Spandex Saturday

Kick-off Ride

Today was the training ride kick-off starting at Helen’s cycles near Manhattan Beach. Ryan and I arrived at 7:30 am (still half asleep, but excited) along with 400 other riders. I was intimidated—very cindee. This was the first ride I have done with more than one other person. It was strange riding with so many people around me. It was comforting from a safety standpoint, but it was also, well…annoying to have so many other people surrounding me. Keep in mind that the actual ride will have approximately 3,000 riders. This is something I will need to get use to!!


Ryan taught me a few tricks, which by the end of the ride I had mastered.

1) Get out early and ahead of the pack – this will give you some space to ride at your own pace

2) When stopping at stop signs, use the curb which allows you to not get off your bike fully, yet you are still coming to a complete stop

3) Down shift, down shift, down shift on those hills and if your chain falls off, keep shifting and riding and it usually corrects itself

4) Fold your route map on top and bottom to avoid it falling off (oops – today I littered unintentionally because I didn’t follow this tip correctly – sorry beloved CA)

5) You can park your bike on the curb by aligning the pedal correctly (hard to explain, but genius when I figured it out)

6) Call out all obstacles ---- and HOT surfers

Things didn’t go quiet as planned; we got off the route a bit. However, all in all this was a fantastic day riding in southern California. Ryan and I had interesting conversation about “bears” and I did three unexpected hills and survived them without complaining. Overall we went about 25 miles (a guess) and I felt really good.

Jersey

Jersey shopping…. Why is it that the women’s jerseys are all “girlie” and men’s jerseys are just cool? I am having a hard time finding anything that isn’t $80 and pink. Here are a couple of sites that I find acceptable (for anyone in the same predicament as me):


http://www.teamestrogen.com/
http://www.retroimageapparel.com/

I am considering these two jerseys… I might have to get both!

A New Silver Bullet

I just bought my bike and helmet. OMG! I’m freaking out a bit, but on the flip side I can’t stop smiling. The bike is a Cannondale with flat black paint and silver handlebars, the helmet a Bell. It was funny; as I was paying for the bike I gave Melinda the sales clerk my card and instantly felt a wave of panic. It felt similar to the time I bought a fishing pole and then proceeded to use it…one time. Doubt started to flood my mind: Am I setting myself up for another failed hobby? Am I investing in an extracurricular activity that will eventually prove to be my downfall? The answer is a resounding…NO! Let’s get this straight universe…I am committed. From this moment on I am a “rider” and I will complete the 545 mile ride from SFO to LA.

I can’t wait to start my weekly training rides….on my new silver bullet.

ALC9 Registration

I signed up for ALC9 (AIDS Lifecycle) this morning. First thing before I could change my mind, like the countless number of times I had over the past few weeks. There are a number of things to keep me from this huge challenge like the $3,000 minimum fundraising amount, the fact that I have never rode more than 14 miles consecutively in my life, the fact that I have no bike, gear or knowledge of how to ride on the roads….but today I did it. Not on a whim, but with purpose. This is a cause I believe in, and not only do I want to push myself physically, but I want to help the countless people who are affected by this disease. WOO! I am officially a “rider”.