Tidbit B

Hoo Ha... Baguettes, Love 'em! Pineapple yogurt, love it. Can't get enough of either. Haven't seen pineapple yogurt in the States, but it is delish. As for baguettes, well, I eat six or more whole loaves a day. Hence the conclusion of consuming more calories than burned. On most days, I slice a whole baguette loaf in quarters. With two quarters, I make ham & cheese sandwiches, pack them in my shirt pocket and much them on the rides. The other two quarters I consume for breakfast, more like I inhale them. Typically also with ham and cheese or with butter and preserves. The yogurt I eat to keep the digestive track in line. Thank Heaven for the eleven... … and for the twenty-seven, and for Capt Insaneo (Jamie). On this trip, I am riding a 10 speed rear cassette with and 11-27 gearing. Also on this trip I am using a compact crank front chain ring; a 50-34. The gearing, as a result is smaller than a typical set up. But, I also race this set up and feel good with it. When the front chain ring cable broke, I had to spin the entire route in the small ring. So, thank heaven for the eleven to carry a decent pace. Otherwise a 34/12 would have me spinning out the legs and not being able to carry the pace. The climbs are another story. Last year, I rode the compact crank, but a 12-25. The bigger gear, 34/25, put the legs under significant pressure on the steep grades. The 34/27 helped a TON! I can keep a higher cadence and save the legs. This is where Jamie comes in. I refer to him as Capt Insaneo for his extremely difficult training rides and when the ride or race gets tough, he makes it harder. Jamie has helped me immeasurably with training techniques, suggestions to improve performance and overall riding. He pushes me, hard, to up the cadence and put significant stress on the legs and lungs for extended training intervals. When you approach a climb with 45-75 minutes of intense effort, his training and voice inside my head help me conquer the climbs with far more confidence. He is a an excellent trainer and great friend. Taking care of the undercarriage... This is an expression my friend and team mate Dick uses. I loved it, so I stole it. Like any engine, you need to maintain it to keep it running smoothly. The engine, in this case, is the rider. The most critical part of the engine, apart from the legs and lungs, is that part which connects the rider to the chassis (the bike). If you're not sure where this is going, I'll be more clear. So, let me say it another way - your ass and the area making contact and generating friction with the seat - sometimes referred to as taint. First, on long rides, you need to keep it lubed. For this, many folks us chamois butter. I am a little more simple. I use Bag Balm; purchased from the local Tractor Supply Company. Bag Balm is meant for keeping milk cow udders and nipples from drying and cracking. Its secondary indication is to keep the under carriage lubed and limit friction wear, or saddle sores. On rainy days, you need it more than ever as a soggy saddle (soggy bottom) and chamois pad can produce saddle sores faster than rabbits produce offspring. When we're finished with the ride for the day, often we do not have immediate access to showers. This is where baby wipes come in. You need to keep the undercarriage lubed and CLEAN. Only way to press 300 miles per week for two weeks straight. Sorry for the graphic mental images, but several folks have messaged to me about riding so much and long and asking whether the the ass gets tired or simply worn out. This is my helpful tip to keep you on your bike and riding. It works for me. Doing laundry... Lots of riding, living out of a suitcase, wearing clothes immediately after riding with no opportunity for a shower and long bus rides in that same condition lead to extremely stanky clothes. See the bit on taking care of the undercarriage. I have a plastic, zip closed bag for my spent rounds. After for days of riding, most of it in the rain and with the climbs, this bag get significantly over ripe. Kind of funny to see professionals hanging out at the laundry mat, washing clothes. Reminds me of college; at least that's what I hear. As most may know, I went to a college where they pampered us and a service did our laundry for us. So I am bringing the college experience back to life. Dump all the clothes, colors, whites, darks, whatever, into a huge machine; pour in a much soap as you see fit, then en extra squirt to convince yourself you'll kill the stank; set it to go; then head out to fetch a beer and pizza. Damn, this does sound like college; wished I experienced it. Google it... … I do. From time to time I mention cities, places, regions. When I am not sure of the name, spelling or particular characteristics of the topic, I google it. Hell, I even use the heck out of dictionary.com to get the proper spelling of things. Well, sometimes. Other times, I use the improper spelling to add character and flavor to my blog (really, I just get lazy and Word does not catch it). Show me your discount card... Fred Molini is a prince of a guy. He is a former tour pro; rode with Gerolsteiner. He is a great leader and has a quick wit. The French police have been particularly difficult on this trip. They seldom permit you on the roads. On one day, the police were particularly bad. They stopped us every kilometer or so. It looked like we would be stuck on the mountain for some time. Fred made up some story about us being VIPs of the Tour and how this is not right, we have the Tour's permission to be here. The police challenged him for his credentials to support his claim. The French did not speak English and we did not speak French. Fred is an Italian who is fluent in both. Fred prompted a ride in our group to give him a discount card. With our package, we did get an 'official' Tour discount card. It has the official logo and some other information. It is a plastic card, like a credit card. Fred offered it to the police, covering the portion indicating it was a discount card. The police 'bought' the story and the 'credentials'. So much so, that he radioed ahead, then road his motorcycle to clear the way down the mountain to the next town. So, Fred is also great at sales. And the police, not so bright. We used this tactic for several kilometers. Then a more senior policeman challenged us, realized Fred had been snowing them all, and booted us off the course. It worked well enough, that we made it to a more convenient town from which to ride back to the hotel. It became a pretty funny story for all on the trip.