The Adventures of
Axel Kleat
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$12.95  $9.95 SALE!  eBook 144 pages PDF file size 1.13 MB

And now for something completely different!

Rather than the customary "how to" orientation of RBR eBooks, The Adventures of Axel Kleat might be described as "I did . . . and I thought about it while doing it."

Axel Kleat (aka Doug Kirk) is a 53-year-old Michigan roadie who is a lot like all of us. But he's been gifted with a keen (some would say eccentric) ability to observe the many sides of cycling and write about them with insight, opinion and humor. He's a year-round fast recreational roadie and tourer with a quarter century of cycling experiences under his wheels.

For years, Axel Kleat's cycling adventures were a hit in his bike club newsletter. Now the best of those short stories have been distilled into this 144-page eBook. We think his perceptions, lessons and entertaining tales deserve a worldwide audience, and RBR is pleased to make them available.

This is an eBook to be browsed and savored, not necessarily read straight through. Be ready to laugh, cry, marvel at outlandish opinions and learn a thing or two about road cycling. Says the author in his introduction:

"The stories that follow reflect my belief that the lessons bicycling teaches apply to all of life. The way I relate to humanity, planet Earth, and especially myself have all benefited from the joy, suffering, camaraderie, loneliness, and even boredom of 5,000 bicycle rides in the last 24 years."

The following story is taken from chapter 5, "Nutz & Bolts." It's a good example of the writing style and approach to topics you'll find in The Adventures of Axel Kleat.

EXCERPT: Slow Down

Eddie B, the famous cycling coach who managed to depart the eastern European communist bloc cycling regime in the 1970s and apply his skills here in the States, is credited with opining that “the problem with American bike racers is that they go too fast on their slow days, and too slow on their fast days.”

Back then, my “fast” wasn’t much different than my “slow.” Sure I could take it easy or turn up the wick a bit, but I still had a lot to learn. Paul, the erstwhile Sultan of Spin had yet to install a 12-tooth cog—much less the 11 he now claims he cannot do without. He was still my guru and every ride was a mission to smooth out and speed up my cadence. I was focused on the mechanics of turning pedals, seat height and setback, cleat placement, crankarm length, ankling, and the speed on that darn computer staring up at me from the handlebar.

I ditched the computer a few years ago but it took a while longer to figure out that bike fit is all fine and good, but taking care of my legs, heart and lungs is a whole lot more important than all that other stuff. A quote from Lance Armstrong brought Eddie B’s old line back into focus, but with a modern twist. Talking about heart rate monitors, Lance said he uses one in training primarily “to give himself permission to go slow.”

Lance going slow? Now that’s a novel concept!  Why would Lance need permission to go slow? Because Americans go too fast on their slow days! It wasn’t quite like a light bulb going off in my head, but the concept did eventually sink in. Maybe I could go faster if I learned to really go slow. 

And indeed I’ve found it actually works. But here’s the key—going slow isn’t about speed at all. It’s about effort. And it can actually be hard to ride slow enough to keep your heart rate low the entire ride, especially if there happens to be a few hills along the way.

The heart-rate monitor is the key. If I look down and find too big a number, it doesn’t matter how fast I’m going—I’m going too fast and that’s all there is to it. Road race bikes aren’t bristling with low gears, so uphill jaunts can mean really slow cadences in order to keep the heart rate down where it should be. Cadences slow enough to really pay attention to a smooth and circular motion, to pulling across the bottom of the stroke and lifting the pedal up—cadences well under 60 rpm and speeds so slow the bike wobbles.

Now I look at my normal easy routes in a whole different light. My standard 18-mile “recovery” route has to take an hour and a half or I’m not training right. My cadence drops at the slightest incline. A little puff of headwind and I’m clicking down a gear or two. I’m willing to let other smirking riders—sometimes on mountain bikes with platform pedals, for crying out loud—cruise right on by. The worst part is when I get passed by some guy I know I can drop any time I feel like it. One guy actually asked if I needed help! But I force the heart rate monitor to overrule my ego. Maybe, just maybe, those other guys wonder exactly what I’m up to.

TOC: The Adventures of Axel Kleat

Introduction   Chapter 1 — People Paul Eddy Kenny George Americans Caterina Blind Kids Ian & James Chapter 2 — Rides The Hammerhead Bible It’s About Time Anticipation 120-Mile Century The Cure Embry-onic State Prime Time March Madness And Then . . . . Riding on Rails Conflicted T - T -Trouble No Gusts, No Glory Speed Demons Coming of Age Chapter 3 — Philosophy A Thin Line Roadkill Turn, Turn, Turn What Mountain? Risks Knock on Wood Syringes & Such Wind Trainee Nowhere Drama Class Dang It Dead Meat Cabin Fever Dog Days Yin & Yang A Chill Future Shock Fall Forgot My Latin Lucky Charms Insecurities Dogged A Fork in the Road Chapter 4 — Off Season The Man & The Challenge Puddles Habituation Wait Till Next Year Fear Factor Big Plans God & Tired Guts Six ‘S’s Chapter 5 — Nutz & Bolts Born, Not Made Reality Check Fuzzy Logic Mr. Manners Etiquette Saddle Up Back to Zero Stuff I’ve Learned Fixed Feet Flail Rebuilding Karma The Breaks Road Test Slow Down Education for the Legs A Big Job Chapter 6 — Bike Safety The Odds Hardheaded Pulling Through Help, I Need Somebody Strap It On, or Else? Busted Epilogue Excerpt