I have a confession...starting the bike

[Catrin]

I kind of sort of did it I suppose it depends on how much one's definition - but it was a good beginning.

So there I was, in an empty parking lot. Clipped in my right foot and pulled the pedal up to about 1:00. Then my body just froze. My mind knew what to do but my body said "no I am not doing that". Then I remembered what someone said about it perhaps being a matter of muscle memory and I thought of a middle approach.

I brought my pedal back up to 1:00 then pushed on the pedal and somehow slid the saddle under my butt and just took off. It was certainly my fastest start of all time - normally I have to situate myself on the saddle, shift my butt or my left foot that is on the ground around and finally take off. This was fast once I actually committed, and I did the same thing again when I stopped at an outhouse.

Once the ride was over I tried to start more "properly" and almost succeeded, but my saddle got caught in my shorts as my butt wasn't clearing the saddle. THIS is where the muscle memory comes in I think.

During my ride I tried to get as close as I could to standing while coasting - and I got pretty darn close. I remembered what someone said about allowing the saddle to lean a little against my thigh and that was quite helpful. I think once my body is more accustomed to standing on a moving two-wheel object in motion that the problem will solve itself. Kind of like the clipless thing took care of itself in time

You know, my saddle is only an inch or so too low. It is amazing to me that small distance could be such a bother to the joints and so forth. Someone also suggested in an email that I may well be faster once my legs are extended properly.