When riding a horse, you have to fall off 100 times before you are a "good rider."
If riding a road bike is anything like riding a horse, I only have 96 more times to go.
Today, ladies and gentlemen, was my first road ride. It was nerve wracking, fun, a definite adrenaline rush, a learning experience, and a literal crash course.
Now before anyone (mom) starts freaking out, let me first say that only my pride was wounded.
We started out at 9:30 at Cycles d'Oro, one of our lovely and amazing local bike stores in Greensboro, for the Cafe Ride. First stop coffee, second stop 20 or so miles of easy riding.
For the first section, I was so nervous that I panicked when I couldn't shift into a lower gear while going super fast down the hill. Unbeknownst to me, I was trying to shift the wrong way. Also, every time we came to a stop my heart jumped into my throat for fear I would A) fall down due to leaning the wrong way, and B) fall down trying to start due to not getting going.
I managed to keep it together until, inevitably, I zigged when I so clearly should have zagged, and toppled over at a traffic light.
Want to know one of the most awkward positions ever? Being clipped into a road bike that's laying on top of you and not being able to clip out the other foot. Try it sometime. Pretty awkward.
One of the AMAZING gentlemen I was riding with literally had to lift me AND my bike back to a vertical position. On the plus side, my heartrate was way up with little physical exertion. Woohoo!
After coffee at Green Bean(DECAF, but espresso, so still slightly hardcore), I went on a shorter route through town with a wonderful mentor rider so we could get Genisis back to her killer ride at Revolutions. We went up one huge hill, clipped and unclipped various times, meandered down back roads and a few busy ones as well. The more I rode, the more confident I became, though still nervous about tight turns and sudden stops. But! No more falling over! Yay!
As soon as I got home, I thought it would be an excellent idea to take my beater out (my aptly named Huffy Marathon, a 1970s road bike complete with slanted "ladies" top tube, lever shifters, and a Shimano Eagle derailleur) for a pre school commute spin. She performed wonderfully, I must say, and I stayed out maybe bit longer than I should have.
Once back at home, I decided, hey, why not grab some lunch and spin the Masi one more time around the hood? Get some more practice?
Cue falls two AND three. Back to back. Ta and Da. Immediately followed by another lean-wrong-way-slow-motion-"timber"-at-stop-sign. This time worried neighbors called if I was all right. Which I was. My poor Masi was taking more of a beating than my beater. Plus side? I figured out how to get up (LIFT the bike up enough for you to unclip, THEN stand).
Total mileage? I have no idea. But today was more about about experience than miles, and I got plenty of that.
One thing I do know that horseback riding and bike riding have in common? Saddle time is EVERYTHING. The once a week rider makes scant progress, dedicated though she or he may be. The person who comes out and rides 4,5,6, even 8 horses a day? That's the person who feels at home in the saddle.
Giddy up.
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