I'M NEW!! i just wanted to introduce myself!

[kumariUNC]

I have been reading all of your posts and I am just amazed at this community of great women! I just bought a really great road bike almost two weeks ago and I have been riding everyday since! I live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (I graduated from UNC a year ago) and I'm applying to med school! I enjoy biking so much and it has already done so much for me. I love to be outside and I absolutely love to exercise. How much more perfect can biking be?? I just want to say that I look forward to chatting with all of you very soon!

Last night, I went riding and I got lost! I ended up going about 3 miles out of the way (so 6 miles total) and it got dark earlier than I expected. I rode about 22 miles total and I was SO scared towards the end b/c I didn't have a headlight or a blinking taillight. I was riding about 20mph for the last few miles b/c I was so scared! It sure was a great workout though, and I learned my lesson about riding too close to dark w/o a light.


Kumari*

[williamtash]

Kumari,

Nice to meet you. I am from raleigh. There are a couple of us out here from NC. It is great having another rider from Here.

Sounds like you got the riding Bug

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Kumari!

Welcome to the wonderful world of cycling! I suggest you check out the Tarwheels bike club as it is based in the Chapel Hill & Durham area of NC, right where you are (and me too!) They have new member/beginner rides nearly every weekend, and you don't have to be a club member (though I highly recommend joining eventually) to ride. There is one this Saturday, in fact!

To check them out, go to www.tarwheels.org. You can click on "Club Rides" to see all the scheduled rides. They are lots of fun and you'll meet nice people (though the demographics tends to steer towards folks older than yourself - 30s to 50s mostly - but anyone who likes to cycle is welcome).

Good luck - someday you'll be joining us on the B/C pace rides and I'll get to meet you in person. I ride with the Tarwheels nearly every weekend!

By the way, what type of bike did you buy?

Emily in Efland, NC

[kumariUNC]

Emily,

I will definitely go to the Tarwheels website. I enjoyed looking at the pictures on your website! The Virginia tour looked like a lot of fun. I can't wait to go out and do those types of things soon! I've been riding a lot for the past week and a half. On Sunday I rode 25 miles, and yesterday I rode 22! I felt pretty good about that!

I actually got a really nice Specialized Allez, with Shimano Ultegra parts. I got a great deal too, from The Clean Machine, in Carrboro. I will send a pic when I have my digital camera w/ me. I love her (the bike)!!! I just installed a speedometer and it's great. It tells you calories burned and everything. I'm sure I will meet you soon at one of the Tarwheel rides. What kind of distance do you usually do on the weekend rides?

Kumari*

[kumariUNC]

Thanks for the warm welcome. Do you participate in Tarwheels as well?

Kumari

[hibiscus09]

Hi Kumari! Welcome! I'm glad you're loving your bike -- it is great to be outdoors, isn't it?

[williamtash]

Hi back at you

I do not ride with the tarwheels yet but I will be after the ride across north carolina is over. I am planning to joining it. Do you ride with them

[Grasshopper]

Hi Kumari, I'm from Raleigh too - lots of NCers riding lately I bought the same kind of bike - Specialized Allez Elite. I am in love with it!! Just bought a new computer because my old got really freaky on me so I'm trying to figure how to install the cadence stuff.

Haven't been on a tarwheel ride but I've seen them. I've only done two group rides - both were 23 miles and over some killer hills near the end. A lot of fun though!! They leave from Cyclingspoken here in Apex every Tuesday and Sunday. It's a really neat group with a no drop policy. They advertise 14-26 mph but you go 15-17 mph.

Good luck with all your riding, I'm sure we'll see you on the road soon!!

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Kumari ~ Thanks for your compliment on my Bike Virginia pictures. It was a really fun event (minus the food poisoning). It was my first multi-day event other than a Bike Vermont inn-to-inn tour over a decade ago!

I'm not familiar with your bike but it sounds wonderful for you! My Terry Isis also has the Ultegra components, and they are great.

To answer your question about distances, I generally ride whatever distance the various Tarwheel rides are on the weekends. Last weekend I rode 44 miles one day and 28 the other, and this weekend I didn't ride yesterday due to other obligations but rode a 63-mile metric century today (the Bikefest route) with Tarwheels and MS 150 folks (training).

Sounds like you are off to an excellent start. Keep on pedaling!

Emily