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bicycling

Where am I

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Where Am I? Where am I? Which way am I going? What day is this? Scrambling to go to two occupational therapy sessions per week is a drag. The change in the weather doesn’t help. I, for one, have a hard time getting moving when it’s cold. I don’t care who says that cold “perks you up”; it has the opposite effect on me! This morning it took me so long to get going that I had time for only a very short ride. Then I had to ride to work; visit my desk to drop off helmet and bike trunk; and catch the bus to go to my therapy appointment. If I hadn’t had to worry about catching that bus, I could have done a longer ride; and I hope to get in my usual mileage tomorrow. Getting to work several hours late throws off my sense of timing; and I feel it for the rest of the day. For whatever reason, I was very sleepy as well; and that made things harder. No wonder I think: where am I? What’s going on? Low of 45 degrees tonight. That’s not my favorite temperature for riding; but at least they don’t expect rain; or much wind. I’ve complained often enough about how my nose runs when I ride in the cold; but it’s not my only problem. If I need an extra layer over my leg warmers, I have to deal with flapping pant cuffs. That means an extra pair of socks; and a LONG pair. Then I can stuff those pant cuffs into the socks. In addition, there’s the woe of leg warmers that slide DOWN while the cuffs of my cycling shorts slide UP. This happens quite often; and when it gets too uncomfortable, I have to stop and adjust my clothing. That usually means removing my gloves; and then I have to watch that I don’t drop my hand warmers. Oh, and which way am I going? Sometimes I wish it were South to a place where it’s always warm.

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The Harder They Fall

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

The Harder They Fall? The bigger they are, the harder they fall, so the saying goes. Or maybe, the warmer the days, the colder it seems when it does turn chilly. We’re getting our first taste of real Fall. This morning it was about 59 degrees when I went out to ride; and the wind was 15 mph, with gusts up to 24 mph. I didn’t feel like struggling against that wind for miles; so I went to the park and rode around four times. Unfortunately that meant a headwind on the way home from the park! Tonight will be even cooler; and the wind just as strong. The first few cold days are quite a challenge; and I’m inclined to turn wimpy then. It doesn’t help that our cold weather tends to arrive abruptly. One afternoon it will be in the 80s; and the next morning it’s barely 50! On top of that, we’re likely to have crazy fluctuations in the temperature from day to day. I hear people complain about that often. They say, you never know how to dress; and they’re right. What do you do when the weather is so capricious? One day I’ll need the electric heater; and the next day that same appliance will be a hindrance when it’s turned warm again. As a result of the crazy swings in temperature, I have all sorts of layers all over the place. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of them all; and I don’t need to lose any of them. Oh, for a magic wand to chase away the cold, windy mornings. The colder they are, the harder they fall?

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Triple Lucky

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Triple Lucky Today I got triple lucky! First, the restrooms at my pit-stop are finally open again! It took them long enough — seven or eight weeks. Now I can take a break there; and ride farther on before I turn for home. I usually reapply sunblock when I make my pit stop. I unzipped the under-saddle pack; and no sunblock! Fortunately I had SPF lip balm, which was luck number two. Luck number three: I was wearing long sleeves; a lightweight skull cap; and leg warmers; and only needed to worry about my face and lower ears. The lip balm is SPF 25; and the sunblock is 45 or 50. I figured that meant I should reapply the lip balm every half-hour; not every 80 minutes. It meant some extra stops; but who cares as long as I didn’t get sunburnt. Today I had a pesky headwind on the way home (so what else is new??‍?); and my legs got pretty tired. I’m rather surprised that the wind was only 5-6 mph; it felt stronger. Maybe I did too much yesterday to tackle a long ride today; but I’m eagerly watching the miles before my Love to Ride goal melt away. Only 453.59 to go! It got quite warm before I was back home; but I left the leg warmers on because I didn’t have sunblock. Or I thought I didn’t. After I got home, guess what. I found a tube of sunblock at the bottom of one of my Camel-Bak’s pockets! I made sure to put sunblock into the under-saddle pack, so it’s there for next Sunday’s long ride. It clouded up quite quickly as the morning went on; and tonight’s forecast is for patchy fog. I think I’ll do a short ride anyway, because I don’t have the hybrid back yet; and can’t ride to work. But as long as it’s not raining; and not cold; and my legs cooperate — well, that’s triple lucky!

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Don’t Get Unhinged

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Don’t Get Unhinged Don’t get unhinged! Keep those hinges warm with Louis Garneau Knee Warmers! Sometimes it’s a bit chilly; but not really cold enough for full-length leg warmers. Some of us have knees that are sensitive to cold; and that’s where knee warmers come in handy. I have a bit of arthritis in my knees; but oddly, they don’t seem to be bothered by the cold. It’s my hands and feet that get so cold; and warming packs are a godsend. For my hands, anyway; but I wish I could fit them inside my shoes!  It’s easy to say, don’t get unhinged by bad weather, be it T-storms or a stiff cold front. After all, they say that there’s no such thing as bad weather; only bad clothing choices. I wish it were so simple. On cold days, socks plus thermal socks don’t keep my feet warm; and slacks over leg warmers don’t keep my legs warm enough. In this humid climate, the cold seeps through any amount of clothing. I’m thankful for those warming packs; at least I can keep my hands halfway warm! Our cold weather will be here only too soon; and when it arrives, dressing for a ride will take at least twice as long! It isn’t only the extra layers. I often forget that I need put my keys in the pocket of an outer jacket. Then I have to pull off my gloves so I can get the keys out of a blouse pocket. The same thing applies to my cell phone. It’s a lot of extra work; and many a day it seems like I’ll never get out the door. It’e enough to get anybody unhinged.

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Let’s Go Tubing

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Let’s Go Tubing! Let’s go tubing! If you want to get wet and wild, that’s one way to do it. Whitewater tubing is one thing; but it’s another thing entirely when you have to change your bicycle tire’s tube. I know what to do; but the physical ability to carry it out is my problem. CMC arthritis makes such work very painful; and I need to avoid flats if possible. That’s why I use tire liners; and I still get the occasional flat. Then have to haul out the spare tube; get to work as best I can; and hope someone comes along who can help me get that tire back onto the rim! In fact, that happened last December. Presta valve tubes The road bike’s tire tube have Presta valves; and the hybrid uses Schraeder-valve tubes. The tricycle also had Schraeder tubes. Schraeder-valve tubes In spite of tire liners, I recently had a rear flat on my hybrid — TWICE! Thanks to my physical problems, I had to take the bike to the shop to get the flats fixed. Let’s go tubing? I wish I could!  They say that one of the hallmarks of the touring cyclist is self-reliance; and that includes fixing a flat. If I can’t manage that basic task, I fear that bicycle touring is not for me.  At least, not the self-supported tours; but if there’s a SAG wagon following along, I don’t have to worry about that.  So maybe I can still pin my hopes on that elusive “someday”!

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Break It Up

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Break It Up! I really had to break it up for today’s “long” ride! The restrooms at my pit-stop place are still “closed for maintenance”. How long is this going to continue? It’s already been six weeks! That meant going back home earlier than I wanted so I could use the bathroom; and I had to make a detour of a least a mile and a half because of a train. After I got home,  I decided to switch to the hybrid. I needed to ride a few laps around the park to fill out my day’s mileage goal; and by 11:00 am, the park is pretty crowded. It’s better to be on the hybrid then, because it’s more stable than the road bike; and I’m not riding clipped in. In the park, there are youngsters on bicycles who don’t yet have the skills to hold a straight line; and passing them makes me nervous. I never know when a child might swerve into my path just as I’m passing. And there are people — who are NOT children! — on skateboards; and who are attempting “jump in the air and turn”, or whatever it’s called. Piroutte, maybe? Whatever it’s called, I don’t want a skateboarder to tumble to the ground right in front of me. I rode three laps; and then decided to head for the nearest supermarket. I brought along a pannier, because I wanted to get bananas; and the pannier gives them a “suspended ride”. Fragile groceries like bananas do better when they get minimal jolting. So I finally did make it to 40 miles in all; but I sure had to break it up!

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Esnow Toe Clips

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Esnow Toe Clips Esnow Toe Clips are made of environmentally-friendly plastic; and the adjustable straps are of sturdy nylon. Toe clips let you put more power into your pedal stroke; and they keep your feet from slipping. That’s very handy in wet weather; and where I live, we get plenty of that! These toe clips are suitable for a variety of outdoor bicycles; or for an indoor bike. I had something similar to Esnow Toe Clips on my tricycle. After I had them installed, I began to use my quads; and what a different feeling that was! But it always annoyed me that I couldn’t get the strap on the left pedal properly snugged. Chalk it up to my right-handedness, I suppose. When I moved on to two wheels, I knew that clips with straps weren’t practical for me. With the trike, I didn’t  have to worry about keeping my balance; and it was easy to reach down and adjust the straps while I was sitting still. But I’m wasn’t comfortable with the idea of reaching down to my feel while rolling on two wheels; and I’m still not. That meant looking for something else. Enter strapless toe clips! It’s easy to get my feet in and out of them; and with toe clips you don’t have to have your feet attached to the pedals. The thought of riding clipped in is scary when you aren’t used to doing it! With these strapless clips, I can take my foot out either to the back; or to the side. They’re lightweight, too. Toe clips are definitely worth it!

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Going through the Motions

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Going Through the Motions Do you ever feel like you’re merely going through the motions? That’s how I felt about riding this morning. It was around 65 degrees; and that’s cool for us. On top of that, it was windy: NE at 12 mph, with gusts up to 22-23 mph. As usual, that meant a headwind on the way back home! Honestly, I didn’t really feel like going out in it; but I finally did. Cycle September isn’t over yet! I might as well get in some miles while I still can; but sometimes it feels like I’m only going through the motions. I sure was glad I decided to wear my skull cap this morning! If I hadn’t, I would have been utterly miserable from a cold head. This was another short ride; just nine miles. I would have made it longer; but on the way out, about a mile and a half from home, I dropped my water bottle. Then I couldn’t find it! Of course it was still dark; and I didn’t want to waste too much time looking. My spare bottle wasn’t full; and I was getting thirsty quickly. That’s what happens when there’s a chilly wind; my nose is running; and I have to breathe through my mouth. So I decided to turn back early, rather than risk running out of water. Tonight it’s going to get cooler yet; and I hope the wind dies down a bit. It always takes time for me to adjust to cooler weather; and to make it harder, crazy fluctuations in temperature are the norm at this time of  year. That’s when I don’t fell much motivation for going out to ride; and it seems to be just going through the motions!    

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Leg Warmers

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment /

Leg Warmers Yep; it’s about time for leg warmers. This morning I wore them for my ride. The temperature was in the low 70s; and strictly speaking, that’s not cool enough for me to cover my legs. But the wind was strong enough that it felt a lot cooler; and that meant leg warmers. It’s a nuisance pulling the things on. I have CMC arthritis in my left thumb; and the pinch-and-pull of donning leggings makes it hurt. I expect to see an occupational therapist soon; and will probably need a custom-made brace. There goes more money! Twenty-twenty-two has been an expensive year! I was glad I used the leg warmers. Yesterday I did some hard efforts; and I suppose that’s why  I felt tired today. I decided to ride the hybrid, and to ride in the park; because I expected the wind to make bike handling tricky. This was a short ride, too, because I had to leave myself time to fix a box lunch. If I thought it was windy this morning, I was mistaken. Coming home, I had a headwind of about 18 mph! The forecast predicts a low of 61 degrees tonight; and a 15 mph wind. That’s a wind chill of 58 degrees. I’ll need those leg warmers for sure!  Now that the weather is starting to turn cool, I expect to see plenty of day-to-day temperature fluctuations. It drives me crazy, too. One day I might need three layers; and next day, only one. It’s annoying to have jackets, gloves, etc. all over the place. An easy way to give yourself a hand? Soon I might need warming packs; and I’m glad I have some left over from last Winter. Until then, leg warmers and a lightweight jacket should suffice.  As to keeping those legs warm, I’ve never tried embrocation cream. I suppose it’s as messy as sunblock!

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eyes on the weather

BACK ISSUES, bicycling /

Eyes on the Weather We’ve got our eyes on the weather again. Hurricane Ian is out there! We in New Orleans are expecting minimal impact from the storm; but poor Florida looks like the bull’s eye. On top of that, Ian is rapidly growing stronger. If he suddenly decides to change trajectories and head more to the Northwest, we could be in BIG TROUBLE! Some folks are still reeling from the effects of Ida. I had my eyes on the weather during the ride home from work yesterday. A big, black cloud was over the sun; and for all I knew, it might rain at any moment!  I didn’t have my poncho with me; so I rode harder than usual to get home faster. And then it didn’t rain after all! Today I had a tough ride home from work. For about half the way, I had a 13 mph headwind; with gusts up to 21 mph! We’re under a wind advisory until 10 pm tomorrow. Maybe I’ll be the weakling, and go ride in the park tomorrow morning. I’ll have that headwind on the way home; but I won’t be fighting it for six miles as I would on top of the levee. As to headwinds, this morning I had a 10 mph headwind on the way home. For nearly six miles, I averaged 11.12 mph against it. That doesn’t sound fast; but such a wind used to slow me to 8 mph; or even 6 mph! I need to remind myself of that when I feel like I’m not improving!

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