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Special Big Five Oh

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Today we celebrate a very special Big Five Oh. It\’s fifty years since Apollo 11 blasted off and headed for the moon. Somehow it seems appropriate that the moon is at the full. I saw it while I was out riding this morning. Beautiful! I’ve read a lot about the RMS Titanic, and how exciting the city of Belfast found her launching. That was in 1911 . Fast-forward to 1969. The launch of Apollo 11 must have generated the same kind of thrill. Quite likely a much bigger one. The Titanic was the largest ship of her day, expected to go on to a glorious career. Now, we were sending men to the Moon! Fortunately, unlike the Titanic\’s maiden  voyage, the Apollo 11 mission was a success. I remember a 25th anniversary program (I still had a TV then) about the first moon landing. I think they said the lunar module came within seconds of running out of fuel before landing; something about the originally planned touchdown site being too rocky, which hadn\’t been discernible through Earth-based telescopes. There was footage of one of the astronauts taking huge bounds across the surface and saying, \”Hey, man! This is GREAT!!\” Now we have some great memories, thanks to those pioneers of space, and all the workers who helped get them there. It makes today a very special Big Five Oh.  

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Feel All Thumbs?

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Do you ever feel all thumbs? I certainly feel all thumbs when it comes to bicycle maintenance. It\’s a relief to know that I\’m far from alone. For years I\’ve had a book on bicycle maintenance. Sometimes I\’ll browse around in it, but I don\’t dare try much by myself. Even watching videos doesn\’t help me much. They tend to go through things too quickly for me; and a video isn\’t the same thing as one-on-one personal instruction, where you can take it one slow step at a time. It reminds me of the saying: \”Nothing is as easy as it looks.\” How true that is! For example, watch those  who have had some practice change the tube in a bicycle tire. Those folks can get through it all in a few minutes. I have trouble just getting the tire off the rim! It takes quite a lot of strength. If anything, getting that tire back onto the rim is even harder. That\’s my reason for using tire liners. I first got them after my trike had eight flats in about 14 months, and I use them for the hybrid and the road bike, too. I even got them for the trailer\’s wheels! One day I might need to replace a bicycle. Then the old one can be my \”guinea pig\”, and I can start learning derailer adjustment and other things. I don\’t expect I\’ll ever become a professional \”wrench\”, but it would be nice to not have to rely on the bike shop.

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Bring on the Soap!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Bring on the Soap! Bring on the soap! The Dirty Kanza is running! Dirty Kanza. Sounds like a case for a censor, doesn’t it? Actually, I suppose a bicycle could pick up a lot of dirt and muck over the 200-mile gravel course. Hard? I’ll bet! It sounds as though the temperatures at Dirty Kanza can rival those at the Hotter’N Hell 100. Gravel roads, I suspect, make riding harder when it’s been raining. If my road bike’s tires picked up all that muck it could jam my [rim] brakes. No doubt that’s why MTBs use disc brakes. I’d need a solid course in bicycle repair/maintenance before I’d be prepared to tackle DK. (Even before starting that, I’d need to get a mountain bike!) I barely know how to change a tube. I’d be lost if I needed to fix a suspension system at the roadside. What would I do if I were on DK and ran into hail? They say it happens. I guess all I could do would be to  hope that my helmet is sufficient protection from pieces of ice falling from the sky. Stopping to take shelter would hardly be an option: DK  is a race, after all. And afterwards? Both my “ride” and I would probably need a lot of cleaning up. Time to bring on the soap. 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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Clear?

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Are we in the clear? Has Tropical Storm Barry really bypassed us? It\’s still  overcast, which has its plus side: my apartment doesn\’t turn into such an oven when it\’s cloudy all day. But is the threat of torrential rain over? According to the weather site I just checked, there\’s an 80% chance of rain. Wind is 14 mph. Half of me wants to go ride around the park a few times, and half of me says the walking/biking path there is likely strewn with debris from the many oak trees. Maybe I\’ll ride to the drug store after a while, just to get outside for a bit. I\’m starting to go stir-crazy! My leg muscles are starting to go soft from the lack of exercise. 🙁 Tomorrow it\’s back to the old salt mines. And this routine might be repeated anytime in the next four months or so. It\’s still hurricane season, and we can\’t be sure of staying in the clear.

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The Straight and Narrow

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Ride the straight and narrow! Blaze a path straight down the road! That isn\’t so difficult as long as you can keep looking straight ahead. Holding a straight line while looking behind you is another matter. I, for one, find it hard to do, even after well over nine years of riding; but it\’s an important part of cycling safety. I first read these tips years ago. I still have to remind myself to  let my right shoulder rise a bit, and the left one go down and back; and to bring my left elbow closer to my body. I have to let my torso twist  a little bit as well. Another aspect of looking behind yourself while riding is, it\’s about more than turning the head. We can\’t turn our heads 180 degrees like an owl, so once the head is turned, the eyes must shift to see what might be coming from the rear. That means, for me, trying not to look back and then forward again too quickly, or my eyes don\’t have the chance to shift. It can help to let yourself coast while looking behind you, but it would be a good idea to get used to looking behind while still pedaling, especially if you\’ve got your sights set on racing. Just look at any pic of the peloton in Le Tour. Scores of riders, and to me they always look like they\’re packed like sardines in a can. If one coasts/slows down, or (worse!) crashes, or doesn\’t hold his line, it\’s a big-time domino effect! Those guys really have to keep on the straight and narrow!        

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Let\’s Get It Over!

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Let\’s get it over. Saturday, 7:38 am. Many a Saturday I\’m heading off for the salvage store at this hour, to bring home a load similar to this one. But not today! Tropical Storm Barry\’s full brunt apparently is yet to come. The wind is about 22 mph, forecast to strengthen shortly. If I went to the salvage store, I\’d be battling winds of 33-34 mph on the way home. With the trailer, it would be extremely difficult for  me to make any headway. It\’s starting to rain, on and off. That\’s how it often begins with a tropical storm. Brief spells of rain precede a steady deluge. All I can do is to hope that we\’re spared the expected precipitation of up to 20 inches. If that storm is coming, though, I wish it would blow through. Let\’s get it over with. My power bill will be frightful. I\’m running the window unit more than usual, trying to cool this place as much as possible before the storm knocks out the power. Even if I had my bike rigged to run a window unit, such a manner of \”cooling\” would be spinning my wheels! The effort required would make me overheat. I guess I\’ll hook the hybrid into the trainer later, if I still have electricity to cool me as I \”ride\”. But this might have to be a lazy day.

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On Tenterhooks

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On Tenterhooks 🪝 I get tired of being on tenterhooks. It’s what drives me crazy about the threat of tropical storms. I’m stuck indoors, not daring to go for a real ride because I dont know exactly when weather conditions might deteriorate. It is now nearly 6 pm. The wind is 20 mph, and it’s been raining a little. I kept thinking we’d get fierce wind and pouring rain earlier in the day. It didn’t happen. Late in the morning I hooked my road bike into the trainer and pedaled for 25 minutes. I had the bicycle computer going, and when I saw that I had “ridden” a certain distance I imagined what things look like at that point when I’m really outdoors riding. It helped keep things from getting quite so monotonous. So far no power outages. A friend says that her electricity has been out/restored twice already today! As long as I still have electricity I can work on my web site, and there’s always something to work on. Naturally that includes blogs, but I’m glad I have posts scheduled for several weeks in advance. That means I don’t have to worry about being unable to post if I don’t have power the next couple of days. I don’t want to wear out my laptop’s battery; if we lose power here I’ll want to reserve it for occasionally checking the weather sites. Re: Le Tour, that yellow jersey seems to be playing leapfrog! Hardcore bicycle-racing fans must be on tenterhooks, too, wondering who will eventually grab it.

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Not Only Cowboys

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Personal Care /

Not Only Cowboys ? It’s not only cowboys who get saddle sores. Saddle sores had always sounded to me like something that might happen after days on horseback. It hadn’t occurred to me that cyclists might get them, too. As with so many other things, prevention is better than having to deal with sores after they develop. What steps can we take? Saddle fit and position are a factor. Be sure your saddle supports your sit bones; and if there’s a spot where your saddle causes extra pressure or chafing, adjust it to eliminate the problem. Cleanliness is important, too. Always have a clean pair of shorts to wear for every ride. Some riders use antibacterial soaps such as Hibiclens as a daily crotch wash. A lubricant such as Chamois Butt’r helps prevent chafing during a ride. After a ride, get out of your cycling shorts as soon as possible. Don’t hang out in a sweaty chamois. If a saddle sore develops in spite of all precautions, it’s small comfort to remember that it’s not only cowboys who have this problem. You want that sore to heal as soon as possible.  I read of one rider who developed numerous sores at once. He did a lot of out-of-saddle work until the sores healed. If a sore is really stubborn, then of course consult a physician. You want to get back in the saddle as soon as possible. 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 Doohickies August 25, 2024 Wear and Tear August 24, 2024 Start on Empty August 23, 2024 Drone Away August 22, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Hunkering Down — Sorta

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I\’m hunkering down — sorta. Thanks to Tropical Storm Barry, I\’m enjoying a mini-vacation. I don\’t quite dare try to go for a real ride; at present the wind is as much as 22 mph. That makes bike handling difficult, and if the wind strengthens, there will be the hazard of flying objects. It was wonderful to not have to get up early in order to go for a ride. I\’m looking forward to retirement as being able to get in nine hours\’ sleep per night! I didn\’t have to go to work today, nor did I have to head out for the grocery store early, before road traffic built up too much. Actually, I wouldn\’t be surprised if many stores\’ shelves are rather bare now. When there\’s a tropical storm hanging around, bottled water, canned goods, and batteries sell like hotcakes. At around 9:15 am I hiked over to the nearby filling station, where I got a snack and a soda at the mini-mart. I didn\’t need either, but I did need to get outdoors for a bit. When I\’m at work I usually get outdoors a few times during the day, even if only for five minutes. I need those little breaks more than I realize until I\’m stuck inside because of bad weather. After a while I\’ll hook a bicycle into the trainer, and pedal a while. It\’s monotonous as you-know-where, but better than nothing. I have to do something to keep myself from going bonkers while I\’m hunkering down — sorta.

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An Unexpected Holiday

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An unexpected holiday! Few things are more delightful. But I sure won\’t be spending it at the beach! Time to settle down and browse through a favorite book. I got to work today only to find a sign on the door stating that the campus is closed until next Monday. I hadn\’t thought to check the campus\’s web site, as the forecast didn\’t look like we\’d get bad weather again before this evening. I suppose it\’s a \”abundance of caution\” thing, especially after the flooding downpour of yesterday morning. Besides, there\’s still that system out there in the Gulf. It\’s not yet up to tropical storm strength, but it could impact us. In case it does, the campus has to prepare for it. Oh, well, I got in some exercise walking there. Before going home, I hiked to Walgreen\’s. They were out of gallon jugs of water, which really shouldn\’t be any surprise. I got three quart-plus-sized bottles of water and the holiday mood prompted me to get a pint of ice cream. After all, if we get rough weather and the power goes out, I won\’t be able to have ice cream for a while! Why not go for a spin on the road bike? I did go out early this morning, but now it\’s almost 10:00. They say the sun is at its worst between 10 am and 2 pm, and besides my legs still don\’t feel \”there\”. So I think I\’ll stay home and relax while I have the chance. Ah, the joy of an unexpected holiday!

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