Belated Sunday Chitchat

Hello,

I’m arriving late to my own initiative — but better late than never. 😉 I’ve been awake since 3 a.m., wondering how to join in, since I only managed one bike ride this week. I thought I’d pop in earlier and take the chance to share the kind of cycling content I usually consume, but things got a bit tangled. It turned out to be a rather odd week, with its ups and downs as always, though I’ve tried to stay focused on the brighter side.

For instance, I’ve pulled some data from my smartwatch to share with you here. After all, this is meant to be a chat.

The Numbers

Seven workouts this week (well, six really, since that bike ride was split into two parts). Out of those six, four were indoor fitness sessions and one was a short walk. Altogether, they added up to 4 hours 53 minutes and 29 seconds, burning 1,218 kcal.
Of course, I’ve actually burned far more, because on top of my workouts I have all the daily household tasks — and they’re not exactly few.

A good pace	Giving it my all!	A bit off, but still in the zone.	The end of the week

Wednesday was the day I finally managed to go out cycling. We’ve had rainy days here, a cold front swept in and vanished as quickly as a meringue at the school gates. Only one night did I need to cover myself with two blankets and put on socks to sleep… that’s our island, an endless summer. I’m quite sure that for those who experience real low temperatures, my wintry day was nothing more than a gentle breeze in the midst of a warm spell.

I had my little walk yesterday afternoon. I went looking for some plants to sow in a garden project I’ve just started, and I do hope it turns out well. Truth is, although two weeks of 2026 have already gone by and I haven’t even reached 100 km on my bike, there are plenty of other things I’ve improved, because I made a firm resolution to work on them this year. But that will be a topic for another chat.

And, true to form, we had another of those “short” blackouts — from 3 in the afternoon until about 3 in the morning, I think… I’m not even sure, because I fell asleep. I stayed awake until 11, then slept on and off until 3, when I woke up and saw the power was back. One of the reasons for my little walk was precisely that: the blackout. I told myself that instead of feeling bad and complaining about something beyond my control, I should keep myself busy with something useful. If I couldn’t even do my online tasks because of the lack of connectivity, perhaps I could get ahead with this post, which I’m still writing now at 6:40 a.m… Yet my mind chose the option of walking, planting, and saving a bit of laptop battery, so that in case of boredom or desperation in the deep dark night, I could at least watch a film recommended by @josemalavem in one of his posts.

In the end, I chose to read for an hour and meditate before going to sleep…

Well, to be honest, I’m not really a follower of cycling news, though I do enjoy seeing and learning about the achievements of certain athletes. From Cuba, for instance, there is Arlenis Sierra. This cyclist has all my admiration, and I suppose everyone who knows her would agree with me that she is truly an athlete to be respected. In March last year, Arlenis became a mother, and in a recent interview she said that returning to cycling has been very tough because of having to be away from her little one.

I usually come across these in short clips and photos on social media, especially Instagram, whose algorithm knows my interests all too well and diligently serves them up. It’s during those dark nights that I turn to Instagram most, when — for some magical reason — the connection improves after 11 or 12 at night, and I end up watching a few things: mainly reels of humour, motivational clips, bits on neuroscience and metaphysics, cycling, and photography.

This one, for example, is always doing adverts for products — whether bikes or photography gear — but I really enjoy it. Especially because I dream of one day travelling long distances on my bike… well, on a bike like that! Haha… always daydreaming.

You see? I keep things like this and look at them from time to time to feel motivated and to picture my dream.

This Sunday Chitchat among cyclists brought Nozem01’s post, and through it I discovered a YouTuber whom I now follow and really enjoy watching — both his videos and shorts. Thanks for that, and for the dividers you made for me. That’s exactly the spirit I’d love to see here in this Community. I have to say there’s been a bit more interaction on these cycling posts that get published automatically from Strava. Very good… perhaps, with time, exchanges will become even more frequent and useful. There’s always something new to learn. We all have so much to share. Don’t be shy… hehe…

So it’s time for me to say goodbye… always with much affection, wishing you a wonderful week ahead. I’m off to get ready and see if I can go for a bike ride. It’s still early… I think I could be back by 10 a.m. Cuban time to publish the Sunday ChitChat – Week 4 post.

😉

Here I don’t just share stats. I post my best workouts, training insights, and the stories behind them.