Very frustrated and sad (longish)

[Karma007]

I showed up for my first group road ride with my Target mtb (chunky tires and all), t-shirt and converse! I'll admit to being a little intimidated, but the group was friendly and pointed out how much harder I was working than they were, to push my bike at the same speed. If you love to ride, ride!

[Grog]

There's this dude I've seen a few times on the road in Quebec, including on a week-long bike tour.

Old mountain bike with a wire basket in the front with his little dog in it, wearing cut-off jeans and a usually-unbuttoned shirt.

A really, really strong rider.

Turns out he's a former pro-cyclist and the trainer of other pro-cyclists. But he also just likes to ride. (I guess riding spandex-free changes his frame of mind.)

Just ride and have fun. Do whatever it takes to have fun, be safe, and feel comfortable. And if you feel like you're wearing the "wrong" thing, remember that even the pros do it.

[Biciclista]

And then there's Kent Peterson

He wears hiking boots when he rides and wears street clothes and he's really cool. (Sort of a Sheldon Brown type)

[ClockworkOrange]

Hey, as you guys would say "Gray, you really rock girl", that is some mileage you do!

I cannot afford to buy all the fancy named clothing or accessories but I love what I have. I'll let you into a little secret, I seem to spend more time looking up various things on the internet, cos I have never heard of them, now what's all this chamois stuff about??? That's what I use to clean the windows.

My gorgeous faithfully Orange Clockwork bike is 10 years old this year and it was second hand then.

My happy days of riding apparel use to be a sleeveless vest top, shorts and flip flops, and no helmet! However, after coming on this site it has taught me not to be a numpty and to wear a helmet.

If I cycled about in all the proper stuff, I would really stick out like a sore thumb. For me, I love cycling alone, perhaps if I was younger I might have joined a club, otherwise it is just myself and my partner.

I guess my motto is "I DON'T CARE", I just ride in a mish mash of clothes and love every minute of it.

Finally, Gray you have a lot of supporters out there and I so admired what you wrote.

Hope the training goes well for the Lifecycle Ride in 2010.

Clock

[solobiker]

Sorry you feel this way. All that matters is that you ride and enjoy yourself. You don't need the fancy jersey or shorts to ride your bike. I used to ride with someone who would always pick on me because my shirt/jersey did not match my gloves or my helmet. Give me a break..I don't care if they don't match. From my name you can probably assume that I ride alone, well I do. I am not a member of any clubs or teams. Just enjoy being outside.

[PamNY]

I saw my favorite biking lady today! She always wears a leopard swing coat, along with festive jewelry (including big earrings) and colorful scarves. She's not a young woman, but she's out there biking in winter and looking very stylish indeed.

Pam

[Zen]

I saw my favorite biking lady today! She always wears a leopard swing coat, along with festive jewelry (including big earrings) and colorful scarves. She's not a young woman, but she's out there biking in winter and looking very stylish indeed.

Pam

I hope someone says that about me one day