SpokEasy

SpokEasy

Training

Round Five?

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training, Uncategorized /

Round Five? 🥊 Today’s Featured Product! 🌠 Ibera Bicycle Wall Hanger New!! Copper Cow Coffee For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store!  It seems like the weather is delivering Round Five. Here comes yet more rain! Luckily I beat it this morning; and it looks like rain is unlikely for the next few days. But tonight we might get a good downpour. Round Five isn’t over yet. With a respite from rain, I can go out there and turn up the steam — and I don’t only mean heat and high humidity. Turn up the Steam ♨️ I’ve been too lazy about hard efforts for a while; and I need to turn up the steam again. I can begin with efforts 2-3 minutes long; and go from there. Or, I could also try riding 1 mph faster than usual; and keeping it up for my entire ride. That sounds like very little; but I’m riding the hybrid, after all. It’s considerably heavier than my road bike was; and I often have to work against a headwind. I’ll be glad when I have a road bike again. I hope my body hasn’t forgotten how to ride one! 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

Round Five? Read More »

Pushing Gears

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Pushing Gears 🫸 Today’s Featured Product! 👏🏻 Booyah Medium Dog Stroller New!! MYOYAY 20″ Unicycle   For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! Lately I’ve been pushing gears more; although I try not to grind them! I need more work at riding on the big ring; and I seem to be strong enough for it now. Pushing gears can mean riding on the big ring; but I’ve got to ask the bike shop whether the derailer needs a bit of adjustment. It’s hard to shift onto that big ring! There’s also the tactic of pushing the pace against the wind; and I get plenty of opportunities for that! I gripe about headwinds all the time; but all the same, a headwind has it’s uses! Memory Lane With RAGBRAI 2026 only about ten weeks away, I’m traveling down memory lane. I watched many a video about the event,  beginning about 2019; and I’m glad that I did. Now I’m watching them again! Those videos gave me some good ideas, such as a sleep mask. I wouldn’t have thought of taking along an anti-diarrheal (just in case) if not for one certain YouTube. A rider mentioned having eaten “questionable potato salad”; and they hoped the Immodium® would take effect in time. But I need a lot of building up if I’m to consider next year’s RAGBRAI. That means a lot of pushing gears! 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

Pushing Gears Read More »

Priorities

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Training /

Priorities ✳️ Today’s Featured Product! Cyclocross Bible New!! UnTapped Maple Syrup Packets For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! We hear about setting priorities all the time; and that’s true of cycling, too. Getting ready for an event? How much do  you need to train; and how much time do you need to allow yourself for event prep? From all I’ve read, there are multiple factors involved; and your priorities can depend on your event. Is it a long-distance casual event (read: RAGBRAI)? Or is it a serious race? And Priority 🚲 There are priorities; and Priority bicycles! I’ve watched a number of YouTubes that mention them; and I admit they sound amazing. Priority bicycles are low-maintenance — no chain! Considering that I’m not very good at keeping my bicycles’ chains cleaned and lubed, that would be great for me! I’ve peeked at the website for Priority Bicycles; and the prices look quite reasonable. Maybe I should consider getting one! 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

Priorities Read More »

Faking It

BACK ISSUES, bicycling, Outdoors, Training /

Faking It 🥸 Today’s Featured Product! XJD 2 in 1 New!! Alec’s Pistachio Crunch  For our full list of products, visit the SpokEasy Store! I guess you could say that today was faking it. Not that I was made up like a clown; but pushing the big ring is faking it as far as headwinds (or hills!) go.  I expected the wind to rise; so I went to do laps around the park. I practiced riding the big ring for 2-minute intervals; for a total of 9 or 10 efforts. But no ice cream awaited me at home! Maybe I should go sneaking around and find some? Sneaking Around 👟 I had to go sneaking around in another respect: namely, I needed a new pair of Hokas. The ones I already had must be three years old; I got those shoes several months before my foot surgery. Parts of the soles are coming loose; and they drag the ground as I walk. That’s a potential trip hazard; so it was time for a new pair. By the time I got back home from Hoka-hunting, about 2:00  pm, the wind had risen to 20 mph; with gusts of 29 mph. I’m glad I rode 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

Faking It Read More »

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

Can’t Beat the Wind Read More »

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

Keep Plodding Read More »

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

Unloaded Read More »

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

Get Ahead? Read More »

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

Not at the Beach Read More »

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

Not Only Legs Read More »