cycling

This quote comes from an anecdote from the Bike Snob NYC.  And it is a sentiment with which I am in whole hearted agreement. Sidewalks are for pedestrians, children, dog walkers, strollers, etc.  Bikes belong in the street, following traffic laws. I get nervous in traffic.  But, I still ride in the street.  I follow the rules and behave predictably so that drivers will not be second guessing me and putting all of us in jeopardy.  Good behavior on your bike makes you safer in the moment and helps motorists learn what to expect from cyclists, keeping all of us safer in the future. 

(on Etsy)

Rides a Bike. A tumblr about celebrities riding bikes.

I wish I had understood that, or believed that, sooner during the bike tour. 

When you are new to something and working hard at getting better, you see results.  Ater a week of biking every day, I could tell that me legs were getting stronger.  I could tell I was more confident at handling the bike.  My shifting was getting better and making the ride smoother.  I was improving as a cyclist.  So, in my mind, that meant that my conditioning and skills would progress to the point where cycling was just plain old easy.  Dagwood tried to tell me that riding 40 miles of hilly terrain was always going to make you tired and be, um, 40 miles of hilly terrain.  But I had visions of flying up hills with great speed and dexterity with no effort at all.  Magic! I guess you might say that this was unrealistic.

After a while, I decided maybe Dagwood was on to something.  The hills in week five were still hard.  I am sure I was doing a better job technically, but I still had to exert myself and push.  They were not becoming effortless. I still wanted to hold on to the magical thinking that soon I would be just floating up hills.  We came home and decided to do our training hill for fun.  We wanted to crush it.  And, we did crush it.  I went faster than ever before.  It seemed shorter and less steep.  It was easier.  But, it was still hard.  It is still a big ass hill with a steep spot near the top.  And no one gets to the top without putting some hard work into it.  

Why wish for things to be effortless?  While competency is great, you take things that are too easy for granted.  And there is something to be said for really giving things your all.

So, I guess Greg Lemond knows what he is talking about after all.

On our bike tour we needed calories and this was a great justification for eating whatever we wanted.  Beer.  Cinnamon rolls. Beer. Seafood.

We had decided that we would not even attempt to eat  our "largely vegan diet" on the road which was smart. There were times when even vegetarian options were few and far between and making do with the vegan options from a convenience store would not have sustained us. I am aware that French Fries can be vegan, but I don't think French Fries and Cokes is the diet recommended by cycling champions.  There were a few times that I scoured the menu for a popular item that was ordered a lot--meaning food turnover and freshness in the kitchen-- and hopefully avoiding stuff that had been moldering in the walk-in all week.  Just thinking it through to figure what would be least likely to cause food poisoning.  In those cases, all dietary restrictions rules are out the window.   Safety first, people, safety first.

We started out eating breakfast and lunch in restaurants.  But, it took too long, cost too much and was too heavy.  It made for stomach aches and leaden legs.  So, we started eating smaller meals and snacks all day and then going out to dinner once we stopped for the day and got settled.  We started carrying cereal with us and buying milk when we hit town since it seems that even the smallest, saddest motels have refrigerators in the room. We would stop for a second breakfast around 11am and get the gooiest, most decadent pastry we could find.  (We really miss being able to eat pastries.) We made sure to always have food with us for those afternoon carb rich snacks like bagels with peanut butter and honey,  Lara Bars, raisins and almonds.  We would hit town around 4pm, get settled and search out the best dinner option that included beer.  After a day on the road, a beer tastes pretty darn good.  And, you have totally earned it even accounting for your giant cinnamon roll.   

Some culinary highlights:  delicious steamed mussels at Toby's Bar in Coupeville, WA; a free potato pancake in Lincoln City, OR; pan fried geoduck in Caste Rock, WA; berry pie after the ferry ride into Oregon; berry pancakes across from the Trees of Mystery in CA;  and a berry milkshake in Fort Dick, CA.

Craft twist: you can illustrate any food story with felt/knitted foods.  Crazy!