New (and Clueless) in Seattle...

[sgtiger]

Dex, welcome to Seattle! Welcome to TE! Both Anabelle and Lola are very pretty girls.

I also signed up for the STP even though before this year I haven't biked very much at all. I'm excited and a little apprehensive about taking on such a big (for me) endeavor. I try to take it day by day, and increase my distance a bit every week. And I doubt you could be slower than me. I'm averaging 9 mph right now and I don't even have very many truly steep hills around here.

[KnottedYet]

OOOOOH! Pretty bike!

Hey, the Tulilp Pedal is next weekend. (link is in the NW fforum, and I'm too lazy to go get it) Lets go!

[HipGnosis6]

Welcome to Seattle.... no need to worry about holding me up, either. I haven't ridden in months and months, and my bike's starting to look pretty inviting as the weather gets better. I like to ride Myrtle-Edwards park and then go out to the bluff and get some lunch at Maggie's (which totally offsets the value of getting a little exercise, but that's OK) and if you'd like to make that relatively short and totally flat ride with me some time, just give a holler.

[dex]

I did it. And I didn't hurt myself. Granted, I only went about ten miles, but the important thing is this: I didn't hurt myself.

(I am far from a picture of grace and coordination, and am constantly bumping into things and yelping with surprise/pain, so this was a real concern...my co-workers have been teasing me all week about starting a betting pool to see how many scrapes and bruises I'll end up with by Monday morning when I return to the office.)

I'm going to need some more practice getting in and out of those pedals, though. That was much with the awkward.

Off to check on this Tulip Pedal thing. Now that I'm over the initial trepidation, I think I may be up to that.

[dex]

Just poking my head back in here to say that today I managed my longest ride so far. Fifty miles. Yay, me! I actually only meant to do thirty, but the weather was so nice, I was having fun, and I felt so good that I decided to go longer. I'll probably be a little sore in the legs tomorrow, but I think it was totally worth it.

I started on the Burke-Gilman from Gasworks, then the Sammamish River Trail out to Redmond Town Center...where I turned around and went back to my car waiting for me at the Gasworks parking lot.

I guess I have to start tackling hills next. They scare me, not as much because of the effort (I know they'll get easier over time), but because I'm not very good at shifting. I have some kind of brain block there that I haven't managed to work through yet.

Anyway, just babbling now...

[KnottedYet]

If you ever want to have a TE meet-up on the Burke or the Samm, give a holler.

I'm still working out the new gearing on my bike, and I'd love to have a riding buddy who is also working out gearing and shifting. We could deviate from the trail and find a hill to practice shifting on!

[dex]

You'll probably have to wait for me on the other side of any hills (because I'm sure I'll be huffing and puffing my way slowly up any hill at this point), but I'd be up for that!

I also want to say that after reading so much about Brooks saddles here, I've put a B17 on my bike and I love, love, love it so far...so do my girly bits. On the stock saddle that came with the bike (that I knew I'd have to replace anyway), I was in discomfort after about six miles, but nothing at all on my first shorter ride with it or on the long one today...so that's a win.

Now I think I have to reassess my handlebars. Though I seem to have the opposite problem of most women, as I suspect mine are a little too narrow for my ridiculously broad shoulders. My shoulders measure 45-46 cm across, and my handlebars are 42 cm. (I've had four people measure them for me so far, and twice came up 45 and twice 46, so that's why I said 45-46.) My elbows kind of feel like they're collapsing inward toward my torso and compressing my chest a little, which seems to make it a little harder to breathe deeply, and they're left a little sore from the wierd positioning. And there's a pulling sensation up around my traps that makes me think I'm pulling my shoulders down and rounding them, or something.

Um, I'm babbling a lot tonight. I should probably go to bed now.

[Eden]

A good practice hill just off of the BG - immediately after you go through the tunnel (the one about 1/4 mile before the Bothel Landing park - where the chickens are) go straight across the first bridge instead of turning right. Follow the trail until it ends then get onto the road. Go through the intersection with the traffic light. Go just a little further and take a right onto 112th Pl NE, keep climbing by going to the right again onto NE 164th Pl. The street name changes several times, but if you keep on going straight you'll come out to a bigger street which is NE 145th (be careful on the descent, it is fast, winding and you will need to stop quickly at the bottom), take a right to the next street light (you go only about a block on this street) and then take another right onto 100th Ave NE - this is a busier street, but it has a bike lane and will take you back down to the BG trail right at the golf course.

This is a fairly long climb, but it has a little of every thing so its a good one to practice on.