Cycle Ti Thunder

This century ride was like no other in that I did not have the complete belief that I was prepared physically to ride 100 miles. My last 60 mile ride a few weeks ago saw me black out in my wife's presence one hour after the ride. I felt fine after the ride, but after sitting in the recliner for an hour after my shower I tried to stand up and got intense leg cramps. When I finally stood up I got dizzy and sat back down. My wife told me later that I had blacked out and my body was shaking. I have never experienced this after any sort of exercise activity. My my doctor's test and wife believes I have a deficiency in manganese. I believe that I can not ride with the 40 somethings at 20+ MPH for 30 miles and then ride another 30 miles st my normal 16 MPH pace. My wife has been feeding me mineral rich foods including bone marrow soup with green leafy stuff like kale.   She has also been stuffing a few vitamin supplements in my mouth every evening.   All in all I have renew...

I had an enjoyable ride with the Pecan City Pedalers this morning.  I did not want to ride fast, but the lure of riding with friends and the sound of 14 tires on a country road allowed me to keep up with the group for most of the ride.  It was a beautiful fall day in SW Georgia, the winds were slight and the sun was not too hot.  A good time was had by all. We were celebrating the fact that our team, the Pecan City Pedalers Wing nuts came in first place for the state of Georgia in the National Bike Challenge.  I came in 10th place for the state and 737th nationally.  I was injured for August and September so I did not get the miles in that I wanted.  Next year I will do better.

It has been a wacky health experience for me for the last two months.  Today is one of those evenings where I felt really relaxed and enjoyed the cool ride through the country. Cotton Field on Leary Road I have been riding in Georgia a year this week.  I have photographed the cotton season for one season from fall harvest in 2012 to Fall harvest in 2013. I am grateful to be healthy enough to ride my bike.

I decided to take the dust bunnies off of my heart rate monitor (HRM).  Today I counted my pulse for 1 minute and got 54 beats per minute (BPM). I wanted to get a screen on my Garmin 810 that would show this while I was cycling. Garmin Forerunner 405 with HR monitor I had trouble figuring out how to turn my HR monitor on.  I had used it a lot back in 2008 and 2009 when I was trail running with my Garmin Forerunner 405.  It took my brain about one month to figure out that that maybe if I put the HRM on it would start. Well once I had it on then my Garmin found it.  You would think I could use my brain for recreational technology a little better than I do for work related technology. Anyway The Google Machine helped me find this video that got the light bulb turned on for me and helped me customize the screens on my Garmin 810 to do what I wanted. Most of the time when I purchase technology and a few years pass and I purchase more technology I never expect ...

Most of the time I write in my blog so that I can read it in the future and learn something that I may have forgotten.  This entry is defiantly something that I want to remember.  The unofficial theme of the Sylvester ride was Star Wars. My dad once told me If you are the smartest person in the room then you need to find another room. My 40+ years of cycling experience did not prepare me for running into the Pecan City Pedalers (PCP) cycling club (PCP) in Albany, GA.  Most of the places that I have lived in were nationally know for great cycling IQ.  I have lived in places like Portland, OR and Austin, TX.  In my opinion and my first hand experience the PCP has the highest cycling IQ of any town that I have cycled to date. What do I mean by cycling IQ? Cycling IQ is a term that I just made up for this discussion.  I have no verifiable facts to back up this statement so you will just have to believe my feeble memory as I ramble on about how great...

Bike Commuter Cabal Jersey, #zombieraccoon I had to take a two week break from cycling due to a raw spot on my sit bone.   Not sure what was going on but I thought I had been bitten by a bug or spider of some sort.  I am going to start checking under my seat before I ride for spiders. I rode a few days and then had my shoe cleat break on my right foot on my way home so took the bike to the LBS for repaid.  Another few days off of the bike. In reflection I will have to say that the break from bike commuting was hard, but it was a good break because I was getting fanatical by trying to ride 100 miles a day which is not sustainable for me because I also have to work 8 hours a day.  I am all about cycling and sustaining my health and not going through extreme ups and downs with my cycling.  Next week I will start to ride again and see if I can get back into a moderate riding routine. BTW my Bicycling Commuter Cabal jersey and my Pecan Pedalers jerseys came i...

The next time you see a bike commuter take the time to ask them when was the last time they had a cold or if they get flu shots.  I bet that most bike commuters can not remember when they were sick last.  As a bike commuter I ride my bike all year, rain or shine.  When I ride all year I hardly ever get sick. I believe that my immune system stays strong because I am outside riding my bike at a minimum of three hours each day.  During that time I am breathing hard and sucking in all sorts of pollen and man made pollutants.  As a result of exposure to these air borne particles and the ever changing weather my body adapts to the seasonal changes and thus stays in sync with nature and I remain healthy and vibrant all year. If you are a cyclist and your agree or disagree with this fact post your comments so non cyclist reading this will be convinced to start riding everyday to stay healthy.  This morning I started my bike commute of 51 miles at 5 ...