first longer ride-mixed feelings

[cobalt]

I am new too but I am fearless which is worse! I don't like to stop and I give my husband fits on rides. He says that once I have crashed I will be more careful...

He "mothers" me on rides and I don't like that.

I go your speed, wish we didn't live so far apart. Wouldn't it be nice to have a friend close by that you could ride with?

I do go by myself but it's getting darker earlier and it will be too cold soon and then it will snow. That will end that!

Just go for a spin around your neighborhood, a few miles, no need to always go long.

[trinena]

I am new too but I am fearless which is worse! I don't like to stop and I give my husband fits on rides. He says that once I have crashed I will be more careful...

He "mothers" me on rides and I don't like that.

I go your speed, wish we didn't live so far apart. Wouldn't it be nice to have a friend close by that you could ride with?

I do go by myself but it's getting darker earlier and it will be too cold soon and then it will snow. That will end that!

Just go for a spin around your neighborhood, a few miles, no need to always go long.

ya if you lived closer maybe we'd find that happy medium btwn fearful & fearless! and if only there wasn't such a steep hill around my block! hills all over the place here but shorter rides are a good idea.

[Jallora]

My DH is usally pretty good, but I still get frustrated with him now and then. In fact, this weekend I told him that I'm going to carry my airsoft gun and shoot him in the butt with it when he gets too far ahead of me. I've actually stopped at a bench before and waited for him to realize I wasn't with him anymore and double back. He's really good when it's just the two of us, but if another guy is with us the testosterone starts flowing and he loses brain function.

He was getting frustrated with me with not being able to do the same speed as he does for as long. He developed a little more understanding when he realized during the Olympics that the women pros don't ride the same distance or at the same average speed as the men do.

[GraysonKelly]

Hey there,
Wow! Do I understand where you're coming from. I have only been doing this for about 5 months now but up until last week I was doing it all on a Mountain Bike (who by the way looks exactly like your bike except of course that she's a mountain bike). Anyway, I always ride along because my partner doesn't ride. I am naturally cautious about where I ride and how I ride, but on the new bike it's almost like learning all over again. I can't imagine trying to keep up with others right now until I get comfy. Patience, patience, patience....number one rule. At least for me. You'll get it and probably blow him away a time or two. Good luck and don't quit, you're doing great!
Gray

[Geonz]

What they said!

Another idea: Get him to ride a 50 pound bicycle with fat tires. It's a great equalizer

But don't be embarrassed about being nervous.

I am reasonably sure I don't have the responses to ride fearlessly, though they're better than they were. I do a great "deer in the headlights" thing when I'm overwhelmed, which means I'd crash. Even if I'm wrong, that is MY choice of the risks I choose to take. So, even though after oh, a dozen years (and the luck of big thighs) I've gotten strong enough to seriously embarrass people on indoor time trials, I don't ride on the streets with the people I can out-do on a trainer. Those rides freak me out.

Get stronger and faster on *your* terms.

[trinena]

Hey there,
Wow! Do I understand where you're coming from. I have only been doing this for about 5 months now but up until last week I was doing it all on a Mountain Bike (who by the way looks exactly like your bike except of course that she's a mountain bike). Anyway, I always ride along because my partner doesn't ride. I am naturally cautious about where I ride and how I ride, but on the new bike it's almost like learning all over again. I can't imagine trying to keep up with others right now until I get comfy. Patience, patience, patience....number one rule. At least for me. You'll get it and probably blow him away a time or two. Good luck and don't quit, you're doing great!
Gray

hee, hee - now i have this fantasy of blowing him away on a climb (he hates climbing). course the triple crank on my bike is an advantage.

[RoadRaven]

RoadRaven- Good to know you love your Giant & good idea about recovery rides/no apologies. Here's a pic of my bike built up by my husband.

When I saw your bike, which is waaaay purty, I realised my bike is slightly different.

I have a Giant TCR Aero2.
Here is a thread with a pic as it comes from the factory

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=5608

And this is page 4 of another thread which has two of my bikes.

The blue EMC2 is now a training bike, but the lower pic of my silver Giant shows the modifications we have made - although I use trispokes now - the deep dish Grammos get pushed around too much in the wind for my liking.

I have taken one more spacer out of the stem to get into a more aero position, and I also have rotor cranks on it now.
I must get the camera back from son, and take a new photo!

Your man has done a fabulous job. Thats a really goodlooking velocipede.

[indigoiis]

I love your pretty red Giant!

Patience on the riding with your DH thing... you'll get there. I'm still not nearly as fast as Mr. Indigoiis, but I am faster than last year. And next year, I'll be faster yet.

[trinena]

Thanks indigoiis - I'll have to properly introduce my bike once I take better close-up pics.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Trinena,
Yes to everyone else's comments, and i will say you are doing WAY better than I did when i started 2 1/2 years ago!

but I'll add one more thing...
Please, whatever you do, don't let other people's impatience cause you to ride faster than you safely can. You do NOT want to be rushing through tricky intersections and narrow areas or speeding down hills just so you don't fall further behind anyone you are riding with. Never ride faster than you feel confident and in control.

Please do NOT compromise your safety in order to please others. TAKE YOUR OWN SWEET TIME when maneuvering through traffic and intersections. Remember you are not a seasoned rider and you will need that extra second or two of safety margin if you find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Your life is worth way more than trying to keep up with other people. You may have to tell them that, too.