My revelation.."Do I fit in here?"

[Trekhawk]

Welcome!
I look forward to seeing some pics soon.

[jobob]

Oh Caprice, I have to admit I got a bit of a chuckle from your post. You sound a lot like I did when I first wandered into this forum.

This was from my very first post on TE ...

Hi everyone - I came across this forum a few days ago and I’ve really enjoyed wading through many of the threads, what a nice supportive bunch you are!

My name is Jo, I’m in my early 40’s and live in the San Francisco Bay area. My husband and I took up biking about a year and a half ago. Up until recently my husband was much more into biking than I – he now has 3 bikes to my 1, and he goes out riding nearly every day, while I just tend to plotz around for a few hours on weekends on my hybrid, staying mainly on the bikepaths near our home. Riding with me is a ‘rest’ ride for my husband, LOL!

I wrote that about six years ago. That thread turned into my adventures in getting my first road bike.

Since then, I've met a bunch of women who contribute to this forum, many of whom are my best friends to this day. And since then I've been on some pretty long rides, and I've gotten a couple more bikes.

But my point is, none of us started out with spiffy road bikes or entering races or going out on century rides. Many of the women here started out the way I did, well into our adult years toodling around a bit on the bike paths. Some of us caught the cycling bug along the way and have since set our sights on longer or faster rides, while some of us enjoy more leisurely rides with family or friends or on our own. It's all good.

So welcome.

[staceysue]

See what I mean? It really IS the best forum on the entire web.

[Kris]

Caprice, I'm way more like you than I am like all those fast-bike-owning racers who post so generously here!

[Wahine]

See what I mean? It really IS the best forum on the entire web.

It really is.

Caprice... I am one of those riders (not recently because I've been to busy) that posts about looooooooong rides, races and other such adventures. I am also a coach. Guess what my favorite group of people to coach is.... beginners, especially women. The reason why I love it is that it warms my heart to hear the stories of the "firsts". The first time you made it up that steep hill, the first time you rode more than 10 miles, the first time you went clipless... I thrive on that stuff.

Welcome to TE and keep posting. We want to hear those stories.