The Short Version:I've ridden over 400 miles. I fell once and it hurt. I learned to change my own tires. I've reached 25% of my fundraising goal.
The INTERESTING Version:Training is going very well. When I bought my bike, it had less than 500 miles on it. This weekend, the odo clicked past 900 miles. In that time, I've ridden short routes and long routes, depending on how much time I had. Sabrina, my friend and riding buddy, rode with me from Katy to Bellville to have kolaches and coffee at Newman's Bakery. Between the 15 mph headwind all the way there, and the hills (on which I was alternately praying and chanting, "Kolaches and Coffee!"), it was a challenging ride in. I do believe those were the best kolaches I've ever tasted, too! Naturally, the coffee kicked in about 10 miles away from the nearest public restroom. We thank Waller County for having well-designed bridges to hide under. Riding home in a tail-wind is a beautiful thing!!
I had my first clip-out fail, thankfully while stationary. It was a total rookie mistake, and all the other cyclists laugh because apparently everyone has done it. For those not in the know, road bikes do not have traditional pedals, but clips attached to the pegs on the crank. Cycling shoes are very stiff, to protect the foot from the pegs, and have a receptacle on the ball of the foot that attaches to the clips on the bike. This is efficient because the cyclist can benefit from pulling up on the pedals as well as pushing down. It's all good until you fail to get unclipped properly! A couple of weeks ago Sabrina was riding about 100 yards back and when I looked back to check on her, I saw she was stopped and off her bike. I unclipped my right shoe (which is my habit) and stopped. I planned to double back and see if she needed help. That U-turn to the LEFT was my fatal error, as my LEFT shoe was still clipped to the bike. Over I went, skinning my knee and elbow and bruising my hip, hand and ankle. I was wearing a long-sleeve jersey, a jacket and knee covers, which protected me a little. Thankfully, my clothes and bike were fine, I wasn't injured, and the bruises are healing.
It has occurred to me that my road bike is not like the 10-speed I had as a youth and tore down and rebuilt one summer for fun. It's a bit more complex and the tires are completely different. For starters, road bike tires are very narrow and are inflated to a much higher pressure than a kid's bike or a mountain bike. A special pump is required to inflate them, which I didn't even have yet. So I went down to Bike Barn, where my friend Ty gave me a crash course in changing a tire. We changed the front tube, and I got the hang of it very quickly. I also took home a CO2 cartridge and valve connection for emergency re-inflation, a tube for the rear tire and a new pump. Being the engineer I am, I figured the rear would only take slightly longer due to the gears and chain. It took me about 30 minutes, which is FAR longer than I anticipated. Mostly due to uncertainty, pensiveness, slowness and compulsive hand-washing! But I got the job done and now my bike is sporting LONG valve stems because I learned quickly that a 133 lb girl has a VERY hard time inflating a tube to 120 psi with one hand while holding the connection on the SHORT valve stem with the other.
Thanks for continuing to follow my blog. I'm enjoying the riding and the fundraising is going very well. I'm nearly to the 25% point, which is great for the first month. The ride is now 2 months away, so I need to ramp things up. Sabrina and I are planning a garage sale and a few other ideas to help raise money and support. I hope you will forward my link to your friends because the more people who support the ride, the more money we raise for MS research. Even a new therapy or drug is a huge improvement! Every little bit helps!!
Link to my page: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?px=6533020&pg=personal&fr_id=15941
"Keep Moving Forward!"
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