First ride

While my bike is on order (and hopefully due next week), my coach loaned me her bike until mine came in. So with much trepidation and angst, I went out on my first bike ride yesterday. I had no idea where I was going – basically I thought I'd pick a road and go on that road for as long as it took me (which is essentially what I did). The bike wasn't a perfect fit, but it was far better than what I am using as a trainer downstairs.

My biggest concern (other than traffic) was getting in and out of my peddle clamps when coming to a stop. It turned out to be a valid concern as I couldn't get them off and fell twice. It's such a helpless feeling not being able to get your feet loose as you slowly fall to the ground. Although I got a few scrapes, I was more angry at myself than hurt. It really shouldn't be that hard to get off a bike. I felt like an idiot.

After more than a few minutes of nervous riding, I found that I was enjoying cycling. The cars generally were courteous and it was a beautiful day to be out. Cycling outside is much more of a workout than cycling on a trainer inside. I shifted gears constantly, trying to figure out how best to go up and down hills. Sometimes I did well, sometimes I found myself struggling to get to the top. My biggest learning curve will be learning to read and handle the hills, there seems to be an art to this.

In the end, it was a good first day. I went 30 miles in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I went as slow as 5 miles per hour and as fast as 35 (down a very steep hill of course). While I still have much to learn about cycling – I felt like I could eventually get the hang of it.