First ride on my new bike!
Hey-
I just got a new road bike. 2110 Cannondale Synapse Feminine 6, carbon frame Blue. I have not been on a road bike for about 20 years. (Pre-kids)
I have been battling Plantar Faciitis for the past two years and have been getting my main cardio on an elliptical instead of running. I need some air!
My husband is a long-time cyclist and we have an Airstream travel trailer and tend to choose our campgrounds for their biking opportunities. We ride all over the place on our mountain bikes. He also often takes long training rides or does an organized ride. Lately I find myself drawn to joining him.
So we invested in a road bike for me. I picked it up this rainy Saturday and went on my first ride Sunday. We went to a local state park so that I could get used to the brakes and shifting. There have been a lot of technological changes since my last road bike! I rode nine miles. Definitely not even close to my limit but I didn't want any painful surprises that would keep me off the bike today.
Right now I have platform pedals since my shoes are on order. I will have a set of pink Speed Play pedals installed later this week. Then a whole new learning session will ensue. I am glad that I have had the chance to get used to the position, braking and shifting before I have to tackle clip-less pedals. I have practiced on my husbands bike, but have not mastered them yet nor have I been out on a real road.
Hopefully my next post will not be giving you all the embarrassing details about my first clip-less ride!
Thank you for the encouragement!
I will be meeting my husband for ride #3 at 4pm est. Mistletoe park again. He went out for a training ride and I will drive to the park and meet him. We ride around together and then put both bikes on the truck and drive home.
I took a short ride on the "real road" yesterday. It is much scarier than it was in my 20's and 30's. When I get my pedals we will go to the Fort Gordon Army Base. Very little traffic and nice long loops.
I frequent the Airstream Forum, which uses this same forum format, and they have more features available. One that is nice is the ability to "thank" people individually with a special little button. They have a lot more members and offer a "Supporting Member" option. They also have more advertisers. They must subscribe to the Cadillac Plan.
Thanks to everyone for your comments!
Had a big gap between rides.
We spent the weekend at the Falluminum Airstream Rally in North Georgia. Had a great time.
We carried two bikes each up but only one got used. There was a lot of rain for the road bikes and we took our dog, Cooper, so we spent a lot of time walking him instead of riding the mountain bikes.
Dave did his planned 40 mile ride. He made it up Brass Town Bald. Wrecked twice going up hill. It was slick with wet fall leaves and he was on a very steep part and slipped and flipped over on his back, still hooked into the pedals. He was like a turtle.
I made apple crisp in the dutch oven for the pot luck brunch while he was riding. He pulled in just in time to eat with all the campers. What a treat after a ride.
Came home to bad weather. Had to settle for the elliptical. Wednesday was beautiful but I have a morning-to-night schedule. I was able to take my bike to the LBS to get my white parts...finally! The shop is next door to my church, which is where I spend the majority of Wednesday.
Cannondale sent the seat they use on a more expensive bike. That was a bonus.
Finally got to ride today. Same routine with the park meeting. Experienced a few milestones...rode 20 miles, went out on the real road, and got chased by a pair of country dogs (Jack Russell and a Pitt Bull:-0)
We were able to sneak by one of my husbands favorite "training partners"; he calls him Captain Jack. He was distracted by his owner putting him in the truck for a ride.
We met our UPS guy in the driveway when we got home. He knew Captain Jack too. He knows a lot of the same country dogs as Dave.
Next ride will be at least 25. So far everything is holding up well on my 49 year old body. This is much kinder than running.
