A Goose Egg, a Banana, a Turkey Leg and Other Cycling Foods

What an interesting few days of cycling this past holiday weekend. Some days we had very large groups and other days just a few showed up. However, all days seem to have it's measure of peloton antics...none more than Saturday, but more on that later.

Thanksgiving morning had the biggest group I have seen for this holiday ride. I think we had around twenty or so. It was advertised as an easy ride around the peloton fave Super Figure 8. We headed out under beautiful skies with the last minute admonition that we are having a "Parade Pace" ride and perhaps we could all stay together for this short 20 miles. Someone yelled out, "Tell that to the 3 wheeler guys!" Well, that must have been prophetic because no sooner had we turned onto Langley then off they went, David "2 Wheels" Mayo and Josh "Danger" Sharpe. A few of the peloton gave chase and so much for a friendly Parade Pace ride.

By the time we arrived at Spanish Trail several of the group were crying foul and "false advertising". Well, it all came back together before Creighton and the whining and barking quieted down as well. I love group rides, don't you? It's like trying to keep a herd of cockroaches going in the same direction.

The group rode together under a civil pace until the turn onto Burgess. The 3 wheelers started it again and half the bunch was off to the races. No one knows why or how or when these things happen, they just do. It usually slows as quickly as it starts only to find some wheezing and others smiling. The turn at the end of Burgess slowed the lead group a bit as they made the turn onto Langley. The group in back were a couple hundred yards back when they decided to take the shortcut...or as they explained later, "the actual route which just happened to be shorter."

The result of all this is that the hammerheads finished just behind the "legal" group at the finish...even though the parade pace peloton never exceeded 15mph or so. This made for some consternation of some at the finish area, but the glee of a few others. I'll leave it to you to decide which. Good fun!

Friday's ride was attended by a scant few as the weather had turned cloudy and a bit cooler. I believe Left Lane, Foxinator and 2 Wheels were the only riders up for the Avoid the Mall Ride. I guess some of the others were enjoying the delights of getting up at 4am for Black Friday. Yours truly shredded a rear tire on the way to Fish and Wildlife and DNS. That tire, by the way, is amazing. I had over 1,700 miles on it and never had one flat...until it gave up the ghost on Friday! I'll buy more of those. Hey guys, who won the Fried Twinkie Sprint?

Saturday's ride was a comedy of errors. Everyone knows about the last minute email and how some didn't get it until they got home hours later. ( We are working on a Cold/Inclement Weather Policy and should have something posted at the bottom of this Blogazoidal in a few days.) However, there was a group that started at 8am and did the UWF/Scenic Hills Loop. I think they had around 6 to 8 riders. I understand they had a good, albeit chilly ride. There were 4 of us that started out at 10am.

The 10am group decided to do the same loop but got no further than Spanish Trail just north of Langley before Chuck "eN Love" Norton flatted. The Rustmeister offered his assistance as 2 Wheels and myself commentated. After a few minutes it appeared we would be on our way. However, after Chuckie reinstalled his wheel on his machine, the Mayor declared that Chuck had a Goose Egg on that repaired tire. This was met with no small amount of snorting and grunting from a now pretty frustrated Chuckie. So, the process started all over again.

Another ten minutes or so and we were on our way...however, not to UWF but rather back to Chuck's house. You see, while we had been waiting in the cold for 20 or so minutes, we got kinda chilled and more than one of us got kinda hungry. Some would say we were "Stoved up!" The Rustmeister asked Chuck to call ahead and place us an order with Sandy as he could, "Bust the knuckle off a turkey leg right now!"

Well, we arrived at the Norton's and Chuck disappeared into his garage and after a number of minutes emerges with a few tools that 2 Wheels needed to do some repair on his machine and the pump Chuck sought to up his level of confidence in the repaired flat. Sandy came out to greet us and after much begging and cajoling from a few of the group for a hot turkey sandwich with some mashed potatoes, dressing and some warm gravy, she returns and offers 2 Wheels a banana...which he quickly devoured.

Back in the saddle we headed downtown, then along Bayfront and back around the Bayou. All told 25 miles in 2.5 hours. Good fun, however it was the longest short ride I have ever ridden!

See you out on the road,
Bob

We're Just About Halfway

Come tomorrow, we will be halfway through the Eating Season. How are you doing? Gained anything yet? You know, like a extra notch in the belt or a dress size or are you about halfway towards the Dreaded Holiday 15?! Every year I struggle with this season...not the gift giving or parties and get-togethers, no I struggle with gaining a few extra and unneeded pounds. That is, until last year.

Last year, I had determined that I really didn't want a repeat of the illness that I had acquired the previous winter. Therefore, I took a hard look at my training log and what I was doing in terms of rest and food consumption. (I'm sure this is old hat for most of you but for this old rider who loves to eat, it was a new adventure.) After much scrutiny of the previous year's log and devouring two new books regarding training for cyclists, specifically cyclists over 50 years of age, I decided to try a few experiments.

Here's what I did last year through the Eating Season:

1. I decided to lower the intensity of my times on the machine. Usually, this time of year the actual miles on the bike are diminished because of lack of daylight, cold and/or rainy weather. However, I determined not to go into the red zone at all when riding during chilly weather. I just stayed in that fat burning zone. I really enjoyed those long slow distance rides. Besides, you can't go hard all year. My doctor had expressed that it isn't good for the lungs to have cold moist air rushing in and out of those guys. He said I need to find a way to warm the air up first, or just slow down the breathing. I chose the latter.

2. I cut out as much sweets as I could stand. I ate no candy, cake, pies, ice cream, (donuts) and especially no sodas of any kind. This was very difficult but I kept telling myself it is just through the Eating Season. I cheated a few times, however I noticed that each time I ate something sweet it made it harder to not eat the sweets again. So after a few battles with that, I decided it was easier to just go cold turkey and not cheat at all.

3. I determined to get as much rest as possible. I would go to bed early as often as I could. I would take naps on the weekends and generally try to get in a restful state whenever possible. This was no easy task as most of you know, this is the busiest time of year. However, I would look for times when I was, for example, waiting on the lovely Mrs Graves so we could leave for a party or shopping or something...at other times I would be busying myself with something around the house, but during that time last year, I decided to sit down in the recliner and put my feet up for a few minutes. More than once she had to wake me.

4. I really beefed up on the vitamins and herbs. I know some of you think this is a bunch of hooey. But, combined with the other experiments, I think it really helped. I mainly took Vitamin C with some A and E to supplement the multivitamin and I tried daily garlic, some zinc and also some echinacea if I felt like I was starting to fight a head cold or something.

The results of the experiments from last year's Eating Season?

I didn't gain a pound, (actually lost a few) and I didn't get sick. Yeah! Considering that not getting sick was my main goal so I was really glad about that. I'm trying it again this year...I'll let you know how it goes. Right now I'm in the battle with the sweets. Hope that's over soon!

Other observations:

The older I get, the more I am coming to realize how much what I eat and how much rest, or lack of rest, really affects my health. I know, I know, the healthcare professionals have been telling us that for decades. However, until I experimented, I truly didn't make the connection...I mean on a personal level anyway. It is easy to see how it could change the potato chip eating, football game watching sluggard on the sofa downing a few cokes to balance out the sodium he's consuming in all those chips. But, I didn't see how what I was eating was affecting me...in very real everyday life.

You know, there's a really old proverb that says this; "Everyone does what's right in their own eyes." Maybe that's a good reason to try a few experiments this Eating Season or anytime for that matter...to determine if what I'm doing and thinking it's right is actually best. Worth a try anyway. Or, I guess I could just wait until my doctor tells me otherwise.

See you out on the road,
Bob

Happy Thanksgiving!!! And other joyous occasions...

So far this week we have had some very eventful rides. Monday we did the Navy Point Loop with the Big Boy taking out the Fried Twinklie Sprint for the first time in many months. Usually, either the Foxinator or Left Lane tweak their frames to come across the line for a prize that most of us would just as soon not have. However, those big Clydesdale boys love the Fried Twinkie. (I think probably anything fried...Oreo, Krispy Kreme, HoHos, pop tarts, etc.)

Tuesday saw the Clydesdales and the Kat herself (several times over a Shebeast Award winner) head out for about 30 miles across the UWF/Scenic Hills Loop. However, before we got halfway around the Big Boy had some tire problems and the Foxinator broke a spoke. So, we limped home with the Kat hounding us for the slow pace.

This morning saw the Prenti, Stephen "Manchild" Mills and the Clydesdale boys rolling toward The Hammock. (It's easier to get in the Hammock than it is to get out), under the most beautiful November weather this rider has ever seen! The Grocer had a flat before he left the garage, but other than that it was a fantastic ride! Clydesdale boys took first and second across the Hammock Sprint line in a very exciting sprint that saw the Young Jedis calling foul. The judges ignored that antics like a European Soccer player faking an injury...those dudes must take acting classes!

Three great rides so far this week and it is only Wednesday. Somebody pinch me I think I'm dreaming!

Tomorrow's Thanksgiving Ride will be at 9am at Firestone and Summit. This annual (parade pace) ride will use our favorite Figure 8 course or some variation thereon. It is a classic and one not to be missed...unless you are Coolio in Hawaii. ( I wonder if they have Krispy Kremes there?!) Hope to see you all in the morning!

Check out the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Blogulation for the rides for the rest of this week. Remember, we are in the middle of the Eating Season so get out and ride to fend off the Dreaded Holiday 15!!! Come on!!!

See you out on the road,
Bob

Ready for Cold Weather?

In the next week or so we will be issuing the most sought after and ever coveted Holiday Riding Schedule 2010. This schedule of rides will have our usual arsenal of shorter winter rides as well as two long rides we are going to attempt this Fall. If you have never done a long ride in cooler temperatures you are in for a real treat. Gone are the need to wipe your brow, drink incessantly and be pretty much spent by the time the temps hit 90. You can ride seemingly forever without the need to stop and fill the bottles. If you wear the right amount of layers, you can keep your personal temps at a level that is very comfortable...right between too cold and too hot. It can be a real pleasure to ride in chilly weather...or not.

I will put my cold weather riding prowess up against just about anyone...with the exception of Rob "El Roberto" Francis and perhaps John "Gianni Bugno" Duke. But those two dudes were born and raised in the frozen artic barren wasteland of the Great Lakes Region, so that's not a fair comparison. The main secret about cold weather riding is this; find how much to wear so you feel comfortable. This will be different for each individual and will take a bit of trial and error to discover.

Experiment. Go out by yourself at different temperatures at different times of the day. Try several layers, especailly those that can be later stowed in a back pocket. Also, here are some tricks from our cycling brethren up north:
1. Try a neck gaiter for temperature regulation (pull it over your mouth and nose on the downhills and into the wind and pull it back down when you are climbing)
2. Wear arm warmers under your long sleeve jersey
3. Several thin layers work much better than one or two thick ones (use the zippers on the layers often for temperature regulation)
4. Ear warmers work great for all but the coldest of rides
5. Try some toe warmers instead of booties which are heavier and tend to make your feet sweat, thus giving you cold feet

This winter riding season, many of us have expressed a real desire to not lose the gains in our fitness we have acquired through much hard work this past summer. Therefore, a strong effort will be made to offer rides throughout the Eating Season (uh, Halloween through New Year's Day) and through the chilly months until we emerge from the "winter of our discontent into glorious summer." ( in case you were wondering, "that's Shakespeare boys"...and that quote was the jockey who rode Seabiscuit) But I digress, uh, were was I...oh yes, glorious summer...which happens to be around the 1st of March!

So, we will keep up to date the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Blogazoidal. However, I most likely will not be posting as many blogifications as I have in the recent past. This is due to less fodder for the posts because there will be fewer of you characters riding! But, mainly because Coolio hates to ride in any temperature below 70. Less fodder, less posts. More fodder, more posts...It's a math thing.

Speaking of chilly temps...or at least I was thinking of chilly temps. We have decided to start this week's Saturday ride at 9am instead of 8am. This will give the weather a chance to warm above the low 40s before we head out on the road. (I'm giving 4 to 1 odds that we don't see the new Coolio.* Any takers?) We still start at Fish and Wildlife and we'll still do the same route, just start an hour later. Also, don't forget to turn your clock, (Spring forward, Fall back) this Sunday morning when you get up. Or, Saturday evening before going to bed. Bummer, no more daylight for midweek rides. However, we will be doing a midweek Bring Headlights Ride throughout the darker months.

Check the Rides Calendar at the bottom of this Bodacious Blogazoidal. And I'll...

See you out on the road,
Bob

* New Coolio: This is the "new" title Bobby gave himself a few weeks back. He claims that it means he will show up to more rides and take pulls, (stop laughing, that's not polite), and generally come out in the Spring a "new" Coolio because of all the winter training he has completed. Uh, please take note of Coolio's Weedhopper Training Matrix at the bottom of this Bloganoid for the "real" training Bobby will be doing this winter. (I'm still giving 4 to 1...)