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Lab Rat

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Lab Rat 🐀 I’ve got to be a lab rat for a while. After viewing many a video about RAGBRAI, I can see that I might need to change my fueling strategy; and that means starting to experiment now. For years, my long-ride fueling strategy has been to eat a banana and some peanut butter before starting; and then eat a bite of an energy bar every 15 minutes. During RAGBRAI that might not be possible. I might need to eat more, less often, depending on how far apart food sources are. So, how will I do if I fuel that way? I won’t know unless I make myself a lab rat. That includes considering RAGBRAI breakfasts. RAGBRAI Breakfasts 🥞 I’m weighing my options for RAGBRAI breakfasts. Depending on how early in the day I want to begin riding, there might not be a way to buy any food first. I also might not feel secure riding one-handed if there are a lot of other riders near to me; and if so, my usual eat-on-the-bike strategy won’t be practical. But what to eat? I’m afraid that my usual protein bars won’t do. I suspect that the PBV trailer truck is not climate-controlled; and those bars — many of which have chocolate coating — will be an absolute mess! Will a packet of peanut butter and a GU-Gel get me to the breakfast town? Or how about packets of nuts and chocolate (in the form of M&Ms)? I’ll want to try Chris Cakes at least once; and that looks like a big meal! Or can I get a “short stack”, and eat less; so my gut won’t  be too uncomfortable when I resume pedaling? Of course RAGBRAI breakfasts will be only part of the day’s food. There will be ice cream; corn on the cob; home-made pie; and more! Being a lab rat for a while should help my stomach learn to adjust. I just hope I don’t gain 10 pounds in the process! 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 ✍🏻 Lab Rat February 20, 2025 More Winter February 19, 2025 Another Round February 18, 2025 Roll Over February 17, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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RAGBRAI hydration

Leave a Comment / BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

RAGBRAI Hydration 🚰 I’m already planning RAGBRAI hydration; never mind that the event is still over five months in the future. If anything, hydration is more important than food; so plan how you’ll get your fluids during a ride. For a long event, is a Camel-Bak or bottles a better choice? That depends on personal preference. Some riders find that a backpack full of water makes them too hot; and for a fact, a Camel-Bak does get hot. There’s also the weight of the Camel-Bak to contend with. I intend to use the Camel-Bak for my RAGBRAI hydration, despite the drawacks. Now that I’m doing 20+ mile rides more and more often, I’m using that hydration system much more often. If I’m to use it for RAGBRAI, I must train with it. Since it sounds like opportunities to refill your bottles, etc. are frequent, I won’t need to fill the reservoir all the way. That means more weight allowance for other necessities, e.g. a tube of Chamois Butt’r. If I have the Camel-Bak, I’ll have a drinking tube; and that tube is easier to grab than a bottle on my bicycle’s down tube. Even after a dozen years of riding that road bike, I still have days when I can’t seem to keep from swerving when trying to manage that bidon! And that’s on flat ground; I imaging that climbing would complicate matters considerably. What about Electrolytes? ⚡️ What about electrolytes? Hydration isn’t only about water, after all. Even on the coldest days, after about an hour of riding, plain water doesn’t cut it. If the weather is hot, I need electrolyte drink after half an hour or less. For RAGBRAI hydration, I’ll want my Camel-Bak ready when I begin a day’s riding. Over the years, I’ve tried many electrolyte drinks; and naturally some are more appealing than others. Regular Gatorade has fallen by the wayside; I have prediabetes, and need to watch my carb intake. Besides, I would rather eat my carbs than drink them. But there’s Gatorade Zero! I also like Propel. I’ve found this product in both powder and tablet form; and I lean towards tablets. They’re neater; and I think they’d be easier to use on a long ride. I’ve also tried Nuun tablets; and as a rule, I keep some GU-Gels with me at all times. What about hydration? There are many choices! 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 ✍🏻 RAGBRAI hydration February 7, 2025 I Took the Plunge! February 6, 2025 Edging Closer February 5, 2025 What Hills? February 4, 2025 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Tabula Rasa

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food, Training /

Tabula Rasa ?  A new year is tabula rasa, a chance to start anew; and of course that includes riding plans! Not that anyone has to coax me to give riding a try. I’ve been cycling for 15+ years now! But it’s still a good time to work up a new training plan; and to consider some new cycling adventures. When the route for RAGBRAI 2025 is finally announced, I’ll be able to figure out whether travel to Iowa by train for the event will be feasible. It’s also tabula rasa as far as my eating habits go. I pretty much let things slide for the week between Christmas and New Year’s; but now I’ve got to get back to work on it. Sometimes it’s a bit of a problem, though, such as when I’m not sure of the nutritional info of a home-made soup. New Ride Food ? ? I’m considering new ride foods, too; and I’m especially looking for things that aren’t too high in saturated fat. It might be more cost-effective to make my own on-bike food; and I was once again looking at some of the recipes in Feed Zone Portables.  I’ve tried rice cakes, and am not at all sure I made them correctly. Mine tend to come out too soft; and that sushi rice gums up my teeth in a most annoying way. And then the rice tends to stick in my throat; something I don’t need while cycling. If I want to try other recipes in Feed Zone Portables, I’ll have to make an expedition to a supermarket for flour; and possibly other ingredients. New ride food can take careful planning; but after all, wasn’t I just talking about tabula rasa? 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 ✍? Tabula Rasa January 2, 2025 2025 Already? January 1, 2025 New Year’s Eve Bash December 31, 2024 Something Is Rotten December 30, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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70K!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

70K! ? Today I crossed the 70K (i.e. 70000-mile) finish line! My ambition was to meet that goal by the end of this year; and I’ve succeeded, with a few days to spare!  But nobody handed me a trophy. ? I decided to celebrate meeting 70K miles with Chinese take-out for lunch. My fortune cookie said something about, take a casual walk on Sunday, to clear my mind. Maybe I will go for a walk on Sunday. I want to ride to the salvage store tomorrow; but the next day I think I’ll skip riding. Oh, horrors! Skip riding? Yep, you read that right. I think I actually need a day off. I’ve been riding so much, trying to meet the 70K goal, that I probably haven’t let myself have enough rest. For a fact, my legs felt tired today; and sometimes you do need to listen to your body. The Last Miles ? What are my thoughts on the last miles of the 70000? First of all, I was worried about the weather. The forecast had mentioned the possibility of T-storms; never good news when I’m planning a ride. I heard a few brief showers as I was preparing to ride; and decided to use the hybrid and wear a poncho. And then the rain stopped! I didn’t quite dare take off the poncho, lest it start to rain again; and I got tremendously sweaty under that plastic!  I was just about to get on the levee bike path when I heard thunder; and that made me change my mind and go ride around the park. I didn’t want to be on top of the levee if a T-storm were about to break out. And then that didn’t happen, either, except for one grumble of thunder some 20 minutes after the first one. After four laps around the park, I couldn’t bear the thought of doing more laps; and headed for the levee. There was quite a stiff breeze up there; and I’m glad it was behind me most of the way back home. I decided to try Sweet Loren’s Breakfast Biscuits as ride food. I found that they don’t offer the sustenance I want and need for ride food; and it’s a good thing I also brought along an Alani bar and a few GU-Gels. The last miles seemed to take forever. I guess I was watching the mileage meter too much, in addition to getting tired. But now I can get back to just riding for fun! 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 ✍? 70K! December 27, 2024 Sparring? December 26, 2024 Merry Christmas 2024! December 25, 2024 Sugar Spikes December 24, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Sparring?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food, Training /

Sparring? ? Boxing Day sounds like sparring — oh, there I go again, thinking outside of the box. Sorry, bad pun. But if the weather is really foul where you live, you might want to think outside of the box and ride inside. As for this being Boxing Day, I’ve got a number of boxes that I need to get rid of. That’s the problem with online shopping. Now that Christmas is past, I’m working to get my palate back under control. I’m forever sparring with my sweet tooth! And, of course, I’m working at putting in the miles on the bike. I may as well finish the December Winter Wheelers with a strong showing. The Winter Wheelers Challenge actually lasts through January 2025; but soon I think I’ll take a day off from riding. We all need one now and then; and I haven’t taken one for a long time. After all, I’ve been working towards hitting 70K miles by the end of this year. Within Sight! ? That goal is now well within sight. For a couple of days I didn’t ride all that much; but today I knocked out 22 miles. I’ve got only 18 miles and a bit to go! I hope the weather cooperates tomorrow. If only CTRL Protein Meal Bars would let me “ctrl” (aka control) the weather! But they’ll help you to keep the bonk under control. These bars are made of wholesome ingredients; and each one supplies 15 grams of protein. Three flavors available: Peanut Butter S’mores (shown at left); Magic Charms; and Choc Chip Cookie Dough. A good addition to your “repertoire” of bars for on-bike eating! 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 ✍? Sparring? December 26, 2024 Merry Christmas 2024! December 25, 2024 Sugar Spikes December 24, 2024 Gray Christmas December 23, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Merry Christmas 2024!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2024! ? Merry Christmas 2024! Can you believe it’s here already? Christmas and cookies go together; so maybe you’d like to fuel your Yuletide ride with Trubar Cookie Dough bars. And enjoy a mug of hot chocolate afterwards.  Not that it’s cold enough here for hot drinks. At 6:00 am it was close to 60 degrees! I decided to go ride in the park, so I’d be fairly close to home in case in began to rain. To my surprise, there weren’t any kids on their new bikes there. I remember one year when there were quite a few of them, despite misty, drizzly, chilly conditions. I think I might have been using the tricycle then; and that’s a long time ago. But ever since, I expect youngsters trying out their rides in the park on December 25! 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 ✍? Merry Christmas 2024! December 25, 2024 Sugar Spikes December 24, 2024 Gray Christmas December 23, 2024 Momentum December 22, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Sugar Spikes

BACK ISSUES, Food /

Sugar Spikes ? Beware those sugar spikes, whether it’s a festive season like Christmas; or some other time of year. By ever so many accounts, eating sugary foods causes a quick surge of energy; but those spikes don’t last long. Then, your energy level crashes. That’s a good reason not to eat candy bars on the bike! I’ve had some sugar “spikes” today! Since I’ll be out visiting tomorrow, I had my own “Christmas” feast today; and that included a good dose of cookies! It’s better to do that at home, I think. And a day of blowing my diet sometimes is what I seem to need to get back on track. After a day of munching cookies and candy, I’m ready to get back to work at minimizing the sweets. Ride It Off? ? Whether you get noticeable sugar spikes or not, you sure get calories from goodies. I hope I do enough to ride it off! This morning I put in 20.6 miles; and part of me wants to go out now and ride a few more miles to help work off what I’ve eaten. But it’s been clouding up since late morning; and I’m not in the mood to get rained on. I hope I can do a short ride tomorrow morning, so that I can rev up my metabolism a bit. Gotta be prepared for any sugar spikes! 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 ✍? Sugar Spikes December 24, 2024 Gray Christmas December 23, 2024 Momentum December 22, 2024 I Prefer Overcast December 21, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Doesn’t Look Good

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Doesn’t Look Good ?️ As of the latest forecast, it doesn’t look good for tomorrow’s moon-viewing ride. Now they’re predicting patchy fog! It won’t be great for flying a drone, either, even if I wanted to! I can still ride if it’s foggy; but the hybrid will be the better choice, because it has fenders. In fact, I’m thinking of going out for 5-6 miles; the doubling back and heading for the supermarket. I went to the salvage store this morning; but didn’t find everything I wanted. With Christmas coming, I want to be sure I have certain items — like garlic-stuffed olives! Speaking of Food ? ? ? Speaking of food, it doesn’t look good sometimes when I pore over my food log. I’m working to minimize sweets; and to eat only small portions when I have them. I admit, though, that it’s uphill work. But I’ll keep trying! These things take time. Even harder than minimizing sweets, is minimizing saturated fat. It’s very hard to keep “sat fat” from going over 12 grams in a day, and still get enough to eat! Especially as sat fat seems to be everywhere. It’s sneaky stuff! Protein? I’m doing fairly well in that department; but I think I’d better work more legumes into my menus. I’ve been using up stuff that I had in the freezer; and my squashed sauce doesn’t have legumes in it. Legumes provide protein without the sat fat that cheese has — and I usually don’t eat more than a half-ounce of cheese at one go. Incidentally, my food log is nothing sophisticated. I use a regular spiral notebook; opened so that there’s a blank page on either side of the spiral. The left-hand side is for a breakdown of each meal; and the other side is for the totals (calories; carbs; protein; sat fat). I don’t find it at all helpful to see only X calories; Y grams of carbs, etc. for each meal. I need to know, for instance, whether breakfast was a banana and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter; or rolled oats mixed with yogurt and almonds. This method of record-keeping is admittedly somewhat wasteful of paper; and that doesn’t look good. But I’ve got to do what I need to do! 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 ✍? Doesn’t Look Good December 14, 2024 Christmas Moon December 13, 2024 What Goes Down December 12, 2024 Subsidence December 11, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Growing Gray

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Growing Gray ☁︎ The sky is growing gray. It was already quite cloudy at 8:30 am; and now, about six hours later, it’s looking even grayer. Rain chances are increasing from now through tomorrow morning; so I’m glad I no longer have to go out at 5 am if I want to get in my miles! Today I did some hard efforts; the kind where I shift into a hard gear and push the cadence. A word of caution: that kind of workout is not for every day; and everything I’ve read about cyclist’s training says, take off from such work every fourth week. If you’re under forty years of age, that is; for riders older than 40, take off every third week. Let’s face it, I myself am growing gray. (Or is it silver? I’ll take silver hair; white hair, OK; but gray? I’d rather skip that!) So week after next, none of this force work.   Try It Out ? You don’t know how well you might do at attempts to ride harder; you have to try it out. Similarly, I can’t know what any one cycling food will be like unless I test it. That’s why I keep an eye out for possible ride food at stores. Yesterday I found SixStar Whey Protein powder in the drug store. I wasn’t familiar with it; and decided to test it. The store had the chocolate flavor shown at left; some kind of vanilla flavor; and two cereal flavors: Fruit Loops® and Frosted Flakes®. The cereal-flavored powders cost a couple of dollars less than the other flavors; and I got the Frosted Flakes kind. Growing gray doesn’t mean losing all of your childhood tastes! Today I decided to try it out. Meh. I like chocolate flavor much better! I’ll use up this canister; and after that I’ll get something else.  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 ✍? Growing Gray December 4, 2024 Plugging Away December 3, 2024 Let’s Roll! December 1, 2024 Winter Wheelers November 30, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Day of Doom?

BACK ISSUES, Food /

Day of Doom? ? Day of doom? Thanksgiving?? Any holiday can seem like a day of doom to someone who has dietary restrictions. Holidays are typically laden with goodies (such as these Deep-Dark Sea-Salt Alter Eco Truffles!); and when you’re cursed with a gigantic sweet tooth like mine, it can be hard to resist them. Especially when you’re in a gathering with friends and family, where it’s difficult or impossible to have control over what foods are around. That’s why I actually prefer to enjoy such days at home, where there won’t be pies; cakes; and so on right under my nose to tempt me. Weather ☀️⛈️   As far as weather goes, today hasn’t been the day of doom that the forecast seemed to predict. Not so far, anyway; and I was able to enjoy some life behind bars this morning. After a detour to a grocery store to get a cabbage, I headed to the park to ride some laps. Most of the time it was cloudy; and I got  home just before a burst of drizzle. I thought, of course, that it was about to start storming; but now, four or five hours later, that hasn’t happened. I got home hungry; and went right to work preparing my Thanksgiving feast! Basically, it was a big salad: a large fistful of an iceberg lettuce blend; 5 oz of canned chicken; avocado slices; chopped tomato; sliced olives; with a drizzle of garlic aioli and a squeeze of lemon juice. On the side, I had sweet potato-cauliflower mash with a little cranberry sauce. Dessert was a little 72% chocolate and some cashews. Soon I must make a garbage soup, and get few containers out of the freezer. Tomorrow might be a good day for it. The weather is supposed to turn chilly! 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 ✍? Day of Doom? November 28, 2024 Anytime Anywhere November 27, 2024 Wet Turkey November 26, 2024 Empty Headed November 25, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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