https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health daily 0.75 2025-11-16 https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/42-its-time-to-set-some-goals monthly 0.5 2025-11-16 https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/41-getting-grouvy monthly 0.5 2025-10-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/ea670c74-0ffd-4eb8-af82-4112b65fa7c5/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-10-10+om+18.52.51.png Travels - Progress - Health - #41 - Getting Grouvy - My first ride on rouvy Passing through Almere Haven felt pretty real to me. Just a shame there are no recumbent avatars available. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/64bc0f5a-9257-438e-84bf-242f0222190c/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-10-10+om+18.51.44.png Travels - Progress - Health - #41 - Getting Grouvy - Make it stand out While this feels as a great addition to my gear, Of course my heart lies with riding outdoors. I’m not sure yet on how I will display those rides on the map, but since I linked my Rouvy and Strava apps, I can actually mark them after riding. For now, I marked the first Rouvy ride purple, and maybe I’ll even make a separate map for them… Future will tell. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/40-i-had-some-time-to-reconsidder monthly 0.5 2025-09-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/9d9f1ec8-95cc-4768-8fc6-75e7c7fdfa87/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-09-24+om+17.10.39.png Travels - Progress - Health - #40 - I had some time to reconsidder - A first design A first design of the shape for my camper. The two wings at the end form one single surface with the top of the trailer to act as a bed. They can be detached and mounted to the trailer when I’m on the road. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/a040a04a-f066-4927-a270-40f90262c8d9/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-09-24+om+17.26.25.png Travels - Progress - Health - #40 - I had some time to reconsidder - A dream for now But as things are looking now, somewhere early spring of 2026, the final version of this should be my first real tour with the self-built trike camper. Let’s say the starting date depends more on the weather then on my fitness. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/39-what-about-the-infrastructure monthly 0.5 2025-09-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/6b482866-6740-48bf-8a30-233292ee0111/IMG_2060.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #39 - Where to go next? - BATTLING THE ELEMENTS Changing weather conditions will always offer a challenge or demand for a change in plans. That sometimes makes planning ahead difficult and it can be a real factor in long distance riding. It often calls for a last minute decision and that doesn’t always motivate me to go when I can. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/97684579-b7cd-4ecd-98be-04ec0994456e/Afbeelding+1.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #39 - Where to go next? - DREAMING AS BIG AS MY LEGS WILL ALLOW ME TO Part of a possible future, is riding completely self-supported. Pulling around everything I need. Just to survive, or possibly live in some basic comfort for a while. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/38-a-big-plan-that-may-not-even-be-possible monthly 0.5 2025-09-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/7f3edc18-92f4-4cf2-a235-11d77bfbeab3/Afbeelding+1.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #38 - A big plan that may not even be possible - Dreaming big Fellow recumbent rider “Le nomade du futur” has built a great home on wheels. He’s also a fellow AZUB rider, so i’m sure he’ll get wherever he wants to go. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/d015a040-3940-433d-ab55-037018863bb8/Afbeelding+5.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #38 - A big plan that may not even be possible - Le nomade du futur fully set up Many things I’ll have to decide on, but luckily, I don’t have to decide right now. For now, it’s all about the general shape and the best techniques to do that. And that’s pretty much done. That brings me to one of the most important aspects for me to actually realize this project. Compartementalisation. In order to be able to actually do this, I’ll have to divide it in to separate little projects. Welding, mechanics, wood work, electrics, insulation, water sealing, the inside and everything I forgot right now. Because this build will also be a fight against my autism. Especially staying motivated and not starting to stray from the path forward. I’m sure those things will still happen, but with some managing my time and efforts, I feel I can pull this off. And to parafrase my statement in the previous post: If they can do this… And others HAVE done this. In my search for ideas, I came by the socials of “Le nomade du futur”. He’s a French guy who built his own trailer style tiny house / shop / workspace. And it looks epic. He’s traveling to every little corner of France, selling his pictures wherever he goes. A former professional photographer myself, that really got my https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/37-200-km-and-the-aftermat monthly 0.5 2025-08-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/dcacf37a-3997-48d8-aa29-eef9132ec187/IMG_3086.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - Traces of salt As for the immediate effects this ride had on me… Well, let’s say I was impressed myself. I did the whole ride on babyfood. Those squeeze packs you can find in every shop these days. All healthy and nothing processed. Just mashed up ingredients that are easy to eat on a bike. I filled all my bottles with water and isotonic drinks, and they were all empty near the end of the ride. That’s 2,4 L in the stomach. I didn’t use Oral Rehydration Salts this time, since it wasn’t too hot yesterday. But judging by the state of my clothes, maybe I should have. I can’t say I had this many salt lines on my t-shirt before. Salt I just lost by sweating. Salt my body probably could have put to good use on a ride like this. Lesson learned I’d say. Especially since I could really feel I went deep as soon as I got home. I guess my body could still cope, as long as the adrenaline helpt it. But as soon as I hit the shower, my body told me to think hard and deep before challenging it again like that. I started sneezing uncontrollably, I started to shiver and I could feel my bloodpressure drop. That last thing I’m getting used to after a workout of any considerable length. The other two were new to me. The https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372743727-B6CNTVI0GKAVAKNK08H1/IMG_3065.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3065.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372748143-ZTPEIB6H4V2HTJO72M01/IMG_3071.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3071.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372750770-JQG3NN6M7WLKNA9RW331/IMG_3072.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3072.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372757612-Q2TWTIWYEG2VBAXNAYNW/IMG_3073.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3073.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372756521-ZHGS4E0ZTGUFG7II8U5W/IMG_3074.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3074.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372763520-29OJ867SMY5MIG549OXN/IMG_3075.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3075.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372769631-5JBT26998QQ3IF570U4S/IMG_3076.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3076.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372769902-KOBW9O89FARL88Q2A1EY/IMG_3078.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3078.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372775250-W0VS4YAO01ILRSJ7PDO6/IMG_3079.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3079.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372774658-EU7WKCGRNXFNIGLXKYQH/IMG_3080.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3080.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372779484-CLMRSTR7D18SWEO3FDZ3/IMG_3081.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3081.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372780236-9604UKF2UWORZBMI5VWX/IMG_3082.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3082.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372790165-KD6G05TSN10OPL8YHHWG/IMG_3083.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3083.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372788819-XC171NQP03RGGA2OW790/IMG_3084.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3084.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372795545-XQC8KU22PK9HI10Y7JCZ/IMG_3085.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3085.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372794810-USIAIOLRFFHEWE0GNNJC/IMG_3090.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3090.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1756372796803-O09SN70NTF1SWEFO3CIA/IMG_3091.png Travels - Progress - Health - #37 - 200 Km and the aftermat - IMG_3091.png https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/36-the-gamification-of-my-workouts monthly 0.5 2025-08-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/ebac0679-8bb7-4161-8082-d0c656c748f8/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-08-22+om+16.14.00.png Travels - Progress - Health - #36 - The gamification of my workouts - Now Strava is different in the way that it offers more then just a progress report. Where the other apps more or less just show me the bare data, Strava invites me to try and get better, faster, ride for longer, climb higher… The way Strava works, helps me to find extra motivation in reaching the achievements. I’m sure there’s a dark strategy behind that. Reach a specific distance in one month. Or a set number of activities in a week. Working out for a specific minimum length of time. Beating others and becoming KOM or local legend. For me, this all helps. It must be the effect of the game aspect, on a brain that was conditioned in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, when gaming first became a thing. It was further developed during the ‘00’s and ‘10’s, when the quick reward was fed through apps, social media and even tv and the internet in general. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/d6b9778c-a77d-43b5-b3c8-224f12e962b3/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-08-22+om+16.19.57.png Travels - Progress - Health - #36 - The gamification of my workouts And that’s where those rewards in Strava help me. Faster than last time on that specific stretch. A quicker time over that distance. A longer climb. Comparing workouts. Higher average speed. Longer without a brake… More endorphins. They deliver a small amount with every badge I earn. With every improvement I make. With every little milestone that comes across my path. And that feels good. It’s an instant delivery system of gratification. And while the real progress is still made in the long run, the expectation of that quick reward helps me to get on https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/90d2b491-9b57-4c0a-a8b3-57143603ed47/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-08-22+om+16.16.59.png Travels - Progress - Health - #36 - The gamification of my workouts - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/35-now-im-getting-somewhere monthly 0.5 2025-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1755595002209-NW6AWNROIIVTBS4UTA1A/IMG_0206.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #35 - How my autism doesn’t always help me - and how it does - IMG_0206.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1755595002210-1E83MXLEYCP95IL3GWMN/IMG_0260.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #35 - How my autism doesn’t always help me - and how it does - IMG_0260.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1755595008535-0PM857P4EJ1QEXKGW5OZ/IMG_0446.jpeg Travels - 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Progress - Health - #35 - How my autism doesn’t always help me - and how it does - IMG_2989.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1755595104540-FIWB5JY3OD8JGOX7HBMU/IMG_3007.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #35 - How my autism doesn’t always help me - and how it does - IMG_3007.jpeg https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/34-a-small-upgrade monthly 0.5 2025-08-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/15f7980a-9008-4cf0-beac-ebd341c1d64f/IMG_2872.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #34 - a small upgrade - The first SPD riding shoes Since that option was wiped of the table very quickly, I started looking for alternatives that wouldn’t put me in hospital. Some seasoned recumbent riders gave me the advice to look for racing pedals. The kind where you actually lock your shoes in the pedals. With such a system, you alternate pushing and pulling the pedals, since your feet take the pedals with them coming back. Even if this would make for a relative small gain in power, it would add to it. So for a couple of months, I have been feeding my neurodivergent brain all kinds of studies and user experiences I could find. And in the end I concluded there were no definitive downsides, while the upsides seemed pretty compelling. The decision was made, and the equipment was purchased. Because I bought some tools to work on my bikes myself, this also gave me the opportunity to make the first real change to the trike by myself. I had changed a tire, and added some stuff to the frame, but that was all pretty much straight forward. This was too of course, but it felt more like a structural change to the trike. A small upgrade. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/33-its-been-a-while monthly 0.5 2025-07-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/de6c1270-de20-411e-b131-cbbbd66f38fb/IMG_2014.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #33 - It’s been a while Hey all, it’s been a while since my last post. And I could see in my inbox that some of you were really getting curious about how I was doing. Let me tell you early on, that I’m doing great. I had a great time going on holiday with my wife, and I even did my first real tour right after that. This all sums up to over 700 km since my last post. Not bad if you ask me, especially since the weather hasn’t been great. I navigated rain showers and thunderstorms on more than half of the rides I did. Welcome to the fabulous summers in the lowlands. There’s even more news, but I’ll come back to that. The biggest achievement I made during my time offline, is a new personal best. I managed to ride 174,4 km in one single day. That’s one hundred and seventy four. I still can’t believe it. It’s a pretty big leap from the 134 km I did just a couple of weeks before. Not even that, but I set my most recent record while carrying all my camping gear, liquids, food, clothes and a whole list of completely unnessecairy stuff I packed as an inexperienced bikepacker. An estimated guess would be that I put close to 150 kg on the ground in total. I know… I was really overpacked. I mean, setting of every morning with 3 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/75fa67fb-7752-4ea4-93e7-052e8d74f728/IMG_2706.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #33 - It’s been a while liters of tap water on the back of the trike, just in case the 2,5 liters of water and isotonic drinks wouldn’t do? I mean, it’s not the Sahara dessert or the rainforest where it may be hard to find drinking water. And that’s just one thing on the “never again” list. That whole being overloaded thing also set things in motion for something else. I realized a while ago, that I’m actually doing two completely different things on the trike. I’m touring, for which it was setup from the beginning, and I’m riding day trips that get longer and longer, but don’t require me to bring https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/e8fd7bb2-fae9-428e-8e37-cee653ce3310/IMG_2749.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #33 - It’s been a while And so I started looking for a nice pre-owned one a couple of weeks ago. Since AZUB have started out by building recumbent bikes, and I've really become a fan of the brand in a very short time, I started looking for an older model of the brand. I didn’t really care for the looks or the shape it was in, although a solid base to start rebuilding would be much appreciated. Not too beaten up, and at least with a solid frame. Buying second hand is always a bit of a guess, but if you start the journey by expecting some costs to upgrade, I don’t feel you should have to many issues. And so after a while, I found one. it’s an AZUB 4, probably built between 2005 and 2012. Its paint is all discolored and the drivetrain needs some attention. But besides some smaller issues, I feel she’s a winner. There’s no bikestand, one of the gear https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/32-slowing-down-for-a-reason monthly 0.5 2025-07-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364292667-8QVS4J4VYDIFZ6QWNG6B/IMG_1313.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #32 - Slowing down for a reason - The trike will be packed to the limit But now, the break comes to an end. While me going on a Holliday for the next couple of weeks may make It harder to eat healthy, I’ll have to compensate with more excercise. But I will be focussed on my blood glucose again full time. And then, I want to go… Go for a ride… Far away. Reaching the horizon, time after time. I’ve been planning this ride for a week now. It’s designed to bring me back to places I visited during past holidays in the Netherlands. I’m not telling you yet where it will take me, or the exact places I plan to visit. But the general idea is to ride at least 100 km each day, and to carry everything I need on the road. Food, water, camping gear, clothes… https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/31-diabetes-and-the-risks-of-a-hot-weather-workout monthly 0.5 2025-07-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/9f60f4c6-3291-47ee-8982-d917425c6a11/IMG_0966.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #31 - Diabetes and the risks of a hot weather workout Knowing all this, you will probably understand drinking is of the utmost importance. Any given day, I drink about 1 liter of coffee - I know… but that’s something to work on later - and at least 2 liters of tap water with lemon or lime juice in it. Over the past few days, I have had days where I drank up to 4 liters of water not including the coffee or my high-protein chocolate milk. And that’s without any workout. If I would go for a ride in this weather, I feel I should add 1 or 2 liters of isotonic drinks, just to compensate for the sweating and loss of salt and minerals. That would bring the grand total at least at 5 liters a day… And then there’s the effect the warm https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/30-one-ride-ill-pass-on monthly 0.5 2025-07-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/186f402b-108f-4c01-af2f-be70d80b8d93/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-07-01+om+09.47.19.jpg Travels - Progress - Health - #30 - One ride I’ll pass on - kmi.be Second of all, the organization couldn’t convince me they are fully aware of the risks involved in today’s weather. I called the track yesterday, and asked about any extra measures they would take, regarding the forecasted high temperatures. The answer was very much not to my liking. First of all, they stated that the temperatures are always lower in that region. While often true, it’s not like it would only be 25 C when the https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/29-how-much-is-too-much monthly 0.5 2025-06-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/04f9e903-bb5d-4096-a19f-4ea8f982d247/IMG_1792.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #29 - How much is too much? - Will I reach the top tomorrow? And then there’s tomorrow. I’ve been looking forward to the ride for a while now, wondering what could be possible. How many laps can I do? Can I finally climb Raidillon in a straight line, or would I have to zig-zag to reduce the incline just a little? Would I be able to climb Kemmel Straight and Blanchimont in a higher gear this time? But with temperatures reaching 35 C tomorrow, just breathing may be a struggle for me already. I’ve always loved the sun, but I’ve never been one to perform well in anything over 25 C. Give me a sunny day in winter and I will thrive. But as soon as the temperatures go up, my performance goes down. I’ve been taking advice from my dietician regarding food and drinks for the entire day tomorrow. Preparing before the ride. Making sure my body has everything it needs, even to get started. And then, what I should eat and drink during the ride of course. And during the cool down. I can assure all of you I will be leaving home, packed for what may seem to be a hike through the valley of the Nile. Not just a ride under 40 Km. If I decide to go, it will be with the clear understanding I can turn around, at any time. Especially during the ride. I’m not https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/28-celebrating-two-milestones monthly 0.5 2025-06-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032957661-ANZ7WQHUMW8XPA31TL5U/IMG_1695.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1695.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032962143-DS90C4EK0PB6WLVDBUL4/IMG_1690.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1690.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032966219-M5ZPGQFSI4FTF5Y4DCIU/IMG_1631.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1631.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032968095-V9YT6MSBNS4QXVN9RAPE/IMG_1636.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1636.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032972482-DUZGSZ3OMKB52ZT67ZQ9/IMG_1533.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1533.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032972482-CBXGJ0W8TM8ES8BJYVV1/IMG_1520.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1520.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032976140-A1T1IWFG8UO80OVWNEDM/IMG_1373.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1373.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032977651-TQEUP7EP6THFJDJRSA65/IMG_1349.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1349.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032985045-PCKNG50CNXQ2HASBRSKN/IMG_1337.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1337.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032983079-T5KT8D6XSF9SOKIKQ9LA/IMG_1305.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1305.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032988138-4KSXU2IITS0JODJ8H8V0/IMG_1237.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1237.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032990854-LO5LWZ3JK7723IAIKBAQ/IMG_1225.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1225.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032996347-89NANBPYOSTRCYCUHXN1/IMG_1186.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1186.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032998086-146ZBBIIDVSDZDFY1HBM/IMG_1165.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1165.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751032999528-5I362KQHOAD0R5I2RTR8/IMG_1146.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1146.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751033000804-4QH6XCEO6W2H46J1KVUF/IMG_1088.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1088.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751033007309-0BKU9TDSM24S9KVJRFC0/IMG_1054.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1054.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1751033006227-TH9O418P11KFFUM3ZQI4/IMG_1042.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #28 - Celebrating Two milestones - IMG_1042.jpeg https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/27-about-food-and-drinks monthly 0.5 2025-06-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1747996686555-N820H252LMHO87GBWIY8/IMG_0446.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #27 - About food and drinks - Skyr, Spelt, Blueberries, Stevia Now, it’s not like I had the worst eating habits before. I ate quite healthy foods already. My diet just wasn’t adapted to a life with diabetes. Too high in sugars, and too low in protein and carbs. That actually was a rather easy fix. I switched to wholegrain products overnight, and I added low sugar versions of some things I like. Jam, sweetener for the coffee, snacks… Just the basics. And then, over time, I tried new things. Couscous became one of my favorites. The wholegrain kind of course. It’s amazing how many things can be found as wholegrain. And it amazes me how often they are the more expensive choice. I just can’t understand why, if a healthy and a less healthy variation are sold in the same store, the healthy kind is almost always the more expensive kind. I understand that the production cost may be higher, or the ingredients may be more expensive. I even understand the market may be smaller. But why? Most likely, the ingredients would become cheaper, if more are produced. And the market would be bigger, if the healthier kind would be more promoted and more readily available. Then, the obvious choice could be the healthier choice. Of course there’s taste. Not everybody likes the same things on their plate. As a https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/c2da5f23-ab99-4ebe-a01c-7dfbe2e4f02a/IMG_1816.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #27 - About food and drinks - Low in alcohol means low in sugar But since that day, a lot has changed. Largely thanks to vegetarians growing in numbers, the market grew. And it became profitable for companies, to invest in the taste, structure and variation they had on offer to them. Meat replacing products have improved incredibly over the past 30 years, to a point where I could cook a meal today, that would please most meat lovers, using nothing but plant based ingredients. Maybe they wouldn’t even notice. And that’s the whole point. Today, it’s absolutely possible, to cook healthy and tasteful at the same time. To cook meals that don’t make you feel like you’re missing out, but you can actually enjoy. And I’m not preaching complete abstinence of course. I like my meat like the next man. And I’m still eating it. A nice piece of red meat on the grill. Veins of fat running through it. Cooked to perfection… I will be thanking the cook any day of the week. But the piece will be a little smaller then before. And the next day I may be eating a nice piece of fatty fish. Turkey maybe? Or why not, a vegetarian meal. And all of them, I will enjoy with all my heart. Because I know that my diet is balanced. That I’m eating healthy. And that I can still eat most of the things I liked before. Just not as often, and I may plan a workout https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1750431432040-L0M5IWKNYHAB4XUJYWFD/IMG_1810.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #27 - About food and drinks - Plenty of drinks during workouts Some nuts, or even some ready to eat bread. But the little post workout crash I had recently, made it very clear to me, that just wasn’t enough. So I switched to some more professional isotonic drinks, in larger quantities. I started taking protein bars for those quick replenishments during the workout. And I even started monitoring my values more closely during and shortly after a heavy workout. To sum it all up: what I’m doing isn’t all that difficult. These days, most of the things that I need are readily available in the supermarket. Some things can only be found in more specialized stores, but there’s plenty of them around too. It has been quite the search to find what I need and what I like. Personal taste is an important aspect in finding what works and what not. That leads to buying larger amounts to try different tastes for example. But in the end, that variation keeps my diet new and different. And that keeps me motivated. That makes eating healthy actually pretty easy. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/26-adjusting-to-keep-going monthly 0.5 2025-06-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/93e76098-4f8a-421a-8695-3481006255d8/IMG_1810.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #26 - Adjusting to keep going - One of four 620 ml bottles I carry on a ride Now the issue at hand, was actually pretty simple. I sweat. Everybody does. I just loose more salt and probably minerals then the average person. Even while drinking 1,5 L of water during Tuesdays 28 km ride, It seems I had an imbalance between the Natrium and Kalium in my body. This can be the result of dehydration, malnutrition and probably plenty of other reasons. I believe I don’t really have to look far. It was a warm day. I had quite an intense workout. I may have drank too late. maybe even too little. Combine those things with sitting in the car for two hours on my way home, airconditioning on, and you may expect a serious dip in bloodpressure, as soon as you get out of the car. After talking with the professionals surrounding me, I believe that’s what it was. I also believe I have found solutions that are available. From now on, on hot days, I use supplements to help me maintain the Natrium - Kalium balance. After all, they provide the energy in our cells. When the imbalance is to big, you simply loose energy. In the body as a whole, and for specific functions of the body. I also make sure I drink sooner, more often and just more. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/25-it-felt-great-untill-i-crashed monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/8efe53b8-6931-4f9f-94cc-3e2b4f68d73f/IMG_1775.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #25 - It felt great… untill I crashed - A porsche trackway the day after, makes for a nice collection on the paddock parking I loaded the trike in the car, and drove there early. Since I have to fold the trike for the car, I wanted to have plenty of time to set things back up and have a chance to double check. This also gave me a chance to park close to the entrance, since there would be a lot more riders then last time too. In fact, there were so many riders that at times, it all felt a little crowded. On a 7 km track, that says something. I had to navigate the slower riders on the downhill much more then last time because of that. So no speed record this time. While peddling downhill in the highest gear, giving it my best, I https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/04f9e903-bb5d-4096-a19f-4ea8f982d247/IMG_1792.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #25 - It felt great… untill I crashed - I planted the AZUB flag on top of the Raidillon once again today :-) Riding a recumbent is different in many ways. There’s the obvious things such as riding position and visability, but the technical side of the bike is also different. The trike is built up using pretty standard bikeparts, but on a road bike, I’ve never encountered tracking issues for example. Two front wheels will give you that. To much toed in or out, may make the trike pretty much impossible to control. Or it may shave the front tires to an inch of their lives in a matter of hours. Especially on a racetrack like Spa, that could throw you a curveball. I noticed the tires got really clean really fast. There was some sand and dust on them when I started, but that was all gone in under a lap. Even deep in the grooves, the tires were as black as they could get. And then the penny dropped. The track surface is pretty rough. It has to provide much grip for the racecars. So it’s not a regular tarmac. It’s much grippyer by design. Grip means tiredegradation of course. So note to self: Never attempt a track ride on nearly done tyres. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/24-a-reality-check monthly 0.5 2025-06-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1749746801515-8SH7K9E5AV7SGIZ69XEZ/IMG_1415.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #24 - a reality check - The snails in my garden just seemed appropriate for the slower then hoped progress On top of the burn-out, I changed my life even further. I mentioned a couple of times I wasn’t anywhere near a physical workout for more than a quarter of a century. Early January, I was tired after a 5 km walk. Last week, I rode 134 km on my trike. Again, that’s something I’m really proud of. It’s something I just couldn’t imagine doing today, no more than half a year ago. Every time I go for a ride, I’m looking for some improvement. I believe my autism needs that. I believe it makes me look for progress. Want that progress. I just can’t fail. Because if I fail, people will see the failure not me. That feeling may be wrong, but it’s there. Of course I know I have plenty of people around me who see beyond that. My wife, my family, the people I consider to be my real friends. They all understand that life comes with failures. Big and small. They know me. They know who I am. And they keep telling me it’s allright to fail. Fail and learn. Fail and get up again. They all allow me to fail. It’s just me, who doesn’t allow me to fail. I don’t like the feeling, maybe even less than neurotypical people. But I don’t know, I can’t compare. I just know that https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/23-new-personal-best-and-new-goals monthly 0.5 2025-06-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/b8beee70-ebb1-46ad-8386-09ffb1662ed3/fietsdag+%282%29.jpg Travels - Progress - Health - #23 - New personal best and new goals - Picture taken from the Fordlpg website As mentioned in my previous post, I went to the Ford Lommel Proving Grounds for their Pentecost riding day. It was quite the adventure. As if climbing their 25 % incline wasn’t enough of a challenge, I decided to ignore the bad weather and ride the whole way there. That means I have a new personal best of 134 km in a single day now. Doing that in rainy weather, with a constant wind of 25 kph and gusts of 40 to 50 kph, this was no small feat. Fortunately, the rain stopped in the afternoon, and the wind slowed down a little, Especially on the long https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/3a71f5a3-cdff-411d-a09f-7b11d5922e4b/IMG_1727.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #23 - New personal best and new goals - A donkey and a pony :-) The whole ride home, I was riding on a cloud. I did it. The climb that many told me I couldn’t do. Especially not on a recumbent trike. I DID IT!! And before I got home, I would achieve a second personal best on that same day. My longest ride yet. Dreams of what to come and even bigger achievements, kept floating around in my head. All the way home, I was in a slight euphoric state. Adrenaline and endorphins kept mixing and made me feel great. It’s been a couple of days now, and I’m still living on a cloud. For the first time, since I started riding again in Januari, I really feel like I accomplished something. Don’t get me wrong. My previous rides have been great too. Some felt epic at the time. But in the light of this past ride, they feel more like the growing process they really are. And I’m sure even this ride will be reduced to the same status, somewhere in the future. Maybe sooner rather than later. And that brings me to my new goals. In the past, I have been telling you all about the tours I’m planning. Don’t worry, I still am. I want to ride to see the world. Or at least a decent part of it. I want to discover https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/d5d3ed05-b3d7-4f84-b838-738291682677/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-06-10+om+10.35.53.png Travels - Progress - Health - #23 - New personal best and new goals - Screenshot from Randonneurs.be The concept is simple, and in a way, it’s almost like I imagined touring all this time. No support. Carry what you need. Peddle the kilometers away. You against nature and geography. The one big difference, is the time limit. You can’t go faster then 30 kph or slower then 15. Outside those limits, you won’t get the medal for the ride. And basically, the only reward is the recognition that you finished the ride. That, and probably a HUGE feeling of accomplishment. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/22-going-to-the-test-track monthly 0.5 2025-06-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/b8beee70-ebb1-46ad-8386-09ffb1662ed3/fietsdag+%282%29.jpg Travels - Progress - Health - #22 - Going to the test track - Picture from fordlpg.com That brings me to a big difference between a regular bike and a recumbent trike. I never thought about it before Spa, but while climbing, the only force you put on the pedals, is generated by your muscles. No help from gravity by standing on the pedals like on a regular bike. That’s why I started thinking about oval gears. I had them on my all terrain bike 25 years ago, so I know they make a difference. They actually give you a longer leverage, what makes you put down more force with the same input. Simple physics. I hated the stuff in school, but https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/21-what-a-ride-its-been-about-the-past-four-days monthly 0.5 2025-06-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/19237dcd-748d-44fa-b440-0ab4813e955d/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-06-04+om+08.19.29.png Travels - Progress - Health - #21 - What a ride it’s been - About the past four days - The past four days on a map That first ride took me in to the Netherlands. Living close to the border, That’s often the place to go for their amazing cycling paths. Wide, smooth paths that are often separated from the road by at least some grass, but often even a row of trees. I visited some places I knew, just to give myself a target while peddling the kilometers away. The route took me through large woodlands, I passed a twin span of horses pulling a carriage with a group of people and I was lucky to arrive at the Brasschaat airfield at just the right time. I happened to be there just when they were pulling an old-timer plane to its parking spot. You just can’t plan for that on a 96 km ride. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1044afee-b21f-4a0a-ba66-e448bd4c5baf/IMG_1637.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #21 - What a ride it’s been - About the past four days - Along the canals On monday, I decided to do a ride I wanted to do for a while now. The conditions were not perfect. A lot of wind, and a little rain, made sure I could finally test the rain suit I purchased. The ride starts at a canal near to me, following it all the way to one end, where it merges with a larger canal. Then I followed that to a third canal, that eventually ends up at a crossing where I could return home following the first canal again. I mentioned the paths along the canals as one of my favorite spots to ride before. Especially along the smaller canals, those paths feel really cosy. They used to be walked on by horses pulling the ships on the water. Over time, sections got paved or at least turned in to cycling paths. Along the larger Albert Canal, the banks are much wider, since the canal is much more modern. That makes for even more space for wider paths. It also meant navigating some industrial activity, which wasn’t always great. That resulted in some roadblocks and rough patches due to spillage or broken concrete from heavy machinery. Still, I really enjoyed the ride, and my body took the 122 km like a champ. I was tired, but my body could clearly take the challenge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/75c6d193-3f0f-4a9c-8879-cddb4329c940/IMG_1695.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #21 - What a ride it’s been - About the past four days - At the bottom of the final climb to Scherpenheuvel On thuesday, I decided to revisit a place I went on the electric diamond frame earlier this year. The basilica of Scherpenheuvel is build on top of the hill that gives the place its name. It is a well known pilgrimage in Belgium. The route I took, gave me just under 280 vertical meters to beat. Passing both the abbey’s of Tongerlo and Averbode, there was plenty to see along the road. The last one offering a short climb along its outside walls to prepare for what’s to come. I made the climb to Scherpenheuvel on the old railway track. This took me away from traffic, through the fields on the hillside. It also makes for the heaviest end of the climb, turning on to the road around the basilica. Climbing to Scherpenheuvel also means you get the reward of racing down again. It’s a reward that always ends to soon of course. On the way back home, I started to feel the past few days had actually had their toll on my body. Nothing bad, just the exhaustion kicking in. But what a ride it has been. I have done 359 km in total, in just four days. It seems I can take more then I ever thought possible already. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/20-i-did-it monthly 0.5 2025-05-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/a7324552-8931-4d1c-85c9-17f1c9ddead3/IMG_1520.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #20 - I DID IT - Near the top of Eau Rouge. I took the visor of for cleaning at this point. I really wanted to try this one now. I didn’t want to wait until next month. I wanted to know what my body could take. And riding the F1 track of Spa Francorchamps on my trike was a goal in itself of course. When I found out the start was literally at the bottom of “Eau Rouge”, I doubted my decission not to go for a warm up ride in the rain. That’s virtually a wall you climb. It’s a challenge with a run up, let alone from a standing start. I had decided to go to the left of the track, on the wide run of, to zig zag my way up. Soon, I found that’s the best way to make it to the top. Many riders on diamond frame bikes had to walk to the top, but I got there on my trike. Just after the top, you find “Kemmel Straight”. On tv it looks like a flat piece of road, while in reality it’s an endless light climb up to “Les Combes”. From that point on, I could really feel the difference between a regular bike and my trike. Where regular bikeriders had to slow down for turns, I could keep peddling. Where others had to take a wider line, I could still hit the apex in the pouring rain. It felt great to pass riders who passed me on the climb, including bikes with electrical support. The https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/b94f31b7-631a-4eaf-bd6a-036e64b09018/IMG_1538.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #20 - I DID IT - 74,2 KPH A little further, at “Blanchimont”, the next climb dropped my speed to a consistent 10 - 15 kph all the way to the top near the start-finish straight and “La Source”. The sharp right-hander leads to the Vally of “Eau Rouge” again, this time to start the climb with a solid run up. I was amazed to find how fast I lost speed once more. As I mentioned before, it’s like hitting a wall on a bike. Maybe with an even smaller gear it would be easier, but this will always be a challenging climb. While I was hoping to reach the top in a straight line this time, again, I had to zig zag to make it to there. At the end of the event, I completed 3 laps, including a short break just after “Les Combes”. I didn’t really needed the break, but I just wanted to take some time to imagine what it feels like to stand so close to the track, during an F1 race. I took a spot behind the crash barriers, and watched the other riders go by. I ended the last lap by riding through both the new and old pit lane. It was only then, I noticed how wet I really was. My gloves and coat were soaked. They felt heavy and cold. Somehow, I didn’t feel that on track. Of course https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/19-two-decisions monthly 0.5 2025-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/2a331a58-2abf-4ef1-a3f2-fdf96699770d/IMG_1106.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #19 - Two decisions - This was the van when I bought it. For the Zeeland tour I am planning, I decided to change the concept slightly. I’m still going to in the very near future. Again, the weather forecast will be a deciding factor in this too. But where I was planning to travel by tent, I will now change that to my camper. Camper may be a slightly optimistic description for the beast on wheels. It started out as a van for a furniture company in 1999. Later on, it was modified by someone who kept his sledge dogs in the back part, while he and his wife slept in the front for events. By now, I have removed the dividing wall, and renewed the cladding on the walls in the back. Very soon, I will add a raised double bed, under which I can then park my trike, inside the van. It will all be very basic, and I will have to sort out the electrics at a later time. But using the van as the epicenter of my tour, has a couple of immediate effects. I don’t have to search for a sleeping spot every day. This gives me more time to ride every day. I can take things a little slower, without having to worry about a good spot. The added flexibility will definitely help me on my first tour. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/18-with-a-little-help monthly 0.5 2025-05-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/8c34f460-5d1b-445a-9674-9f88d1802cf5/IMG_0446.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #18 - With a little help… - Blueberry - Spelt - Yoghurt breakfast So that’s why I have taken the advice of a dietician. Since January, I had been reducing my carb intake and added protein. Both in a rather drastic way. For example, I went from around 300 grams of carbs a day, to around 120 grams. And that clearly had a positive effect. But it wasn’t really adjusted for the challenges I want to overcome. The travels I want to make by trike will ask a lot from my body, and it needs fuel to do so. Loosing weight is great, but I also have to build up my muscles. What I have been doing up till now was actually not bad at all, but it has to be a bit more balanced. Keeping up my weight loss, while building muscle, is going to need me to change my habits. That’s where the professional help comes in to play. With a lot of experience helping people with diabetes, and a no-nonsense mindset, I believe I have found a great match in Iris. During our first talk, she confirmed some steps I’ve taken already, and added some new ones. She handled this in a strict and firm way, without being pushy. In the end, I have to make those changes, and I will. Be it as a temporary thing, or even permanent. Some things will need to be kept up, while others may only be necessary while losing weight or gaining muscle. Future will tell. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/17-external-motivation monthly 0.5 2025-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/4e8969c6-2ab2-42d8-9fc7-7346b68d9dd9/de-warmste-week-music-for-life-studio-brussel-logo.jpg Travels - Progress - Health - #17 - External motivation - De Warmste week website Sometimes, motivation to move forward hides in unexpected corners. Often, I look at my health as my main motivation. And that is plenty of course. Especially since the results are there already. But today I saw an article about the “Warmste Week”. That’s an annual week, organized by Belgian radio station Studio Brussel, which benefits a variety of charities. This year, the main theme is “invisible illnesses”. Now that touched a soft spot with me. I’ve mentioned having diabetes on this blog on several occasions already. And of course there’s the hernia. Both are invissible, and both are the main reason I started this website. To tell my story after the diagnosis. For me, that news was the start of this story. It motivated me to start working on those issues. The diabetes is clearly going the right way, and for the hernia, the news is even better at the moment. At the end of last year, I could’t go a night without pain medication. Often, I even had to take more during the night. Today, The pain is gone. The mobility is actually returning, and the tingling feeling in my fingers is noticeably less. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/15-about-to-take-a-big-step monthly 0.5 2025-05-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/9198efd4-9e1b-49da-bb80-196d6c5ff284/IMG_0963.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #16 - More structure in my trainings - Make it stand out Just past the first technical section on the ride, there’s this great spot to relax a little if needed. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/15-more-planning-then-riding monthly 0.5 2025-05-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1747127143337-KMMLYEFJ1AHIHWV8N143/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-05-13+om+09.02.20.png Travels - Progress - Health - #15 - More planning then riding - Make it stand out Map of planned and passed tours https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/14-hpv-ride-aftermovie monthly 0.5 2025-05-12 https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/13-attacked-by-a-dinosaur monthly 0.5 2025-05-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/fbaa4b37-70d5-4155-abde-a2f88ce12443/IMG_1405.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #13 - Attacked by a dinosaur - “De Borrekens” castle, Vorselaar, Belgium The rest of the ride was rather uneventfull. A little too much wind for my likings, but at least it was dry. It was also the test drive for my GARMIN Edge Explore 2 GPS. Since I plan long rides and tours in places I don’t know, I’ll need some sort of GPS to tell me where to go. I must say it makes riding a lot easier. No more looking for signs hidden in overgrowth. No more unexpected turns. I was able to keep my average speed the same as on rides without discomfort or headwind. I believe I would have been slower without the GPS. Getting closer to my first real tour, one step at a time. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/12-did-i-just-do-a-tour monthly 0.5 2025-05-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/7655264d-6025-49e7-9963-ce1876b2eb3f/IMG_1349.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - Just before we took of The past two days, I took part in the annual ride of the Belgian HPV club. The starting point was at only 12 km from my home, so it felt natural to simply ride the trike there. And since I was planning to stay the weekend, why not do it the way I want to tour as much as possible? So I decided to take my camping gear on the trike. To sleep outside, under a shelter. I could have taken a tent, but since I plan to sleep in the elements as much as possible in the future, why would I?. On site, I knew there’s this little wood storage, that offers some shelter. The perfect spot to spend a night but still be safe from a possible shower at night. So on friday, I left home all packed up. I took more with me then I really needed, since I wanted to know how the trike would handle under the load. Spoiler: he did great. I hardly even noticed the gear I had with me. I loaded the heavier stuff as low as possible, and the King Rack still had plenty https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1418110f-5c69-4326-a0fb-f17e1f508622/IMG_1357.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - First stop of the day After just 5 km, there was a short brake to climb a watching tower, but the first actual break for coffee was held after 20 km. The coffee tasted great, and we met up with the riders on the short tour. The first chance to decide on switching to the lighter option. But up till this point, the ride went so smooth, I didn’t even consider it. We left the Wortel Colony of Benevolence with the legs rested, to cross in to the Netherlands. A pleasant ride towards the bi-national town of Baarle-Hertog and -Nassau. to turn south again, following the old railroad we had been riding north before. Just across the border in Belgium, we took the halfway break to eat. I had a delicious turkey sandwich, that got my stomach all filled and happy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364287710-18PKPZ8IFIVTPFRWVO7Z/IMG_1305.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1305.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364292667-8QVS4J4VYDIFZ6QWNG6B/IMG_1313.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1313.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364295761-0ZGKOZCM1DS8QS2LQCJV/IMG_1314.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1314.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364299627-1OTMGTTFV6CSR2VHNOYT/IMG_1316.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1316.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364299364-UO356CAM7CQG3TNRZKD1/IMG_1319.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? 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- IMG_1356.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364375958-HC2P4DUCTPERACG3TDRF/IMG_1358.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1358.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364373491-30E01BOZ7W10SKBP8A77/IMG_1359.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1359.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364380622-XUD470O5VGHYD6YY9YUZ/IMG_1365.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1365.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364382570-66ARST7UWL7VKS583LBU/IMG_1364.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1364.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364385131-RY8DT3DDR5YHO2V0LSK8/IMG_1362.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1362.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364391124-DFMJIH0GAEZM071LLYCE/IMG_1363.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? 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- IMG_1373.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1746364410578-NX5L3P12MTCDA1MO30D3/IMG_1371.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #12 - Did I just do a tour? - IMG_1371.jpeg https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/11-with-a-little-help monthly 0.5 2025-04-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/7f36c950-8c6e-452c-9d63-2e04b0410238/IMG_1019.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #11 - With a little help - I’ll be putting those Ortliebs to the test Now as it happens, it seems I planned my first tour in exactly this way, without even realizing it. Next weekend, I’ll be joining the Belgian HPV club on their weekend. Originally I was planning to go there in my van, and sleep in it, but now I decided to ride there on the trike. As the bird flies it’s only about 15 km from my home, but I may take a little detour to make it more of a ride on day one. The event starts late in the afternoon, so that should give me some time to ride. On the second day, the organization planned two rides. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/10-step-by-step-towards-my-first-tour monthly 0.5 2025-04-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/3c812ced-3eca-485f-babf-c8beb5528bf6/IMG_1165.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #10 - Step by step towards my first tour - Besides that, I feel some of my joints are less stable. It feels like I could dislocate them by specific movements. Not that I’m scared that would happen any time soon. I’m just describing what it feels like. But it makes that I won’t be jumping around when I feel that. It’s just not worth the risk. When I mentioned this to my physician, he advised me to start exercising to build muscles. In the end, I didn’t just loose those 10 kg. Over the past 10 years, I actually lost 40 kg. And I would love to loose some more. That will have opened up some room in my joints where fat used to be before. And not much muscle has replaced that. I’ll keep riding of course. Because besides burning fat and being a cardio workout, It will also build up my muscles. Just not the kind I need to improve the most. For those I could go to the local gym of course. And maybe I will one day. I’m sure I could find some great advice there. But at the same time, there’s so much I can do in the comfort of https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/9-the-first-month-was-epic monthly 0.5 2025-04-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/e4fda242-ab8a-40fc-a91c-6a35793f5770/IMG_0445.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #9 - The first month was epic The only minor issue I still have, is my seating position. I keep fiddling with the seat and the boom, adapting to what I feel. How my legs react, if my hips start acting up or not. I know it will take some time to adapt to this completely new position. After being used to an upright bike for over 46 years, it’s quite the change. The closest thing to a recumbent trike I had, is the go cart I had as a child. And I still have it to this day. But it wasn’t really a recumbent position. I was sitting mostly upright, but with my legs kicking around in front of me. By the way… Yes, I was actually pulling around the neighborhood kids in my dad’s trailer with the go kart. And that steering wheel? That’s actually from a car. It started life giving direction to a DAF car. https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/8-a-great-talk-and-tech-support monthly 0.5 2025-04-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/a3445159-58b9-42a1-9f26-6392fbc2874a/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding+2025-04-24+om+10.34.12.png Travels - Progress - Health - #8 - A great talk and tech support - That immediately prompted Yvo to bring up the next issue. My chain was black. A sight I was used to from riding bikes in the past. Dust get’s mixed with the oil or grease, and that very quickly produces a black covering all over the chain. In comes Yvo with a bottle of Boeshield T9 and a little board with 3 pieces of chain. They’d all been in water for 4 months over 8 years ago. One without any protection, was all brown and crusty. The middle one with regular chain oil, was still corroded, but was much more flexible. And the final one had the Boeshield T9 on it. The only thing on it, was this matte shine of dried up wax. All flexible and shiny underneath. The bottle immediately went in my shopping basket. We put the trike on the lift to give it a support for easy access. I’m not actually going to use it for that. In stead, it’s just a great way to attach more stuff to the trike. While working on it, Yvo started asking questions about HOW I ride the trike. How I use my muscles. Do I push from the legs, or do I ride from the hips? https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/7-first-tour-in-belgium monthly 0.5 2025-04-23 https://www.wheelybeardo.com/about-travels-progress-health/6-change-takes-time monthly 0.5 2025-04-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67d42b04d250fa2c99057d1d/1744987274297-9QXJJGAGYDRHZ8X3TH7W/IMG_1106.jpeg Travels - Progress - Health - #6 - Change takes time In stead, more often then I like, I feel my limitations. My body tells me to hold back, that the limit for that day has been reached. That the battery is running low. More may come, but not now… not immediately. This probably sounds more dramatic than it is. I knew when I started working out, that I hadn’t been doing stuff like that in a very long time. I would have to let my body adapt. Give it time to settle in its new role. Let it improve, then rest. Improve some more, then rest some more. Impro… You see where this is going. While I made some incredible progress over the past three months, I maybe didn’t give my body enough time to adapt. Again, the signals are there, but nothing dramatic has happened. I just feel I need to pace myself a little more, to prevent myself from hurting myself somehow. Just by working out. Slow down to keep moving forward. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made by now, and I want more of that. Much more. I’m not sure about how far I can take this, how much I can take. Future will tell I guess. All I know is that I have to do this the right way. 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