I want to start cycling but I AM SHY!!!

[Kano]

This is one of the great things about cycling! I find that although I started out nervous and self-conscious, it has given me so much freedom. I love the sport and the goals I have in it, so now when I go to the gym, for instance, I really don't care what I look like (and I ain't pretty in spandex)...it is all about being able to do my goal ride in August. Same with being out on the bike in my unflattering bike clothes. Same with trying to shed weight...it is all about improving the climbing!

It was seeing GUYS in bike shorts with flapping bellies atop them that made me decide I could wear my bike shorts in public! The thing about "ain't pretty in spandex" is that, well, okay, maybe not, but all the parts are secured AND we can move in it -- both NECESSARY to getting to the point where the rest of the world sees that gorgeous butt that I know is in there somewhere!

Karen in Boise

[DarcyInOregon]

I think falling in front of people is fun because you can laugh at yourself. If you can laugh at yourself, then you can't be shy about anything.

I have a number of falls that happened in front of people. Maybe my favorite is last summer when I was trying to bike long distances on my heavy hybrid, before I finally decided I needed a road bike. I stopped at mile 14 in this tiny rural farm town to drink and munch. I was perched on my saddle with one foot resting on a curb. I was in front of this little house that had three rose bushes planted in the ground between the curb and the sidewalk. For some reason I toppled off the bike, even though I was at a complete standstill, and I went splat right on top of one of the rose shrubs and my helmet bounced on the sidewalk. I got up and to my dismay I saw that I had flattened the rose bush. Oh my. I have lots of roses in my landscape so I know the bushes can be trimmed and pruned and grow right back, but I still felt very bad about the damage I caused. And yes, the shrub grew back, because I bike through that little town several times a week and I always swivel my head to look at it, but I never stop at the exact spot anymore.

Your falls are not anything to be scared of, unless you cycle at real high speeds. Most of the falls happen while being stopped or going very slow, and the most annoying thing about it is putting holes into the expensive bike clothing. Eventually you remember the falls with as much fondness as the days with the best rides, when the temperature was just right, the sun was out, the body's energy levels were high, the flowers were blooming, the birds were singing, the traffic wasn't too bad, no dogs chased the bike and the ride was just absolutely awesome. You remember those rides, and you remember the falls.

Darcy