Pain.. riding..

[Owlie]

A gear that feels right on one day isn't necessarily going to feel right the next.
I'm sorry you had a bad ride. It happens. Rest, gentle stretches, warm shower and NSAIDs if necessary are your friends.

If the trail is the one I think you're talking about, it's actually a slight downhill going south...which means it's a slight uphill going north. It seems flat, but I've always noticed it's a bit easier to go south than it is to go north. And I hear you on the crowds.

[DarcyInOregon]

Also, did you pump up your tires to the right amount before the ride? Earlier this year I was cycling with a friend who was really struggling and it turns out she was riding on a slowly deflating tire. When it was finally obvious that the tire was flat, she had one of those "oh" moments.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Check to make sure your brakes are not rubbing on the wheels.

Learn how to shift gears.

Go to an empty parking lot (a school lot on a sunday?) and practice just tooling around and shifting gears and turning, stopping, starting, riding big figure 8's.

If these things don't help, then go to a good bike shop and have them check to see if your bike is not fitting you correctly, and to make sure the bike is operating normally. It shouldn't be hard to pedal if you are riding on flat terrain. you shouldn't be clipping/rubbing anything with your right foot at every pedal stroke either. Something's not right.

[jessmarimba]

The acute pain in the arms/neck could've been caused by you being stressed out about the ride. I've had that happen on a run before, if I'm having a slow day and can't keep up with a group or started the run feeling not-so-into-it. I end up tensed up with bad posture because I'm having a bad run and have shooting pain in my neck and shoulders. At that point, it's better to give up and try again tomorrow. Or see if someone on the ride will give you a quick shoulder/neck massage!

[Roadtrip]

Thanks for all the help!!

• Tires are inflated properly and checked before each ride.
• Derailleurs recently adjusted by the LBS as I was having trouble shifting into the largest gear/cog on the back (bike is 3-4 months old and has less then 100 miles on it)
• Owlie is right, the trail is 'slightly' upward going north and 'slightly' downward' going south... loop trail... but good for the newbie for right now.
• Yes, agreed I need to become skilled at shifting. Six weeks or there about I couldn't even balance and this was only the second time I ventured out on the trail, so yea.. it goes without saying I still have lots to learn.
• Stress/Tension is defiantly an issue (Working on this)
• Not entirely sure what it was my foot was rubbing on, but will pay more attention to my position in the saddle. I know I was all messed up Tuesday trying to deal with the pain and wasn't concentrating 100%

Feeling MUCH better now after a day off yesterday and some TLC and hot compress on my neck seems to have helped a lot. Sunny and 70 degrees outside... making me way to get out and RIDE... but stuck at work.

[hebe]

I'm glad you're feeling better today. Hopefully the weather will hold so you can get back on the bike at the weekend.