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I Feel Stuffed!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

I Feel Stuffed! 🥙🌭🍧 I feel stuffed when I view YouTubes about RAGBRAI, and they talk about all the can’t-miss-it foods along the route. Sweet corn dipped in melted butter. Huge pork chops. Ice cream; and pie, pie, and more pie! (I keep saying, maybe that ride ought to be called RAGpie!) To be sure, cyclists need ample food during long rides; but we have to find a way to eat enough, yet not overdo it. An overloaded belly can make a ride miserable. When you’re pedaling, your body’s circulation sends your blood to your legs; and that means less blood to work at digestion. The more intensely you ride, the more true that is. Many a video about RAGBRAI tells of the hills; and that means some intense riding. Or, it sure would for me! For years, I’ve practiced on-bike eating when I do rides over 15 miles; and with the rolling hills of Iowa in mind, maybe it’s time to start working at eating a little more. But here’s the catch: I don’t want to eat so much that I gain weight! I feel stuffed thinking about it. Time for a 50 ½ I think it’s time for a fifty-miler; that is to say a 1/2 century. Today would have been a great time for it, as the wind is calm. Unfortunately I was a bit tired this morning; and anyway I was planning to do the ride tomorrow. So, what shall I take along as ride food? I still haven’t gotten around to trying to make rice cakes; and I’m getting rather tired of energy/protein bars. I’m going to try some Clif Bloks; but for the rest of it, I’m stuck with those bars! 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 Feel Stuffed! April 13, 2024 Reconnaissance April 12, 2024 Getting Shortchanged April 11, 2024 Paraphrase April 10, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Blockage

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Blockage 🚧 Who wants a blockage in the bike path? Doesn’t it drive you crazy? It’s enough to make a body resort to virtual rides! I was out riding this morning; and the bike path was closed a couple of miles short of my intended turnaround point. Goodness knows, that’s not as catastrophic as a blockage in the coronary arteries; but it did mean that I had to turn around early; and I couldn’t make the planned pit stop.  As a result, I don’t think I hydrated quite enough. The wind was a problem, too; and I even caught myself thinking: Do I really want to fight headwinds for hours a day, for seven days straight? I might get that if I did RAGBRAI! New Ride Food 🥨🫘 I tried my new ride food today: Isadora Vegetarian Refried Beans. I didn’t take an entire pouch; that would have been too large and bulky. Instead, I put a serving’s worth into a snack bag; and put that into a larger plastic bag in case of leakage. I also took along half a large wheat-flour tortilla and a plastic spoon. It made a tasty enough snack; but even with a spoon to use, it was rather messy. Refried beans seem to dry my throat, which didn’t help my hydration problem; and with the uncertainty of being able to find a restroom, I didn’t dare drink as much as I really needed. I have a similar problem with pretzels; and it’s actually a long time since I last used them as ride fuel. Maybe I’ll think up a way to make “refritos” moister next time. I don’t have any knee warmers; so I used full-length leg warmers. But my knee felt all right today.😊 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 Blockage April 7, 2024 Be Adaptable April 6, 2024 Smorgasbord April 5, 2024 The Power of Suggestion April 4, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Smorgasbord

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Smorgasbord 🫘 🍌 🍫 We cyclists nowadays have quite a smorgasbord of on-bike food available. It’s great to have so many things to try; from cookbook recipes to salvage-store finds. As to the latter, I’ve got to use up my overstock! For some years, my cycling smorgasbord has consisted of various protein/energy bars and GU-Gels. I’ve used Clif Bars; RXBars; and many others. Now, however, I’m getting interested in expanding the menu. At least one video about  RAGBRAI mentioned frijoles and tortillas; and now I’m eager to try it. For the first experiment, I’ll make it only part of my ride food. I don’t really expect it to cause stomach issues; but it’s better to ease into a new food regimen.  I’m also considering fruit pouches. GoGo squeeZ comes in handy, recloseable pouches; and that’s handy when you don’t want to eat an entire serving at once. Taste of RAGBRAI? 👅 Did I get a taste of RAGBRAI this afternoon? And I don’t mean electrolyte drink. It was at least 2:00 pm when I decided to head out to a bicycle shop — not my usual one, which is within a mile of home. This one is more like 2.5 miles away; and I was riding in the blazing sunshine. The temperature was a relatively cool 75 degrees; and even that felt quite hot. If that was a taste of RAGBRAI, I’ve got a long way to go before I’m ready! Why did I go out on a bicycle at that hour? I’m looking for a pair of light-ish Winter cycling gloves; something lighter than Giro Candela 2.0 Gloves. Last time I was at my usual bike shop, they didn’t have any; and neither did the shop I visited today. I may not need them until Fall; but I figured they might be on sale now. Then I’d have a few bucks to save towards doing RAGBRAI!   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 Smorgasbord April 5, 2024 The Power of Suggestion April 4, 2024 Bare Legs April 3, 2024 Fuel Supply April 2, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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The Power of Suggestion

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

The Power of Suggestion 💡 Is anyone immune to the power of suggestion? I’m certainly not! Taking refried beans along as ride food never occurred to me; but after watching this video (17:13), I decided that I’ll give it a try. Think outside of the box, they say! I do think, however, that I’ll have to wait for refried beans and tortilla chips until I’m taking a break from pedaling; and I hope I can devise a leak-proof way to package the beans. The packets shown are quite large (15.2 oz each); and my road bike‘s top tube pouch isn’t big enough for one. And how do I transport tortilla chips (or corn chips) so that they don’t get crushed? I hope I can find some power of suggestion that will suggest a solution! Still Lingering 🐌 With thoughts of a future RAGBRAI still lingering in my mind, I’m looking for on-bike fuel besides bars. I’ll need foods that don’t require refrigeration; and preferably in packs small enough that I don’t end up discarding half of the package! Camp cooking on RAGBRAI? Not likely, at least for me; and buying all my food all week might get very costly. Now is the time to try things like refried beans and squeeze-packs of fruit (e.g. applesauce) to be sure they won’t cause GI issues. If I’m considering RAGBRAI 2025, I’ve got plenty of time to work out these things; and to continue training up. Actually, so far, my weekly mileages are keeping pace; but I’m not sure my “hill practice” is! I wouldn’t want to go into RAGBRAI with the thought still lingering: I should’ve trained better! 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 #166521 April 4, 2024 Bare Legs April 3, 2024 Fuel Supply April 2, 2024 How Corny! April 1, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Fuel Supply

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Fuel Supply ⛽️ What’s your favorite fuel supply for long rides? I like Gatorade Whey Protein Bars; but the catch with them is, the chocolate coating can get very messy! If I can’t lick it all off my fingers, I end up wiping my fingers all over my shorts. A good fuel supply is very important. From what I’ve read, once you attain a certain fitness level, you can pedal pretty much endlessly as long as you’ve got a steady supply of fuel.  What fitness level does that mean; and how do  you know when you’ve reached it? If you’ll be doing a multi-day event, what kind of fuel will you find along the way? RAGBRAI Fuel 🌽 How about RAGBRAI fuel? The videos I’ve watched about the event report on the food along the way. Mr. Pork Chop shows up often in these videos. I don’t know how big those pork chops are; and would that chop sit too heavily in my stomach if I ate the whole thing? Maybe I could take along plastic sandwich bags; and save part of my pork chop for later? If I did that, would the leftovers keep? I don’t need to get food poisoning if they don’t! Of course there’s corn on the cob; Iowa is famous for corn. They talk about all the home-made pie; ice cream; beer (I’ll skip that part!); pancakes; and more! I think I’d do much better eating a bite every 15 minutes than riding for an hour; eating a lot; then starting to ride again. What I’ve read about one-day century rides actually cautions against that! And doing it for seven days straight? I think I’d rather have my RAGBRAI fuel slow and steady. 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 Fuel Supply April 2, 2024 How Corny! April 1, 2024 Hoppy Ride? March 31, 2024 Overstock March 30, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Overstock

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Overstock 📊 An overstock has crept up on me. The shoebox that I use to hold my energy/protein bars is crammed! Should I use a bar chart to help me keep track of my supplies? I came home from the salvage store this morning with 11-12 assorted bars; and I also still have an overstock of canned goods. It doesn’t help that I brought home a few more cans of stuff today. Maybe I’d better plan a jaunt on the road bike for next Saturday; and skip the salvage store. The NOAA forecast doesn’t reach that far ahead, though; so who knows what the weather might do. Use It Up! 🥣 Since I’ve got that overstock, I must find a way to use it up. That might take quite some time, though! It’s not a good idea to eat nothing but protein bars as long as other foods are available. I remember my century rides, when eating and drinking became tedious; but back then I hadn’t yet met many of the protein bars I use now. But I suspect it might be the same with FitCrunch, RXBars, etcetera. I have an oversupply; but I doubt very much that even RAGBRAI would be a good opportunity to use it up. Protein bars all day, every day, for seven days? I don’t think my gut would take very well to such a regimen. How would I even bring all that stuff along? RAGBRAI gets hot; and can I keep those bars from getting half-melted? The catch is, buying your food as you go along the RAGBRAI route can get expensive! 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 Overstock March 30, 2024 Good Sprinters? March 29, 2024 Gimmie a Break! March 28, 2024 Don’t Cross the Border! March 27, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Don’t Cross the Border!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Food /

Don’t Cross the Border! 😳 Don’t cross the border; the border into Bonkland, I mean. Sure, have a South of the Border lunch before your ride if you like; and in fact, that could help fend off that bonk! Don’t start a ride on empty. I think I approached bonking yesterday. I didn’t get to ride until at least 10:30 am; and for fuel I cut up a Built Bar Puff. I didn’t think I needed to carry a lot for this ride; after all, I had eaten breakfast. And then, just before riding, I ate a yogurt. On the Edge 😬 All the same, I think I wound up on the edge. I had the Built bar; and ate a GU-Gel at my turnaround point. Next time, I’d better take along more to eat; what I had with me was barely enough. Yesterday I did some 5-minute efforts at pushing the pace to 14 mph or more; and that got tough when the path turned and I had a headwind. I did two of these intervals on the way out; and one or two on the way back. My efforts fizzled during the final minute of the last hard effort; and maybe I was already on the edge by then. Hard efforts like that burn up your fuel faster; and with about three miles left to go, my legs suddenly got an odd, weak feeling. All I’ve read about bonking nudged my mind; and luckily I had one piece of bar left. I knew I’d better eat it, even though I didn’t feel hungry. I’m glad I didn’t cross the border! 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 Striking a Balance March 26, 2024 Superfit March 25, 2024 Bite the Bullet March 24, 2024 Wear Out Your Gears March 23, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Striking a Balance

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Striking a Balance 🔨 Cycling is about striking a balance in more ways than one; even if you aren’t on a unicycle. There’s striking a balance between riding and the other things in life: family; work; and so on. So many of us don’t have nearly as much time as we would like for riding; and that was the case with me before I retired. Now I can ride nearly two hours a day if I want; and I intend to work towards extending that time in the saddle. For the beginning cyclist, of course there’s getting the hang of balance; and getting used to the fact that it’s easier to stay balanced when you’ve got a bit of speed going! It sounds contradictory; but it’s true. Feast or Famine? 🥙 🍽️ As to on-bike fueling, does it matter whether you choose feast or famine? Actually, neither is good. You needn’t stuff yourself with protein bars — or anything else, for that matter — but it’s unwise to go for long rides without eating. This is about striking a balance between eating enough to keep your energy up; but not so much that you start to feel queasy. If you’re doing a long, organized ride, don’t spend too much time at rest stops; and don’t stuff yourself while you’re there! When you start riding again, your stomach is apt to feel like you’ve been eating bricks. Experiment with this during training rides. As I discovered while preparing for my first century, what tastes good early in a ride might not be appealing later on; and prolonged hard effort makes me lose my appetite. But I’ve still got to eat — or bonk! 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 Striking a Balance March 26, 2024 Superfit March 25, 2024 Bite the Bullet March 24, 2024 Wear Out Your Gears March 23, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Re-View

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Re-View? 👀 You get plenty of re-view when you ride the same route day after day. (Or maybe night after night!) Whether you see it through polarized lenses or not, it often seems like nothing changes from one ride to the next. The same old path. The same trees along the riverbank. For now, at least, I can see something of the river between the trees; but that won’t last long. Soon those trees will be leafing out again! Today’s major re-view was a ship that I believe I saw before; the Pelican State. I was surprised I got as good a look at her as I did. When I first got up on top of the levee, I got intermittent glimpses of the ship between the trees; but she was getting ahead of me. When I reached the first point where there weren’t trees in the way, the ship was too far away for me to see the flag on the stern staff; or the port name on her stern. I simply kept riding; and seemed to have a slight tailwind. I was hanging around 13 mph with little trouble. 😊 Eventually, I could see that I was getting a bit ahead of the ship; and when I stopped at my turnaround point, there she was! Getting Back ⏎ Getting back home was harder than going out. Part of the time there was a little bit of a headwind. Same old story! But at least my legs seem to have gotten stronger. Today I was fueled by Special K Protein Bars; and I experiment with eating a bite every 15; 20; or even every 30 minutes. In part, it depends on how hard I’m going; and in part, it depends how much I ate before starting out. This morning, for instance, I ate a banana and a Built Puff. For some of my longer rides, I experiment with not eating before I set out. Whether I eat before the ride or not, I usually begin on-bike eating after 15 minutes. And don’t forget emergency rations! Even on short rides, I take a couple of gels along — and there have been times when I needed them! 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 Re-View March 12, 2024 Looking Ahead March 11, 2024 See-Saw March 10, 2024 Saving Daylight March 9, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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Lion or Lamb?

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Lion or Lamb? 🦁🐑 Is March playing lion or lamb for you? Night before last — or maybe early yesterday morning — it sure seemed like the lion. I woke up, and heard thunder and heavy rain. But since then, it’s been more of a lamb. The wind dropped; and the ride to the salvage store was quite pleasant. It’s going to stay on the cloudy and warmish side for a few days, at least; and come Monday, we’re likely to get more rain. I wish I were better at reading nature, so I would’t have to rely on forecasts all the time. I don’t know whether it will be lion or lamb unless I check the NOAA site. And sometimes that isn’t accurate. I seem to be getting my leg strength back. 😊 Riding up a vehicular access ramp to the top of the levee has gotten easier. Putting in two 19-mile rides during the week isn’t taxing me too much. The catch is, I keep feeling hungry afterwards; but I’m not sure I’m truly hungry! Tomorrow ☀️ So, what’s the outlook for tomorrow? Lion or lamb? It looks like the latter: temperatures between 61 and 72; some fog early, and then mostly cloudy. Wind up to 10 mph, from the SE. I plan to go out on my road bike; and aim for 20-25 miles. I have a new flavor of RXBar to try; and I’ll take along an extra bar, in case a single RXBar isn’t enough.  Longer rides mean having electrolyte drink, such as Biosteel, on board; and planning a recovery drink for when I get back home. I wish I had frozen blueberries for a smoothie! 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 Lion or Lamb? March 2, 2024 All Clear? March 1, 2024 Hop to It February 29, 2024 Purebred? February 28, 2024 Load More TRANSLATOR

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