GOOD EVENING EVERYONE


Yesterday afternoon I went on my very first "solo ride". I'm really quite proud of myself . I put the bike rack on the car, put the bike on that & drove about 5 miles west, out of the city.

I enjoyed about 10 miles of pretty country road & I felt pretty good about it . At least NOW, I know that riding alone is something that I am capable of.
I would've liked to have gone on longer, but I made the decision to "go alone" a bit late, so 10 miles is all I could do.

I will admit, I did feel a bit uncomfortable a couple of time being by myself, but nothing major.....but, I am very happy that I did it!

Ever since my husband and I started riding this year together (June, 2005), I would only ride if we drove OUT of our city to get to a more "bicycle friendly" town.

After spending 3 summers of just riding around in parking lots, (I'd have to say total mileage (in 3 summers) was approximately 25 miles ), because of my fear of riding on streets & having to deal with cars and trucks, this year I've made some progress.
We'd gone on a 7 mile ride in 2004 (I think), and I remember being totally paralyzed with fear.....

I NEVER WANTED TO RIDE AGAIN! I could not imagine that cycling could ever, ever be fun!! I honestly hated it!

On my "solo ride", I wore a backpack to hold extra bottles of fluids, (I am always thirsty), & all the other important stuff that one carries.
I am one million percent CERTAIN that wearing a backpack is definitely not for me!!
Very uncomfortable, cumbersome -- I just don't like it.
I was going to purchase a camelbak because I am drinking all of the time, but I really don't think that that is going to work either.

So.........I will really have to look into purchasing perhaps an Arkel Tail Rider, or something like that, for over my back tire-(A rack trunk bag). I'll have to ask my lbs what they might suggest, and take a look at the threads here & see what options are out there.

I tried a handlebar bag, but the brake wires are there (straight bar), and there really is no room at all. It wasn't big enough to hold any extra water and/or gatorade, either. (not to mention, it made a very annoying sound.... like when corduroy rubs together........drove me a bit nuts )


Today, I conquered another fear !!

Ben and I wanted to enjoy a ride today, but time was a bit limited. He worked today until 2pm & was going to see the Patriots tonight, so he'd have to leave here at 5:30pm, the latest. (I love football, BUT...in this heat with all that gear on??)

We were going to "do the usual", (rack on the car, put bikes on & head out to the "country"......), BUT.........Ben asked if I wouldn't mind trying to leave from home.... . There was no pressure at all, he was just wondering....

I thought to myself, 'yeah, we could definitely save time & we'd be able to spend more time together & enjoy a nice ride'. I KNEW that if this didn't feel comfortable to me AT ALL, that we could just go back & "do the usual"...

But, I decided to give it a try, and......guess what???? IT WAS GREAT !! Imagine that??? It was OK!! I really, really had a wicked awesome time!

We were able to enjoy a fantastic 20 mile ride that Ben rode a couple of weeks ago. It was sooooooooooooo enjoyable!!
When we rode past the place where we usually park our car, it was very strange not seeing it there.

It was nice knowing that we had "extra time" to ride. Ben was very proud of me . I AM PROUD OF MYSELF!! !

I'll be 46 years young in November, and I know that the above "feats" don't sound like much.....but, my fears were VERY REAL.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE RIDING SOOOOOOOOOO VERY MUCH !! It makes me feel great. The "huffing and puffing" is getting A LOT BETTER!
I still stop & take a break when I'm breathing extremely hard (open mouth breathing). I'll stop & drink how ever much I want, maybe have a bite of a bar -- just get my breathing under control.

There's absolutely no sense for me to continue riding when I can't catch my breath. After "my break", I can continue on feeling so much better.

We had quite a few hills today, and I was in much more control of my breathing. I noticed that during the more difficult parts, I was not breathing through my mouth like I used to. Must be progress...

And, I really do feel a lot stronger. I feel a lot better about myself. We're having so much fun !

Peace & Love,

Denise