Hello from the Boot!

[chosen1]

Hey everyone, long time lurker, first time poster :)

I've just recently started road biking after I completed my first duathlon on my mountain bike in May. I had a lot of fun at the race but my bike time wasn't the best, so I figured if I'm going to compete I may as well get one of those "crotch rockets" that kept flying past me haha Right now I'm probably riding about 60-70miles a week depending on my schedule. So far, so good. I have another du in August that I plan on doing and hopefully I'll do even better than I did in my first one.

This forum has been a wealth of undercover knowledge, but I figured I'd come out of Lurkesville and introduce myself and say thanks to all the folks who post on here.

[spokewench]

welcome

[Roadtrip]

+1. welcome to TE!

[bmccasland]

As a former resident of "the Boot", specifically, the Big Easy... welcome to TE! :D

[indysteel]

Welcome! I've never heard of New Orleans referred to as the Boot. What's the story behind that?

[Owlie]

Louisiana's fairly boot-shaped?

Welcome to TE!

[Bike Writer]

Welcome and glad to have you with us!

[chosen1]

Louisiana's fairly boot-shaped?

Welcome to TE!

That would be correct, Louisiana is shaped like a "boot" on the map so around these parts it's common to here it referenced as such.

Thanks for well wishes!

[Lavigne]

Hello Chosen1. It's great to see another Louisiana resident on TE. I've just recently started road biking and I'm so grateful for the knowledge I've gained from these forums.

I'm just outside of Baton Rouge in Denham Springs and there are little to no decent (safe) places to road bike around here. I usually go to Alligator Bayou to ride. Where to you train?

[chosen1]

Hello Chosen1. It's great to see another Louisiana resident on TE. I've just recently started road biking and I'm so grateful for the knowledge I've gained from these forums.

I'm just outside of Baton Rouge in Denham Springs and there are little to no decent (safe) places to road bike around here. I usually go to Alligator Bayou to ride. Where to you train?

^5! I'm not too far from you off of I-12. Yea I've ridden Alligator Bayou and I also ride around the LSU lakes, city park neighborhoods, downtown BR. If you're looking for hill training St. Francisville is the place to go, I hear, I haven't made it up there yet but it's on my to do list.

Have you checked out the BR Bike club? They have group rides just about everyday and it's diff paces/miles.

[Lavigne]

^5! I'm not too far from you off of I-12. Yea I've ridden Alligator Bayou and I also ride around the LSU lakes, city park neighborhoods, downtown BR. If you're looking for hill training St. Francisville is the place to go, I hear, I haven't made it up there yet but it's on my to do list.

Have you checked out the BR Bike club? They have group rides just about everyday and it's diff paces/miles.

The DH has done a lot of riding in St. Francisville. He works north of Zachary so it's very convenient for him to ride there during the week. Also, my sister-in-law lives there. I'm not quite up to the hills yet. I'm a very new rider having to learn how to clip in and out and turn and pretty much everything else. My longest ride so far is 40 miles on the flat road at Alligator Bayou. He wants to try St. Francisville this weekend, but I'm not sure if I'm ready. My knee is just healing from my last fall so I'm a little nervous about falling yet again.

I'm glad to hear BR Bike Club might have some rides I could do. I'm still a little nervous about riding around a bunch of people. The hubby wants to ride the Katy Flatlands next month. I doubt I can make it through the century but I might give one of the shorter routes a try.

Have you done any of the BR Bike Club rides? Do you have any recommendations for a new rider?

[Lavigne]

The DH rides in St. Francisville a lot. I'm not quite ready for the hills. I've had my bike for a couple of months and I've had to learn the clipless pedals and everything else. My longest ride has been 38 miles on Alligator Bayou. The hubby wants to ride the Katy Flatlands next month, but I don't think I'm going to be able to ride the century....I might be able to ride a shorter route. I haven't been able to ride a lot lately mainly due to the heat.

Have you done any of the BR Bike Club rides? I'm still pretty nervous to ride around a lot of people. It would be nice to check out one of their beginner rides.

[Tri Girl]

Welcome to TE! Glad you decided to come out of Lurksville to be among us. ;)
When you said the Boot- I was thinking Italy. :p

[chosen1]

welcome to te! Glad you decided to come out of lurksville to be among us. ;)
when you said the boot- i was thinking italy. :p

i wish!! Lol

[chosen1]

The DH rides in St. Francisville a lot. I'm not quite ready for the hills. I've had my bike for a couple of months and I've had to learn the clipless pedals and everything else. My longest ride has been 38 miles on Alligator Bayou. The hubby wants to ride the Katy Flatlands next month, but I don't think I'm going to be able to ride the century....I might be able to ride a shorter route. I haven't been able to ride a lot lately mainly due to the heat.

Have you done any of the BR Bike Club rides? I'm still pretty nervous to ride around a lot of people. It would be nice to check out one of their beginner rides.

Yea, I'm typically a lone ranger rider as well and have been skeptical to do any sort of group rides. I've done 3 of the group rides, and only 1 was an epic fail, but I later found out that that particular group are all pretty hardcore so now I know. I rode last weekend w/them and there was I guess maybe 10 of us and it was at a nice pace with stops to regroup etc etc, no one was left behind and the folks I met were friendly. I'll PM you my info in case you ever want to get together and do some rides, I think you'd enjoy meeting other bikers and you'll probably get to see that you're doing better than you think you are.

This heat has been brutal and I'm not a morning person so that's not even an option for me. I do most of my riding on the weekends and get a few miles in during the week in the evenings, not many(10-12) if I feel like hoping on the bike after a workout.