Dear Mighty Mitre:

Thanks for the advice. Usually we stop at a winery and just eat lunch outside so there isn't any tile floors just dirt.

You said to have the LBS check out to see if my feet are positioned correctly which brings me to another question.

Have you ever had a custom fit on your bike from a LBS? It just so happens that the owner or manager of two of the LBS's is a guy who showed up at the support group I started a couple of years ago. So when he saw me returning the butterfly saddle he started asking questions and I told him that the Butterfly had been worse than my original saddle and as such I hadn't been able to ride for two weeks due to extreme soreness. I told him I thought I would stick with my old saddle and go ahead and get cycling shoes. So he said that if my old saddle wasn't as bad as the butterfly for me that it could be the fact that I never had a custom fit and as such, if I made an appointment during the week, he would not only custom fit my bike but do it for free! Isn't that sweet of him? I feel so lucky. He said to wait until my shoes came in though before doing the custom fit and that would be a good time to ask about my foot position.

I also had another nice experience. I thought I heard someone call my name as we were riding but I didn't recognize the other two cyclists and since my husband didn't hear my name he thought it was wishful thinking. Well it turns out it was a guy I know who is the best cyclist I know. You can't imagine how tough the mountains he rides are. He rides all up and down California camping out here and there. Anyway he called me yesterday to see if it was me that he saw that day and I said it was and he said I was doing real well for a beginner! He said it was great that I made it up one of the steep hills, came down at a terrific speed, missed the warning sign about the large cement bump, and yet managed to stay on the bike even while air bourne. I know he was taking into account the type of hills and the fact I am a beginner but it felt really nice to hear someone who is so proficient give me a compliment. He even said he would like to find time to ride with Gene and I sometime. I can't believe it. As good as Gene is, Vin is still in much better shape and the fact that he would actually say he wants to ride with us is amazing because we are so not in his class. But isn't this exciting good news?