4th Ride - 142 Days To Go

Total Miles Ridden: 26.65
This Ride: 13.65

Got my bike back yesterday from the Bike shop, pedal fixed and now it's also had a "fit" adjustment to meet my "proportions". Not sure how to take that response.

Fingers crossed on this lunch time ride.

Finally, an uneventful ride. No issues with pedals, no walk of shame, no nothing just riding. Thank God! I was afraid that every time I would have an issue. I was most fearful of getting a flat tire at mile 7 and not be able to repair it. Luckily all went well.

Completed a lunch time ride of 1hr went 13.65 miles with an average speed of 13.48 MPH. This include time at stoplights.

Ascended:538 feet
Descended: 313 feet
Calories burned: 834

I realize that this was a relatively boring post, however I was quite happy not to have some issue happen. While quite funny for anyone reading not so funny for me at that moment.

INTERESTING ASIDE: Did you know that it is recommended not to wear anything under bike shorts? Due to chaffing! Also any ride over 25 miles they recommend lubing up that nether region as well. Hmmmm that will be interesting when I cross that point.

Do you think they have chaffing issues? Im just saying......

3rd Ride was on the same Saturday before Easter.

I made another attempt after the dreadful frigid outing earlier in the morning. This time being a bit better planned, I wore the same clothing and planned my route. I logged onto mapmyride.com picked out a 20mi trip using some local bike paths.

The great part of the area I live is that the initial part of any ride is a decent, so I get to coast for a bit. Starting out later in the day when it was warm, the decent was great. Made it there in record time. I had turned on the tracking function and was eager to checkout the cadence when I got back. Well at about mile 4, following my layed out path.. it turns out that google maps doesn't account if a path is paved or gravel. Well after rounding a bend found that the trail quickly ended rather abruptly. So much so that I had to hit the breaks pretty hard. If you are not familiar with clipless pedals you are required to "twist" your foot prior to being able to take it out, otherwise you are locked into the bike. I neglected to twist when breaking so suddenly and ended up on my side.. lying there like a complete tool. Face red from embarrassment and not exhaustion as it should have been.

Had my ride ended there this blog post would have been funny. But I still had to get back home, I was still 4 miles away. And it wasn't an un-eventful ride unfortunately. I thought I could alter my route and still get 10-15 miles in. I turned around and started out. About a mile into it my left foot goes catiewhompus (you try spelling that word). Turns out that because I didn't seat my pedals the left one worked itself out and when I pressed down on it it cross threaded itself and locked. Ie no longer ridable. I had a beautiful hour long walk in bike shoes (clicking with each step) and bike shorts (with bike pad looking like a misplaced depends).. yea wasnt fun at all.. But hey I'm loving this???? perhaps...

2nd Ride - 145 Days to go

2nd ride happened on Saturday. The day before Easter.

Looked outside on Saturday morning, no sun no blue sky just clouds and cold. Opened the door could easily see my breath. I thought that if I can just get out and get in a hill I'll be warm enough to continue.

Went back inside and donned my spandex armor in hopes that tight inappropriate shorts, tight undershirt, tight jersey would help protect me from the cold. Why again the need to wear such tight clothing. It's not like I'm Lance Armstrong shaving legs and requiring tightness to shave off milliseconds, it's an out of shape guy in his 40's now displaying his package to the world. I digress.....

Hit the road at 9 am and started coasting down the hill in our neighborhood. Wanted to get to the bottom to turnaround and get the blood pumping on the climb back up.... Thinking warm thoughts. Well didn't get that far.. Cause it was FUCKING cold. I mean if it was 30 out you add a 15 mile wind that I created and it's 15 degrees out. My fingers were the first to go numb. Took only a few seconds to get down the hill, had to pause to blow hot breath on my hands. I was afraid I wouldnt be able to shift or break. Remember those movies that the people were so cold that they touched something and their fingers just broke off. Well that's how cold I felt my fingers were.

Turned around and headed up the hill, hitting it hard to get the blood and breath pumping. Well it worked,my blood was pumping and I was breathing hard by the time I was back near the house,,,,,, issue is that my fingers were still frozen and now hurt like crazy.

Sore = 1 to zero. Weather is ahead

Suffice it to say, I was so close to the house I decided to head back in the hopes to try later.

Plan was to end this post here but thought I should add the ridicule I received on my "outfit" once I walked in the door. All I heard was "that's not OK"

Day 1 Ride - 148 to go

Catching up this blog to today.

Purpose of this blog is to describe my journey for all of you that have donated you hard earned money and are interested to see my suffering.

My first ride was on Friday. Let me back up, you have to realize since we completed a marathon in 2001 I have had a desire to do a Century (100 mi) ride. I'm not quite sure why I've had that thought all these years. Perhaps its to accomplish the absurd? Or check off a bucket list item? I don't know. But I'm finally in a position to make a go at it.

Ok back to the first ride. Received my bike via UPS on Thursday and quickly put it together. Did some research in the Internet to make understand how to fine tune the different aspects of the bike (ie the derailleur front and rear, wheels etc). And put on the pedals by hand. Tis will become important in the near future.

Finally got out for a quick break-in ride, went only 8 miles, down a steep hill, followed a bike path and then turned around and headed back home. I quickly headed to the computer to map my route and see what I logged. After mapping out the exact path turns out that steep hill averaged on a 2.2% grade and here I felt like a lung was gonna pop out of my throat. I felt that short ride... Wonder how painful this will be......