fathlete

Lessons from My First Ride on the Mag Ascent Home Trainer

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 3 Comments

Overview

I finally fixed my flat and put the old Fuji Silhouette on the heavy Mag Ascent home trainer. Below is a shot of my GPS data on Strava. I went for 15.2 miles per hour for half an hour, which isn’t great but it is a ilttle faster than usual. I had it set on the lowest of three resistance levels, and usee the gears to get a slightly harder workout. The trainer is heavy steel so is not going anywhere. All you need is to fit the rear wheel correctly into slots, which is very intuitive at least with my bike, then prop up the front wheel; I used books. Overall it was sturdy, easy to get started on, and it doesn’t take up alot of room. Continue reading →

My 40th Post in a Row, 50 Followers and Lots More Views, but I Miss All the Bicycling

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment

Gettin’ Bloggy Wid It

I began this year with the notion of blogging daily for a month.  Checked that box.  Now it’s a week after Groundhog Day, and I’m still going strongly.  (I thought my post from 2/2 was fun and whimsical, but it was not read by many, so here’s another shot at that post).  Since 1/1, my followers have doubled to 50 – including 11 new ones just today!  Other stats of views, comments and visitors are way up.  What does it all mean?

It’s all very interesting to me, and awesome.  Thanks, everyone!  I can see how having good content is important, as is engaging with others.  I’m still learning, and yet, I am feeling like I am not doing my job, because I am not riding my bicycle very much.  My medical challenges are holding me back and have me feeling like a sports player on the bench – really wanting to go in and play, but unable to.  This is hard pour moi. Continue reading →

A Mundane Monday in the Life of A Dude Abikes: Nothing Ado About Much

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 3 Comments

And So It Begins

I started the day late after working on last night’s post about football and bicycling way too long.  I thought it was kinda brilliant, but I still needed to tweak the wording, add a link to an article or two (after reading them), a quote, photos, and the like.  I still question why I am blogging daily, because after a day, a whole five people have viewed that post, and of those, two liked it.  And that’s great, don’t get me wrong.  But I guess the answer is I’m doing this for me first, with hopes that some day a lot more people will find it useful, interesting, humorous, insightful, inspirational or something else good.  This is probably something many new bloggers go through. I never said I was a special — I’m just A Dude.  But hey, I’m out there stinking it up with the rest of the world, and lots of people ain’t. Continue reading →

January 2018: 31 Days of Blogging, Dieting, Walking and Yoga-ing

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 4 Comments

I just finished a whole month of daily activities, three of which I wasn’t doing before.  I feel slightly stronger in some ways, but in others, I’m exhausted.  Still sick from something, probably cedar allergies combined with anemia.  But I’m eating better.  I spent a lot of time at this laptop.  So let me break it down.  No, I’m not going to rap, don’t worry. Continue reading →

40 Miles in 26 Days. That’s What I’m Walking About!

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 1 Comment

Walking a Mile in A Dude Abikes’ Shoes

“Walking is a man’s best medicine.”

— Hippocrates

“Also, a woman’s.”

— A Dude Abikes

When this month and year began, I somehow tricked myself into committing to walk for 30 minutes every day.  No big deal, lots of people do that and much more.  Many people run for way more miles and hours.  Millions, nay billions of people, may not even have access to bikes.  Others are wheelchair-bound or have just one or even no or prosthetic legs.  My bicycling 10,000 miles in two years may seem impossible to some, but it’s a piece of cake for others.   So hard or challenging varies based on many factors.

But for me, who used to enjoy running before weight gain, age, foot and joint pain set in, it is a big deal.  So far, through three days of juice fasting and a week of vegan food that resulted in anemia, sub-freezing temperatures, flare-ups of plantar fasciitis (which is not related to having a proto-fascist in the US White House), and now being wiped out from cedar fever, I have somehow managed to keep at it.  Has it helped?  Let me walk you through it.  A Dude has puns, ya’ll. Continue reading →

13 Years (Not) a Slave to Cars

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 7 Comments

Sick As a Dog, Happy As a Clam to Be Car-Free

Today was to have been one of celebration.  It’s been a baker’s dozen years since my 1991 Little Red Civic got smashed on Bee Caves Road by a guy in a truck.  We “t-boned” because he pulled in front of me; his fault.  I survived mostly ok, but the car didn’t.  The rest is as they say, history.  The first decade of my biking lifestyle was not recorded.  I biked for utility and in the process got some exercise, but never very much.  Continue reading →

A Potpourri of Cedar Fever, Perfectionism, Abundance, Vegetables & TV/Movie Links

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

Perfect Is the Enemy of Good

I don’t know who said that, but my dear brother has repeated it more than once.  I was reminded of the phrase when I realized I was not going to be able to ride my bike today.  Despite a high temperature of 64 F, it was windy and cedar pollen count was in the high category.  This happens every winter in Central Texas as the juniper berries release a viscous, visible and very nasty allergenic yellow plume that coats everything and sends some of us into fits of paroxysm.  Another reason to not move to Austin!  Combined with other ailments, it is a “double plus ungood situation.”  British author George Orwell wrote that in his disturbingly prescient book 1984.  About 2018 government shutdowns, bi-partisan extension of US government spying on its own citizens, El Grande Pared de Mexico (great wall of Mexico), he would be saying “I told you so.”

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How It’s Going So Far in 2018 with the Biking, Blogging, Walking and Eating

~ A Dude Abikes ~ Leave a comment

So Far, So Good, But a Long Way to Go

img_20180120_175319437250605548.jpg
A Buddha statues at Aveda. But is that a chocolate glazed donut in front of him?

After a number of posts heavy with images, information and links, I think I’ll just write about how I’m doing with everything.  But first, a picture of a Buddha from Aveda Institute.  I got my second ever face treatment for only $21 for an hour.  Self-care is allowed whether you’re a cyclist like me or unable to do much if any physical exercise at all due to a chronic situation.  The massage and various products did make it feel better.  Whether it looks better is a matter of opinion. Continue reading →

Did You Know You Can Get a Free Health Coaching Session at Natural Grocers?

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 10 Comments

Still Cold Out, but A Dude Must Ride

It was down to 18 F last night with still some icy patches on the ground, so today was not a great day to get out.  But there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, it warmed up a bit so I put on 20 articles of clothing and headed out.  Unless this is the first post you’ve read (and if it is, Yay! Welcome!), or if you’ve read the article about me in MLK Day’s Statesman, you know that some ongoing topics of this blog are food, diet, and weight loss.  About six weeks ago, I signed up for a free health coaching session at Natural Grocers, the Boulder-based health food store.  I figured I’d tell you about this useful tool you may not know about.  (NOTE:  This is not a sponsored post, but if anyone from Natural Grocers wants to pay me for it, please get in touch!)

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Read All About It! A Dude Abikes Featured in the Austin American-Statesman for Biking 10,000 Miles in Two Years!

~ A Dude Abikes ~ 36 Comments

I Am Ready for My Close-Up

Awesome news! After two years and 10,000 miles of bicycle-riding documented on Strava (and before that, many thousands more), your friendly neighborhood A Dude Abikes has been featured in a story mentioned on the front page and then appearing on D1 of the Lifestyles section. It is titled “Can a Regular Guy Pedal 10,000 Miles in Two Years? This Dude Did.” Read the full story in the Austin American-Statesman.

img_20180115_112245863872301086.jpgThe article is alot longer than I expected, with photos too. Cool!

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