll be worn out and out of gear if I don\’t ease up sometimes.

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Discipline

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\”Discipline\” is not my favorite word. It sounds too much like punishment; and who enjoys that? We need a certain amount of it, though, to make progress as cyclists. My abode is a mess, because I hate cleaning; and some people would claim that this means I have no self-discipline. But I have enough discipline to get up early to go riding before work. I devised a training plan, aiming for a possible century ride; and yes, some mornings I really have to prod myself to do what I planned to do. Of course sometimes I need to say, to heck with it. It isn\’t a lack when a cyclist changes training plans; as a rule, it\’s common sense. Things can get in the way of training: a cold; a pulled muscle; or possibly even the dreaded COVID-19. A training plan should be flexible, to allow for the unexpected. As for training, I\’m never sure I\’m doing it right, anyhow. But I\’m not aiming to race; and improving my cruising speed seems quite a modest goal. I finally seem to be making a bit of progress towards that goal; for years I was always concerned that I\’d go too hard and wear myself out too much! After all, when I get home from a weekday morning ride, I have to go to work; and I don\’t need to arrive at work exhausted. Keeping the blogging going is another reason I don\’t have the \”self-discipline\” to be tidier. Blogging is a job in itself; and I also have to get my meal planning/cooking/diet back on track. I think I\’ve been suffering from culinary burnout; and the results aren\’t so great. Today\’s Ride Today I made my ride shorter than the 60 miles I had planned. It wasn\’t as hot as last Sunday; but all the same, the heat was getting to me. Most of the time the sun was blazing down; and an hour after I got home, I saw that the heat index was 102! I also saw a big cloud building up towards the North. There\’s a 40% chance of T-storms; and I don\’t want to get caught in a storm. They say it takes discipline to ride so that you stay in a moderate heart rate, that is, \”tempo\”. It sure looks that way. Today I was in my \”brisk\” zone for over half of the ride. For the last five miles, I tried to control my legs\’ natural tendency to move fast, because I kept feeling breathless. It wasn\’t the easiest thing to do; and besides, I wanted to get home before re-apply sunblock time came! Then there\’s the discipline to keep hydrating and fueling. Boy, does that get hard! My stomach felt bloated from so much fluid; yet I had to keep the liquids coming in because my mouth kept drying out. It\’s important to keep fueling so as to avoid the bonk; another difficulty when all that fluid has you feeling stuffed. At least today I had a bit of a tailwind on the way back home. Why can\’t it be that way in cold weather?

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All At Once

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It happens all at once; and somehow it reminds me of a heap of toy building blocks. Lately, my road bike\’s tail light is off at the end of many a pre-work ride. I\’d think, Didn\’t I turn that thing on? It was tiresome and annoying. I plug the tail light into the charger after I finish my morning ride, and let it \”load\” all day. One evening I turned on that light; made a note of the time; and then noted the time again when the light went off. It stayed on for only 55 minutes; and I figured the light was about worn out. Tail Light went on my shopping list. Another road bike accessory chose this time to wear out. The zipper on the under-saddle pack keeps splitting open; and I don\’t need to lose my tube of sunblock. So I had another item I needed to buy. I hope the bicycle doesn\’t wear out, too! Sometimes, as today, I need to buy a lot of things all at once; and not bicycle accessories. I was running low on laundry detergent; and I really need the fragrance-free type. I went to Whole Foods to get it; and the store also had my preferred sunblock on sale. I spotted some kind of protein powder for $10 off the usual price; and I know I\’ll use it. I got a canister of that, too. By the time I added actual food, I ran up a bill over $100! For me, that\’s huge. The tropics look like they\’re taking the \”all at once\” attitude, too. There are currently three systems out there. It\’s too soon to say whether any of them will give us trouble; and I hope they don\’t! Meanwhile, I hope it does\’t get too hot tomorrow.

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Arctic Zone Cooler

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The Arctic Zone Cooler has a wide variety of uses. It can bring home perishable groceries; carry your lunch to work; or you can take it on a picnic to keep up to a dozen drinks cool. Includes four reusable cold packs. Leakproof lining. Available in a variety of colors. I have something similar to this. It\’s rather oversized as a lunch carrier; but I have it, so I use it. It\’s also useful when I go grocery shopping in hot weather, and buy perishable items such as frozen fruit. It\’s narrower and taller than the item shown here; and fits upright into a pannier. Very handy!

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Is There No Escape?

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Is there no escape from that kitchen? Again, I\’ll have to cook up stuff to freeze over the weekend. I\’m thinking of making Mayocoba Madness, and I hope the celery I have is still good. I also must be using some of the refried beans I have on hand; there are too many cans in here! Squashed sauce is on the list, too; and maybe soup. Then, of course, dishwashing! Is there no escape from that? The same goes for laundry; but I try to get the clothes done on Saturday, even if I\’ve been busy cooking all day. When I get back from a Sunday ride of 50-60 miles or so, I do not want to bother with washing clothes! As usual, I\’ve got my eye on the forecasts. It looks like Sunday will be OK in the morning; and I hope the forecasters are right. Again, I expect to be out there on the bicycle for hours; and I hope it won\’t be as hot as this past Sunday. I also hope that September won\’t be too hot and humid. Love to Ride has announced Cycle September; and of course this mileage hog wants to put in the miles. I even think that, if I\’m to do a century, I can do it in September instead of October. My big concerns there are: September can be as miserably hot and humid as August; and September is often a busy month for hurricanes. I don\’t want to announce that I\’m going to ride 100 miles on a certain date; and then be forced to cancel it because of an excessive heat warning, or because Hurricane What\’s-Its-Name is bearing down upon us. Always weather. Is there no escape?

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Move over Road Runner

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Move over Road Runner; I want to get past! OK, so I\’ll never be as fast as Beep Beep; but of late I notice something interesting. My weekday morning rides are often about 12.6 miles; and it used to take as much as an hour and a quarter to complete that distance. Now, I sometimes finish in less than one hour. I think it\’s time to extend my distance by a couple of miles! Naturally it helps if I don’t have a stiff headwind to fight; but even when I do, it doesn’t slow me down quite as much as it used to. Maybe I don’t need a power meter to tell me whether I’m getting stronger! It reminds me of the Greg LeMond quote: \”It never gets easier, you just get faster.\” Yesterday I worked on my force exercises, and touched a max speed of 20.62 mph. With a stiff tailwind, I\’ve even hit 25 mph! But today I forgot about force, and working on my pace; and just rode short and easy. I even left for work early so I could take it easy on the way there; and I rode easy on the way home, too. When I went out on the road bike today, I was amazed at how cool it felt. I almost wanted long sleeves! It\’s a shame it wasn\’t like this last Sunday, when I was knocking out those 61+ miles! The humidity today is much lower than usual; an arid 36%. (For New Orleans, that\’s DRY!) I hope it\’s like that tomorrow, too. The plan for tomorrow morning is to work on my pace; but without the hard-gear factor. I might reach 19 mph at moments; so move over Road Runner!

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Neck and Neck

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We hear of two contestants running neck and neck, when the race is really close. I remember seeing runners in a foot race as they crossed the finish line; and there were two who were shoulder to shoulder, trying like anything to beat each other! It was quite amusing. During last Sunday’s ride I began to develop cyclist’s neck in the final hour or so. Usually I don’t have problems with it; but this ride was different. It got very hot; and I had to keep refilling my Camel-Bak. That kept more weight on my back, and for longer than usual; and this was also the longest ride I had done in a long time.  I think some isometric exercises might help; and so would exercises for the rhomboid muscles. I’ve had some of them in my off-bike work for several years; but unfortunately have been too lax about keeping up that vital off-bike work. I’m too busy composing blogs and devising menus! Planning menus/preparing food and blogging are definitely running a close race. They constantly try to edge each other out; and I need to keep both up and running. It really makes me miss working from home! Add to that diet burnout. I can\’t seem to keep on track; and this evening I finally said \”Enough\”, and devoured a pint of Talenti®. Maybe that indulgence is what I needed to get back my balance. I hope nothing starts to compete with my riding! I really need that exercise; and besides, I\’m plain old hooked on cycling. My legs always loved the way it feels to pedal. That\’s a great reason to keep it up!

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