They Want your Money - - They Want your Soul

7/9/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
No Ride Today

There is a media war on our souls being waged by those that are after our hard-earned cash. As a population, we fall for and believe media hype and advertising. If an important sounding person says it on TV, after all, isn't it true? Admit it.

We have a real tendency to believe what we are told by people that appear to be experts without actually doing the research ourselves. It's always been the case. If a new wonder drug or weight-loss supplement comes delivered in an Advertising Company's packaging on TV, we buy it, baby.

Madison Avenue and the Drug/Weight Loss/Health companies know they cannot make money off of us if we exercise, even though exercise is by far and away the most effective weight-loss and health-improvement engine there is. My next article here at the Bicycle Blog will feature the proven benefits of aerobic exercise. Suffice it to say that exercise does much more in all areas of life than the supplements and/or pills even claim.

With that in mind, watch the ads for supplements and prescriptions. You will notice that they emphasize that we are busy, busy people. They build the impression, oft believed by us, that we are far too busy for exercise. We have to go places, do things, be social, take care of kids, hold down 6 jobs, and take care of aging parents. Therefore when we cannot fit exercise into our busy lifestyle, we need to try the newest Supplement, take the newest prescription! It's easy and fits in to our busy lifestyle!

But what are our lifestyles like, really? Think about it. We, and our children, sit and stare at screens. We are watching TV, we are playing video games, and we are on Facebook. I know a lot of people,

and I do not know one who is not addicted to some kind of screen. Twitter. Grey's Anatomy. Dancing With the Stars. Candy Crush Saga. Studies show that the average American adult is in front of some kind of screen an average of 5 to 6 hours per day.

I'm not saying these things are evil in and of themselves, but my friends that I referred to all claim that they do not have time to exercise. They cannot take 30 minutes out of their precious Facebook time to walk or ride a bicycle or go for a jog.

And when they don't feel like they have time, a position completely supported (and even suggested) by the money-hungry advertising, drug and supplement industries, then they have no recourse but to begin to depend on the almighty pill for their salvation.

That's the way it is.

Do the pills and supplements work? I think on an individual basis, from time to time, probably. But even when they do work, they do not address all the issues that a regular exercise program addresses. A Blood Pressure medication does not strengthen a person's heart, or increase mitochondria for better sugar metabolism. A weight-loss drink does not thin blood, increase the volume of blood, and create new blood vessels. No drug or supplement affects the human body with the scope of improvements offered by a simple, aerobic exercise program. But they do earn a large profit from unsuspecting and gullible individuals.

Look at society as a whole. We have higher rates of obesity and diabetes than ever in history. We are dying of heart disease and strokes. Yet, we have more "miracle" drugs out on the market than ever before! Advertising on TV is largely peddling products that supposedly will make us look and feel better. But, taken as a whole, do we look or feel better? Nope. With all the drugs and supplements available, if they worked wouldn't the situation be getting better? It's not. We're letting money-hungry corporations steal our money and our health.

When Jesus said that the love of money is the root of all evil, He knew what he was talking about.

Riding Away the Blues

7/8/14 254lbs, 54 pounds lost since 8/30/11
Last two days? Two rides totaling about an hour

Last night and then again this afternoon were rides that felt very good. Although my goals in regards to cycling are pretty modest, especially compared to the past, I can feel myself getting stronger. There's a small increase in endurance, too, albeit very small.

Not me . . .

Today I passed 550 miles for the year, and am on course to go over 1000 for 2014. The last time I went over 1000 miles in a year was 2003, eleven years ago, the year that Ken Kifer was killed by a drunk driver near his home in Alabama. I switched to walking after that (and gained a lot of weight). My 2003 total mileage was 1223.18, and if I pick up the pace a bit I may be able to beat that this year.

The most bike mileage I've had in a year was 2,401, in the year 2000. But that figure, although the most actual mileage, is deceptive. When Bonnie and I lived in Denver during the early 1990s I had 4 years where I rode around 2200 to 2300 miles each year, but the Denver miles were over mountain passes

Also not me . . .

and up front range canyons with speeds of 8 or 9 mph. During the steep parts of my favorite steep climb, Mt. Vernon Canyon, my road speed was only 5 or 6 mph - AND I WAS PASSING PEOPLE! So my 2200 to 2300 miles in the Colorado mountains probably translates to 3 or 4 thousand miles at the rate I was riding (flat El Paso, Texas, averaging about 17mph) in 2000. Note: At 61 years of age I am averaging about 13mph road speed on the same routes I used to do the 17 - aging happens!

As we age, I feel very blessed to be able to be active and ride my bike. I know many other people, some family members and some not, that hover around my age but are unable to be active, and it makes me sad. Riding away the blues, that's how it's done. That's how I roll. I wish my friends rolled with me -

No Ride Today, but it Irked the Corner Store Guy

7/6/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
No Ride Today

This morning it was announced at Church that we would not be having music practice tomorrow (Monday) night, so it opened up Monday evening for a bicycle ride.

That means that I am able to take today off, and let my poor 61 year old body recover from the rides this past week - get a day of rest - and attack the ride tomorrow and get a head start on next week. That's pretty cool.

But I did need to put some gas in my little 1997 GMC Jimmy, which we lovingly refer to as "Apa's Little Red Truck". So, I drove it over to the local Corner Store to put a few bucks in it and pick up a pair of soft drinks for me and the lovely Missus. When I walked inside the store, the clerk looked at me with surprise and shock in his eyes - "Where's your bike today??!?" I told him that I was taking the day off from cycling today, and would he kindly ring up my items and my gasoline purchase. "Wow, man, I never thought I'd see you driving a car. What was it, the weather?"

After I finally convinced him that the world wasn't going to end because I didn't ride today, I left with the sodas and the push-o-line.

Neighborhood people are getting used to seeing me on the Black Knight bike tooling around here and there. It's a dynamic I hadn't really thought of, but is quite large. I guess we're all on a stage to a certain

level, being watched by others. But if your activity is a bit unusual, like cycling, then it is true even more so. And I have a double effect. Not only am I "some guy on a bicycle", but I'm an "old guy on a bicycle". That really is a blessing. We learn, many times, by watching others and following their example. My neighborhood is full of elderly people, and I wonder if seeing me (an elderly person myself) might encourage a few of them to start becoming active? It's pretty well established scientifically that exercise, just being active, probably adds years (by increasing mitochondria, which is very important to the aging process; in addition to aerobic improvements) and increases the quality of those years. I'm wondering if an old fart like myself may be helping others in the neighborhood lean towards a more active lifestyle?

It's something to think about, and gives me even greater motivation to keep riding.

Tubes Tubes Tubes

7/5/2014 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
31 minutes, to local shops

Today I was able to ride in a fashion I love - Utilitarian. It's great to be able just to go out and sightsee, or to do some distance for training or aerobics. But there's something particularly satisfying to me to go out and do errands on the bike, to go to shops and make purchases, drop off mail, etc. Today I didn't get to drop off mail, but I almost got to! Bonnie put some bills in the mailbox, but we weren't sure whether the mailman was going to come by. If he didn't, I was going to toss the letters in my backpack and ride over to the post office to drop them off. But the mailman came to our home and picked them up, so I didn't get to drop off mail.

Darn.

But I did need a couple of tubes for my tires, and I wanted to buy some sodas for myself and Bonnie. So I did get to ride "utilitarian" today, and thumb my nose at cagers because I was  - er - "Green".

I rode over to Crazy Cat Cyclery, the one on Montana by Airway, which is a little challenging to get to if you are scared of traffic. I'm not interested in breaking any speed records, so it is easy for me to pick my way through traffic (by stopping and waiting for gaps), jump up on sidewalks, etc to get to my location. Crazy Cat has convenient bike racks right in front of the store, which is cool - I wish more bike shops did that, it seems to make sense (are you reading, guys from Atom??!?). I like CC because that's where I got the Black Knight bike, plus they have a top-notch group of bike mechanics. But if you go into the place wanting to make a purchase, they have a bit of a tendency to talk down at you.

Today I went in for tubes. So, after a couple of seconds of waiting, an employee approached - "May I help you sir?"

I told her "I need 3 tubes, 700 by 32, with Schrader valves." I figured that by being as direct as possible I would be able to avoid their tendency towards lecturing. Usually the salesperson will say "Are you sure you need Schrader? You understand that Schrader valves are the same kind they put on cars. Are you sure you don't need Presta? Here, let me show you the difference."

At this time, I always have to fight back the urge to say something like "Hey - I have been riding for over 40 years, and have 60,000 miles under my belt. I know what a Dad Burned Schrader valve is!"

But I don't. Usually, I graciously allow the employee to show me the difference and I go ahead and play the role of the innocent beginner cyclist, nodding and appreciative.

Today, however, I didn't play the game - and neither did she. She graciously just went back and got them, and all was well. I wonder if it wasn't because I rode my bike to the shop and was still wearing my Skid Lid, so I almost "looked like" an actual cyclist. Or not. But it was a non-lecture visit, and was therefore pleasant.

After I got the tubes, I fought the traffic to get back into my own neighborhood, visited the convenience store to buy the sodas, and rolled home, satisfied. I love that Utilitarian cycling!

First Flat since 2008 - But it Doesn't Count

7/5/14, 251lbs, 57 pounds lost since 8/30/14

The tires on my bike are top-of-the-line. These days, a few tire companies (notably Continental and Schwalbe) sell tires for commuting and urban cycling that are outstanding and offer great flat protection. I discussed these tires and provided links to the sites in a June 7 blog entry here.

Not a pleasant experience . . .

These tires are quite a bit more expensive than "generic" tires. Schwalbes run around $40 to $50 each, and Continentals are only slightly less expensive. However, this is a classic case of "you get what you pay for" and "you save money in the long run". If you get the $15 specials then you can expect several goathead/nail/broken glass attacks to strand you by the side of the road almost daily, especially when riding through a city like El Paso where the streets are vicious to bike tires. Just ask my niece Diane - A wonderful cyclist who purchased a high-end road bike but insists on installing inexpensive "Kenda" level tires. Her narratives about all of her flat tires is legendary in our family. I've told cyclists like her and others that if you make the investment in the higher quality tires you can stop worrying about punctures and just ride.

My last tires, which I replaced about a month ago, were Continental SportCONTACT tires and had no flats for the entire two years they were installed on the Black Knight bike. As a matter of fact, it had been 4 years at that time since my last flat - but that was before I started paying the extra $$$ for the better tires.

So there remains a choice: Spend $30 for a pair of cheap tires and replace them twice during the year ($90) for a period of two years ($180) and spend a substantial amount of time on the side of the road disassembling your bike and repairing flat tires; or get a pair of Continental Touring Plus (my current
tires) or something similar and just ride, occasionally checking tire pressure, for two years before you replace. Total investment $60 - Your choice.

Not really me . . .

But, as the title suggests, I had a flat tire yesterday on the Black Knight bike. However, it was the failure of a valve on a tube and not a puncture or tire failure, so it doesn't "count" (lol). It also was discovered in the garage before a ride, so there was none of that sitting and cussing on a curb business.

So, there was a ten minute delay while I replaced the tube in my front tire, then I had a 30 minute neighborhood tour. It was a very enjoyable ride. As I am continuing riding my bike through my 60s it continues to wake up a part of me that wants to depend on cycling and public transportation rather than an automobile for basic transportation. As I've mentioned in past blogs, it is not a lifestyle that is foreign to me. My current location (both home and work) makes a commuting lifestyle ideal. I keep deciding to do it, and then deciding to not do it, over and over - I have been very "double minded" in that regard. But the part of me that's "waking up" is getting stronger and stronger. So I imagine I'll make that change, and leave the car at home, eventually.

One thing to think about is the fact that I am turning into a poor driver. I lack attention to detail, my mind wanders, and I drive slower than everyone else - classic old guy syndrome I guess. It's a consideration, for sure.

Slower than Heck!!

7-2-14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
25 minute Windy Grind

Tonight's "spin" through the neighborhood was pretty enjoyable, but it showed me a lot about aging and bicycling - especially for me personally! I started out just rolling through the neighborhood, impressing girls (chuckle) and after a few minutes ended up on Edgemere Parkway to ride up and down. Edgemere Parkway is a nice long park, bordered on both sides by relatively quiet Edgemere Street. In the center of the parkway was a bicycle path, but a few years ago they put "No Bicycles Allowed" signs on it, so it disintegrated into a baby-stroller walking/jogging path. It was probably my fault that bikes were banned from the path. Back in "The Day" (late 1970s, early 1980s) I would bomb up and down the path at breakneck speed frightening everybody. It was not a pretty sight.

Not really me . . .

So now we have to ride on the actual street with the cagers. It's still not a bad ride, though. One thing about it is the wind. It's a big tailwind one direction, and a big headwind the other. Occasionally, it's a big headwind both directions, which I can't figure out.

Anyway, tonight I was doing the ride Eastbound and I was having severe difficulty with the headwind. I was going about 9mph, suffering, breathing heavily, sweating like a pig, and suddenly a herd of road cyclists passed me. Which is OK, except that they did it quite effortlessly. Chatting, laughing, not perspiring, not panting. It was pathetic. Or, rather, I was pathetic.

So I immediately became depressed. That was, of course, the only possible response.

This is why I ride bikes by myself. I'm old and slow. Since when is 61 old?!?

When I got home, I dug out bike logs from 20 years ago - 1994 - during my Colorado Mountain bicycling "heyday" and compared notes.

• 1994 average road speed (flat surface, no wind) 18mph. 2014? 13mph if I'm lucky.
• 1994 favorite rides - Mountain passes, especially steep challenging Battle Mountain. 2014? A slow, steady cross-town route to my daughter's house, with several rest stops.
• 1994 average TIS (Time In Saddle) 2 hours per day. 2014? 25 minutes.
• 1994 Mileage - 2500 or so. 2014? I just passed 520 half way through the year.
• 1994 reaction from observers? "Wow, what dedication to make that entire climb!" 2014: "Wow, look, an old guy on a bike! How cute!"

Old guy on a bike. Hrmph.

Eleven and a Half Minutes

Tonight I had one of the shortest bike rides ever - it lasted 11-1/2 minutes! And then relatives made fun of me!

Huge thunderstorms are rolling through the El Paso area, but I figured (after looking outside) that I could probably fit in a good 30 minute spin before the storms got to my house. Wow, was I wrong. They must have been riding on a magic carpet, or something. I rode down a side street and came back around the block, and hit a wall of wind that was amazing. I rode back towards the house as fast as I could against the wind (approximately slow walking speed) while my clothing, especially my shirt and socks, filled with runaway rain drops and dust. I got to the house, got inside safely, and let our dogs in the house and sat.

Not actually me . . .

Then my smartphone lit up.

Viv in her house

You see, my Sister-in-Law, Viv,  lives right across the street. She and her kidlets were at their window watching the storm roll in, and were filled with delight to see me riding through the 400mph wind to get
home. The laughter I can handle - but the cell phone abuse? Text messages started rolling in - "Awfully short ride, ey Uncle Mark?"

Also not actually me . . .

Ahh, the Tailwind, the Heat and the Lanes

6/28/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
41 minutes, 8 miles to the Old Homestead

We moved from our home on Arnaz on the far Eastside of El Paso to our current residence about 9 months ago. When we lived "over there" I loved bicycling, but it was a challenge riding through the area because of the lack of bike lanes and paths. Every ride was an adventurous encounter with those crazy cage drivers we call "motorists". When I would take off on a ride, I would say to Bonnie "Well, I'm going out for a while to play Dodge Car!"

I was fortunate to not have any collisions or even "close encounters" with drivers. There were several times, believe me, when automobile drivers were irritated or even angry for some reason that I was out on the roads. I can't imagine why anyone would be offended that a 60 or 61 year old person would be out riding a bike. But that's another blog - I'll wait til I'm in the "right" mood to write that one!

The ironic thing is that within a month or two after we moved from that end of town to our current mansion, they put in new high-zoot bike paths all throughout my old neighborhood! I could not believe it - on Montwood and Trawood, where I had previously battled cars for supremacy, were new fancy bike lanes. I could only laugh.

Today, 9 months later, I finally had an opportunity to use the new lanes on both Montwood and Trawood, and boy oh boy was it niiiiiiiice! I rode from the area of Burges high school through to the eastside and arrived at my daughter's house in 41 minutes. The stress level through the George Dieter/Montwood/Trawood area was greatly reduced with the new lanes.

The entire ride had a tailwind because it was eastbound, and the temperature was 99 degrees. But it was an enjoyable spin nevertheless.

See you on the bike!

My Weight and Health Story, from 2003 til Now

Most of my adult life, I have been very much in control of my weight. Occasionally, and actually quite rarely, it would creep up when I experienced periods of inactivity, however most of the time from the age of 18 up to the age of 50 I've been OK. Most of the credit goes to Bicycling. From 18 or 19 years of age up to my 50th birthday I rode probably 60,000 miles, mainly in the Desert Southwest (Tucson, AZ and El Paso, TX) with some trips up into New Mexico. Additionally, my family and I lived in Denver

for about 4-1/2 years, where I rode all over the Colorado Rockies. I rode over many of the high mountain passes, up and down the canyons, and all over the Denver Greenbelt system of bike paths. My weight stayed around 220 most of the time. At 6'5" 220 is a very good weight.

In September of 2003, the year I turned 50, the entire cycling world was shocked by the death of Ken Kifer, a cycling legend who had traveled across the USA on his bike, advocated for cycling issues, and mentored many, many bicyclists such as myself through his excellent website. He was an internet acquaintance of mine – we shared the occasional email as my fledgling website markstone.org was getting underway and we were discussing linking our sites to each other.

While on a short ride near his home in Alabama, Ken was killed when he was hit head-on by a drunk driver. The driver had been released the same day from a jail sentence he had served for DUI! News of Ken's death spread through the bicycling world like a shockwave.

I was very much affected by the news of his death, and within a few days made the decision to give up bicycling. I thought I was going to be next; I felt that if it happened to Ken, the next cyclist hit and killed by a drunk was going to be me. Filled with fear, I decided to give up cycling. And so I did.

Cyclists eat a lot of food. Just ask my wife lol – we can slam down the calories. Unfortunately, when I stopped bicycling in 2003, I did not back off on eating. Slowly and steadily, weight began to pack on through the years as I continued my cycling calorie consumption without my cycling. Finally, by 2011, I had become an extremely obese person. I was ashamed of pictures of myself. I had to wear overalls all the time because regular clothing would not fit me.

That's me in the background center with the tummy. This was at the Revelation
Band Reunion concert in the Spring of 2011

I had developed Apnea, where I could not sleep more than a couple of minutes at a time before I would stop breathing and wake up in a panic. I had become extremely immobile. It was very, very difficult to climb up stairs. When I told people that I had 60,000 bicycling miles under my belt, they looked at me in disbelief.

During the summer of 2011, when I was at my heaviest, Bonnie and I began attending Rock Church (now known as Mosaic Church) in El Paso. One of the coolest things about this church was that the entire leadership team (pastors, worship leaders, etc.) were very physically active. Dr. Steve Muller, the Worship pastor, was (is) a fanatic cyclist. Dr. Steve began to wake up the old cyclist in me, and, realizing what the previous 7 years of inactivity had done, I began to think about beginning to ride again. I pulled out my old bike and rode it around the block – and barely could do that. But even that first block had an effect on me! It got me thinking about an active lifestyle again. It got me to thinking how I hated the immobility, the Apnea, the hurting back and knees. After so many thousands of miles of

Summer of 2010 at prolly 310 pounds or so . . . BTW Bonnie
has lost a lot of weight too since them days, and she
looks shaaaarp!!

cycling and being healthy, is this what I had become?

I had not been on a scale in a long time, but decided to start an active lifestyle immediately. Starting the last week of July 2011, I committed to walking and/or riding my bike to the bus stop (going car-light) and leaving my car at home. Believe me, it was hard! It was less than a 15 minute bike ride to the bus stop, but it hurt. However, I kept the commitment and continued to ride the bike and use the bus. Finally, on August 30, 2011, I bravely put myself on the scale – I weighed 308 pounds. That 308 figure is what I consider my starting weight. I was so shocked to see a "3" in front of the "08" that I didn't weigh myself again for several months.

But I continued to commute by bicycle, without dieting. As the months passed by, I noticed clothes were fitting a little bit looser; I also noticed that the rides were getting a little easier, and my mobility was increasing. In December 2011, about 6 months after starting commuting, I noticed that the Apnea had disappeared!! I was still too scared to put myself on the scale, though. I continued to

My official Greyhound picture,
taken in December 2011 after
about 25 (?) pounds weight loss

commute. In December, pictures and videos of myself still showed a very heavy, overweight person.

With that in mind, my wife and I agreed to join Weight Watchers in January of 2012. My initial weight on WW was 275 pounds. That is still considered obese by BMI standards, but it meant that I had lost 33 pounds in the 7 months I had been commuting! I bought a new car and stopped commuting on the bike at the end of February of that year. However, I still kept up cycling as much as possible, and even traded up to my current bicycle that summer. Between Weight Watchers and Bicycling, the year 2012 saw another 45 pounds of weight loss when I hit 230 on the 15th of December. Total weight loss at this time was 78 pounds!

Bonnie and I both gave up on Weight Watchers at the beginning of 2013. Weighing portions, scanning labels, and feeling hungry all the time gets on the nerves, I guess. Even after WW though, we continued to moderate diet in addition to exercise.

In the year and a half since we stopped WW, I have slowly and steadily gained back 22 pounds and am currently at 252 (as of 8/1/14) – which reflects a net weight loss of 56 pounds since the summer of 2011 when I

At 230 pounds in December 2012, after
78 pounds lost

started commuting. I feel much better. The back pain, knee and foot pain, are gone. There is no Apnea now. I can get in and out of chairs (and up and down stairs) easily. I can stand while playing guitar in the Church band. (When I started playing in September 2011, I had such a large stomach that I had to sit to play my instrument).

I still have a long way to go, but am packing on bicycling mileage and am eating intelligently. I believe I will hit the goal weight of "somewhere in the 220s" by the end of this year (2014). At 61 years of age, it is critical.

Main thing: I don't have to wear those dam overalls all the time. So there.

Here's them dam overalls I don't
have to wear all the time any more. This
picture was at 275 pounds, right
after we started Weight Watchers

More Afters:

See? Bonnie looks great now, too. This
photo was for our 25th anniversary
in March 2013

See you on the bike!

My Numbers?

I was surprised when I checked the number of visitors I am receiving here at the blog and at markstone.org. I always think that a couple of people occasionally drop by, and when I'm posting (especially boring stuff like the mitochondria discussions) I'm basically posting for myself. I'm pleasantly surprised to discover that we have over 100 daily visitors, sometimes up to 150. The busiest section is the Oscar Study Page, which is a website dedicated to the study of Astronotus Ocellatus, aka the Oscar, a South American Amazon Basin cichlid (tropical fish). This page receives around 75 to 80 hits a day, mostly coming in from links at Aquaria related forums and websites. The url there is oscar.markstone.org. I coded The Oscar Study Page and posted it at the Rio Grande Freenet waaaaaay back in 1996, and "The Aquaria FAQs" labels it as the oldest species-specific Aquaria website on the internet.

In second place is this very blog (yeah, the one you're reading lol) at about 30 hits per day, and most of those come in from Facebook. A few people wander in from the bicycle forums I used to hang around at, because I have its URL in the sig over there.

The Music section is third with ten or so seekers of truth per day.

The major purpose for the website as a whole is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my hope that people drawn to it by their love for Oscars (the "puppy dogs" of the fish world) or their bicycling addiction or even because they like American Primitive Guitar playing will end up reading the sections about the Love of Jesus.

I'm really quite full of myself today over this. I thought I got about one hit per month!

Apa the Hoarder?

6/26/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
Will Ride Tonight

Note: The following blog is a reprint from July 11, 2012

Today I'm cleaning/organizing the garage getting ready for the new bicycle (discussed in previous posts) and it really surprises me how much "bicycle stuff" I've accumulated through the years, then put aside and forgot. It's really remarkable. Shelves and shelves of items that I may never use, or rarely use, but am loathe to throw away. Dusty, forgotten, but hanging on to dear life because some day, under some circumstance, I may want to use it -

• Tires. I have no bike that has 27" wheels any more, but I kept the tires. May use them someday (?). I also have a couple of spare 26" tire sets, too. One of them (a knobby mountain tire from Bontrager) I threw away because I only ride on the streets.
• Tubes. New and used. Amazing. I must have 50 pair.
• Wedge packs. Those are the little packs that go under the seat, great for carrying flat tire repair kits. I think there's three. I had four, but gave one to my niece.
• Heart Rate Monitors - just two. Funny thing is that I don't even use HR monitors any more. I just ride for fun. But I won't throw them away or put them on ebay because I might need them some day.
• One thousand allen wrenches.
• Two rear racks. I use one.
• Rear panniers and trunk. The trunk is in use on The Rig right now, and the panniers are used rarely.
• Handlebar Bags - Three. I don't use these any more because I attach high-end lighting to my handlebars and the bags won't work with the lights. But I'll keep all three because some day . . .
• One top-tube bag. A little thing to put your cell phone in, maybe the keys and a little change.
• Rear tail lights - probably 6 or 7 blinkies. Two are NiteRider Cherry Bombs; two Planet Bike SuperFlash, one turbo; a Cygolite 2-Watt that recharges (the best of the lot); another expensive 1-watt light that is great, but I forgot the name and it is not printed on the light; and a few older generic blinkies off the Wal-Mart shelf.
• Headlights. Let's see - There's a Dinotte 5-Watt LED, uses rechargeable AA batteries that I got about 6 or 7 years ago. A soft, full pattern, fairly bright. I never use it, but might some day. There's a light called the View Point Gen3, an LED light that was very very bright for its time. It was the house brand for Performance. It is not bright at all by today's standards, but it was bright enough that it made me feel safe riding at night! A NiteRider MiNewt 200, very nice. There were two NiteRider MiNewt 600 Cordless, which are monster bright lights - but I gave one to my niece (she still uses it). The other one is currently in use on the Rig. Finally, a NiteRider 1500 Race, an incredible light that shares handlebar space with the 600. This thing turns night into day, it floods the street ahead of me with bright light. When I run the 1500 in concert with the 600, there are 2100 claimed (1700 actual) lumens lighting up the road, and people in cars veer away and flash their brights. It's amazing.
• Rags. Don't get me started on rags.
• About 20 years of Bicycling magazines that I WILL NOT throw away. Too much info!
• Locks. I have three U-locks, all three Kryptonite although one of them is sold under the Trek name. Plus, about 3 cable locks, too.
• Three or four empty cans of Tri-Flow. Plus a full one.
• About 2 pounds of those little rubber strips that are used for spacers to make things mount easier on handlebars
• An entire coffee cup full of water-bottle cage bolts. Everything that attaches to a modern bicycle uses these bolts.
• Two floor pumps, three frame pumps
• Several water bottles and their cages
• A CamelBak Mule
• A handful of chain breakers
• A few extra chainrings that don't fit on any of my current bikes, plus a couple of chains

Maybe I'll have a garage sale!

Still too hot to ride?

6/25/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
30 minute ride in the heeeeeeeeet ♫ ♪ ♫

Well, like a lunatic here I am again riding the Black Knight in the dead of the mid-day heat. But it's only 98 degrees - although it feels hotter. These days it's rare to see a day where the high isn't over 100, so I guess today's temperature indicates a cool spell!

The ride was enjoyable, regardless of the heat. Gradually my strength is increasing and I'm feeling more comfortable on the machine.

Spoon-Fed Weight Loss

If it's on the internet, it has to be right -- Right??

In the olden days, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and everyone knew who Johnny Carson was, that's what we used to say about TV. I remember my Mom saying to me in all seriousness "If it's not true, they can't say it on TV." We know now how silly that was. But nowadays we see the same tendency with the internet.

Of course, I don't think there's anyone who believes my opening statement - "If it's on the internet, it has to be right -- Right??" We know there are quacks out there who are really only after our hard-earned money, and will make any claim to get it. Unfortunately, a lot of people see something on an internet website and believe it a little too easily. The internet, in that light, can be a trap.

However, the internet can also be a huge help.

Consensus

About 15 years ago, I worked for a company called Marui here in El Paso. Marui manufactures the plastic faces for car stereos, and they had a molding/painting/laser factory here that is now long gone. Marui was (is?) a Japanese company, and when I was hired I discovered they made many of their decisions based on consensus, and rarely allowed a single individual to make an important decision.

The lesson I learned there has been an important part of my life since then. Generally, if there is not consensus on an issue, I am more likely than not to dismiss the claim, or research it ultra-completely. This applies to what we can discover and research on the internet. For example, let's say we run into a website on the internet that claims that the sky is actually green, and not blue. That particular website cites studies (whether real or imagined) and really makes a convincing argument. Now of course all a person would need to do is take a glance outside to see a blue sky, but for the sake of the example let's say that is somehow impossible. Using search engines, it is possible to gain consensus and therefore "prove" that the sky is actually blue. The Giggle search results would show the single website with the Green claim, and 40 websites with the Blue claim. Through consensus, we discover what most likely is the truth.

Health and Weight Control on the internet is a zoo. There are a million claims and counter-claims, and I believe one of the worst mistakes we can make is to just believe what we read and apply it to our lives without doing proper research. There are multitudes of objective (non-profit oriented) sources for information and there really is no excuse for not doing the research. After all, if we start using a fad diet or a new wonder-supplement, our personal health is at stake! It is silly to blindly follow the claims of one or two websites without spending an afternoon studying.

When studying through an internet claim, place your emphasis on finding sources that are independent, objective, and have no financial interest. If a company is selling a new wonder-drug or supplement for weight loss, and they cite a study proving it works - but then an internet search uncovers a dozen other studies or testimonies that say it doesn't work, are you going to still make the purchase and try the product? That would be silly.

Many close family members and friends are trying out a few new diets and supplements. All I'm saying is that using these diets and supplements may have unintended and lasting negative effects on our health. And, they may not - they may be great. My point is to do your own research and study before you commit your health to any of these plans.

See you on the bike!

500+ Miles for 2014! (So Far . . . . )

6/24/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
31 minute night ride over to VI for a Cobb (no olives please)

On tonight's ride I passed 500 miles for the year on the Black Knight bicycle. 500 miles in 6 months is not much for many of my friends (Tony Magana, Steve Muller, some others . . .) who routinely put together 500 mile months. However, keep in mind that I'm 61 so I get to ride slower and less miles if I want, nyah nyah nyah.

Tonight's ride was thoroughly enjoyable. I left before sundown, and there were these small thunderstorm cells dancing around my East El Paso neighborhood. Each one had its own personal bright, colorful rainbow as it marched through the city. No rain drops hit me, though, but the whippy thunderstorm wind was present. Thunderstorm winds are strange - No matter which direction you go, it's a headwind. Serious - Ride straight north into a vicious headwind, get tired of it and turn around, and there's still a headwind!! That's why I love El Paso. Or not.

But I don't really mind windy days. That's why God gave us low gears!

500 miles - Whooda Thunkit?

See you on the bike!!

Mitochondria and Type 2 Diabetes

I'll start with the conclusion. This is a reprinted abstract from the ncbi dot gov website (the National Library of Medicine) (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22399425) and states:

"Mitochondria play a key role in energy metabolism and ATP production in many tissues, including skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, brain and liver. Inherent disorders of mitochondria such as mDNA deletions cause major disruption of metabolism and can result in severe disease phenotypes. However, the incidence of such mDNA based disorders is extremely rare and cannot account for the dramatic rise in human metabolic diseases, which are characterised by defects in energy metabolism. Mitochondrial dysfunction characterized by reduced ATP generation and reduced mitochondrial number in skeletal muscle or reduced ATP generation and mitochondrial stimulus-secretion coupling in the pancreatic beta cell has been implicated in the pathology of chronic metabolic disease associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus and also with aging. Additionally the generation of ROS from mitochondria and other cellular sources may interfere in insulin signaling in muscle, contributing to insulin resistance. Reduced mitochondrial oxidative capacity coupled with increased ROS generation underlies the accumulation of intramuscular fat, insulin resistance and muscle dysfunction in aging. We will review the molecular basis for optimal mitochondrial function or mechanisms of dysfunction and correlate with pathology of identified diseases and aging."

To break that paragraph down and to bring in a small historical perspective, the Mitochondria in especially muscle cells has long been thought to be important to the development of type 2 DM (Diabetes Millitus). The reason that Mitochondria is implicated is that it is the primary agent in the transformation of blood sugar into energy. Type 2 DM is, basically, when the body forgets how to use its glycogen/sucrose and therefore the little Mitochondria are at the forefront of suspicion (since they are the main "users"). For some time science believed that a mutation in the DNA of Mitochondria was the culprit, as stated above: "Inherent disorders of mitochondria such as mDNA deletions cause major disruption of metabolism and can result in severe disease phenotypes. However, the incidence of such mDNA based disorders is extremely rare and cannot account for the dramatic rise in human metabolic diseases, which are characterised by defects in energy metabolism." As you can read in this snippet, the huge rise in metabolic disease cannot be accounted for by the extremely rare occurrence of the DNA mutation. The only other player in the card game is the dwindling amount of Mitochondria in possible concert with a large sugar intake.

To simplify, when we increase the amount of Mitochondria in muscle cells then we enhance the body's ability to handle sugar and the incidence of type 2 DM decreases. It is just that simple. Am I saying that a lifestyle of aerobic exercise through a lifetime can prevent type 2 DM? Well, I'm afraid to make that statement of course. However, the overwhelming consensus in the scientific community supports that thought:

1. University of New Mexico Dr. Len Kravitz: "Mitochondria . . . improve insulin sensitivity (and thus help to manage or prevent pre-diabetes or diabetes)
2. The Endocrine Society, in their study published at NCBI: "The pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is varied and complex. However, the association of DM with obesity and inactivity indicates an important, and potentially pathogenic, link between fuel and energy homeostasis and the emergence of metabolic disease. Given the central role for mitochondria in fuel utilization and energy production, disordered mitochondrial function at the cellular level can impact whole-body metabolic homeostasis. Thus, the hypothesis that defective or insufficient mitochondrial function might play a potentially pathogenic role in mediating risk of type 2 DM has emerged in recent years."
3. The above paragraph from the National Library of Medicine
4. From the Diabetes Learning Center at Medpage (http://www.medpagetoday.com/resource-center/diabetes/Mitochondrial-Mechanisms-Disease-Diabetes-Mellitus/a/31636): "Mitochondria are found in every cell in the human body. Known as the "power plant of the cell," mitochondria are central to the conversion of fatty acids and glucose to usable energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). A growing body of evidence now demonstrates a link between various disturbances in mitochondrial functioning and type 2 diabetes. In patients with type 2 diabetes, the size, number, and efficiency of mitochondria are reduced."
5. From Nature Reviews Endocrinology (http://www.nature.com/nrendo/journal/v8/n2/abs/nrendo.2011.138.html), in an article entitled "The role of mitochondria in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus": "Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been related to alterations of oxidative metabolism in insulin-responsive tissues. Overt T2DM can present with acquired or inherited reductions of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation capacity, submaximal ADP-stimulated oxidative phosphorylation and plasticity of mitochondria and/or lower mitochondrial content in skeletal muscle cells and potentially also in hepatocytes. Acquired insulin resistance is associated with reduced insulin-stimulated mitochondrial activity as the result of blunted mitochondrial plasticity. Hereditary insulin resistance is frequently associated with reduced mitochondrial activity at rest, probably due to diminished mitochondrial content. Lifestyle and pharmacological interventions can enhance the capacity for oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial content and improve insulin resistance in some (pre)diabetic cases. Various mitochondrial features can be abnormal but are not necessarily responsible for all forms of insulin resistance. Nevertheless, mitochondrial abnormalities might accelerate progression of insulin resistance and subsequent organ dysfunction via increased production of reactive oxygen species. This Review discusses the association between mitochondrial function and insulin sensitivity in various tissues, such as skeletal muscle, liver and heart, with a main focus on studies in humans, and addresses the effects of therapeutic strategies that affect mitochondrial function and insulin sensitivity."

And there are plenty more. Google away, folks!

My conclusion: Actively increasing Mitochondria in muscle cells, especially through a lifestyle of aerobic exercise, severely diminishes a person's chances of contracting Type 2 DM.

See you on the bike!!

The Best Way to Increase Mitochondria?

6/23/14 255lbs, 53 pounds lost since 8/30/11
No ride today (too hot, and music practice tonight)

There is a lot of debate over the best method to increase Mitochondria in muscle cells – a lot of debate! According to experts (of varying degree lol) it can be increased by diets, supplements, and/or exercise, or a combination of the three. Exercise proponents break it down even further to aerobic, anaerobic, or weight lifting. If we study the reason why Mitochondria increase, we have to conclude that diet and exercise both work, and supplements may work.

Diet

Mitochondria increase in numbers when it becomes difficult to supply a muscle cell with enough ATP for its purpose. Therefore, when essential fuels are missing from the bloodstream Mitochondria increase to get as much of the fuel as possible. That's why the Atkins diet has always produced fat loss. When the bloodstream is lacking glucose because of the extreme low-carb diet, one of the (many) ways the body responds is to increase Mitochondria in cells. Although the Mitochondria are really "looking" for glucose, when the numbers increase they are "accidentally" processing Fatty Acids also, and the body has increased its metabolic rate. Therefore, don't make fun of Atkins any more. Additionally, the same response is present when we go on a very low fat diet – except that the Mitochondria are increasing because of the lack of Fatty Acids in the bloodstream.

This leads me to conclude that a diet based on the content of what we eat is better than a diet based on the amount of food we eat. Just decreasing calories does not produce the change in muscle chemistry we desire; but starving the bloodstream of either sugars or Fatty Acids does.

Supplements

I'll be honest with you – I don't know. People that are selling supplements to increase Mitochondria have a profit motivation that I'm uncomfortable with. I'm not saying that the supplements don't work, I'm saying that I don't necessarily trust "experts" with a profit motivation. When you're 61 years old like me, you won't trust anybody, either.

Exercise

All exercise causes an increase in Mitochondria, simply because it increases the fuel demands of the muscles being used. Can't get any simpler than that!

Studies (see my "mitochondria links" link above) seem to indicate that Aerobic exercise (like bicycling, higher-intensity walking, running/jogging etc.) continue to increase Mitochondria continually over a long period of time, whereas Strength Training increases it a lot but then it levels off. Both are very effective and valid.

My Choice

When looking at the various methods to increase Mitochondria, my choice is Aerobic Exercise. I'm just like Covert Bailey in that regard. The reason I would make that choice is that there are a huge amount of additional benefits that Aerobics bring in addition to increased Mitochondria that the other methods do not necessarily provide. After I'm finished extolling the virtues of Mitochondria here at the blog, I will go through the Aerobic Benefit in some detail. However, the following points are well established. To wit:

1. An increase in the amount of blood, and an increase in the blood's ability to carry oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body.
2. An increase in the amount and quality of capillaries to the extremities.
3. Thinner blood, because of Aerobic Exercise's overuse of Fatty Acids.
4. Increase in lung capacity, and in the lung's ability to refresh blood cells with oxygen.
5. Increase in the size/strength of the heart, resulting in a lowered resting heart rate.
6. A change in the muscle chemistry through the increase in Mitochondria, effectively increasing metabolic rate. (But wait – isn't that what this blog is about?)
7. Cleansing of the interior of blood vessels
8. Decrease in Cholesterol, regardless of genetic disposition.
9. Decrease in Blood Pressure
10. Decrease in incidences of Depression
11. A remarkably large decrease in the incidence of all types of cancer
12. A huge decrease in the chances of contracting Type 2 Diabetes. This ties in to Mitochondria, also, and I will discuss it in a separate article
13. Many, many other cool benefits, including weight loss, increase in mobility, plus the increase in the simple enjoyment of life.

My logic says: Why not choose the method for increasing metabolic rate (by generating millions of new Mitochondria) that gives the best overall benefit, even apart from the Mitochondria variable? Hands down, for me, the choice is Aerobics.

Is it possible to combine Aerobics with diet to increase Mitochondria? Of course. In 1999 through about 2003, I employed a diet I called "VLF" (Very Low Fat) where I ate less than 10% of my calories from fat (both bad and good) in addition to at least 4 aerobic workouts per week on my bicycle. The result was a dramatic increase in health and loss of weight, although at the time I didn't know a "mitochondrion" from a hole in the wall.

See you out on the bicycle!

Second Chapter Mitochondria Discussion

6/22/14 254lbs, 54 pounds lost since 8/30/11
No ride today

I have studied a number of books and websites through the years attempting to explain something I have experienced my whole life. I had not found a satisfactory explanation until I began to read the University of New Mexico documents and studies on Mitochondria, then expanded my research. For an explanation of what Mitochondria are and what their function is, see my blog posted 06/21/14 here.

Mitochondria in a lung cell photographed by electron microscopy. Picture public domain, farmed from Wikipedia

During my 40+ year "career" as a bicyclist, I've discovered that the good old "Calories Out - Calories In" theory of weight loss and maintenance does not work with me. According to this reasoning, if I eat 3500 calories, but burn only 3000, then there is a net weight gain. However, there are two situations that happen in my life that have been documented over and over and over. They are:

1. When I ride my bicycle aerobically at least 4 times a week and 30 minutes per ride (which is not that much) it is impossible for me to gain weight, no matter how many calories I eat. During these times I have not always lost weight (with a couple of notable exceptions), however I have never gained weight. The most recent occurence was between July 20, 2011 and January 21, 2012, a 6 month period where I did not diet but rode with a frequency of 4 to 5 times per week. I lost 33 pounds during this period alone. (You would not believe the amounts of food I was eating during this period - it was staggering. Ask my wife lol!). Other examples are experiences throughout the 1980s, and the early 1990s when I lived in Denver. This has been repeated over and over in my lifetime.
2. When I ride those same 4 times per week and my rides average 2 hours each, my weight always settles in at 215 regardless of my diet. No matter how little or much I eat, 215. If I start at 300 pounds, I end up at 215 (with no diet). If I weigh 195, I gain to 215. When riding extensively, my body loves 215 regardless of diet. 

If weight gain and loss is simply based on how many calories a person consumes vs. calories burned, neither of these episodes would have happened. But they do. Over and over. Why?

My first clue was in a book entitled Fit or Fat that I mentioned in yesterday's blog. In it, the author (Covert Bailey) explains that the reason diets don't work is because they do not address the real issue: That the body's chemistry is predisposed to store fat (rather than using it). The real key to fat control, he states, is to change the body's chemistry to normal and then it becomes a "fat burning machine". If we just diet, without addressing the underlying cause of our obesity, we will always gain the weight back because we have not addressed the real issue.

However, the book, although correct, does not go far enough into the science of the necessary chemistry change although it is very strong on the method (aerobic exercise) to bring it about. I finally discovered the role of Mitochondria by doing internet searches, and the evidence of the power of Mitochondria to control not only weight but other health issues is overwhelming. I first ran across the term "Mitochondria" referencing work done by Ken Kravitz, Ph.D., at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. One of his documents is available by clicking the link at the bottom of yesterday's blog. Once I had the term for the actual mechanical cellular "part" that was missing from the Fit or Fat chapter, then Google and I began to dig up a multitude of studies and data regarding Mitochondria.

I wrote a paragraph in yesterday's blog to explain how and why Mitochondria work to change muscle chemistry so that it causes the body to use ("burn") more fat rather than storing it. Here is a reprint:

"What does this mean to those of us that want to get a grip on our health and weight? Plenty. The amount of Mitochondria in a cell is utterly dependent on its need. In a muscle cell, there can be thousands; in a hair cell, a few. They proliferate based on energy need. Therefore, again a simplification, the more we exercise, and the higher the energy needs of the used muscles, the higher the number of Mitochondria in the muscle cell. And the bonus, the point of the discussion really, is that Mitochondria are never at rest. Once a huge number of Mitochondria are present in a cell because of increased exercise, they continue to turn fatty acids and glucose into ATP when the muscle is at rest. This translates to an elevated metabolism, or the ability to burn fat even when we are at rest."

The way my body responds to aerobic exercise (detailed in the bullet points above) has always baffled me until now. It is so refreshing to find an answer that makes sense.

The Mitochondriac is Here!

6/21/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11

Covert Bailey, in his excellent book Fit or Fat (published way back in the 1990s) concluded that exercise was the most important variable in weight loss/maintenance and fitness. Clearly the popular press and many (if not most) diet programs and experts place the emphasis on food and calories, and mention little about exercise. My personal experience, collected through my 6 decades of life, supports Covert's exercise emphasis; it is a fact that with proper exercise, metabolic and other system-wide changes occur in the body that are huge. I believe that most "experts" and diet gurus (and companies) emphasize food and calories because they know the average American either does not want to exercise or does not have the time. They also make a greater profit by selling their food-related programs and supplements to a public that is becoming more and more convinced that exercise plays little (if any) role in health and weight management.

One of the Fit or Fat covers

I'm not saying dieting and eating correctly are useless. I say that the most critical factor in health and weight maintenance is exercise.

In Fit or Fat, the author states that regular aerobic exercise makes a change in the working muscles at the cellular level that cause them to "burn" fat more easily, even when not exercising. However, he fails to identify the detailed process and states that he doesn't want to bore us with the science. I have always wished he would have "bored" us with a little more of the science in this particular chapter! However, the change in the "muscle chemistry" he described is really quite well documented with other sources. In a nutshell, regular aerobic exercise, when done long enough and frequently enough, proliferates Mitochondria.

Here is a simple definition of Mitochondria from the Free Dictionary Dot Com:

A spherical or elongated organelle in the cytoplasm of nearly all eukaryotic cells, containing genetic material and many enzymes important for cell metabolism, including those responsible for the conversion of food to usable energy. Also called chondriosome.

Here is a supplemental note from Biology Online:

They produce large amounts of energy through oxidative phosphorylation of organic molecules during cellular respiration. That is, they are capable of using glucose and oxygen to produce energy (and releasing carbon dioxide and water in the process) for use in many metabolic processes. Thus, it is not surprising to find several mitochondria in high energy-requiring cells, such as muscle cells.

They are semi-autonomous, self-reproducing organelles because they contain their own genome. In fact, their DNA has become an important tool in tracking genetic histories since their genetic material is present in only one copy, and does not recombine in reproduction.

According to the endosymbiotic theory, mitochondria might have been the remnants of early bacteria engulfed by ancient eukaryotic cells a billion years ago that might have evolved and become energy-yielding structures within eukaryotic cells at present.

Word origin: from Gk. mitos - thread + khondrion - little granule. 

Related forms: mitochondrial (adjective). 

Also known as: chondriosome." 

To simplify, Mitochondria are in charge of taking food energy, from Fatty Acids and Glucose, and transforming it into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a nucleotide that is further broken down and used as the energy source for all metabolic functions.

What does this mean to those of us that want to get a grip on our health and weight? Plenty. The amount of Mitochondria in a cell is utterly dependent on its need. In a muscle cell, there can be thousands; in a hair cell, a few. They proliferate based on energy need. Therefore, again a simplification, the more we exercise, and the higher the energy needs of the used muscles, the higher the number of Mitochondria in the muscle cell. And the bonus, the point of the discussion really, is that Mitochondria are never at rest. Once a huge number of Mitochondria are present in a cell because of increased exercise, they continue to turn fatty acids and glucose into ATP when the muscle is at rest. This translates to an elevated metabolism, or the ability to burn fat when we are at rest.

After about 7 days of inactivity, the Mitochondria begin to decrease in numbers and the metabolism begins to slow down. With continued aerobic exercise, the amount of Mitochondria is maintained.

According to a number of reliable sources, the proliferation of Mitochondria plays a key role in not only weight control and health, but also in drastically reduced rates of type 2 Diabetes.

I plan on continuing discussion on Mitochondria in the coming weeks at the ol' blog here, including personal experience, as I study this through. Meanwhile feel free to "Google" mitochondria and do some research for yourselves!

Hammer Down!

6/21/14 252lbs, 56 pounds weight lost since 8/30/11
31 Minutes, a Wonderful Ride

I went out on the Black Knight bike at about 1pm today, and the spin was wonderful. I felt strong, brisk, mobile and happy. I had been experiencing knee pain during the past few rides, but it seemed to disappear today. I'm starting to experience some strength increase, too.

At the end of the ride, my energy level was very high and I didn't feel tired. I think there were a lot more miles in my legs - -

This is cool.

Thirty Minutes of Creaky Knees

30 minutes on the bike

I enjoyed the ride tonight, but I had creaky knees and joints. I was thinking about the cyclist that got hit early this morning - That's all.

It Could have been Apa

6/19/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
Will Ride Later Tonight

A couple of days ago I abandoned my decision to commute by bicycle to my job at Greyhound for a number of reasons. The most important, I think, was consideration for my family and its needs (see my blog below . . . ). An additional consideration, that I had not mentioned yet, was the El Paso heat. I went out for a short ride on Tuesday the 16th and the heat really destroyed me. What would it have been like to try the second 8-mile leg of a commute in that heat?

This morning, as I was driving to work, something else came up, something haunting to me. As I was driving Westbound on Yandell, I could see a police car with lights on in the distance. At first I was a little irritated because I was not in the mood to find a detour. But as I approached the intersection, it was evident that one lane was open. As I got within a block, I could see a fire truck and an ambulance on the side street; then as I passed the intersection my breath was taken away by the sight of a bicycle, what looked to be a high-end road bike, smashed up and lying all alone in the middle of the roadway. The rear wheel was caved in ("tacoed" we call it in bike lingo) indicating that the bicyclist had been hit from the rear, apparently by a vehicle at high speed.

Note: This pic was farmed from the internet and was not the actual crash scene

I slowed and said out loud to myself "Oh my God, Oh my God" as tears welled up in my eyes. I wanted to turn around, but knew it would do no good. Even though I was in my GMC Jimmy, I suddenly felt helpless and exposed, as if I was on the street on my bike and at the mercy of the multitude of automobiles. I couldn't imagine what that poor cyclist must be going through. Later in the day, I checked the EPPD website and the accident was listed there, but there was no fatality indicated. I believe it was a hit and run, because the car in question was not present. Only a crushed road bike lying alone in the middle of the street gave proof that anything had happened at all.

This collision between a car and a bicycle hit home. If I had stuck with my decision to bicycle to work, this would have been my route – Yandell Drive. I would have passed this spot, where the collision was, at about 6:30am – and the PD website listed the time of the accident as 6:33am. If I had ridden, it would as likely have been myself in the ambulance that sped away.

Even if I wasn't in the collision, my wife and kids, knowing my bike routes through the city, would have been sick with worry if they heard about the crash. Even after they were assured that it was not me, their thought would be "It wasn't Apa – this time."

I will not give up cycling, like I did when the cycling world was shocked in 2003 with the death of Ken Kifer, a friend who was killed by a drunk driver. This time I will continue riding and will shake my fist at the devil. But I am grateful that I made the decision to not bike commute this week.

I will pray for that unfortunate cyclist and his (or her) family.

Me and My Bike

6/18/14 252lbs, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
No riding today, nossir!

Anyone who really knows me is aware that bicycling has been and continues to be a very important part of my life. There are times, however, when it has become more important than family or friends, and for that I am sorry. I discussed that pretty thoroughly in these blogs a couple of days ago, and haven't experienced this since the early 1990s. Or that I know of lol . . .

The reasons Bicycling has been so important to me are numerous. They have also changed.

At first, I used bicycling for basic transportation because in the 1970s my "Hippie" lifestyle meant I could not (and did not want to) afford a car. So at that time, it was a necessity.

After cycling for a few years, I grew to enjoy it very much. So even when I became an employed individual and a valid contributor to society, and owned a car, I continued to ride. It just was a lot of fun. As I rode, and as I became more proficient, my enjoyment grew, and I also learned to appreciate higher-end equipment.

As I became an older single guy during the 1980s, as I was progressing through my late 20s and early 30s, I again gave up driving cars and used cycling as my primary transportation. At this time I considered myself "green" and was intent on saving the planet. Or, at least saving it from the tiny amount of emissions one car would have produced. I rode immense distances "recreationally", too, and rode enough that it was challenging to maintain friendships. It was at this time that I bought very high-quality bikes.

When I got married in 1988, I continued to ride as much as possible. I did so at the expense of my family relationships, and did so until about 1995. During these years I rode more miles per year than at any time previously. Recently, I spent a little time thinking about those days and have spoken with my wife and children, apologizing for how absent I was during that time. My kids, all three of them, ended up being wonderful adults, and so I see the Grace of God in that.

In 1998 I began to ride for a different purpose: I was 45 and theorized that I needed to stay disciplined and continue riding for health, especially as I aged. So during that period of time (1998 to 2003) I rode even more than in the early 90s, but with the specific purpose of maintaining health. I called it the "Healing Project".

In late 2003 Ken Kifer, a bicycle hero of mine, was killed by a drunk driver. This scared me and I basically stopped riding. I took up aerobic walking, but I began to gain a lot of weight and it was clear to me that walking was not providing the level of exercise I needed. Then in 2007, as I was sitting in a hotel lobby in Memphis, I wrote a document which is re-printed in the very first blog (scroll down to June 5th). As I was writing the document, at the age of 54 years old, some strong realities came to me, and slapped me around.

Those realities were that every member of my immediate family (my parents and siblings) was fighting chronic disease and was under doctor care/medication. Now (in 2014) to update: My father had a massive heart attack at the age of 55, and then contracted and died from lung cancer in 2004. My mom has insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes and has been fighting skin cancer. Also, she is on oxygen tanks and is severely enfeebled. My younger sister died from Breast Cancer in 2001 and was fighting obesity and many other physical issues. As I was sitting in Memphis in 2007, I was amazed to think that for some reason I have been the picture of health, even though my family has been shredded by chronic disease. The only difference, and I mean only difference, was my bicycling lifestyle. We ate the same food and we shared the same genes. After careful thought, the only other difference was that my Dad and Sister both smoked. So, how can I have pristine health now at 61 years of age as opposed to my family? I bicycled. Yes, I also did not smoke, but my sister's cancer was not lung and my Dad's cancer was over 20 years after he stopped smoking and may not be associated with it. That's the difference: I was out riding my bike while they were on the couch watching TV.

But still, even though I came to these realizations in 2007, I did not start serious bicycling again until the summer of 2011, when I weighed 308 and was medically obese. However, in the three years since, I have been back into the bicycling lifestyle and feel great. I am a recreational cyclist now, not trying to change the world or train to win the Tour de France. I ride for fun and health.

To summarize my reasons for riding through the years:

1. In the 1970s, necessity. I could not afford a car.

2. Then in the late 70s and early 80s, I did it primarily because of enjoyment

3. Through the mid 80s to about 1995, I was "green" and wanted to save the world, in addition to enjoyment

4. From 1998 to 2003, I rode for health

5. And now, starting in 2011, health and enjoyment.

The Heat, The Heat, The Heat

6/17/14 Weight 251, 57 pounds lost since 8/30/11
29 minute ride in the heat, the heat, the heat
Hey!!!! Visit markstone.org

It was not quite 100 today in El Paso for a high. Most of the last three weeks have been full of 100 plus degree days, so today when the high was going to be "only" in the 90s I thought it would be fine to ride. I had plenty of cold water, and was only out on the bike for a half-hour, but lemme tellya it hurt! I didn't get to the point of heat exhaustion or anywhere near health-damaging baking, but it hurt and took a goodly 45 minutes of panting and drinking water after the ride to recover. I reminded myself of one of my dogs! LOL

During most of this heat wave I have been riding after dark, because on those particular days I had a smidgen of intelligence. Today, however, I had none; and I paid.

However, I most certainly did enjoy the ride. I'm feeling a bit stronger with every ride. But from now on, at least until the autumn comes, I'll probably be doing this at night . . .

The White Tyres

6/16/14 252lbs - 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11
30 Minute Ride at Night

Tonight I took the Black Knight bike out after dark for a ride, and stopped at a park bench for a few minutes. I tried to take a picture of the bike leaning on the bench - and realized that one cannot take a night-time picture of the Black Knight!

The reflective sidewalls of the tires and the camera flash don't mix . . . lol

Getting too Old?

6/16/14 252 Pounds, 56 pounds lost since 8/30/11

In yesterday's blog I explained the reasons for my not pursuing a car-light, bicycle commuting lifestyle. However, I left out one major consideration that I don't like to think about: Aging.

We all want to stay young. I hit my fittest years right around the time I turned 40, and spent most of my 40s on the bike and in shape. My rides were epic in nature during that time. I rode all over the Colorado mountains, over many mountain passes, and up many of the front range canyons. I rode every bike path in the Denver area, and spent most of our years there commuting via bicycle to a job where I had to start at 5am. Although difficult, the early morning commutes leave me with such fond memories. Then in El Paso in my upper 40s I duplicated the experience by riding a string of years (1998 to 2002) over 2000 miles each. I considered myself fairly old at the time, approaching 50, but was surprised how good I felt and easy the miles piled up.

But now I find myself in an odd position. I just turned 61 this past March, but I'm trying to convince myself that it's just a number. I remember with shocking clarity how it felt to be strong on the bike, to conquer the mountain passes with ease, and to commute the long distances into work. I feel like I can still do that with just a little time to train. I don't want to age, and a good part of me refuses to believe that I have.

But I'm trying to fool myself, and not doing a very good job of it. Yes, I still love to go out and ride my bike – and the passion is still there – but my legs are not able to do what they used to any longer. And although my passion is still there, it has, nevertheless, changed direction.

At 61, my body is changing. My reaction times are slowing down. Clarity of thought (an extreme necessity for an urban cyclist) is diminishing. If I go out for an hour of moderate riding, I am a bit more tired the next day than I used to be. Average speed is slowing down. I see my reflection in the mirrored storefront glass of shops I ride by, and it looks like some old geezer on a bike.

But I want to live in the past. I want to climb up Battle Mountain again like I did when I was younger. I want to attack the steep portions of Mount Vernon Canyon. I want to ride like the wind out into the El Paso desert like I used to . . . But, for some reason, I entered my 60s, and my body found out.

But I'm not sad – I'm not depressed – I just need to be realistic with my goals and continue riding my bike, but with a new vision and purpose. Why try to recreate past experiences again? Every day is a new experience, with its own challenges and victories. I am actually quite happy being that old guy you always see riding around the neighborhood on the old bike, smelling the roses. There are so many shops to visit, parks to ride through, benches that need to be sat on.

I had never thought this time would actually come. It sneaks in, really, when a poor individual is not looking. In my dreams, I still ride high over the mountain passes. I still soar through the desert. My wife and I drove through Colorado 18 months ago, and drove over some of the mountain passes I used to ride over – Tennessee Pass, Vail Pass, Battle Mountain. Even then, I had tears in my eyes because deep down I realized that those passes were now beyond my bicycling ability.

And that's why. In addition to the reasons I stated in yesterday's blog, this aging thing is biiiiiig. Hey, I'm not ready to curl up into the casket yet. I still plan on riding a long time. But my vision has changed. Going car-free? Commuting on the bike? Mountain Passes? All memories, now. It's time to build new memories, have new experiences, and not duplicate the past.