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Upon Reflection

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Upon reflection, you might realize that there\’s quite a variety of rearview mirrors used by cyclists. Which is best?  When had the tricycle, I thought I that I needed mirrors on both sides. Fairly soon I came to realize that I this was unnecessary; and took off the right-hand one. Here is the kind that I now have on my hybrid bike. I like it because I can easily see things in it. Recently I had to replace it when I somehow let the bicycle fall. The bike landed in such a way that the mirror-stem holder cracked; and could no longer hold the mirror securely. Perhaps ironically, the mirror itself survived just fine!  I have  a handlebar-end mirror on the road bike. That thing can be very annoying, because it changes position too easily! I nearly always manage to bump it when getting the water bottle in and out of its down tube cage. I suppose, however, that that is a safety measure. In a crash, a handlebar-end mirror that\’s in too rigid a position might cause abdominal injury; especially in a crash at high speed. Off-Bike Mirrors Once I tried a helmet-mounted mirror; and that thing drove me crazy! It was very difficult to position the mirror correctly; and even then it seemed to have a mind of its own. It shifted position at the slightest touch; or would even slip out of place without being touched. Even when I managed to get that mirror positioned correctly, I couldn\’t get the hang of seeing anything in it; and eventually I gave up on it. I haven\’t tried glasses-mounted mirrors; but I\’ve seen other riders using them. In fact, glasses with a mirror are supposedly a sure sign of a genuine cyclist. I\’ve read of putting a mirror patch inside the left lens of a pair of glasses; but I haven\’t tried it. Upon reflection: if you don\’t use a rearview mirror on your bicycle, I\’d certainly suggest that you get one; especially if you must ride alongside traffic. Try out different models, until you find one that suits you.

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Remembering

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We are remembering the day. As someone who lives in a hurricane-prone region, my thoughts naturally tend to get caught up in hurricanes. Hurricane Florence continues barging towards the Carolinas. If Tropical Storm Isaac continues his current westward track, it looks like he could get into the Gulf of Mexico. Then everybody who lives on or near the coast will be gnawing on their fingernails. With all that on my mind, it was easy for today’s 9/11 anniversary to slip by me almost unnoticed. That’s especially true as the event, terrible though it was, didn’t have a direct impact on either myself or anyone I know. I remember being at work that day, and hearing somebody mention that a plane had flown into a building in New York. At first I thought it was freak accident involving a small, single-engine plane. It was shocking to learn what had actually happened. Later in the day I heard about the crash on the Pentagon, and the plane that ultimately went down in a field in Pennsylvania. I hardly need to say any more; there’s no point in repeating what we’ve all heard so many times since that dreadful day. Today many will be remembering their lost loved ones. May they rest in peace.

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Orthotics

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I\’ve had orthotics in my cycling shoes for at least five years. Not long after I switched to two wheels, I noticed that my left foot rolled inwards when riding. It was especially noticeable if I half-rose from the saddle. This rolling-in made the inner side of the knee feel strained; and I knew that not addressing the problem immediately would likely lead to much bigger issues later. Ultimately I visited a sports medicine clinic, to get custom-made orthotics. When you go for such a fitting, the clinician (or whatever the title may be) presses each foot into a block of memory foam; and the impressions are used to make orthotics that will fit your feet properly. Such devices are expensive; at least $300. But they\’re meant to last for 3-5 years. In fact, at a price like that, they had better last a long time! Recently my left foot started acting weird immediately after a long (say, 50 miles) ride. When I took my cycling shoe off, the smaller toes felt like they were going into spasm; they\’d curl under, and it took several seconds for me to get them to straighten. Then, when walking, it felt like something sharp was under the bases of those small toes. I consulted my primary care physician, and he said something about metatarsal inflammation; and that my orthotics probably needed replacing. I visited the sports medicine clinic again last week; got the impressions done; and my new shoe inserts should be ready before the end of the month. I took along my cycling shoes to the \”fitting\”. I wanted to be sure they were still in decent condition. Thank goodness they are!

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Katy Trail

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Katy Trail The Katy Trail first came to my attention in early 2013. A then co-worker, who was originally from Missouri, told me about this route. He had ridden it twice. (I don’t know whether this pic is really the Katy Trail, but it looks nice). It sounded wonderful. There’s an annual organized group bicycle ride that covers the entire length of the trail. The route alternates between East to West one year; and the opposite direction the next. The Katy is one of the Rails to Trails paths, following a former railroad route. I hear that those routes are almost flat, having at most a very slight grade. That’s good news for a spoiled flatlander like me! For the history buff, more than half the Katy follows the route of the Lewis and Clark expedition along the Missouri River. I was considering going for the Katy Trail group ride. Unfortunately this would have meant getting to the trailhead to begin with. I don’t own a car; and transporting a bicycle by air wouldn’t have been so cheap. I was reluctant to bother somebody to drive me up there. It would’ve meant finding a way to borrow (or — gulp! — buy) camping equipment such as tent and sleeping bag if I don’t want to pay for provided accommodations. If I bought those things, where would I store them? Would I ever use them again? The more I thought about doing the Katy Trail, the more I realized that I could spend several thousand dollars on something that would last about two weeks. That put rather a damper on my enthusiasm; and I decided that I’d be better off spending that money on a road bike. I’ve never regretted the decision; but the Katy Trail is still on my bucket list! 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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What a Relief!

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What a relief! All the to-do over Tropical Storm Gordon turned out to be much ado about nothing, at least in my immediate vicinity. It didn\’t even rain much, although we\’ve got showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for a few days. Some areas got hit pretty hard, despite the fact that Gordon never reached hurricane strength; and the storm resulted in at least one death. Regions farther North in Gordon\’s path could get a lot of rain, so the threat isn\’t entirely over. This morning the wind was only 6 mph; and for a change I had it behind me on the way home. What a relief that was! I worked at stints of pushing for 16 or even 17 mph; and for 6.5 miles I averaged 15.55 mph! I think it\’s time now to take things up a notch, and work for 16 mph as a regular thing. By the time I left work the sky had some very stormy-looking clouds; and I was glad to get home without getting wet. It isn\’t raining yet; but I expect it any time.

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NOW I\’m Freezing!

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Now I\’m freezing! It isn\’t unusual for our first cold weather of the season to arrive abruptly. One day it\’s in the 80s; and the next morning it\’s down to 40 degrees! If riding in the heat presents problems, riding in the cold comes with its own set of difficulties. I don\’t want to collapse with hypothermia like that poor bicycle on the left! Where I live, snow; ice; and sleet are extremely rare. A little sleet shuts down the entire city; but when the temperature starts to get much below 60 I really feel it. I always was sensitive to the cold. I guess I should be glad I don\’t live where I\’d need icebike.org. If a humid climate makes heat seem worse, it also makes cold seem worse; the chill seems to penetrate right down to the bones. Post-Katrina I stayed with my sister in eastern Washington State; and there, temperatures in the teens are more comfortable than New Orleans at 40 degrees! When the weather turns \”brisk\”, I bring out the skull cap; leg warmers; and so on. But perhaps the biggest annoyance about cold-weather riding is the way my nose runs; especially if there\’s a wind. If I don\’t want to keep wiping my nose on a glove, the only alternative is the snot rocket. Yes, it sounds disgusting; but what can a body? If I want to keep in shape, I\’ve got to ride in all weathers; even if now I\’m freezing. If only layering could take care of that nose!

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Celebrating!

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I feel like celebrating! I finally got the Home page of my web site restored. I\’d like to know why the image disappeared in the first place, so if it happens again, I\’ll know what to do. I\’ve sure got plenty to learn about keeping a web site going. Aside from that, we\’re all on tenterhooks around here. Tropical Storm Gordon is headed this way. It looks like his main impact will be to the East of us; but those storms can do weird things. In their own way, they\’re as erratic and unpredictable as tornadoes. So I don\’t know whether I\’ll get to ride tomorrow morning. It depends on whether it\’s raining; and how hard; and how strong the wind is. So far there\’s no word from my employer about a closure because of the storm. As things stand now, I have to go to work tomorrow. I do not feel like celebrating about that.

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I\’m Melting!

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I\’m melting! And often it feels like I\’m not merely melting; but dissolving, thanks to our high humidity! Riding in hot weather certainly presents its challenges. For months on end, our overnight low temperatures can be at or near 80 degrees! That\’s one reason I ride so early in the day. When the afternoon heat index is about 100, going for a long ride is unwise. I would have to start by riding only a few miles; and then build up. It seems rather pointless because, by the time I did get acclimated, Fall and cooler weather would be here. I\’d still ride in the morning, too; or I won\’t get enough exercise! Between high temperatures and high humidity, sometimes the heat index rises to the point that a heat advisory is issued; and that\’s when it\’s time to just ride home from work (less than three miles) and stay put. But what about the Sunday long ride, when it will already be hot when I start? I fill up the Camel-Bak; and take along electrolyte drink (such as Zym); prepared the previous evening, and  chilled overnight. I don\’t blast away trying to ride at top speed for the whole ride. In fact, the Sunday ride is about long and steady at a moderate pace. Not working to go too fast helps keep me from overheating too badly; but I still feel like I\’m meltilng. It would help, of course, if I had a cycling path with some shade. But I don\’t; so I take whatever precautions that I can — and do my best to enjoy the ride despite the heat.

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In a Rut

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Don\’t get stuck in a rut! I, for one, can\’t realistically hope to get as fast as the rider shown here; but I do want to improve my pace as much as I can. At least one source I read says, if you want to get faster, don\’t go out and ride at the same intensity day after day. That leads to a cyclist becoming \”a one-speed wonder\”, as someone put it. When I first started riding the adult tricycle, I decided to let speed take care of itself; and for a while, it did. In the early weeks the best I could manage was 5-6 mph. After maybe six months, I was up to about 8 mph. But then I got stuck. After several more months with no further increase in my pace, I realized that I\’d have to start making deliberate efforts to ride faster. For the last several years one of the items on my annual list of goals has been to increase my cruising speed to 15 mph. I always fell short. Then, last November, I began weekly on-bike drills to improve my force (strength). It\’s taken until quite recently, but I\’m finally a little better at riding 15 mph. I do those force exercises only one day a week, which could be why it\’s taken so long for them to have an effect. During July I took a break from them; and on my usual schedule, every third week I skip them; that\’s for recovery. The main purpose of this work to develop more strength for riding faster is, Tour de Cure. But even after TdC is over, I think I\’ll keep the exercises as part of my regular rides. I don\’t want to wind up stuck in a rut.

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Whoa!

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Whoa! This is happening too fast! I knew there was a weather system in the Caribbean that they were watching; but I sure didn\’t expect there to be a tropical storm warning in effect already! I found out when I checked the NOAA site at about 7:45 am. No doubt the weather service wants people to have plenty of advance warning, especially as this is a holiday. People will be out and about, cycling; having barbecues; picnics; perhaps even boating. The boaters will need to get off the water soon! The wind a few hours ago was only about 6 mph (it\’s up to 10 mph now!), so I went out on the road bike and put in 21.2 miles. As all too often happens, I had the wind against me on the way home. Riding in the face of even that amount of breeze often feels like hard work. For a while I worked at holding to 15 mph, but soon ran low on the energy for it. I still need a lot of hard work before I can buck the breeze at 15 mph mile after mile. Even so, I averaged 14 mph! That\’s progress =) Whether you\’re bicycling; or roasting hot dogs over a campfire; or plain old relaxing at home, Happy Labor  Day! And let\’s tell that storm, WHOA!    

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