Enough Resting - I miss my wheels

Snow before Thanksgiving!  Less than six inches, but followed by twenty-four hours of cold hard wind that blew more tiny, icy snowflakes down from the trees and rooftops.  Last Friday afternoon, knowing bad weather was coming, I got out for a sunny 25-mile ride along the waterfront and Boulevard Park.  After two days of snow over the weekend, there is only packed snow and crusty ice left on the streets and sidewalks, the worst for bike-riding.  I've mostly been walking and riding the bus for the past couple of weeks, and now my lame foot and ankle are hurting.  I need to get back on my bike soon!

Bicycle Fuel

That first winter of the Maplewood Avenue hill-climb I discovered the best comfort food for winter bicycle commuters:  Ovaltine.  I mixed the chocolate powder half-and-half with powdered milk and carried it in to work daily.  After changing out of rain-gear to work clothes, I'd have a couple of scoops in my first cup of coffee, and then a second helping for my 10am coffee-break.

I'm not a nutritionist, I just go by the package label, which says the chocolate flavor mixed with milk contains 20% or more of the daily requirement of a long list of vitamins and minerals, including calcium (35%) and Vitamin D (25%).  The chocolate malt flavor doesn't have as many different vitamins and trace minerals, but does contain 40-60% of the daily value for calcium, iron, Vitamin D and a few others.

Be warned, though - one serving is about 170 calories.  This is no problem if you have a long commute or are riding a lot of miles training for an event.  Two servings a day, riding ten miles a day on my commute, caused me to gain about ten pounds over the winter.  Or maybe it was the frequent cookies, donuts and birthday cakes served at my new job.