Why all these gifts today? Maybe because, maybe, maybe, because the prime objective of today's Voyage is to let the body enjoy it or at least not suffer too much. Question marks
In no particular order.
The sphere at the knees is back, the heavy sphere playing close attention to the inertia.
For many months the left leg has been Rogue. Maybe the problem was not the left leg. It seems the problem was a lazy right leg not aggressively relaxing and putting additional work on the left leg. Sorry left leg! You have been falsely accused and abused.
Yes yes yes, pressure on the balls of the foot 50% of the time. Zero pressure 50% of the time. Half an hour of this and then the sphere at the knees showed up. Strong connection. With both knees in opposition spinning one leg down one leg up, that sphere may result in that 50 on 50 off for each leg each cycle. Pretty sweet.
50 off is not a natural thing for this old body. It wants to Coast on the downward leg. Letting it rise the upward leg. What that does is use less muscles and tire out the primary thrust muscles.
Yesterday James realized that he was losing sight of the mission which is to get exercise not to achieve Olympic performance. And to get that exercise in a way that keeps the Mind free. So the emphasis again today was get the exercise James and do not upset the body! Do not ignore when it tells you it is in pain. Back off, re-strategize, see if there's some way you can exert Force but make the body happy! Or at least not to upset!
That sphere at the knees when it works provides a tremendous coordination synchronization and sense of cycling which is very nice, sustainable, manageable, until it isn't LOL!
Imagining and operating as though the sphere is 4in to the right seems advantageous for now solving multiple problems including the lazy right leg and its tendency to wobble in and out on the upswing. No disadvantage to this silly imagining yet seen.
Now another old friend shows up! A nearly magical equilibrium in this sphere if it is raised about 4 inches higher than expected an equilibrium between the knees and and thighs is looked for. When it is found or as it is found weight seems to come out from the outside of both foot pads and be more in the inner part of the pad. The image of a seal balancing a rotating ball on her nose just came to mind. This higher place for the sphere is also happening at a higher rotation on a lesser climb.
Earlier in this journey tonight and maybe to come again was a particular advantage that seem to come by accentuating the rotation of the sphere with the upward trust particularly and additional fluid upthrust at the end.
A key thing that this imagery is probably doing is arriving at a more positive 50% on 50% off, a more optimum 50% on 50% off than has been achieved in other ways. So the actual mechanic are in 50% on 50% off pressure on the pedals each cycle. And that off has probably been rarely seen this last half year or more.
Incidently, the cycling shoes are laced normally and with all of the above the feet are perfectly happy.
This notion of the seal with the ball on its nose or a circus performer on her back rolling, spinning, her partner with her feet in the air is now quite helpful on a moderate climb. The sphere now resting on my knees in my imagination and being rolled with care to the maintenance of inertia and speed of the sphere at the tip of my knees. With each knee one traveling up one traveling down maintaining that rotation and momentum.
And this at the end really really big. For the first time in memory a strong Trust in one leg at a time being able to move this huge vehicle. The body I think has been fearful of this and in a way trying to always keep both legs applying pressure. This probably is not necessary and may contribute substantially to the non power leg robbing energy by allowing itself to be pushed by the power leg. This will be an important point of experimentation in the coming days I hope. This was enabled and complimented by the clarity today so unusual of one leg on, one leg off, pressure on one foot ball and none on the other.