Confessions of a cycling novice
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My shiny new bike!
September 2014
Cycling, whatever. So, I can ride a bike and no big deal. It was running that I really loved. The pounding of my shoes on the pavement and the endorphins that many just don't understand. But sadly lower back issues ended my running so I needed a new exercise gig. With all the fondue, fundo, fondo hype, I became interested. I've been on biking vacations and the routes are scenic and adventurous especially the self guided trips. They say it's all about the journey and not the destination and yes we got very, very lost in Hungary. Tragedy plus time equals comedy and don't let the facts ruin a good story. So, there was a lot of excitement in Tehachapi with our first Gran Fondo but I was working that weekend. An excuse, and I love excuses, they are my favorite!
March 2015
I Stopped by city hall and a perky blonde encouraged me to ride that next Sunday morning. No big deal, I unburied my old department store mountain bike, thinking I would be fine. Yikes! We rode and rode and then I saw them. The dreaded double hills of Highline Road! I pushed and pushed but failed to take that second hill and had to walk the old heavy ### bike up the hill- so embarrassing! Finally finishing the 20 mile ride, I was exhausted but headed to the bakery for a chocolate eclair reward and a gallon of water. My nether regions (not Dutch) were sore since I had no padded shorts. Not always prepared but always enthusiastic! That evening I desperately needed a glass of wine. It was obvious that I required proper cycling gear and fortunately my birthday was coming up soon. Humm? I said to my sweetheart.
April 2015
Well, I scored! A shiny new bike that I could pick up with one hand. Carbon fiber and super skinny tires. Not being too coordinated, I wondered if I could conquer the hills of Tehachapi or even flat ground. Oh yeah,and the most important thing, padded shorts! A little nervous I got on my bike and headed downtown. So far so good, I thought to myself! As I passed Dennison Road I noticed an eastbound train on my left and it was on! The train and I were neck and neck and I pushed and pushed until I pulled away in front of the train finally stopping at Steuber Road. Feeling victorious , I waved to the engineer as he blew his horn. After 15 miles, I arrived home safely and was asked " how was it? I nonchalantly replied "Oh, I raced a train on Tehachapi Blvd. and won".
May 2015
To clip in or not to clip in? That is the question. Although I had the clips and the shoes, I was hesitant. With me, every outfit is designed from the shoes up. It's always about the shoes. So I finally clipped in for an easy neighborhood ride and it was okay until I pedaled up my driveway. Failing to clip out in time, I fell over and it seemed like slow motion. I uttered a few unpleasant words not knowing that my grandson was just a few yards away. Oops, I had failed and had a nasty cut on my shin. Wah, I desperately needed a glass of wine to drown my sorrows.
June 2015
I was asked "so who is this Strava guy you keep talking about?" I explained its a gps app that connects with other cyclists so you can compare your times on specific segments, like Highline Road. I am still trying to catch Cory Lockwood on the Challenger segment, yeah right! I hesitantly signed up for the 38 mile Piccolo Fondo hoping that I could at least finish. I knew I could cycle 20 miles but 38 would be a stretch for me even on my shiny new bike.
July 2015
I started cycling everywhere to practice. I cycled to the post office, nail salon or to meet friends for lunch. My friends would arrived beautifully coifed and I would arrive panting with sweaty helmet hair.
August 2015
The climb is always worth the descent. Descending is the most thrilling aspect of cycling and I let off the brakes more often as I sped down Old Town, Banducci, and down to Keene. Timing a green signal light at Tucker and Red Apple became a game of strategy. Strava indicated that I had cycled over 600 miles!
September 18, 2015
I arrived home from the pasta feed and was so excited I could barely sleep. Not knowing which jersey to wear I asked my grandson for his opinion. He pointed to the blue trek jersey and said I should always be a Trekkie.
September 19, 2015
My adventurous friend, Laurie and I arrived downtown and we were thrilled to see hundreds of cyclists with sleek bikes and lycra glowing in the early dawn's light. It was a festive atmosphere and I saw lots of friendly familiar faces. Anxiously, we lined up for our distances then the race began and we cycled east into the sun. It seemed effortless and I kept thinking "follow the yellow brick road arrow", follow the yellow arrow. Then I saw them ahead. The dreaded double hills of Highline! No big deal, just put your head down and pedal! Snap! The intersections were a breeze and the cowbells were encouraging me to pedal faster. As I passed one rest stop, I saw my sweetheart cheering me on. I thought this is strange since he never showed up at any of my 5k races. That's a good sign! Not stopping at any rest stops, I headed for downtown and I caught a perfectly timed green light at Tucker! Soon, I triumphantly crossed the finish line and happily grabbed my medal. As I removed my helmet, I saw smiling faces of family, friends and race volunteers. That was my new favorite and I won some fabulous swag, too! As we drove home, I told Laurie that I couldn't wait for next year's Fondo!
