Getting To Know You

[Biking Chick]

Greetings Sister Bikers!

I recently discovered Team Estrogen and have really enjoyed lurking and reading the different posts but decided it was time to introduce myself.

I've been biking off and on since my parents bought me my first emerald green Schwinn in the early 1960's Five years ago when my husband got serious about biking we traded our 20-year old 10 speeds for comfort bikes. That was in February ... by September we both had road bikes .. a yellow and blue Trek 2200 WSD for me and a 7600 FX that dh has since tricked out with drop bars, Shimano 105 shifters and a carbon front fork. By the next spring we had Trek 4900 mountain bikes and had given our comfort bikes to friends who really needed to get out and ride. The first time I got on my 2200 I told my husband that I didn't know if I 'needed' the bike since I wasn't a roadie. His reply was ... 'you could be'. Since then I've put on about 1500 miles a year on my road bike alone and I am glad he saw the roadie in me when I couldn't.

Last year when I was celebrating my 50th birth year I warned everyone that I did not want to receive one card about being over the hill or anything in 'black' .. unless it was in the form of a little black dress ... I was so excited about being 50 and starting this new adverture in my life's journey that I didn't want anything negative to take away from my joy. My husband planned my anniversary birth day to inclue a romantic get away, a heart felt letter all topped off with a Trek 5200 WSD. What an awesome ride.

When I'm not biking I'm enjoying researching family history and my creative outlet is writing the history into narrative form. I also enjoy raising and training our four English cocker spaniels - our three son's (30, 27 and 25) all enjoy riding with us - they are all into mountain biking and we hope to get at least the oldest son and his wife into road biking - my daughter-in-law and I are the same size so she can use the 2200. While I'm not into the racing aspect we do a lot of charity rides during the year.

So .. enough about me .. I look forward to meeting more of my sister bikers.

[bounceswoosh]

Hi!

I actually just started posting here yesterday, so I'm very new =) I've been drooling over the inventory at the TE shop, and occasionally indulging myself, for a while now, though.

I'm a 26yo who bought my mountain bike last year. It's the first bike I've ridden in years. I ride it once or twice a weekend when the weather's appropriate. I'm definitely a fair-weather cyclist; when winter approaches, I don my ski gear instead.

I'm definitely still a newbie, but getting better with every ride. I finally saw a doctor for some knee problems, and it turned out that my kneecaps have been tracking at an angle for years and have caused cartilage damage. Whoops! The good news is that, while I went to the doctor about pain and stiffness, the physical therapy has already made me much stronger and faster on climbs. Well, I guess that makes sense, since they're all quad workouts.

I went to my first mountain bike clinic last weekend, taught by Tonya over at http://www.mtbchick.com/ Not only was it a great learning experience, but it's inspiring to see such an athlete up close and in person.

When I'm not biking, you might find me playing ice hockey (started about a year ago), skiing (since I was 16), practicing martial arts (15, I think), reading, or playing with computers (I'm a software engineer for fun and profit). In the interest of eating more healthy foods, I've also just started cooking, so that's been an adventure ...

[spokes]

welcome to both of you! i'm mostly a lurker here myself, but since no one else had responded yet i thought i'd say hi.

i'm a roadie, i started commuting by bike last year. at the time i had probably been on a bike for all of 30 minutes in my adult life. thank god for bike week promos! now i love it. i mostly bike while i'm commuting, as i can't seeem to drag my butt out of bed on the weekends --even though the roads are clear and the driver are less cranky.

anyway, glad to see you both here. as you can probably tell, this forum is a wonderful resource-- very informative and supportive. congratulations, biking chick, on approaching your 50th with such gusto. welcome to you both!

[bounceswoosh]

Spokes said:

i mostly bike while i'm commuting, as i can't seeem to drag my butt out of bed on the weekends --even though the roads are clear and the driver are less cranky.

See, that's the great thing about biking (as opposed to, say, skiing) -- you can get up at noon on a weekend and still have a nice ride!

From an aerobic perspective, I think it would be really good for me to bike to work (~20 miles), but those cars really scare me! I'm fortunate enough to live in an area where there are cyclists all over the place, so at least the drivers are accustomed to bikes, but still ... scary!

Are there any resources out there on biking in traffic? For example, at one point, I would have to make a left turn across a road with 2-3 lanes in each direction. Do I cross the three lanes to get into the left-hand turn lane? Scary stuff!

[Veronica]

I often have to cross two lanes of traffic to make a left hand turn. If I can, I cross and get into the turn lane - like a car. If I can't and the cross street is fairly minor I turn right on the cross street and do a u turn on it and then cross with that traffic. If the cross street also has multiple lanes, I'll cross with traffic, stop at the crosswalk and use the pedestrian light to go across. Whatever it takes to keep you safe! Last night I rode a couple of extra miles to avoid a busy turn.

V.

[Biking Chick]

Originally posted by Veronica
Whatever it takes to keep you safe!
V.

Sounds like a good signature line to me!

When I have to make a left turn and cross multiple lanes of traffic I also get into the turn lane like a car but am very 'wary' of traffic behind me ... you never know who is going to be on a cell phone and totally oblivious to someone (me!) on a bike with a flashing light and wearing high viz optic yellow jersey or jacket.

When crossing intersections with traffic lights I make eye contact with people in the cars waiting to proceed and watch the front wheels of people who are making right hand turns .. if their wheels continue to 'roll' I slow down anticipating that they are going to pull out in front of me.

Spokes I know what you mean about dragging yourself out of bed .. for me it's a matter of getting busy with other things and coming up with a number of really good excuses for not going out and riding. Since I am a notorious list maker I put 'on my bike' at the top of the list. Seeing something on my list that I have not crossed out will make we change clothes and get out and ride. I've found that NOT putting away my biking clothes helps .. when they are 'in my face' so to speak I can't ignore the fact that I have made the decision not to ride (today). I'll tell myself .. I'll go out for 20 minutes which more often than not turns into a 15 mile ride. But if it doesn't - 20 minutes with my butt in a saddle is far better than 20 minutes on my butt in front of the tv (or in front of the computer).

[spokes]

i get stressed out about the lefts too. no one really gave me a hassle about it, but i've decided to switch tactics for this year. so now, i'll find a way to go around the block instead of turning left. it seems like a waste of time but it actually is faster because i don't have to wait for a gap in rush-hour traffic or for the light to change. i think if more motorists did this, there would be far fewer accidents because people were making stupid lefts.

for more info on biking in traffic, google some search terms like 'bicycling traffic' etc, and check out the links on bike club websites. i think www.critical-mass.org has some good links too.

it sounds like you're already doing the things it took me a while to learN-- making eye contact, watching wheels, etc. the biggest help in my traffic/biking reaserch was emergency moves-- like to turn right if someone turns left into in an intersection.

i find the worst part about biking in traffic is dreading it-- doing it isn't actually that bad! good luck!

[skibum]

Spokes said:

welcome to both of you! i'm mostly a lurker here myself, but since no one else had responded yet i thought i'd say hi.

I'm mostly a lurker here too. I've been riding since I was a kid but have pretty much been a casual rider. Another way to be outside enjoying a nice day with friends. That is, until recently...

My boyfriend is a serious roadie and is going on a group trip to see the Tour de France this summer. A spot opened up on the trip so he asked me if I'd like to go. I think he was expecting me to be one of the 'bus queens' (his term, not mine) that take the bus from the hotel to watch the day's stage rather than riding to it. But, I'm athletic and just the use of that term gave me enough determination to try to become a serious enough roadie to be able to ride my bike in France.

I've been training a lot and am improving my speed and endurance on the bike. With two months to go, I think I will be ready by the time the trip comes. The Team Estrogen forums have been a great resource for me for cycling tips to help with my training.

I'm enjoying the cycling so, even after the trip, it will remain as one of my many athletic pursuits.

[bounceswoosh]

But, I'm athletic and just the use of that term gave me enough determination to try to become a serious enough roadie to be able to ride my bike in France.

What a great motivator to get in shape! I'd wish you luck, but I'm sure you don't need it!

[Biking Chick]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by skibum
[B]Spokes said:

But, I'm athletic and just the use of that term gave me enough determination to try to become a serious enough roadie to be able to ride my bike in France.

I've been training a lot and am improving my speed and endurance on the bike. With two months to go, I think I will be ready by the time the trip comes.


You rock!!!!

I'm envious and hope you will think about your sister bikers back in the states who are wishing we were with you!

[fultzie]

wow, skibum, have fun!! sounds like a great trip

[massbikebabe]

Hi Biking Chick:


Just wanted to say hi and that I loved your post. I have a Trek 5200 WSD and love it to death...what a ride!

karen...fairly newbie to the boards

[JanT]

I'll jump in here, now. Nice to meet everyone. I've been lurking for a few weeks since I found this site and have enjoyed reading the posts. I've been mountain biking for several years, but only this year began commuting to work after I moved to a position closer to home. This has helped me overcome my absolute terror of riding on the roads. I still have some fear, but think it helps me to be safe with all the inattentive drivers. I have also had more trouble getting to the trails during the week, as the builders in Phoenix have fenced me out of my favorite local ride. During the past year or so, I've felt there is a little roadie in me trying to emerge. To test the waters, I rode a metric century on my mountain bike, and I really enjoyed it. So, I decided it's time to buy a road bike. I've been online doing some research (that's how I ended up here!). I expect to visit here regularly to keep learning more about road biking. However, I know I will always have this great passion for the dirt!
Jan

[jobob]

Welcome to the boards, all of ya's!

Biking Chick - I really enjoyed your story. Your husband is very well trained

bounceswoosh - love the name! - I used to be very timid about riding in traffic, then I joined a women-only progressive training ride series leading up to (again) a women-only metric century. It was a great, supportive atmosphere, and we did a lot of riding in traffic which made me much more comfortable with it. I do prefer even now to be in a group rather than on my own when I'm in traffic or on narrow, windy roads, the larger group is much more visible (and the cynic in me says there are more witnesses!! ) Anyhow, if you could hook up with a group, that might help you get over the anxiety.

Here are a couple of links to sites about riding in traffic. The key is to be predictable and to let drivers know what you're doing. http://bicyclesafe.com/
http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/index.htm

skibum - wow, I'm envious! You must tell us all about it when you get back. Good luck with the training, I hope you see very little of the inside of that bus

JanT - those links up above are for you too! Hope you find the perfect road bike. And enjoy the dirt too.

- Jo.

[Biking Chick]

Originally posted by massbikebabe
Hi Biking Chick:


Just wanted to say hi and that I loved your post. I have a Trek 5200 WSD and love it to death...what a ride!

karen...fairly newbie to the boards

Hi Karen ... thanks for taking the time to post a reply.

I'm feeling a bit 'guilty' about having my 2200 *tied* to the trainer especially since it has helped get me to where I am today. I've logged a lot of time on that bike and look forward to the time when my daughter-in-law and I can ride together. Then I won't feel so bad about ignoring her (2200).

I really love my 5200 and am sold on Trek and WSD

Cindy
Ride Like A Girl!