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Archives for July 2012

Are You Wearing Arm Coolers Yet?

07.17.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 9 Comments

It’s mid-summer in Central Texas (and everywhere else in the Northern Hemisphere) and that means blistering sun and hot, hot temperatures. Most of us grit our teeth, make sure we have ice in our water bottles, and slather on the sunscreen before heading out on a ride. But this year, some riders are showing up with another arrow in their anti-heat quiver: arm coolers.

We who live in climes where the temperature gets below 65 degrees (18C) probably have a pair or two of arm warmers — those slip-on black sleeves that we can pull off once the temperature rises enough. Arm coolers serve just the opposite function: They keep the arms cool under the burning sun.

At least four members of my cycling club have taken to showing up on ride days sporting these things. And they swear by them.

Do they keep your arms cool? I asked my friend, Laura.

“Oh, yeah, they really work,” she said. She’s been wearing them every week for at least a month.

Janice echoed that opinion. “They do,” she said.

Janice (left) and Laura show off their arm coolers before a recent ride.

But there are some actions users must take to get the best out of them. For example, in our ride Sunday, we faced the usual hot sun and high temperatures, and Laura said she’d forgotten one important thing.

“I forgot to wet them down,” she said. She, and the others who use them, pour water over the sleeves before heading out into the elements. But Laura didn’t do that Sunday, and she said the sleeves didn’t cool her arms.

Janice said that’s okay. “I use mine as suncreens,” she said. “My skin is so light that I need all the help I can get.”

Laura said preventing sunburn was the only real effect the arm coolers had on her arms that day.

On really hot, bright days, Laura and other users have been known to slide ice cubes under the sleeves to beef up their cooling power.

A quick check of some online sites shows arm coolers to cost more than arm warmers — about $30-$45, depending upon the brand and the site. But for those who’ve become hooked on them, that doesn’t really matter.

“I’m going to get some leg coolers to go along with these,” Janice said.

Get Some

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Categories // Accessories, Heat Tags // clothing

Sleep! When Will You Come Again?

07.15.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

Went to bed Friday night anticipating my usual Saturday morning ride. I’m something of a night owl. My regular bedtime is about midnight. This time, I hit the pillow at 11:30, and fell asleep quickly.

Emily — my 10-year-old Beagle.

But four hours later, I was roused out of a deep sleep by a loud bark. The dog had awakened, and decided it would be a good idea to go outside. Since she sleeps in the kitchen, and we keep our bedroom door closed at night, she has no choice but to bark to get some action out of us.

I got up, let her out, and made my own visit to the bathroom. When she came back in, she went straight to her bed, as I did to mine.

She fell asleep instantly. I didn’t.

Another bark, this time around 5:30. I think she woke me up, but I’m not sure. If she did, I was not sleeping deeply. I decided I might as well stay up and make some breakfast.

I like to get out on the road before 8 a.m. Saturday. But I just couldn’t get moving this time. Lethargy had set in, and I couldn’t motivate myself to finish my coffee and get my biking clothes on. I eventually did, and rolled out of the driveway at about 8:45 a.m.

My Saturday morning route involves some hills — one longish, a couple short and steep — and a run out to the Mopac loop and the Veloway. It’s about 28 miles. Actually, I felt good. The pedals turned with a decent cadence, even in the higher gears. My average speed was a little above what it normally is. I was glad to finish in less than two hours, because recent rains have made my lawn burst into vitality, and my afternoon chore was cutting the grass.

I didn’t get out to cut it until about 3:30. I had fallen asleep, and napped hard.

Last night, I got strategic. After she finished her bowl of water around 8:30, I deliberately didn’t refill it, hoping that would keep her from having to make a potty run in the middle of the night.

The B ride heads for the country.

No such luck. 3:50 a.m. — bark! But this time, I was able to fall asleep again, until she woke me just before six. Still, I headed out for the Sunday club ride with a sense that I wasn’t 100 percent. The B’s had an easy run — mostly flat, into the wind on the way out — about 40 miles round trip. I had trouble keeping up. The energy to spin the pedals to stick with the others on the ride just wasn’t there. Although we all finished together, thanks to some regrouping, and my average speed was once again slightly higher, I was — as my British friend Pippa says — knackered.

I got home in time to watch part of the Tour, and noticed her nibs in her favorite spot: my wife’s chair, snoozing soundly.

She can sleep anytime, anywhere — and usually does.

If I had this problem only on the weekends, I could deal with it. But to the dog, every day is the same, and must be lived according to the same routine. Sometimes, I get a late start for work because I’m dragging around after a too-early wakeup bark.

Now, I’ve never been one to get the prescribed seven to nine hours of sleep that adults are supposed to have. Six hours has always suited me just fine. It’s just that I’m not even getting six hours anymore, and that’s catching up to me.

Pat has come up with another plan to see if we can keep Emily sleeping all night long. We’ll try it tonight. If not, I think an afternoon nap will become a regular part of my daily routine — not just something I do when I’m tired from riding.

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Categories // Odds 'n ends Tags // sleep

Next Time You’re Down About Biking, Watch This

07.12.2012 by Ray Niekamp // 5 Comments

We’re in the middle of the Tour de France, but as you might have heard from the commentary, many riders are already pointing toward the 2012 Olympics. Among them are athletes going for the paralympic games, for disabled athletes.

I didn’t realize cycling is a paralympic sport, but a documentary is in the works to spotlight a group of Spanish cyclists in training for the games. Some segments of the documentary have already been made, and the cameras will follow the Olympians as they try for gold.

The documentary is called “Imparables,” or “Unstoppables.” A press release says the documentary will tell the story of a group of “amazing, passionate, fun loving, dedicated and socially committed cyclists who call themselves the ‘Pirates Team.’” Led by Juanjo Méndez and Raquel Acinas, the doc follows them as they train, participate and return home from the 2012 London Paralympics. Take a look at the linked clips. I’m never going to complain again about being too hot, or too cold, or lacking energy on the bike. The riders and their coach are from Barcelona, so they speak Catalan. The clips are subtitled in English.

The documentary crew is looking for sponsorships to finish their work, and they’re turning to social media to do so. The more unique visitors they get to the clips, the better their chances of finding those sponsorships. So watch the videos, and “like” their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/imparablesdocumental. If you can refer your friends to these pages, their visits will help, too.

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Categories // Odds 'n ends, Racing Tags // disabled, Olympics, paralympics

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