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Spinning Out

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Spinning Out ?️ 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.” “Spinning out” sounds to me like a Mahler compositional device (listen here between about 5:58-6:07 minutes); not a rapid-fire cadence in the face of a headwind.   How much does crank length have to do with cadence? From personal experience, I can’t say; but it does seem logical to assume that a longer crank takes more time to complete one round. Today, happily, I didn’t need to do much spinning out. The wind was 10 mph, W to NW; and much of the time it seemed to be coming from an oblique angle. It usually wasn’t a tailwind; but not a headwind, either. I averaged 11.26 mph over 19.6 miles; and for me, thats not bad. My average cadence was 73, which is a bit on the “masher” side; but that’s OK. I read somewhere that your optimal cadence depends on many factors, among them muscle-fiber composition and even, possibly, your age. Weekend Outlook ? The weekend outlook isn’t bad: sunny, and the wind about 10 mph. I’ll be glad to get to the salvage store tomorrow. Last Saturday I started out, panniers and all, only to be slammed by a such a strong gust of wind that I turned back. Come Sunday, I want to do a long ride — maybe I’m ready for 25 miles now? Let’s hope the weekend lookout doesn’t change by then!

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First Sure Sign

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

First Sure Sign ? Yesterday I got my first sure sign of Spring. I arrived at home from a longish ride; and found a gnat stuck in the sunblock on my nose! It was about 50 degrees when I set out; and foggy. I guess  fog is another sure sign of Spring, although not the first sure sign. Fog is possible in Winter, too: just read A Christmas Carol! Today I focused on going a few miles farther; and clocked up 21.8 miles. Even if RAGBRAI is out of reach for me, I want to get my Sunday long rides back up ro 40 miles or so; and now that I have time, I want to do longer rides during the week. Weekday Ride Fueling ⛽️ Longer rides during Monday through Friday means weekday ride fueling. I’m not sure that protein bars are really the wisest choice for more than one — maybe two — long rides per week. So what to do? I flipped through Feed Zone Portables; and Masala Chicken Rice Cakes (page 80) sound good. I could use canned chicken for the recipe; but I’ll have to get curry powder. Plain Yogurt, too. Previous attempts at rice cakes have often resulted in a finished product that was too soft; so I think I need to cook the rice a little longer. I’m always afraid of letting too much water boil out. A full recipe is rather more than I can use up easily, too. But if I start doing 20+ mile rides on an almost daily basis, weekday ride fueling will become vital. 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 Am I on Track? February 21, 2024 Logistics February 20, 2024 Drop It February 19, 2024 I Scream February 18, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Am I on Track?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Am I on Track? ?️ Am I on track? Or would I be, if I were determined to ride RAGBRAI 2024? I’m far from sure. According to the info given, this year’s RAGBRAI will be the hilliest yet — and I’ve got a long way to go before I can become a good climber. Sure, I know — practice pushing hard in a hard gear; practice riding hard against a headwind. Good ideas in theory; but in actual practice, it’s very easy to slack off when I get tired. If I were riding real hills, I might not have that option.  How do I stack up against the recommended training plan? Am I on track? At the moment, yes; but in a few weeks, the mileages go up! Another aspect of RAGBRAI is weather. I’m used to humidity; but not to riding for miles in the hottest part of the afternoon. My practice has always been to ride early in the day, so as to avoid having to pedal in a 100+ heat index. During RAGBRAI, that seems to be impossible. A cooling neck gaiter would help; but I’d need to start going for afternoon rides, so I can develop the necessary conditioning. It might not be long before our afternoon temperatures reach well into the 80s; and now that I’m retired, I could do it. The catch is, do I really want to? 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 Logistics February 20, 2024 Drop It February 19, 2024 I Scream February 18, 2024 Another Windy One February 17, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Logistics

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors /

Logistics ? I’ve talked before about wanting to do RAGBRAI; but oh, the logistics! Even supposing I can train up adequately, I would still have a lot of other work to do! The logistics of a trip to the salvage store can seem quite a lot at times; and doing RAGBRAI would mean a great deal more than that!  How do I get to and from Iowa? I’d have to find someone local who is also doing the ride; and pay for gas in exchange for transportation. If that fails, what are the options? It looks like flying is the only one; the map of Amtrak’s routes looks like they only go across the southern part of the state. Or can I take the train to the westernmost station in Iowa; and get bus service to the RAGBRAI start town? Flying raises the question of how to safely transport my bicycle. A good bicycle case is not cheap; and does it make sense to buy one, and use it for perhaps one trip? The week in between getting to and from Iowa has its own logistics. To use a Camel-Bak, or not? They say, chances to refill your water bottles are about 10 miles apart; but if I just use a water bottle, I’d have to stop every mile or so to get my bottle of electrolyte drink. I’m better off taking a gulp of electrolyte drink every few minutes; not every 10 miles. What about carrying food? There’s plenty to eat along the route; but I’d rather have a bite every 15 minutes than ride for an hour and more between towns; stuff myself; then start riding again. Maybe eat bars on the bike, in between breakfast; lunch; and supper? And how about camping? And charging up my cell phone and cyclocomputer? Showering? Washing out my cycling clothes … I feel tired already! 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 Elementor #163126 February 20, 2024 Drop It February 19, 2024 I Scream February 18, 2024 Another Windy One February 17, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Drop It

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Drop It ⚖️ If only losing weight were as easy as saying, Drop It! Unfortunately, it’s never that simple. The theory behind weight loss is well known: eat fewer calories than you burn. In practice, this gets tedious. I know it does for me! The constant meal planning; recording of what I eat and how much; calories and grams of carbs — and that’s not taking into account other aspects of diet. It’s also important to keep cholesterol and fat in mind.  For over a year, I did intense reconstruction work on this website; and a good portion of that time was before I retired. I wasn’t taking the time to plan meals and prepare proper food. As a result, I regained the weight I had lost; and now I have to work to get it back off. In other words, to drop it. The inactivity resulting from hand surgery was no help; and I was finally starting to feel back up to scratch when the foot surgery came up. It’s taken about three  months for me to approach normal weekday mileage; and Sunday rides of 40 miles are still a way off. But my Camel-Bak is waiting for me when I start doing those long rides again; and in fact, I’m using it when I push for a 19-mile ride. I need to become accustomed to having that weight on my back again. When I’m out for two or more hours, I can’t just drop it anywhere. 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 I Scream February 18, 2024 Another Windy One February 17, 2024 Breakfast on the Roll February 16, 2024 This Is February? February 15, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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I Scream

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

I Scream? ? “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” That line has been around for ages; and sometimes I succumb to the temptation.  Today I didn’t go for Halo Top. The drug store a short walk away doesn’t carry it; and besides, their freezer’s been out of order for several weeks. I didn’t feel like walking the greater distance to a grocery store; even in the early afternoon, the wind still felt quite biting. I went to Baskin Robbins instead (it’s almost next door to the drug store); and got a single-scoop cone. Not that I needed the extra calories. This morning’s ride was under 14 miles; and I burned off barely over 500 calories. I need to give more thought to the advice in Ride Your Way Lean! But I’m starting to work at increasing my mileage; last week, I did two rides of 19.6 miles each!  I know this, however: don’t try to build up mega-miles too quickly; or your muscles will be telling you, I scream! It isn’t fun to do too much, too soon; you’ll only get over-tired, and you’ll also be risking overuse injuries and burnout. Some sources say, that’s especially true for older riders. I’m not a trainer, so I can’t speak with authority; and I’m not in serious training for anything. But it’s a good idea to listen to your body. If you don’t, sooner or later it’ll scream. 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 Elementor #163026 February 18, 2024 Another Windy One February 17, 2024 Breakfast on the Roll February 16, 2024 This Is February? February 15, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Another Windy One

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Another Windy One ? It’ll be another windy one tonight. Good thing I won’t be riding. Wind gets very noisy! So-called cat ears help tone down the wind noise on days when it’s warm enough that I don’t need a skull cap. On cold days, that cap does a lot to deaden wind noise. This morning I started out for the salvage store on the hybrid, only to turn back very soon. The headwind was tremendous. Gusts were up to 28 mph; and maybe I had the bad luck to run right into one at the outset. It felt cold, too. I had thought that half-fingered gloves would suffice; but no — my fingers were too cold. On top of that, I knew that a wind from the North meant a headwind on the way home from the store; and somehow I couldn’t face that. So I went and made one lap of the park; then detoured to the nearest grocery store for bananas before returning home. Yesterday I rode over 19 miles; so maybe I was a little tired this morning. Gloomy gray skies and a light drizzle did nothing to help me feel livelier!  Tomorrow I’ll be on the road bike. I can get more aero on “Scottie” when I’ve got the wind against me; and I’ll  probably need to. It’ll be another windy one!   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 Elementor #162978 February 17, 2024 Breakfast on the Roll February 16, 2024 This Is February? February 15, 2024 Queen of Hearts February 14, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Breakfast on the Roll

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Breakfast on the Roll ? Now and then, I try breakfast on the roll. I’ll cut a protein bar (such as Alani) in pieces; put the pieces in a snack bag; and put the bag into my top-tube pouch. It gives new meaning to the expression, double-bagged! Today I decided to tackle breakfast on the roll, supplementing my Alani bar with a Salted Caramel GU-Gel. I put in 19.6 miles; and figured the Alani bar wouldn’t be enough calories.  As it turned out, I got back home with one piece of the bar uneaten; but by then I was ready for real breakfast! The ride went pretty well, except for the weather. It was gloomy and gray, and there was a light drizzle most of the time; although not enough for me to stop and break out the poncho. Not much wind this morning;? and I averaged a hair over 12 mph. If I want to do more frequent rides of 19+ miles, maybe I should experiment with rice cakes, à la Feed Zone Portables. I get my protein bars cheap at the salvage store; but home-made food might actually provide better nutrition! Especially if I plan to do breakfast on the roll several times a week.  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 Breakfast on the Roll February 16, 2024 This Is February? February 15, 2024 Queen of Hearts February 14, 2024 On the Qui Vive February 13, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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This Is February?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

This Is February? ? This is February? Now I don’t mean that we’ll be frying eggs on the sidewalk; or taking the kids to the beach. But 64 degrees? Looks like Mother Nature is jumping the gun on Summer. Again. At least it’s calm this morning. It would have been great for a ride; but I had planned a walk with a former co-worker, who leaves nearby and who is also retired. After all, it’s good to take a break from the wheels now and then! More rain is in the forecast; and that’s not good news. Precipitation is most likely Friday night and Saturday. My ride to and from the salvage store might get pretty wet; and that can make the place an inconvenience store. Or inconvenient going there, anyway. How do I ride in the rain? If it isn’t raining before I start a rice, I take along the poncho and hope for the best. If it’s already raining, I wear the poncho, of course. It’s a good thing that I can see well enough without my glasses, to remove them when it’s raining. They get so wet that I can see better without them! The hybrid is a better choice for wet-weather riding than the road bike. Its wider tires mean better stability; and the hybrid has fenders. If I’m bringing home loaded panniers, having fenders mean they don’t get quite as wet; and I don’t get a wet, dirty stripe up my back. I hope I can go for a long ride come Sunday. With these crazy temperatures, I’m almost tempted to skip leg warmers; but after all, this is February. 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 This Is February? February 15, 2024 Queen of Hearts February 14, 2024 On the Qui Vive February 13, 2024 Pre-Carnival February 12, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Queen of Hearts

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Queen of Hearts ?   Queen of Hearts would have been a great costume for yesterday’s Mardi Gras celebrations; with or without a FitBit. Today is Valentine’s Day, when a Queen of Hearts outfit would be even more fitting. I’m starting to watch my heart rate again while riding my road bike; but I have an unfortunate tendency to forget to wear my sensor strap. The result is some “heartless” rides! Heart rate training for cyclists is a method of developing strength and speed without getting burned out. From what I see, I seldom reach my maximum heart rate while riding; but then I haven’t been trying to get there! My foot is still a little swollen; and I don’t think it’s quite ready yet for the intense efforts that would let me reach my max heart rate. Too often these days, the height and angle of the sun make seeing my Garmin’s readout screen difficult. There’s too much glare. Should I go back to pre-dawn rides? It’s hard to say. This is the season when the sun is rather low in the sky; and that makes sun-in-my-eyes typical during most rides.  So it can be hard to watch my heart rate while riding. On top of that, I never have figured out how to download my heart rate zones into my Garmin! Therefore I have no idea what my workloads are after any ride. Maybe I need the Queen of Hearts to help me out.    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 On the Qui Vive February 13, 2024 Pre-Carnival February 12, 2024 Keyed Up Again February 10, 2024 Trigger Finger February 9, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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