Finally ready to introduce myself

Hi,
I'm finally feeling comfortable enough to even talk on this site. I'm a ex long distance runner ,who got injured in marathon training this year. My ankle was so bad I couldn't even put a shoe on. Anyway, after 2 months of feeling sorry for myself and PT,my husband bought us both beginner bikes. I couldn't even hardly ride it at the bike at the shop. I hadn't been on a bike since I was 10 or 11 ,and I'm 52 now. I felt silly ,and embarrassed of how I looked on it. I'm 5/9 ,and weight 125,mostly legs. I felt ridicules. The first time on it I dropped the chain 3 times...couldn't get up the hills....I live in Portland OR ,and all I have are hills around where I live. I was so frustrated. Fast forward 2 months.....I've struggled ,and ridden that bike EVERYDAY...even if was for 10 minutes going up and down the hills. The past 4 weeks ,I've ridden 10 miles every night in peak traffic...ahhhhhhhhhhh ,and 30 miles on Saturday,and Sunday. I'm much more comfortable on the roads than I was. I absolutely love cycling. I'm ready for that road bike now ,but I feel I have so much to learn ,so I'm giving myself one year on this huge heavy hybrid (Gary Fisher Nirvana).
I really don't have any friends who are driven as me ,so I always ride alone. I just registered for something called the "Harvest Century" (although I'm doing the 42 mile choice). It took a lot of guts for me to register (I'm doing it alone) ,as I have no idea what to expect , will I be the slowest one ,and feel totally out of place with my hybrid. Will someone tell me if Ill fit in. My average of a 30 mile ride is 12 mph ,and that includes lot of big hills???
I'm so excited I found cycling...its changed my life.

hey welcome! of course you'll fit in. Pull up a chair and read a few hundred posts, you'll get the idea. I'm glad you like biking.

your Seattle neighbor
mimi

Hi Suzie!!!
Glad to see you here!! :) :) :)
Sounds like you are really getting some biking skills going- you certainly have the determination already down!

Hi Suzie,
Don't worry at all about what kind of bike you're riding, how fast/slow you're going, etc. The only thing that matters right now is that you're really enjoying it! When you do your Harvest Century ride, you will see that there will be all sorts of riders on different kinds of bikes. If you are on the slower side (like I am), you will soon find yourself among the "non-hard-core-roadies" on hybrids, mountain bikes, etc.

Eventually, you may find that you care more about your speed so that you can participate in more challenging group rides. On my first long organized ride, I found that I couldn't really ride with anybody else because my pace was both slow and erratic. This motivated me to get a better-fitting bike, and this past weekend I finally was able to ride with my brother throughout a two-hour ride, as opposed to always falling behind. That was worth all the money I had to spend to upgrade my bike!

Keep having fun on the roads! Jen

Hi Suzie!

Welcome to TE!

Glad you found this site -- just be yourself, you'll fit in just fine.

Quote:

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Originally posted by suzieqtwa I'm ready for that road bike now ,but I feel I have so much to learn ,so I'm giving myself one year on this huge heavy hybrid (Gary Fisher Nirvana).

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I've got the same bike, (a 2003), and I really love her. We've enjoyed just over 600 miles since we started in early June :) . (for 3 summers I'd only ride around in parking lots for fear of cars, trucks, traffic!)

Peace & Love,

Denise

Holy mackerel, you sound so much like my neighbor/friend that it's scary! She's about the same size as you, maybe an inch taller, also all legs, and she just got a Gary Fisher Nirvana!!! She'd been riding a heavy Trek mtb that she'd gotten with credit card points, and after just a few weeks traded that in for the Nirvana. Still kinda heavy, but miles ahead of the mtb. We ride together maybe once or twice a week (she's a flight attendant and I'm a teacher, so our skeds don't always match up), and I'm working on her to do a 42-mile ride with me in October. I was going to do the metric century, but if she wants to go, I'll do the 42 so we can ride together.

Ditto what Jenxxs said--you'll find there's a wide range of bikes at a century ride, and most likely you'll find someone who's riding about your pace. You may even meet a riding buddy. Don't make the mistake of wearing yourself out in the beginning by trying to keep up with the speedsters. Just set a pace you know you can do and enjoy the ride. Oh, and take full advantage of food and drink stops! Have fun and report back to us afterwards so we can give you as many "Brava"s as you can stand.:D

Welcome to TE! :)

I'm so glad I decided to finally introduce myself...I have read all the post during my 2 months of just lurking.
Denise223: You have been a lot of my inspiration. I was terrified to ride in public ,much less the traffic we have in this town. I read your story from the beginning. I thought people were looking at me cause I was huffing ,and puffing to get up hills...but I'm sure they were just looking at me cause I was a biker. I get passed all the time ,and I know I have a beginner bike ,but I do like it. Ill be asking every one about what kind of road bike to get in a couple of months. I'm addicted to this sport. I thought I would never get over the running (not being able to) ,but I don't hurt like did when I ran.
Bad Ju Ju: Funny you said I was similar to your friend/ neighbor. I was a flight attendant also ,but got laid off due to 911 ,and a merger. I worked for TWA.
I feel so much better about doing my 42 miles on Oct 8th. I will take a picture and let everyone know how I did. I have no doubt I can do it ,its just the speed (or lack of). Oh, does every one have to show up at the same time , the course is open 11 hours.
Thanks again for your inspiration.....I will be on one of those road bikes by the spring....and do a Century next fall.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by suzieqtwa

I thought people were looking at me cause I was huffing ,and puffing to get up hills...but I'm sure they were just looking at me cause I was a biker. I get passed all the time ,and I know I have a beginner bike ,but I do like it. Ill be asking every one about what kind of road bike to get in a couple of months. I'm addicted to this sport.

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Suzie -- this sounds JUST like me! I huff and puff my way up the hills on my Specialized Expedition, which is about the same level as your bike -- a beginner bike. And I KNOW there's a road bike in my future, but I'm using the time I ride this one to learn what to look for in my next bike. I've learned a lot, and I think that I can pick a reasonable first road bike by now, but I sure am easily swayed by pretty paint yet! (fortunately, the pretty paint on the current heart-throb is on a bike that has nice specs and a pretty decent price!)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by suzieqtwa

I feel so much better about doing my 42 miles on Oct 8th. I will take a picture and let everyone know how I did. I have no doubt I can do it ,its just the speed (or lack of). Oh, does every one have to show up at the same time , the course is open 11 hours.

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You can get that information from the registration paperwork, I bet! If I were riding, I'd be one of the slow folk, just like you! Some days, I do get going a little faster, but it has to be a very flat ride if that's going to happen!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by suzieqtwa

Thanks again for your inspiration.....I will be on one of those road bikes by the spring....and do a Century next fall.

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Hey! I do like that goal.

Karen in Boise

Greets Suzie!

I think you're way ahead of me. At least you have endurance in your background.

I used to play everything (well, everything that didn't involve running), then college came and then work.. next thing you know, I'm trying to figure out what happened to my fitness levels??

Go girl. You're prob already faster and ahead of me.

Hi Suzie -

Welcome to TE! Isn't it amazing to find something that can have such a profound effect on you? Enjoy the ride! :D

Hi, I am new to this forum also. I just want to say I will be on the same ride, the 40-mile version. I am riding a hybrid, a Trek Navigator 300. Well unless it is raining hard then I won't show.

I ride by myself also, though I met up with another TE member this evening and had a nice 16-mile ride.

I ride out of Champoeg Park almost every day. It is a safe place to park, because the rangers patrol the park every 10-15 minutes. You can get a two-year Day Use permit at GI Joes for $40-50, which is a sticker on the front window, and this allows you to park all you want, and from the parking lot you can take off on your bike. The valley around the park has lots of good roads to bike on. I park at the Riverside Use Area, which is at one end of the park, as do many other cyclists. However, most of the weekend riders from the Portland area prefer to park at the Visitors Center located at the front of the park.

The 40-mile ride will be almost double what I have been doing, but I think I will be ok. If I can do it, and I am overweight, then for sure you can do it too. I have a bum foot also; my left ankle joint is shattered to itty bitty pieces.

If anybody needs to find the information on the ride, here is the link:

http://www.sampros.com/century/index.htm

Darcy

Darcy..,,,what time do you have to be at Champoque Park. Does everyone leave at the same time????I think it starts at 8am. I dont know how to change a tire ,but I will have all the stuff I need on the back of my bike in case.
I have the opposite problem as some of you out there. Im underweight ,and its hard for me to find the strenght in my skinny legs to get me up hills .
It will be nice not to ride in Traffic(for the 40 miles)...Darcy ,I live in Beaverton ,and I only ride on the roads...its a wonder I havent gotten hit yet. I usually have a death grip on my handle bars...some many cyclers get killed here. It seems like every day I hear it on the news.
Oh, Ive never ridden with other bikers before...do I just stay off to the side of the lane ,and others will pass me???????
Im so excited to hear other riders are just as slow as me ,and still LOVE the sport. It seems like I never get any faster ,but I have come a long way in 2 months. I have clips on my pedals. Only fell once. : )

Hi Suzie,

We probably go about the same pace, so we can ride together if you like. This is my first group ride since I was age 20, so it is new to me too. The only advantage I have is that I have ridden/driven those roads a lot, and the roads near Champoeg Park I rode a lot this summer.

I will send you a private message with my email address and phone number so we can figure out how to meet. I live rurally between Sherwood and Newberg, and Champoeg Park is only 11 miles from my house. I ride from the park almost every day because 1)I love to ride and 2)I really am trying to burn off the excess body fat. I can tell you that since I started biking in late May, I have gained a lot of muscle density, so I would think that will happen to you also. Your skinny legs will eventually turn into slabs of muscle.:)

If you like, we can meet at Champoeg Park on a sunny day and do a 20-mile ride together, in advance of this ride.

I will ask the other TE member I rode with last night if she wants to join us. However she rides a road bike, and though she thinks she rides slow, she is faster than me, so she will leave the two of us in the dust.

I think the starting time is 7 to 8 a.m. When I find out more, I will let you know. A bike shop is on hand to fix flats and broken chains during the ride. Just remember to inflate your tires before the ride, and to oil/lube the chain and stuff.

Darcy

Hi Suzie & Darcy:

I think that's awesome that you're both going to meet up for the ride.

Most of all, HAVE FUN :)

Peace & Love,

Denise

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Denise223

Hi Suzie & Darcy:

I think that's awesome that you're both going to meet up for the ride.

Most of all, HAVE FUN :)

Peace & Love,

Denise

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Yeah, ditto that. See how cool TE is--you "met" each other here and now you're doing a ride together. Have a great time, and let us know how it goes!