crtreedude 

Occasionally I get the urge for a rich desert. Costa Rican deserts are not that good, and not that much variety so I have to go afield. Over the mountain from me is a tourist town called Arenal. It has a few very nice bakeries - one of the German. So, when the urge gets bad enough, I pedal over the mountain (3,000 feet elevation change), down the otherside (2,000 feet) on a rock / gravel road and then do a short section of pavement into town and have my hard earned treat (since I have to return yet!)

Anyway, first I have apricot cheese cake with coffee, then, after a bit, it was lunch so I ordered a small pizza with a banana fruit smoothie with milk. (after this I still lost weight by the way) (Tip - have desert first so you have room!)

As I was doing a good job muching all of this down. A person roughly my age (48) but 100 lbs heavier than me shows up on a motorcycle and we start talking. I asked how he like riding a moto and he said he really did - especially with the wind blowing through his hair, etc. I said I know what he means, I feel the same with my MTB. He responded sort of smuggly "Yeah, but I only have to put gas in and go."

I responded. "I bet I have a lot more fun refueling than you do!"

He was speachless.

ModoVincere

Couldn't have said it any better.

flipped4bikes

Nice.

atomship47

hehehe. good one.

crtreedude 

Besides the joy of just riding, the rush from feeling so alive and fit, one of the BIGGEST reasons to commute is to be able to eat more food.

Imagine, yesterday I was sitting there watching TV like a coach potatoe and my lovely wife said - "Surely you need more food after that ride than you ate!" So, she brought me a peanut butter lollypop (big spoon of peanut butter) and half a bag of popcorn. Some roasted chicken on the side. A fruit smoothie too if I remember.

And I still lost weight!

How many guys who are almost 48 years old have wives who would encourage them to eat more?!

zipster

Bravo! Excellent comeback my friend. The combuster crowd is so brainwashed that they make such dumb comments. It's funny to think being fit means you're part of the minority and subject to ridicule nowadays. People at work just don't get why I commute by bicycle everyday. I feel wonderful and full of energy every day.

As I bicycle past medical companies such as Medtronic and Boston Scientific on my way to work, I think how little need I have for the products they're peddling to the unfit folk. And let's not forget all the drugs people need due to sedentary lifestyles. I can't imagine such a lifestyle. Wake up, eat junk, drink 700 calorie starbucks, curse the commute, eat more junk, drive home, curse the commute again and get pissed off at a bicycle commuter for no reason while having a cell phone conversation, get home, eat a 10 minute processed meal, spend 2 minutes with the kids because of no energy, watch dumdum reality tv, go to bed, repeat...

Paul L.

Mmmm desert. I like to get my fill of the Sonoran desert once in awhile. I hope to go and taste the Painted desert this summer. You know what goes really good with desert? Cactus. Mmmmm candy to the eye.

Sorry, couldn't help it. I think you were talking about Dessert.

(and for the record I believe that indeed there is no good Desert in Costa Rica, all the pictures I have seen show a lush beautiful paradise ).

crtreedude 

Sorry Paul L - Guanacaste would be a desert about now. They get a dry season of 5 months every year. Cactus and everything.

No problem picking on my spelling. Spanish is screwing up big time whatever ability I had in the English language.

Hopefully you like desert where you are...

ollo_ollo

On a recent ride, I stopped at the halfway point for a pastry. While I was picking out a Danish, lady shopper warns me "you'll get fat eating that". I replied "When you ride a bike, this is just Premium Fuel".

crtreedude 

I will have to remember that!

TRaffic Jammer

Word to that.... I eat so I might ride over anything and everything in my path, I ride so that I may eat anything and everything in my path, and it balances out perfectly. At forty, I'm 5'8 and now about 155-160lbs, with a butt of rock, for the past five years at the office I've been seeing ppl steadility increasing in girth, some frighteningly so.

The expression ...two kids wrestling under a blanket comes to mind.

Paul L.

300k - $25 ride fee, 10000 calories - 14 hours of riding, pint and a half of Cheesecake ice cream consumed in front of gawking Co-Workers- Priceles.

Ok, didn't know that about Costa Rica. Arizona has snow covered mountains and 3 ski areas so we are not all Desert either. Should have known Costa Rica would have it's own areas of Desert. For the record I wish my spanish was as good as yours. We visited Guatemala a few times over the past few years and I wished I could have spoken better as I would have gotten so much more out of the trips. Oh well, maybe when my kids turn 12 and we take them back I will be more comfortable with Spanish.

O-Town

I ate half a pan of lemon bars the other night...then I hate the other half for dessert last night. Do I feel guilty not at all.

Great story crtreedude.

crtreedude 

On my first visits to Costa Rica, all I could say was "Cafe con leche, por favor" You must get the important things down first!

Now a days I forget which language I am in at times. At least I have an excuse for my poor English now...

thdave

buzzman

this is a great thread. partly because I, too, was uncertain whether you were talking about a desert or a dessert and thought for a minute you were doing a brilliant play on words because I was imagining all of this happening in a cafe, where you were eating a rich dessert after having ridden through a rich desert as you were talking to a motorcyclist about fuel as you were re-fueling right in front of him. Now if only you both got gas it would be stupendous.

I often combine my rides with searches for particular foods. A great friend of mine and cycling inspiration from my youth who rode a bike well into his 90's used to do whole tours he would title things like: The Search for the Perfect Pickled Herring.

Every summer I'll embark on rides along the New England coastline that I title: The Search for the Perfect Lobster Roll. I've had some great ones!

crtreedude 

Yes - the search for fuel - will he make it to the next bakery before his energy runs out...

seriouslysilly

great read. thanks for sharing

ModoVincere

Quiero Cerveza, por favor!
Quiero Vino, por favor!
Donde esta la baņa, por favor!

All I need to know when I visit Mexico

crtreedude 

My friend, bathroom is baņo, not baņa.

It would be el baņo too. I think what you were saying is...

Where is her she bath (or, where is she bathing perhaps)

Might explain some of their reactions, si?

Paul L.

He was looking for the hot tub full of hot chicks I think after the Vino and the Cerveza

bmclaughlin807

Drives my coworkers nuts watching me eat everything I can get my hands on. I love it!

The other day I was out on a long ride and looking for some quick fuel, saw one of those giant blueberry muffins... I got it and ate it, thinking it was probably around 300 calories... flipped the empty package over.... 630 calories! Glad I'm not on a diet!

buzzman

this just made me remember a great ride I had in Switzerland and northern France where I did just that!

I rented a bike at the train station near Montreux and rode from town to town and kept stopping in cafe's that had amazing desserts. I became addicted to this practice and did it frequently when I was there. As it wore on into the evening it became beer or wine and what's nice is I was able to leave the bike at any train station and just take the train back.

crtreedude 

Pshaw - a 630 calorie muffin is only fuel for about an hour, right?

When not riding, 600 calories is a lot - means skipping a meal. When riding, it just means that you can go further.

Buzzman, that is pretty cool. Combining cycling and tour of the cafes. Hmmm, french pastries...

Wulfheir

5 mins ago, I was upstairs grabbing a coffee and was offered chocolate because the woman was afraid she'd end up eating it all. I said "sure, I'll just burn it off by the time i get home anyways."