Proper Introduction Now The Brain is Working

Hello everyone,

I've been getting a bit of advice on the Mental Exhaustion Post Ride thread, but now my brain is working again, thought I'd properly say hello.

I've done a women's tri and duathlon in the past, but am just getting into cycling properly. Until this year, my bike was a source of some terror for me. I've got a few bits of titanium in my right tibia and had my right shoulder reconstructed in 2007, so fear of falling off and hurting myself was keeping me very tense.

My man and I started training for a Sprint Distance triathlon together and I started riding my mountain bike 3x week in January. For the first time I started to get comfortable on the bike. Then he decided a couple of weeks ago we should do the Rotorua Flyer, a 100km race from Rotorua to Taupo, NZ. And the race was 5 weeks away!

This week I got a second hand Sara Ulmer Brand bike, an Avanti women's bike branded with our local Olypic gold medal cyclist's name. I've done about 50km on it this week and can't believe the difference in riding it over my mtn bike. Amazing!

I'm enjoying learning by reading the old thread and appreciate the help on my thread.

Thanks everyone!

Welcome to TE! This is a great place to get advice, info and support. Sounds like you are having fun with your and getting more and more comfortable on it. That's awesome. :D Sometimes I think I'd like to get into mountain biking, but if only there weren't so many "mountains" in mountain biking!!! Hee hee! ;) But I just might try it some day. My husband does it and my 13 year old daughter wants to get into it. We're getting her on our road tandem first, to get her used to clipping in and out and get some cycling fitness under her belt. Tomorrow is going to be her first official ride with dh on it and I'll ride along on my bike. She's been on the tandem around the neighborhood before, but we're getting more serious now. She even has cycling SHORTS!

But I digress. Again, welcome to the TE. :)

Thanks Jiffer. I've never had clipless pedals, but I just picked up some second hand "used twice" Candy C Crank Bros pedals today. It will be interesting to see how I go. Once I get some shoes, of course...

Man thing is looking for an indoor trainer for me. For upcoming winter training and so I can practice with the pedals and shoes without cracking my skull. He's very considerate that way.

It is too bad that I'm just getting into cycling and we are headed out of summer. We tend to have very wet weather in winter here in Auckland.

welcome to TE!