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\’Tis Spring?

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\’Tis SPRING? It sure doesn\’t feel like it! Last Saturday, it was about ten degrees warmer than it was this morning. Today it\’s chilly and overcast; and that gloomy gray doesn\’t look much like Spring, either. But at least it wasn\’t raining, and I hitched up the trailer for the trek to the salvage store. This time it was really worth it. I found canned chicken, 99¢ for a 5 oz can; and I stocked up on chicken. It\’s combination white and dark meat, and not the all white meat that I prefer; but hey! It\’s chicken. For ages it seemed that the salvage store rarely had canned green beans; but today I found them. They finally had hummus again, too. Naturally I hit the grab-bag bins. This time I found only one Fit Crunch; but I enearthed two XL Bars. I like being able to get packs of M&Ms there. I have to watch the carbs, especially stuff like candy; and with M&Ms I can eat just a few pieces at a time. The same goes for candy bars that are easily broken into sections; or, if the temptation is too great, I can eat one bite and toss the rest! At those cheap prices, I don\’t have to feel too guilty about throwing the stuff away. Writing about food was making me hungry; and of course there was the ride to and from the store to whet my appetite. I ate some pilaf for lunch; and then I had to buckle down and get to work on my taxes. That time of year always comes much too quickly! At least I\’m not too tempted to cavort around outdoors right now. \’Tis Spring? As I already said, it doesn\’t feel like it.

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$10 a Day

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$10 a Day is one former pro\’s story of how he bought his first bicycle, just so he could get places; and his rise to the pro ranks. I first encountered this book through Google searches about becoming a pro cyclist. Sure, I knew I was much too old to be entertaining any notions about turning pro; but I was curious. First I read the excerpts from $10 a Day that were online. I thought they were interesting; and eventually I got the book from a library so I could read the whole thing. It\’s been a few years, so my memory is now hazy; but $10 a Day shows that pro cycling is not all glamor and glory. For instance, I believe the book mentions a Summer spent in a stink-bug infested house where the author\’s team was training. Not for me, thank you! I think I\’ll stick with being an amateur. So what if I still look like a rookie? And, if you\’re on a pro cycling team, do you get to choose what you\’ll eat on the bike? Maybe; but as an amateur I have complete freedom. I can plan for Fit Crunch bars, RXBars, whatever. $10 a Day is available in both print and kindle versions.

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Coming to Naught

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Good intentions are coming to naught, yet again. I had planned to skip all grocery stores this weekend; but now I see that such a plan isn\’t quite practical. I ran out of scallions several days ago, and really miss them. I have part of a yellow onion; but it\’s getting too old. I\’m out of bananas; and I want a cauliflower. I\’m running low on bread, too. I thought of going to Whole Foods; but the lure of the salvage store is hard to resist. I never know when they\’ll have a lot of goods that will let me stock up big-time; and I\’m reluctant to miss an opportunity. I\’m also reluctant to miss the ride! Of course I can order online from Whole Foods. Doing that would let me ride to the salvage store tomorrow morning. I don\’t like trying to hit both stores on the same day because of traffic concerns; and the later I go, the more people will be at the store. I had my second COVID-19 vaccine dose day before yesterday; but why take chances? Another factor is that ordering groceries online seems a lot more costly than buying them in the store. That\’s no surprise; I\’m paying for the convenience. There\’s no such convenience attached to the salvage store, and I don\’t expect that there ever will be; so if I want stuff from both stores tomorrow, I have to order online from Whole Foods. Yesterday morning I saw that my ride plans were coming to naught when I suddenly felt light-headed and very tired. My arms and legs still felt achy this morning, so I headed for the local park and rode five easy laps. It was good just to get out and ride; and we all need to take it easy sometimes!

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Saint Gone Wild?

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Had the good saint gone wild yesterday? It was Saint Patrick\’s Day; and some nasty weather moved into the Southeast region. It was windy all day; and by 2:40 pm we were under tornado watch. Some states, such as Alabama, had already reported twisters. When I left work at 4:30 pm, the wind was 18mph; gusts were up to 35 mph; and we were under a wind advisory. I was glad that I left the bicycle at home! From my work station, I can see out of the windows if I just turn around; and from mid-day onwards I was keeping an anxious eye on the sky. I had an errand I needed to run before going home; and that heightened my uneasiness. The \”saint gone wild\” wasn\’t expected to hit until about 8 pm; but you never know with these things. Suppose it began storming several hours earlier? I had my poncho with me; but fortunately didn\’t need to use it. Come to think of it, a poncho isn\’t much help in a wind like that; and an umbrella is useless. I reached home about 5 pm; and fixed some supper. I tried a new salad: avocado mashed with lemon juice; and mixed with chopped raw cabbage. Then I settled down to wait and see how crazy the weather was going to get. As it turned out, we didn\’t get much bad weather. Today, as of 4:45 am, the wind is still 15 mph; but I\’d be getting ready to ride anyhow if it weren\’t for the fact that I feel weird. I keep getting lightheaded. Reaction to yesterday\’s \”jab\”, I suppose?. Lightheadedness doesn\’t mix well with two whees, so I think I\’d better skip the ride. Geez, has my body gone wild?

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Reversal

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I’ve undergone a complete reversal. Thirteen months ago, my poundage had me borderline overweight. This past Monday I had a doctor’s appointment; and the doctor told me my BMI was 19! Now I’m verging on UNDERweight. Well, I don’t want to vanish into thin air. Now I need to find a way to maintain my weight; yet still keep tabs on the carbs. I’ve got to keep that prediabetes in mind; I suspect that prediabetes isn’t “cured”. Even if my A1c levels are back to normal, I suspect that I\’ll always have to be careful. After work that day, I decided to blow my spendcation and get Chinese take-out for supper. I\’m tired of getting hungry too quickly after eating; and when I told the doctor about it Monday, she suggested that I schedule another session with the nutritionist. Anyway, I thought that having a humongous meal might bring me back on a more even keel. Maybe I need more calories, considering the amount of riding I do. But do I need more carbs? It\’s already often difficult to plan a day\’s meals; fit in roughly 2000 calories; and not go over 200 grams of carbs. I also try to minimize cholesterol. If anything, that complicates matters; because it means curbing cheese, meat, eggs, and poultry. As long as I can keep up the cycling, I should be able to keep my weight under control; and avoid becoming \”skinny obese\”. Exercise also helps to control diabetes/prediabetes. Now if only I could bring about a major reversal in my slowpoke pace!

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Czechia

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Czechia This Prague-to-Vienna trip sounds terrific. Eight days long, this tour takes you past castles and vineyards; and well-preserved medieval towns. Sounds good for the history lover. But I suspect that I’d want a triple crankset! The Bohemia tour is an out-and-back trip, beginning and ending in Prague. You can choose a beginner; advanced; or pro-level tour. I haven’t read the itinerary very closely; but it looks like this one is e-bike-oriented. I find the idea of mounting an e-bike intimidating. I’ve got an idea that such a “ride” might run away with me! The Prague to Dresden tour sounds quite attractive. Easy to moderate cycling; and mostly on dedicated cycling lanes. I think I might enjoy the Vltava Cycling Trail, thanks to Smetana. But there are castles along the way; as well as museums and churches.  As always, give some thought to climate and weather. Summers in Czechia are warm; Winters are cold and snowy. Altitude matters too, of course. Higher elevations are, naturally, cooler; and also tend to be more rainy. Determine what clothing you’re likely to need during your tour. Is rain likely? Will it be chilly? There’s a lot to consider; but Czechia sounds like someplace to keep in mind.   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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Fuel Efficient?

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Fuel Efficient? Have I become more fuel efficient? Or was I actually eating too much during those Sunday long rides? In recent months, when I do a ride of 29 miles or more, my “menu” often includes a Fit Crunch bar; an RXBar or Quest bar; and a “goo” or two. I’d cut the bars into pieces before I went out on the bike: I usually cut them into quarters. Most of the time I ate most of the pieces before I got back home. Yesterday I switched tactics. I cut the Fit Crunch into sixths; and the Quest bar into eighths. I left the RXBar in its wrapper as “backup”. I ate all of the Fit Crunch; but I finished my ride with half of the Quest bar uneaten! Does that mean I’m becoming more fuel efficient? My legs got tired, but I didn’t feel hungry; let alone bonkish. I think I’ll let this be my ride food routine for a while; and see how it goes. What about my pre-long ride meal? You can hardly call it a “meal”: usually it’s just a banana and some peanut butter. As a rule, I begin my long ride half an hour or so after eating; and a huge breakfast probably isn’t the best idea. I don’t think my gut would be very comfortable with it! But I begin on-bike eating after the first 15 minutes of pedaling. Then I grab a bite every 15 minutes after that. Turnaround point is GU-Gel time. Most flavors of GU contain a bit of caffeine, so I get a bit of a pick-me-up. Then I head home, continuing the bite-per-15-minutes routine; and hope that it’s fueling enough. 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 Five Minutes September 7, 2024 Indoor Pros and Cons September 6, 2024 Foul Weather Bike September 5, 2024 To Ride or Not? September 4, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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The Plodder

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The Plodder 🐢 Just call me The Plodder. I’m still quite the slowpoke! During my Sunday long rides, I don’t want to push too hard for too long. I might end up burned out far from home; and then getting home would be a miserable slog. Today for example, I averaged only 11.61 mph over 29 miles. At the same time, I get the feeling that I can ride a bit more strongly against the wind than I used to. This is where a power meter can be useful. Speed can actually be deceptive, because so many variables come into it. A strong headwind can push your speed way down, but X watts is X watts; headwind, steep climb, or what. A power meter would let me see whether I’m actually improving. Unfortunately power meters are too expensive for me. So I was the plodder this morning, as is only too usual; but at least I rode the return leg non-stop, which is a bit of progress. Most of the time I need to make a halt or two on the way back home. Often I’m slow enough that the time comes to reapply sunblock before I can get home; and I can’t do that while I’m riding! Incidentally, how do Grand Tour riders manage that? The weather is feeling more Spring-like. Soon I can dispense with the leg warmers, which will mean less laundry; but it will also mean using a lot more sunblock. I’m glad I have several tubes of it in reserve. Not needing to wear a cycling jacket also helps lessen the laundry load; but it means the drawback of fewer pockets. Soon I’ll be hauling out the sun sleeves. And carrying along more electrolyte drink. But I’m quite sure of this: I’ll still be the plodder!  

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Spendcation

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I need a spendcation! At least, I think that\’s what they call it: a specified period of time during which no money is spent, except for absolute necessities. I\’m shocked to see that I spent over $100 in various grocery stores since last Thursday; some $10 of it for totally unnecessary Diet Coke! OK, the sodas I do not need; but what about the rest of it? I need fruits and vegetables for a proper diet; and yogurt provides some protein. I don\’t eat much meat, so I need to get protein from somewhere; and I don\’t think that unstinting use of protein powders is the solution. Yesterday at Whole Foods I got enough bulk-bin nuts to last quite a while; so I probably won\’t buy any more for some time. (I can always find excuses, right?) I caved in and went to the salvage store this morning; and I took the trailer. As part of a spendcation, I need to keep myself out of that place! I got canned beans; and I found almond/coconut milk. I found jars of olives! The store still had Laughing Cow Lite, and I stocked up on it. The allure of the grab-bag bins held sway; and I found assorted bars that will make good ride food. Of course (and alas!) I got some candy bars, and packs of M&Ms. They\’re now stashed in the back of the fridge, where they\’re out of plain sight. With the weather starting to warm up, I\’ll need to keep anything chocolate in the fridge, anyhow. I got quite a decent haul this morning; and I got in a good bicycle ride to boot. But to help make this spendcation successful, I think I\’d better plan a jaunt on the road bike for next Saturday!

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Spare Us the Obscenity

BACK ISSUES, Food /

Spare us the obscenity! What\’s all this about Tastefully NUDE? This variety of GU-Gel is unflavored; and uncolored as well. Hence the designation \”nude\”. It can be a nice change from flavored gels, especially if you eat a lot of them. Eating \”goos\” is something that I generally reserve for my Sunday long rides; but I always have a couple of them my road bike\’s top tube pouch. Occasionally I need one while out on a weekday morning ride; and I also keep a couple of them in my bike trunk\’s pocket. Now and then I need one as emergency rations. GU-Gel comes in many other flavors; including one for the coffee lover. A great favorite of mine is Chocolate Outrage; and I like Salted Caramel a lot, too. As for going nude, please spare us the obscenity.

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