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Can’t Beat the Wind

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Can’t Beat the Wind 💨 Today’s Featured Product! KneeRover Deluxe Knee Cycle New!! M&Ms Fun Size Variety Pack For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I simply can’t beat the wind, it seems. Wind can make it hard to enjoy the ride, that’s for sure! Today some strong gusts developed; and I’m glad I was almost finished by the time they came up. More of the same is in the forecast for tomorrow. Today I got in 20 miles. Most of it was “just ride”; but tomorrow I think I’ll do a shorter ride, with some hard efforts. Not that today’s ride was all that easy. I could sense that my heart rate was well up! Heart Rate 🤎 Heart rate training would be much more fun if it were all about chocolate hearts! Alas, it isn’t. Heart rate training, from what I’ve read, can be better than looking at speed alone; because speed relies on so many factors beyond a rider’s control. Take headwinds. A strong headwind, of course, slows me down; but working hard against it means a higher heart rate than the same speed attained with a good tailwind. I guess it’s sort of like working with a power meter. I don’t own a power meter, though. I’ve got enough to think about with our crazy weather!  Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Keep Plodding

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Keep Plodding 🐌 Today’s Featured Product! Canari Cyclewear Women’s Shorts New!! MERACH W50 Walking Pad For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Keep plodding … oh, here I go again! Maybe I need more Kodiak Protein Balls to speed me up? I seem to be stuck at one slow speed. But of course I’ll keep plodding as long as there’s a headwind; and today, even heading into a breeze of 6-7 mph felt like hard work. I’m glad I was home by 10:00 am, because since then the wind has increased to 13 mph. And day after tomorrow, gusts could reach 25 mph! Maybe better Sunday than tomorrow, though; or I’d have quite a tough time riding home from the salvage store. Switch Things Around 🔀 I can always switch things around; and do my long ride on another day of the week. And I’m not required to put in X number of miles per week; it’s not as though I were training for racing. Or even a recreational century. Maybe having an event to work towards would spur me towards a more structured riding plan, though. That, in turn, could help me to improve my pace. If I can stick to it, that  is! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Unloaded

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Unloaded 🚴🏿 Today’s Featured Product! Optimum Crank Length App New!! ACAGALA Backpack LED Signal For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! It felt good to hit the bike path unloaded. Today I left the Camel-Bak home; and did a much shorter ride. I did, however, put in some hard efforts. Hard relatively speaking, anyway. I worked at pushing for 13 mph for two minutes at a time on the way out; and I believe I had a tailwind then. On the way home, the wind was against me; and it had risen from 6 mph to 10 mph! So I worked on low-gear, fast-cadence spinning. It must be nice to ride unloaded on a long bicycle tour, when you’re fully supported; and don’t have to carry everything. I have a long, long way to go before I’m in sufficient condition to attempt a self-supported bicycle trip! Riding Longer ⟺ I’m riding longer now. I think I’m ready to push for 22-25 miles several times a week; not 20 miles. It’s not long-distance cycling; but I’ll get there. Riding longer means more tussling with headwinds 😬; but being out longer lets me see more. I’ve seen bald eagles; and today I saw a rabbit. But I’m glad that I see few snakes! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Get Ahead?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Get Ahead? 🤯 Today’s Featured Product! Honey Joy Wiggle Car   New!! ROCKBROS Polarized Sunglasses For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! It’s hard to get ahead, isn’t it? I don’t feel on top of my riding at all! So how can I get ahead with my mileage? Yesterday I took off from the bike; and today I didn’t go even seven miles! My head is stuffy, making me feel tired and listless. The wind was pretty strong; and that made things hard, too. Would music help? I don’t wear headphones while I ride. It’s important to me that I can hear what’s going on around me; and if thunder is moving in, I need to head it! Harbinger 🌧️ I was uneasy about the clouds this morning; but as it turned out, they weren’t a harbinger of rain. As always, I was glad to not get rained on; but we need rain. How about tomorrow? It will still be windy; but I need to put in some real miles. Maybe I’ll just have to be a slowpoke; but the main thing is that I get out there and pedal. Soon, though, I’ll need to haul out the cooling equipment. We have to guard against heat-induces illnesses! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Not at the Beach

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Not at the Beach ⛱️ Today’s Featured Product! BERGRISAR Men’s Long-Sleeved Jersey New!! Giro Gauge Women’s MTB For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I’m glad I’m not at the beach today. It might be fun to ride alongside the surf on a fat-tire bike; but the wind would be a killer. It’s strong enough that there’s a coastal flood advisory in effect! Wind gusts here are up to 25 mph; so I’m glad  I’m not riding. I need to get out and ride tomorrow, though; but not at the beach. Even without any flood advisories, I’d manage to track home a lot of sand; and sand is maddeningly hard to sweep up. Take Five? 5️⃣ I guess it’s time to take five minutes’ hard effort at a time. Or did I start that last week? I need to make better notes of my rides! But ride hard for 5 minutes; and ride easy for two minutes. Do three hard efforts; ride easy for 15 minutes; and start another set. It should help me to get stronger, even if I’m not gaining speed any too fast. There’s a 20% chance of showers tomorrow. OK, take along the poncho; but I hope it won’t rain. My bike trunk’s zippers have an unfornate way of leaking! The wind will still be 10-15 mph; so I’ll have a headwind on the way home again. How tired I am of that! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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Not Only Legs

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Not Only Legs 🎒 Today’s Featured Product! Dynacraft Magna Throttle New!! Shimano SH-EX300W For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! It’s not only legs when it comes to cyclist training. We can tell those limbs to shut up as much as we want; but  if you’re training for long rides, it’s important to get your body used to carrying a load. A full Camel-Bak does affect how you feel on the saddle; and it also can affect your stability until you get adjusted to it. That’s why I’ve been using a hydration pack; to keep myself trained to carrying that load. If you’ve got a long event on the calendar (say, a century), you might not be able to count on chances to refill standard water bottles as often as needed. That’s why a hydration pack is important; and don’t wait for event day to ride with three liters of water on your back! That’s why I say, it’s not only legs.  Frisky 🍃 The wind was pretty frisky this morning; and a headwind on the way back home, as usual. I’m glad I took along electrolyte drink as well as water! The effort to ride against the wind had me doing a lot of mouth-breathing; and that dries me out faster. When the wind was behind me, on the way out, I worked at riding on the big ring. I need that for developing strength. Six minutes at a time worked great, until the path turned and I got a headwind. On the way back home, I was on the small ring most of the time; and all that spinning tired me out! That’s the trouble with a frisky wind. Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR Add Your Heading Text Here

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Wet Hare

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Wet Hare 🐰 Today’s Featured Product! Places You’ll Go! New!! N¡ck’s Chocolate-Caramel Protein Bar   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! True to the forecast, it’s wet hare day; although it’s not cold. We don’t need Rabbitroom Gloves here! It looks like the rain will stop by early afternoon; and then I can go for a ride. Meanwhile I’m enjoying some Easter candy; and simply being lazy. My head is stuffy this morning; and that doesn’t help make me eager to ride. Allergy season, I guess. 🙄 Also, I’m not especially eager to be a wet hare. I could wear a poncho, of course; but that thing annoys me by flapping all over the place! Intense or Long? 😬 How should I ride today: intense; or long? Both are needed to improve fitness. Intense efforts are to help build strength; and long rides develop endurance. Either type of riding burns off some calories; and I sure need that! Maybe some four-minute hard efforts; with one or two minutes in between? That might even help to clear my head! Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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I Hung Ten!

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

I Hung Ten! 🔟 Today’s Featured Product! Garmin Fenix 7X Pro New!! Baleaf Women’s Half-Sleeve Jersey For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I hung ten today; and without a surfboard! As planned, I rode 22 miles. For once, there was almost no wind. When I checked my average speed after I got home, I saw that it was 10.1 mph! At my turnaround point, I ate a Chocolate Outrage GU-Gel (one of my favorite gel flavors); and reapplied sunblock. Part of the way home, I had a slight tailwind; and that made it easier to get in some work on the big ring. Stiff Legs 🦵🏼 You know how, on some rides, you start out fine; but after a mile or two, you’ve got stiff legs? What to do then? Cut the ride short; or tough it out? Today, I just kept going; but it took quite a while for that stiffness to wear off. I suppose that’s part of developing fitness. As long as there’s not actual pain, you can probably keep on with your ride. But that “no pain, no gain” thing makes absolutely no sense to me. How about the weekend? It looks like the wind will strengthen overnight; and by Sunday afternoon or evening, there’s a chance of rain. I don’t want it to rain on my ride; so I’ll go out early!   Leave a Reply Cancel Reply Logged in as CAL. Edit your profile. Log out? Required fields are marked * Message* Δ 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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What to Do?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, equipment, Training /

What to Do? ⁉️ Today’s Featured Product! Avasta Govet New!! Women’s PRO Barrier Jacket For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Do you wonder what to do when you don’t have a bike handy? It’s hard to sit around when you’re used to acticivity! I couldn’t even check the news online because my browsers wouldn’t respond. That  happens sometimes, for some reason or another; and it  makes me realize how much I take the Internet for granted. I finally gave up on it; and went to sweep out front. I was wondering what to do; and here was something to be done! The kitchen was off-limits for the time being; there was already soup cooling on the stove. I got my hybrid back this afternoon; and for my next ride I’ll try pushing the pace. Not the 3-minute hard efforts I’ve been doing; just working to ride 1-2 mph faster than ususal for longer intervals. Intervals 📏 I guess intervals are  a way to measure your progress: if you can do them faster than you could a few weeks earlier, you’re likely getting stronger. The catch here is, speed isn’t an absolute measure. What if you’re fighting a strong headwind? That’s apt to slow you down. A power meter would tell me for sure whether I’m getting stronger; but I’ve never trained seriously enough to make the cost of one worthwhile. I did in fact consider a power meter once; and before I could buy it, up came the need for oral surgery! So I’ll continue to ride as usual; and I don’t need a power meter for that. 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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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I’ll Stay Home

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Training /

I’ll Stay Home 🏠 Today’s Featured Product! Nictemaw Portable Washing Machine New!! Cute Bicycle Bell For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! “I’ll stay home, thank you very much.” That’s what I think when I see news stories about the havoc at airport these days. I don’t think I”ll be cozying up to a fireplace in thermal socks, though. Or guzzling hot cocoa; it’s getting too warm for that. If I had signed up to do RAGBRAI this year, I’d be very anxious about getting to Iowa at all. I don’t know whether the local airport has the nightmarish TSA lines reported at some hubs; and I’d rather not find out! I see reports of travelers missing their flights because the lines to get through security are hours long. That doesn’t sound at all pleasant; so I think I’ll stay home. Plenty to Do 🚴🏿 There’s plenty to do at home; so I won’t suffer from FOMO. I can ride; or I’ll be able to ride once I get my hybrid back. It’s in the shop for a tune-up at present. Cooking? Maybe. I can always find an interesting video to watch. Or, I can read! This morning I did only a very short ride; and when I get my hybrid back, I plan to do a medium-length ride with some hard efforts. Even if I’ve decided to skip RAGBRAI, I need to work on my fitness!     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 No Layout Found TRANSLATOR

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