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Day 19

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Love to Ride continues; and it\’s already Day 19! I almost missed the moon this morning. I set my alarm clock as usual; but when I turned it off I went right back to sleep. As a result, it was nearly 6 am when I finally got underway. There was enough daylight that the moon was starting to look pale, but I still got to see the moon path on the river. The wind was strong, and I didn\’t feel like fighting it; so after I got my \”moon fix\” I decided to go to the park. By this time of year, I put sunblock on my face before my weekday morning rides; and today, I forgot about it. Luckily I carry a tube of snblock in my under-saddle pack, and could apply some before riding any farther. Then I rode to the park, but made only one round. I had some errands to run, and wanted to get home. It feels quite chilly today for mid-April. Before I rode, I checked the chill factor: 55 degrees! I\’m glad I haven\’t packed away my electric heaters yet. The wind will continue to be strong today and tomorrow. At least the rain seems to be over for now. I\’m looking forward to a good Easter Sunday ride! I need to put in some miles, because it\’s already Day 19!

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Caveat Emptor

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Caveat emptor, they say: Let the buyer beware! Buying a used bicycle, I suppose, is rather like buying a pig in a poke. That\’s especially true if you don\’t know what to look for — which I don\’t. Thus I\’d need all the advice I could get if I wanted another road bike, and opted for second-hand. Buying a used mountain bike requires the same kind of caution. (Look here for a print version of the videos). What if I had bought a used bicycle? I\’d have known to be sure the brakes worked; but probably would have forgotten about checking the headset for unwanted play. Ditto for seeing whether the wheels are in true. I would have wanted to take a test ride to be sure the shifting worked; but might have forgotten to check the wheels\’ rims, and to be sure the gears weren\’t worn. If I were considering buying a used bicycle, I\’d want someone with me who can remind me to check this or that. Even if I have a written list with me, it can be easy to miss things! Having a companion would probably make it easier for the prospective buyer not to feel pressured into buying too quickly. Caveat emptor! After all, you don\’t want to find out too late that the bag has a cat in it.

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Day 18

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Day 18 It’s Day 18 of Love to Ride! I went for an early-morning ride on the road bike, as usual. I got to see the almost-full moon; but when I reached “moon view point”, where normally can see the moon over the river, it was obscured by a cloud. I sure was disappointed. This morning I did a few “force” intervals, but didn’t feel very strong at it. Did I use too hard a gear? Did I need for more recovery from the last time I did force work? Again last night I didn’t sleep well, which may have been a factor. I checked the forecast last night, and decided not to ride in to work today. Yes, I chickened out! Conditions were going to turn nasty by mid- to late afternoon, right when I’d be riding home. I needed a bit of a break, anyway. After all, by Day 18 of a bike-challenge month, I’m a bit tired out! As it turned out, we were let go from work at 1 pm because of the possibility of severe weather. I ran into a light sprinkle on the way home; and stopped and get into my poncho. I probably needn’t have bothered, after all; but you never know when a few drops will turn into a heavy downpour. I wanted to be prepared if the floodgates opened! By 1:30 pm I was home. Now, at 2 pm, we have a wind advisory and a tornado watch! I’m glad I’m not out there riding now!  

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Day 17

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Love to Ride Day 17 already! The Saga of the Flat Tire continues. I had noticed that my road bike\’s rear tire seemed to have a slow leak. This morning I pumped it up, and risked doing my usual ride (out 7 miles or so and back), and didn\’t have trouble. Then I rode the  hybrid to work, as usual. When I got home in the evening, I checked the road bike\’s rear tire again. It had been losing air. I pumped it up again; and walked the bike to the bike shop, rather than risk a possible flat if I rode there. They found a hunk of glass in the rear tire, which I had missed. When I had the flat, I felt around inside the tire for such things, and didn\’t find any. I didn\’t pay enough attention to the sidewall, which is where that glass was. So now the rear tire\’s tube has been replaced yet again. And I wonder when I\’ll need to replace the tires again. My road bike\’s maintenance log last shows new tires in August, 2016! I can\’t quite believe I haven\’t replaced them since then. I\’ll have to browse through my ride log for a note about new tires; and next time I have a flat, I must remember to check the sidewalls! But I hope I don\’t have another flat tire. Day 17 means the Love to Ride challenge has more than ten days left.

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Bicycles in War

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Bicycles in war? We like to think of the bicycle as a vehicle of peace, don\’t we? We participate in charity rides; and go on long rides just for fun. We use bicycles as non-polluting transportation. But for a fact, our beloved bicycles have been used in war. I have to admit that that makes a certain amount of sense. Bicycling is faster than marching; and bicycles are far quieter than motor vehicles! They probably don\’t make as much sound as marching troops, either, as long as they\’re properly lubricated. I don\’t envy the soldiers who had folding bicycles added to the loads on their backs. And to make a parachute jump with one? I\’ll bet it didn\’t feel good to the paratroopers who happened to land with that bicycle under them! It also might not have been so good for the bicycle, but I suppose that\’s another story. Bicycles, whether in war or not, have the advantage of being cheaper to run and to maintain than motorized vehicles. They need far less storage space. Bicycles might be carried over places that would be impassible to other means of transportation. Bicycles, unlike cavalry horses, required no feed, and didn\’t need stables. They also didn\’t get colic! I guess, however, that the drone might predominate in future conflicts. Bicycle troops might be unneeded. Then we can forget about bicycles in war; and all pedal away in peace.

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Back to the Lab

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It\’s time to head back to the lab! I want something new to eat! I don\’t wear a white lab coat, and test tubes and Bunsen burners are lacking. All the same, the kitchen is a laboratory of sorts. Think about it. Wouldn\’t you get rather bored with making the same dish over and over, the exact same way? Sooner or later you\’d start to experiment, wouldn\’t you? You\’d try a different seasoning, or a different vegetable; pasta instead of rice, and so on. A couple of weeks ago, I did that yet again. I hauled out The Feed Zone Cookbook, and turned to the recipe for Angel Hair with Bacon and Sweet Corn (pg. 140-141). I didn\’t have any bacon, so I substituted 1/2 cup of cooked black beans, Note: next time, use a full cup. I also didn\’t have angel hair pasta; but I did have an 8-oz box of elbow macaroni, purchased at the salvage store for 50 cents. It was exactly the right amount, so I used it. I don\’t know how much two ears of corn make when the kernels are cut from the cobs. I gambled on 1/2 cup. Another note: Next time, use more corn. I didn\’t have any fresh tomatoes, and forgot to open a can of tomatoes. No big deal. Just remember it next time! With no fresh basil on hand, I used 1 tsp parsley flakes and 1/2 tsp dried basil. I cut the olive oil back to 1 Tbsp, and used freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste. Pretty good! I declared the experiment a success. Soon I\’ll be heading back to the lab, trying something else new!

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Day 16

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It\’s Day 16 of Love to Ride! This would have been a perfect morning to ride on the levee. The wind was calm, and the temperature was in the upper 50s. Unfortunately my road bike’s rear tire was down to 60 psi this morning, and I had pumped it up after I got home after Sunday’s flat. Has that tire been leaking? I didn’t quite dare risk flatting when I was 6-7 miles from home; so I went to the local park to ride. Last night was one of those miserable nights when I just can’t sleep, so I didn’t want to push too hard today. On the way home, however, I couldn’t resist seeing whether I could hit 20 mph without a boost from a stiff tailwind; and I got close: 19.7 mph. I\’ve now got an anxious eye on the weather forecast; and I\’m not the only one. It looks like tomorrow will be all right, but Thursday could bring severe T-storms. By Friday it should be clear; but the wind might be 20 mph! Saturday the wind will probably be less than on Sunday, so I might do my long ride on Saturday. The next day, then, I can sleep in and go for a short ride. As with other things in life, we cyclists must plan ahead. That includes the rest of the Love to Ride Challenge; this is only Day 16.

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Wearing a Groove?

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If pacing wears a path into the floor, is riding in a pace line wearing a groove in the road? A pace line certainly looks \”groovy\”, as people used to say. I\’m always saying that learning to draft would be a good idea. The catch is, the pace lines that I see while I\’m out riding are too fast for me?.  In fact, I find the idea of drafting rather scary to begin with. I have a long, long way to go before I can comfortably ride close to other riders, whether they\’re to my side(s), or before and behind me. There\’s also the time aspect. Cyclists who want to meet for a group ride must coordinate their schedules, and decide on a meeting place. Weekdays I have an hour or so before 6:30 am to ride. Then I have to get ready to go to work. On top of that, I don\’t have a car. A meet-up place more than a mile or so from home is therefore out of the question. Riding in a pace line of course doesn\’t negate the need to keep hydrated. If it\’s a long ride, more than an hour or so, the riders also have to fuel themselves. At least I do know that you should do your eating and drinking when you\’re at the end of the line. Well, maybe some day I\’ll be able to learn how to draft. Then I\’ll be wearing a groove in the road!

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Day 15

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Day 15, and halfway there, as Love to Ride continues. It’s rather a pity that Monday is no-ride day. The weather was great for riding this morning! True, the temperature had dropped to 54 degrees; but the wind had died down almost completely. What cyclist doesn’t love an un-windy day? Leg warmers, etcetera, would have taken care of the chilliness. I just said that Monday is no-ride day. That\’s because I normally do a long ride, as much as 50 miles, on Sunday; and recovery is said to be the most important part of training. That\’s why I usually don\’t ride at all on Mondays, not even to work; but when a Love to Ride challenge is on, I make a special effort to bike to work every day. As to the weather, it\’s rather annoying when the morning temperature is cool enough for slacks and vest + cycling jacket; and by the time I leave work it\’s too warm for slacks; and I don\’t need both vest and jacket. That means a crammed bicycle trunk, especially when I also have a cable lock with me. With all that stuff in the trunk, it feels like I\’m lugging around a bowling ball! But soon the weather will be warmer, and I won\’t need such a big change of wardrobe between morning and afternoon. I\’ll be glad to have less stuff to lug around, especially as today is only Day 15. We\’re halfway there; but there\’s still halfway to go!

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Do We Need This?

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Do we need this? A riding test? Good question. I see some cyclists doing things they should not do. It makes me think that anybody who wants to ride a bicycle beyond the home driveway, would do well to take some kind of cycling skills course. I myself have had very little of such \”schooling\”. But I began to read about bicycling safety as soon as I ordered my tricycle; and most of what I know is from books and web sites. Even if you can\’t get to a hands-on (or should I say, FEET-on?) course, read all you can about cycling safety. In fact, read those things over; and Over; and OVER. Eventually you\’ll start to remember them while out riding, as various situations arise. Back to the riding test. Do we need this? What would they test? I\’d have to practice not swerving when looking behind me, that\’s for sure! But what about that case of the cyclist hitting, and killing, a pedestrian? Of course I don\’t know the facts; but was it a matter of the cyclist not looking where he was going? Or did the pedestrian suddenly step out in front of him? Unfortunately you can test and test and test, and some cyclists will still do things that are  \”thou shalt not!\”

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