Category: Cycling Food and Nutrition

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Florida Food and More from Jan Norris

Long-time Palm Beach Post Food Editor Jan Norris retired on August 12 and wasted no time in going right back to work.

She was up until the wee hours of the morning creating a blog that anyone who is interested in food, Florida facts and fun stuff will love to read. I happened to wake up at 3:30 in the morning and decided to see what was happening with the various hot spots in the tropics.

This email from her was waiting:

Man, it’s a lot of work — all those crazy links.
But: I even linked to Harry Belafonte on YouTube — in a piece about ackee!! And posted my own photos. So, I’m gettin’ there.
Will start doing recipes tomorrow and maybe cookbook reviews if I get back in time.
Will work in your bike site tomorrow when I talk about old days at Lake Okeechobee and fish fries, etc.
goin to bed now, however.
and matt — i don’t give a flying fig *if *Google is 24/7. Norris isn’t.

The next thing I knew, it was 4:30 in the morning.

There’s nothing cyclists like better than food. Jan’s site is going to be a great place to hang out.

Just don’t go there in the middle of the night.

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Pizza – Biker Fuel

One of my staffers is headed to Tallahassee to move a phone system, so I wanted to make sure he had the address of a pizza joint that was recommended by local cyclist Ed Picolo when Brother Mark, Wife Lila, Kid Adam and Kid’s Wife Carly did the TOSRV in April.

Paulina\'s Pizzeria in Tallahassee, FLRiding builds up strong cravings. When I climb down, I usually want Dead Cow, pizza or nachos. That night, it was pizza, and I don’t mean run-of-the-mill chain pizza.

Ed told us that Paulina’s Pizzeria, 6615 Mahan Dr Ste 308-B, Tallahassee, FL 32308 was a favorite stop for local riders.

It quickly became evident why.

The menu offered so many selections that it was hard to make a choice. The waitress was friendly and put up with our (to us) good-natured bantering.

Salads fresh and attractive

It’s been a couple of months, so I don’t remember specifically what we ordered, but I do remember that it was all excellent. The salads were fresh and attractive looking and the dipping sauce for the garlic knots was good enough that I was afraid Brother Mark would start licking the plates. (We’ve pretty much broken him of that in public, but he’s been known to relapse.)

When I expressed a preference for a thin, crispier crust, the waitress said she’d talk to the boss because they’re pretty particular about how they make their pizzas. She came back and said the cook would do his best, but that he couldn’t guarantee that the dough wouldn’t tear. His good enough was good enough, because it was perfect.

Adam and Carly ordered the Crème Brulee desert. They didn’t proclaim it the best they had ever eaten, but they also didn’t leave any on the plate. They have a large selection of imported beer if you are dry as well as hungry.

If you’re on the LOST

Closer to home is Gizmo’s Pizzas & Subs, 3235 US Highway 441 SE, Okeechobee, Okeechobee, FL 34974. They’re located in Taylor Creek, on the north side of Lake Okeechobee, convenient to where you must come off the Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail (LOST) to cross Taylor Creek. Continue reading “Pizza – Biker Fuel”

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Calories Burned While Pulling a Bike Trailer

Matt Pulling Malcolm in His Bike TrailerAs I pull my kid around in his bike trailer, other cyclists pass me as though I am stopped on the side of the road changing a flat. I console myself by counting trailer miles twice.

Ten miles pulling the trailer should go in the log book as 20 miles, right? That’s my rule of thumb. Calories burned per mile? Double that, too!

The truth ain’t that far off, the math is fairly simple, the variables, however, make this a matter best left for scientists and philosophers.

Calories Burned While Cycling

Speed and weight determine calories burned:

  • 15 mph = 0.049 calories per pound per minute
  • 25 mph = 0.139 calories per pound per minute

Calories burned per pound per mile ridden is not a linear function — going from 15 miles an hour to 30 miles an hour doesn’t double your calories burned. Drag is proportional to the square of speed. Thus overcoming drag at higher speeds results in far more calories being burned. Just trust me when I say Aerodynamic drag is complicated and let’s do some examples

Cyclist at 130 Pounds

  • 15 mph = 0.049 calories * 130 pounds = 6.37 calories per minute
  • 15 mph = 25 calories per mile
  • 25 mph = 0.139 calories * 130 pounds = 18.07 calories per minute
  • 25 mph = 43 calories per mile

Cyclist at 180 Pounds

  • 15 mph = 0.049 calories * 180 pounds = 8.82 calories per minute
  • 15 mph = 35 calories per mile
  • 25 mph = 0.139 calories * 180 pounds = 25.02 calories per minute
  • 25 mph = 60 calories per mile

Cyclist at 220 Pounds (ie: me)

  • 15 mph = 0.049 calories * 220 pounds = 10.78 calories per minute
  • 15 mph = 43 calories per mile
  • 25 mph = 0.139 calories * 220 pounds = 30.58 calories per minute
  • 25 mph = 73 calories per mile

Calories Burned While Pulling a Trailer

My nearly four-year-old son clocks in at 45 pounds. His trailer weighs about 30 pounds. He has another ten pounds of toys, snacks and drinks. That means I’m hauling around 85 more pounds.

Since I’m positive I’m not going 25 miles an hour while pulling the bike trailer, let’s isolate just that 85 pound load at 15 miles an hour…

  • 15 mph = 0.049 calories * 85 pounds = 4.165 more calories per minute
  • 15 mph = 17 more calories per mile

That means it takes 40% more energy to pull the trailer than to just drive myself around, all else being equal.

As a 220-pound cyclist, it costs me 43 calories per mile to ride. Toss the trailer on there and I’m burning roughly (very roughly) 60 calories per mile.

For a lighter biker, the trailer is a larger percentage of the total weight involved in the trip. As such, the lighter the rider, the more meaningful the increase in calories burned while pulling the trailer. Continue reading “Calories Burned While Pulling a Bike Trailer”

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Insulated Water Bottles vs. Uninsulated (BPA?)

Today, my cycling friends, I’ll be discussing the difference between insulated water bottles and uninsulated water bottles. I’ve done extensive testing and am ready to present my results.

If you’re the lazy type, look at the pretty chart (shamelessly borrowed) below and then buy a BPA-free 24-ounce Polar Bottle.

Why do you need cold water? Or water at all?

Insulated versus Uninsulated Water BottlesIt is hot.

I realize that South Florida hot isn’t the same as Arizona hot or Africa hot but it is still pretty darn hot. Add in our world famous, not available in stores, humidity and bike riding is punishing. Keeping well hydrated is absolutely necessary, not just to maintain performance but for survival.

With an uninsulated bottle, water reaches air temperature in less than half an hour on my bike.

I used to ride with an iced-up Camelbak and there was usually still ice in the bag four or five hours later. Yummy! It worked great but I never liked the heavy weight and the massive reduction of air flow across my back.

Freeze Water Bottles Overnight

For the last two years, I have been freezing my water bottles overnight 3/4 full then putting cold water on top right before I leave the house. A large, solid chunk of ice kept the bottle cold about twice as long as did ice cubes.

Even then, that just means cool water for an hour.

My normal Saturday morning group ride is 31 miles and we are out there for an hour and a half. Not even to the turn around point, my water is 85 degrees. Yeah, it’ll keep you hydrated but it is not at a temperature which would encourage you to drink.

You want me to spend how much on a water bottle?!?!

Over the years, I have amassed quite a collection of free water bottles…

Water Bottles of all Shapes, Sizes and Materials

Just about every event I do, there’s a free water bottle available. I bet I have 20 of them in the garage. The low end bottles have tops that sometime leak. The higher end bottles are acceptable in every way shape or form with the exception that they don’t keep the water cool.

Did I mention they are free? Until a couple weeks ago, I had never actually paid for a water bottle. It seems almost seedy, maybe reckless, to pay for a water bottle. It would be as though I were lighting my BBQ grill with $10 bills.

Hello, my name is Matt and I paid about $10 for an insulated water bottle.

So, do insulated water bottles really work?

Continue reading “Insulated Water Bottles vs. Uninsulated (BPA?)”

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Hydration with a Camelbak Mule

I thought the weight would be noticeable, but I quickly got used to it. When I do a short ride without the Camelbak M.U.L.E. 100 oz Hydration Pack, I find myself unconsciously reaching for the drink tube all the time.

When I have the Mule, I drink small amounts on a regular basis. If I have to reach for the water bottle, I don’t drink as often and end up guzzling half a bottle at a time, violating the old “drink before you’re thirsty” rule.

It probably doesn’t make much difference, but the water bladder is, obviously, heavier when it’s full. That means that at the end of the ride, when you are tired, it is as light as it’s gonna get.

It also makes a great cushion when you clip out right and lean left.