BACK ISSUES Archives - Page 235 of 292

Flat Out?

Do you enjoy going flat out? What cyclist doesn\’t occasionally get caught up in pedaling as fast and hard as possible, just for the fun of it? Who doesn\’t sometimes think, I wonder how fast I can get? LET\’S SEE!! and take off? But what about technique? Good pedaling technique, it seems to me, will help make pedaling more efficient, thus helping with the speed aspect of riding. Another thing that helps make pedaling more efficient is clip-ins, or at least toe clips. I now find it very awkward to ride on platform pedals. Some things might be slowing us down, only we aren\’t aware of it. Lack of variation, for instance. I have a good riding path a stone\’s throw away, so naturally I gravitate to it. Easier access to other routes would be helpful, I think. Doing the same route over and over and over (and over and OVER) does for a fact get rather tedious. Want a book all about improving your speed? Get Fast! might fit the bill. The trouble with me is that I\’m too lazy to really apply the information and advice provided to my riding. Having a sleep disorder, and being tired all the time as a result, doesn\’t help. Have I gotten faster? My average speed on my weekly long ride doesn\’t seem to have improved much. On the other hand, it used to be hard to touch 15 mph even with a good tailwind. Now sometimes I can average 15 mph for as much as six miles or more. I\’m hitting higher max speeds, too. Once I touched 23+ mph! At least I seem to have gotten stronger. And will I one day be able to ride flat out for hours?

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Wonder Ride?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Wonder Ride? For a wonder ride, head for Arizona’s Grand Canyon. This is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World; and rightly so, I would say. When my brother and I visited the Grand Canyon, I found that I could stare and Stare and STARE at it, until my eyeballs ached. As soon as I looked away, I felt compelled to look back at it; as though to be sure I hadn’t been imagining it! We had a great time there. We watched the sun rising over the North Rim, an unforgettable sight. It meant getting up very early in the morning, which was very generous of my brother. He’s not the early bird sort. But it was well worth it! Starting at Mather Point, we walked down to Indian Gardens on the Bright Angel Trail; and had a picnic lunch before heading back up. We saw various kinds of lizards; birds; and even glimpsed a gray fox! At the time, I was many years away from taking up cycling. If I went there again, I might enjoy a cycling tour. It would be hard, though, for me to watch where I was riding for wanting to stare at that magnificent abyss. The Grand Canyon is a desert environment, so take along a good hydration system. The South Rim is something like 7000 feet up, meaning that sunblock is even more important than it is at lower altitudes. Oh, and don’t forget the camera! You’re sure to want to take a LOT of pictures! 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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Giddy-Up?

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Giddy-up isn\’t only for horseback riding. Today I went back for a road bike refit. Or perhaps it\’s better to say a re-refit. I thought my saddle might need to be moved forward; I would up with a brand-new one. I told the fitter about some problems I was having. He had suggested when I was there in June that I might want a slightly wider saddle. This time he put my bicycle in the stand and had me try a new saddle; a Power Expert w/Mimic. I\’d never heard of that kind before. This saddle is a bit wider than the Selle Italia I\’d been using; and the fitter immediately saw that the new saddle fit my sit bones better. From where he placed this saddle, I could sit far enough back that my sit bones were supported; and not be reaching too far to the handlebars. This took the strain off of my arms and the back of my neck. I could pedal without the strain on my hamstrings. That sure felt good! This saddle doesn\’t have a cut-out. The center, and the area over the nose, is designed to give with pressure and movement, so sensitive-tissue issues are reduced or eliminated. I still think it will take a while to adjust to the new saddle. After all, my old saddle/pedaling style has many thousands of miles in it! But if the ride home from the bike shop is any indication of things, I\’m going to like the new saddle. So, giddy-up!

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Ole!

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Ole! Or whatever they say in Colombia. Today\’s stage winner is : Nairo Quintana! I\’m glad to see him win a stage. Think he\’ll win the yellow some day? I guess the riders are quite worn out by now — how on earth do they recover overnight after such exertion? And race again the next day? — but it\’s nearing an end. After all, today was Stage 18. Two more days in the mountains — don\’t your legs and lungs ache to think of it? And then, on to Paris. Who will wear yellow in the City of Light? If things keep on the way they have, it looks like Alaphillipe will take the honors. He still has a 90-second lead. We\’ll see how it turns out! With three days of TdF left, there\’s more than a lot of pedaling to still to do. There\’a also a lot of eating left to do! I\’ve read in more than one source that, for racers in a multi-day tour, eating gets to feel more like force-feeding than anything else. That doesn\’t sound like fun. It\’s more than simply keeping the calories coming in. Some types of foods go down better early in a stage; others are better consumed later in the day as flavor fatigue sets in along with the legs. I\’m glad I don\’t have to do it. To those who can manage it, I say Ole!

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Fighting Spirit?

BACK ISSUES / CAL

A strong fighting spirit is required to ride Grand Tour races, that\’s for sure. \”Most Combative\” rider (see Tour de France) sounds rather like someone who\’s always at loggerheads with the coach; arguing with teammates; and constantly trying to run other riders off the road. Actually, it\’s not as negative as it sounds. Most combative rider is the one who\’s good at attacking. It sounds rather odd to call a sudden, hard acceleration an \”attack\”, but who am I to try to change the lingo of Le Tour? Incidentally, that YouTube reminds me of the saying that bicycle racing is like chess on wheels. There are attacks, and attacks, it seems. How about the sneak attack? Or a snack attack? Where did I put those Clif Bars? My fighting spirit seems limited to keeping fueled on a long Sunday ride, and keeping moving against the wind. It\’s hard to believe that this year\’s Tour de France is nearly over. I suppose it\’ll be a hard fight for that yellow jersey over the next few days! And the super combativity award, of course.

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Getting There

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Getting there doesn\’t always mean having to drive a car. Have you been commuting by bicycle since Hector was a pup? Or do you want to try it for the first time, but find the idea intimidating? Don\’t know how to get started? Not sure you\’ve even got the right bicycle for commuting? First, start out slow and easy. Getting there doesn\’t have to mean racing. Even die-hard, seasoned bicycle commuters were beginners once! You don\’t have to ride everywhere right away. It will be easier if you live within a mile or so of work, school, or wherever you want to go. That way you can ride the bicycle some days, and walk, take public transit, or drive on other days. Over time, increase the frequency of bicycle-use days. At first, you might not want to ride in bad weather. That\’s sensible enough. Heavy rain makes it harder for you to see, and makes it harder for drivers to see you. That\’s why lights matter so much. If you need to carry things, you can install a rack over the rear wheel; and there are lots of bags out there: bicycle trunks, panniers, and so on. Just be sure your rack is compatible with whatever bags you choose — and don\’t try to carry too much right away. A heavily-loaded trunk, for example, noticeably affects bike handling. I\’m experienced enough that I adjust to it very quickly, but it takes time to reach that point. Don\’t rush yourself with this. You\’ll learn as you go, and one day NOT commuting by bicycle will feel weird.

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Paella, perhaps?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling / CAL

Paella Perhaps? Is paella, perhaps, good ride food? It’s made up of rice (carbs); some kind of meat or seafood (protein); and veggies. But I never knew that this dish is named after the shallow pan in which it’s traditionally cooked! Along with the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, Vuleta a Espana is one of the three Grand Tour bicycle races. It began more recently, in 1935; and was inspired by the TdF and the Giro. It, too, is three weeks long. The race is held in August-September. I suppose that’s to give riders who participated in the Tour de France a chance to recover, just as the TdF doesn’t begin immediately after the May-June Giro. Even so, that sounds like a grueling schedule. Three weeks of riding all around Italy; three more weeks of pedaling around France; then three weeks of pushing the pedals around Spain. There are intervals of about one month between one event and the next. Even so, the riders must recover from one race; build up to the next; and taper leading up to starting day. During the Vuelta, do the riders have paella, perhaps, for supper? Especially a variation including mussels. The mussels might help their muscles! 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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Wrong Call Again

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Doesn\’t making the wrong call — again — drive you nuts? The cycling lifestyle can be a balancing act in more ways than one. There\’s fitting in rides around less-than-ideal weather, which means weighing all factors. How do they balance out? Is rain expected? Is it already raining as ride time approaches, which is what happened this morning? How long will it rain? Do I really want to go out in the rain? On top of that, will lightning move in? If I must ride in the rain and I don\’t feel like getting totally drenched, a poncho will help. IF it isn\’t blowing hard. This morning it wasn\’t windy, and I didn\’t plan to ride fast. I was relieved when the rain stopped right about the time I usually start riding, so I didn\’t have to agonize over the poncho. The trouble with using a poncho is that I\’ll have the hood under my helmet, and unless it\’s a cold day, that makes me overheat. With a headlight atop my helmet, a helmet cover is useless. I did only a short ride, because I couldn\’t be sure that it wouldn\’t start to pour again at any moment. But I could have stayed out longer. Doesn\’t it drive you crazy when you get those things wrong? Just before I got off work, I checked a weather site. It said there was a T-storm in the vicinity. When I got outside, I could hear thunder. The sky looked rather threatening, like a downpour could be imminent. I took the short route home, and it turns out I needn\’t have. Wrong call again. In fact, TWO wrong calls in one day! Oh, well. Mañana…

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Alternatives

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Alternatives are everywhere. It\’s human nature to think of what else we might have, or could be doing, isn\’t it? That\’s true even if we seem to have a dream job. \”The grass is always greener…\” What might I be doing is I weren\’t an accountant/barista/code-writer…? What would I be doing if I didn\’t have to work? If I won the lottery, or if I were retired? What are my alternatives? Pro cyclists do it, too. After all, they\’re human. I notice that coffee shop/bakery/goodies comes up several times. A stop at a coffee shop seems to be a ritual part of many a group ride, which might explain it. Pro cycling is a tough life. Behind the apparent glamor of shiny bicycles and colorful kit flying past is a lot of work; dedication; sacrifice; and preparation. There\’s the training, and being away from home for long periods of time. There\’s the diet, and worrying about making weight. Pro cyclists sometimes have terrific headwinds to fight during a race; and they might race through pouring rain, or even snow at high altitudes. Racing through the rain can mean getting plastered with mud; and fans can be a problem (hanging out in the path of oncoming racers to get a better view, for instance). Not to mention crashes that sometimes result in serious injury, or even death. I can\’t blame pro cyclists for having dreams of what else they\’d like to do besides ride a bicycle; and of what they\’ll do once their racing careers end. I don\’t blame them for dreaming of goodies, either. In fact, those strawberry-white chocolate muffins sound most tempting!

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Starting Over?

BACK ISSUES / CAL

Do you ever feel like you\’re starting over? Again? \”Buch der Geheimnisse\”. Book of Secrets. Is these such a tome about cycling? What\’s the secret to changing several things about your riding, and all at the same time? At a recent bike refit, I could see on the video screen that my right hip sagged downwards with every pedal stroke. I had been aware that I sat rather far forward on my saddle, but not that such motion was going on. I guess that\’s why the inside of my left thigh has always been prone to rubbing against the top tube. This isn\’t a problem when it\’s cold enough for leg warmers, as they protect my leg. But when it gets warm and I leave the leg warmers off, it can result in serious chafing, especially during a long ride. I wouldn\’t mind getting rid of that! So, I began to work at getting both of my sit bones on the saddle. OUCH! I had to scoot backwards to get the pressure off the sensitive area. It\’s a move of only a few inches, but does it ever make a difference in my riding! My reach feels different. Bike handling feels different. Pedaling feels different. It even feels like my cleat position is \”off\”. What\’s the secret? I guess it\’s really quite simple: take my time so my body can adjust, because I\’m starting over again. I just hope it won\’t mean another bicycle refit. Speaking of secrets, this morning my chain got dropped when I was trying to shift onto the big ring. That happens sometimes, and I\’m not sure whether the problem is me or the derailer. Of course my hands got greasy while putting the chain back on the small ring. Want to know a good way to get grease off your hands? Sunblock! But don\’t tell anyone else! That\’s our secret.

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