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Seeing Double

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Seeing Double? Do you ever feel like you’re seeing double? It can seem like it when you see a tandem! I’ve never tried to ride a bicycle built for two; but it does look like fun. I’ll bet it takes a lot of adjustment, though, when you’re used to riding solo.  Which position on a tandem is more difficult — captain or stoker? Check here for advice for beginning riders. The mounting technique for the captain is definitely different from that used when starting a solo ride; but it makes sense. If the “cap” tried to get on by swinging the leg to the rear, the handlebars for the stoker would cause complications — possibly including a fall! The stoker climbs on in the usual mounting manner. After that, things might get tricky. The captain decides which foot will be the starting foot. I’m very accustomed to starting off right-footed; and if I were paired with a left-footed captain, it might be awkward. It also seems weird to me that the stoker has both feet on the pedals; and the captain is still holding up the tandem.  At stops, e.g. stop signs, the stoker stays on the saddle; and keeps the feet on the pedals; and then it’s easier for the riders to get started again. A very important job of the captain is to warn the stoker of any road hazards that lie ahead: potholes; bumps; debris in the road; and so on. For the stoker, especially, reflective gear is an excellent idea. As I said, have no experience at all with “seeing double”; but if I wanted to try, is it better to start as the stoker; or the captain? I’m sure of this much — the stoker has no right to expect the captain to do all the work.

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Wishful Thinking II

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Uncategorized /

Wishful Thinking II One of these might satisfy my curiosity! Here’s  wishful thinking II for my wanting a power meter. More than once I was on the point of  buying one; and up came the need for expensive oral surgery! Sometimes I wonder how much wattage I’m able to generate; and a power meter would tell me that. But to be really  useful, a power meter must be properly set up; and that means doing an FTP test. This test doesn’t like fun; and in fact, by all accounts, it isn’t fun. Without it, however, a power meter is no more than “an expensive toy”. To be honest with myself, I don’t want to put myself through an FTP test; so I’ll skip the power meter. It’s not as though I’m in training for racing; and for some months I haven’t done any work to improve my force. Therefore ideas of my using a power meter are wishful thinking II. But I can still think about riding for the pleasure of it. Today’s ride wasn’t as hot as many a recent jaunt; but I turned back home some five miles sooner than I had planned. The sky wasn’t completely overcast, but the sun was covered; and something about the look of it made me decide to go home early. As I rode, I kept a wary eye on the eastern part of the sky. The clouds became darker and darker; and it even looked like it was raining somewhere. I got home shortly after 9:00 am; and about 20 minutes later I heard the first grumble of thunder. Shortly afterwards, I smelled rain. We’ve got a wet forecast for the coming week; and I hope I can still ride!

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Saturday Stuff

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Saturday Stuff If only the salvage store would have some of this! This morning was the usual Saturday stuff: a trip to the salvage store. But here is what was unusual about today’s trip: I spent less than $30.00; and I didn’t bring home a big load of canned stuff. I think I can relax a bit about stocking up; and even supposing I don’t have to move soon, I simply need to use up some of the stuff that I already have. It’s threatening to crowd me out of here! I was glad to have a bit of a tailwind on the way home from the store; and today I left the trailer home, which meant a lighter load.  If the salvage store had that Lundberg Wild Blend, though, I think I’d want the trailer, so I could bring home several bags of it. Last Christmas my sister gave me a bag of the rice; and it’s wonderful. Not only is it delicious; it gives off a lovely aroma while cooking. Today I met some friends for lunch; and that was expensive! It more than made up for the lower total at the salvage store. The food was delicious; but pricey. It’s lucky I recently made a little extra cash from cat-sitting; but this venue can’t be regular Saturday stuff. It began to drizzle while I was walking home from the restaurant. I’m glad it didn’t pour; and tomorrow’s biggest chance for T-storms is late afternoon. Maybe my ride will stay dry; but it sure will be hot! This is the time of year when I have to start my Sunday long rides by 6:00 am — supposing I can drag myself out of bed early enough. But if I begin the ride later, I get too hot! 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 ✍? Cold Turkey? November 22, 2024 Thermal Shock November 21, 2024 Cold Shock November 20, 2024 Front? November 19, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Let It Snow

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Uncategorized /

Let It Snow Can you believe that I am saying, Let it snow? It’s so hot that I almost wish it would snow; and cool us off. Then maybe we can go for a ride on a fat-tire bike; and have fun making tracks. This SAIGULA Fat-Tire bicycle’s four-inch tires are great for snow — or, when it’s as hot as this, try it on the beach! Right now a heat advisory is in effect; and there’s an excessive heat warning posted for tomorrow. They’re saying to stay indoors in the air conditioning if at all possible. Somebody tell me how I’m supposed to avoid going out into such an oven. I have to go to work; and of course I have to get back home. To complicate matters, I need to visit the bank; and the bank must be about a mile and a half from work. Maybe I’ll go to the bank in the morning, before the worst of the heat sets in; and maybe I’ll walk instead of using a bicycle. That’s a bit of a toss-up. Riding creates a certain amount of breeze; but of course that stops the moment I stop riding. At the same time, walking will be very hot work tomorrow! So, should I let it snow? That would relieve the heat; but snowy weather brings its own problems: icy surfaces; multiple layers to wear; and that danged runny nose!  

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It’s Official

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It’s Official! It’s official! Summer has begun; at least, according to the calendar. But things don’t always go according to our way of thinking of time. It feels like the dog days already; and has for a couple of weeks. Last week I was on vacation; and didn’t get in the extra mileage that I wanted to.  Of course when I’m on vacation I want (and need!) to sleep a little later; and when I don’t start a ride until 8:00 am these days, it’s already well into the 80s. In fact, overnight it gets little or none below 80. The cat-sitting was a complication. I didn’t want to leave the poor kitty hungry until late morning; and when I went to feed him in the evening, the heat index was often 100+! I wonder what the temperature in France is now. The Tour de France starts in a few days; and don’t stages typically begin around 1:00 pm? Thinking of riding in that heat makes me wilt! How do you keep cool during hot rides? The answer for me is that I don’t! Workday mornings I typically ride before sunup; but Sunday long rides are another story. Even if I start at 6:00 am, it’s very hot by the time I put in 35-40 miles; and I’m considering starting at 5:30 am! Unfortunately that means getting even less sleep; and it makes me long for Fall, when it might not be so sweltering. But it’s Summer now; it’s official.

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Like an Arrow

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Uncategorized /

Like an Arrow I wish I could ride this fast! Time flies like an arrow, so they say. Last week certainly flew past; and I feel like I got nothing done. I was badly distracted by the prospect of having to move; and soon. Long story short, that’s on hold for at least a few days. I hope it can stay on hold for at least six more months. But the upshot was that I didn’t get to work nearly as much on my dot net site as I had planned; and today I had to go back to work. Oh, how I want to retire! I also didn’t get any too much time to relax and rest; and by Sunday night I was exhausted. Yesterday morning I didn’t even try to ride because I was so worn out. I won’t be able to fly like an arrow down the bike path if I’m tired all the time. The unrelenting heat doesn’t help matters. Summer has barely begun; and it feels like the dog days. The overnight low temperature is hovering at around 80 degrees! It isn’t fun riding home from work in this heat; and I’m glad I have less than three miles to go. Some people have a much farther commute; and I don’t know how they manage it. If I had to ride far to and from  work, how would I fill my Camel-Bak before the trip home? I guess all I could do is fill it at home in the morning; and hope it doesn’t leak during the day if it doesn’t stay upright. Keep hydrated!

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heat index

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Heat Index Be careful when the heat index rises! At of  1:17 pm, yesterday, it was 95 degrees; our heat index was 103; and there was a heat advisory in effect. Today isn’t any cooler; and the lack of clouds doesn’t help. I  dragged myself out of bed at 4:10 am; went out at 5:00 am to ride some laps around the park; and then did about 29 miles on the levee. That let me finish by 9:00 am or so; and it was already brutally hot by that time! In heat like that, my ride food get half-melted; and my water and electrolyte drink don’t stay cool. I waited until I finished my ride to go feed the cat. He won’t starve if he gets his meal a few hours later. The poor thing is lonely, I know; but my friends return  tomorrow evening. They’ve been in England, where it’s cooler than it is here; and I hope the heat index doesn’t give them too much of a shock when they get back! In this heat and blazing sunshine, I’m using up a lot of sunblock. What a mess that stuff can make! It’s the payoff for not having to wear multiple layers. When it’s as hot as this, I wonder how Grand Tour riders manage to keep from collapsing. Well, tragically, sometimes they do collapse. How many years of acclimatization does it take to race like than in the heat?

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Precovery

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

PREcovery? Sometimes I “recover” before I ride. Recovery is a vital part of any exercise program; but  precovery? That’s right; sometimes I down my recovery drink before I go out riding! My usual pre-ride snack is a banana or a cupful of grapes; often with peanut butter. Sometimes I’m out of peanut butter; or I’m simply not in the mood for bananas. I don’t always have grapes on hand; and I don’t have time for a real meal. Going for a first-thing-in-the-morning ride on an empty stomach isn’t the best idea. At least, it isn’t for me. I’ve heard about fasted training; but I think I’ll skip it. Even with that pre-ride snack, I often get hungry before I’m back home; and my morning rides usually aren’t much over one hour long. I have to have something; so if that recovery drink is sitting in the fridge, I’ll grab it. Once in a while, in spite of a pre-ride snack, I get too hungry before I can get back home; and that’s why I carry a few GU-Gels with me. They’re my emergency rations, because I don’t need to bonk! Today I didn’t go out on the road bike. I had some errands to run; and the apartment search goes on. I also wanted to tune in to a webinar about Medicare that my employer is hosting today; that’s information that I’ll need in the not-so-distant future. Unfortunately my laptop couldn’t connect to the program. I guess it doesn’t have enough memory. I’m sure it was recorded, though; and maybe I can listen to it next week, when I’m back at work. When I ride anywhere now — even if it’s a short trip — I need something as precovery to cool me off before I go out. This morning it was in the low 80s before 7 am!  

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more power to me

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

More Power to Me? Sometimes I wish I had a power meter. Does a power meter mean more power to me? Unfortunately, it doesn’t; but there are times when I wonder how much wattage I can generate while on the bike. Such a device can let you know how strong a lightbulb your efforts can light up! I suspect that my wattage is quite low. It’s been a while since I did much of anything by way of force development; and force is a component of power.  On top of that, I’ve been tired for the last few months; and when you’re low on energy isn’t the best time to push force work. Besides that, these devices are a bit beyond my budget. But if you can afford them, and wish to do serious training, the Favero is easily installed; and its rechargeable batteries last up to 50 hours. Speaking of tired, that’s how I felt on the bike this morning; and I’m on vacation! I didn’t have to get up at 4:30 am to ride; but that meant I missed seeing the full moon over the river.? I rode only 16 miles; and while I’m off work, I’d rather put in 18-20 miles per day. Well, we do what we can. I’m halfway to my Love to Ride mileage goal for 2022; so as far as that goes, more power to me!

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