Resolve to clean your chain a minimum of every other ride.
One of the most costly components of your bike is your cassette. If your Dad is anything like my step dad, you have been cajoled, lectured to, pestered and demo'd the value of having your car's oil changed every 3500 miles. Your bike's cassette is another system--just like your car's engine-- where dirt, grit and grime can wreak havoc on moving parts.
Get yourself an inexpensive, lint-free towel that you can get dirty without fretting whether the spray stain remover can tackle it or not in the washer. Keep it handy, like wherever you store your bike or your riding shoes etc. When you bring your bike in, give your chain a quick wipe down. This quick and simple act will help reduce the dirt on your chain and therefore, your cassette, preserving its condition for longer.
Additionally, about once a month, don't forget to wipe your chain down really well, and then clean it with a mild detergent, such as Simple Green. Allow it to dry, and then be sure to lubricate each link on your chain with a good dry bike oil. After you have treated each link, take a clean, lint-free towel and wipe off excess oil; the oil has soaked into the links where you want it. Removing excess oil from the outside of the links will help prevent the oil from becoming a magnet for grit and dirt on the clean chain you just prepared.
--Just three more days to register for the Fourth Annual Girls Gone Riding All-Women's Bike Ride for just $30. Feb. 18, 2011 in Gilbert, AZ! Register here on the blog through PayPal.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Would I be a nut for cycling if I still lived in PA?
Sure, I rode bikes when I was a kid...first a teal blue Schwinn that I got when I was five and then a bright orange Sears Roebuck 10-speed in sixth grade. It was the orange one that led me to kill my front tooth in seventh grade. I was riding it home from my girlsfriend's house while carrying my red Ambridge jacket (not wearing it because for some reason at that age I felt wearing jackets and coats was uncool). The sleeve got caught in my front tire causing it to jam and consequently hurl me from the bike where I knocked my teeth on the curb. The tooth died a slow death, turing from its normal color to a pale greyish ivory and then ultimately an even more shadowy eggshell.
But I digress...I soon abandoned the bicycle when I turned 16 and adopted my fondness of driving the 65 Chevy Impala car that lacked power steering, a good heater and power brakes. It wasn't until I took up the bike at 45 that I found cycling to be the exercise of choice for me. While I haven't really given it much thought until this visit to western PA, I often wonder if I would have ever taken it up if I hadn't moved to Arizona. Here, swimming is a May 31st through September 1st activity. Few people have outdoor swimming pools because there are more months you cannot use the pool than months you can. I guess I subconsciously viewed bicycles as one more of those activities that are seasonal.
While out scouting for kitschy western PA items to tote back to AZ, (like T-shirts that say Stillers instead of Steelers) I came upon two cyclists out for a morning jaunt in Zelienople. The temperature at 11 AM was stubbornly stuck at 28 degrees. My ears were aching and my hands were in shock and I was just standing still. Yet, these two were cruising along at a speed of at least 21 mph, clad in tights, toe warmers, ear warmers, arm warmers, face warmers, yet they were chattering to one another (evidenced by the steam exchanging between them) and seemed oblivious to the frigid temps. If the cycling addiction grabs hold of a person, it's likely it won't matter what the temperature, a person with a cycling monkey on his back's gotta have his fix. After all, look at the many cyclists that brave the southwest sunshine and high temperatures to satisfy the craving. Add the early hour of riding at 5 or 6 AM and the questions of dubious sanity begin to circle.
The winter cycling situation does beg a few questions:
Are polar bottles necessary to keep the water from freezing?
How do the frigid temperatures affect the performance of carbon, rubber and spandex?
and
Do people ride with hot tea, hot cocoa or coffee in their bottles?
But I digress...I soon abandoned the bicycle when I turned 16 and adopted my fondness of driving the 65 Chevy Impala car that lacked power steering, a good heater and power brakes. It wasn't until I took up the bike at 45 that I found cycling to be the exercise of choice for me. While I haven't really given it much thought until this visit to western PA, I often wonder if I would have ever taken it up if I hadn't moved to Arizona. Here, swimming is a May 31st through September 1st activity. Few people have outdoor swimming pools because there are more months you cannot use the pool than months you can. I guess I subconsciously viewed bicycles as one more of those activities that are seasonal.
While out scouting for kitschy western PA items to tote back to AZ, (like T-shirts that say Stillers instead of Steelers) I came upon two cyclists out for a morning jaunt in Zelienople. The temperature at 11 AM was stubbornly stuck at 28 degrees. My ears were aching and my hands were in shock and I was just standing still. Yet, these two were cruising along at a speed of at least 21 mph, clad in tights, toe warmers, ear warmers, arm warmers, face warmers, yet they were chattering to one another (evidenced by the steam exchanging between them) and seemed oblivious to the frigid temps. If the cycling addiction grabs hold of a person, it's likely it won't matter what the temperature, a person with a cycling monkey on his back's gotta have his fix. After all, look at the many cyclists that brave the southwest sunshine and high temperatures to satisfy the craving. Add the early hour of riding at 5 or 6 AM and the questions of dubious sanity begin to circle.
The winter cycling situation does beg a few questions:
Are polar bottles necessary to keep the water from freezing?
How do the frigid temperatures affect the performance of carbon, rubber and spandex?
and
Do people ride with hot tea, hot cocoa or coffee in their bottles?
Friday, October 7, 2011
You gotta have a dream...
There was a time about 20 years ago that I got into a crazy multi-level marketing scheme with my then husband. In retrospect, besides being very clean (there were terrific soap products involved) the leadership outfit or 'upline' of the group encouraged us to read positive books and listen to tapes of speakers from the organization who had ACHIEVED and were purportedly rolling in cash.
Anyway, the soap-selling business was just one of his crazy ideas, but the one thing I never regretted was the reading. And, most of those books were written about positive thinking, learning how to avoid pitfalls or negativity and nearly every single one of them discussed setting goals. When learning to road ride, goals can be your friend and can be the impetus to improve your speed, your endurance and increase how serious you are about becoming a better cyclist.
Setting a goal as a cyclist is really no different than setting any other kind of goals. To steal one of the tools I read in those books, goals should be SMART - Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic and Timely. These elements will help you get where you want to go with your riding. If you are a new cyclist, talk to someone who is patient and experienced to help you arrive at your first cycling goals. To help illustrate this, I will walk through setting an initial goal. As I write this, I think it's time for ME to set some new cycling goals...Hmmm.
OK..moving forward.
So you now ride twice a week and your longest ride has been 30 miles. If increasing your distance is your first goal. Choose a distance that you want to reach. A metric century or 100 kilometers or 62 miles is a good goal for starters. This meets the Specific criteria as well as the Measurable one. You'll know whether or not you reach it or not because it's easy to determine that distance.
Since many organized rides offer metric centuries, you can choose one of them or visit www.mapmyride.com to locate a route near you that is save and meets the distance criteria you are seeking. Find one you like and keep that route saved somewhere.
Establishing the metric century goal is definitely Achievable but it's also important to view WHEN it's achievable. Some fit cyclists can ride a couple of times and achieve a 62-mile ride. They may have a sore tush and experience cramping and aches. However, others cannot achieve that in just a few training rides and even if they could complete it, they certainly wouldn't enjoy it.
Keep in mind REALISTIC and TIMELY as you set the date. If you are brand new to exercise and riding, completing a metric century in three weeks when you can only train one day a week, isn't realistic. Putting a date on your goal is essential though. So if you are brand new, consider that you will need to ride no less than two-three times a week for about three to four months to prepare your bottom, your lungs, your legs, and the rest of your body for that 62-mile ride. If you can ride only on weekends, you will probably need to add another month or two to your training.
To recap:
Specific - Metric century - 62 miles
Measurable - 62 miles, plotted on a map
Achievable - With the training, yes!
Reasonable - Coupled with the appropriate training schedule, check!
Timely - Set the date and ride, baby, ride!
Anyway, the soap-selling business was just one of his crazy ideas, but the one thing I never regretted was the reading. And, most of those books were written about positive thinking, learning how to avoid pitfalls or negativity and nearly every single one of them discussed setting goals. When learning to road ride, goals can be your friend and can be the impetus to improve your speed, your endurance and increase how serious you are about becoming a better cyclist.
Setting a goal as a cyclist is really no different than setting any other kind of goals. To steal one of the tools I read in those books, goals should be SMART - Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic and Timely. These elements will help you get where you want to go with your riding. If you are a new cyclist, talk to someone who is patient and experienced to help you arrive at your first cycling goals. To help illustrate this, I will walk through setting an initial goal. As I write this, I think it's time for ME to set some new cycling goals...Hmmm.
OK..moving forward.
So you now ride twice a week and your longest ride has been 30 miles. If increasing your distance is your first goal. Choose a distance that you want to reach. A metric century or 100 kilometers or 62 miles is a good goal for starters. This meets the Specific criteria as well as the Measurable one. You'll know whether or not you reach it or not because it's easy to determine that distance.
Since many organized rides offer metric centuries, you can choose one of them or visit www.mapmyride.com to locate a route near you that is save and meets the distance criteria you are seeking. Find one you like and keep that route saved somewhere.
Establishing the metric century goal is definitely Achievable but it's also important to view WHEN it's achievable. Some fit cyclists can ride a couple of times and achieve a 62-mile ride. They may have a sore tush and experience cramping and aches. However, others cannot achieve that in just a few training rides and even if they could complete it, they certainly wouldn't enjoy it.
Keep in mind REALISTIC and TIMELY as you set the date. If you are brand new to exercise and riding, completing a metric century in three weeks when you can only train one day a week, isn't realistic. Putting a date on your goal is essential though. So if you are brand new, consider that you will need to ride no less than two-three times a week for about three to four months to prepare your bottom, your lungs, your legs, and the rest of your body for that 62-mile ride. If you can ride only on weekends, you will probably need to add another month or two to your training.
To recap:
Specific - Metric century - 62 miles
Measurable - 62 miles, plotted on a map
Achievable - With the training, yes!
Reasonable - Coupled with the appropriate training schedule, check!
Timely - Set the date and ride, baby, ride!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Barks and bikes: when bikes and dogs clash! What to do...
In the orthopedics's office today, I glance over to see an attractive woman with her left arm in a sling, a bandage over some road-rash-looking-bruises on her shoulder and more of the same on her left side. At the risk of thinking everyone in a orthopedics's office is there because of an unwanted relationship between a bike and as semi, I smiled and continued to read emails. Until I heard another couple ask what happened to her arm..."A dog ran into me while I was riding my bike."
BINGO! No, not the dog BINGO...But BINGO, I was right.
After sharing some discussion and learning we knew some of the same cyclists, I pondered this dilemma. Three dogs ran out to her, the small ones just chased, but a very large pit bull ran in front of her bike and her front wheel actually ran over a part of it. What could she do?
Top five tips for dealing with dogs while cycling:
5. Out ride them! If you can take off and ride like the wind, do so...it could discourage them.
4. Bark at them. Yelling NO will usually do no good whatsoever. Some cyclists say barking helps.
3. If you have to get off of your bike, put your bike between you and the dog. They are territorial and you are on their turf.
2. Make a lot of noise by screaming at the dog...some say this overpowers them and makes them retreat.
1. Grasp your water bottle and squirt the dog!
Out of all of these, I like the out ride them or squirt them ideas the best. Among the times I was confronted with dogs, the most common place has been on 51st Avenue when riding around South Mountain. Just after the Shell station where most cyclists stop to, uh, refresh, there are some residences with outdoor dogs that are untethered. After a couple of times, we just expected them and rode as fast as we could...
If you have a better idea...please let me know about it!
BINGO! No, not the dog BINGO...But BINGO, I was right.
After sharing some discussion and learning we knew some of the same cyclists, I pondered this dilemma. Three dogs ran out to her, the small ones just chased, but a very large pit bull ran in front of her bike and her front wheel actually ran over a part of it. What could she do?
Top five tips for dealing with dogs while cycling:
5. Out ride them! If you can take off and ride like the wind, do so...it could discourage them.
4. Bark at them. Yelling NO will usually do no good whatsoever. Some cyclists say barking helps.
3. If you have to get off of your bike, put your bike between you and the dog. They are territorial and you are on their turf.
2. Make a lot of noise by screaming at the dog...some say this overpowers them and makes them retreat.
1. Grasp your water bottle and squirt the dog!
Out of all of these, I like the out ride them or squirt them ideas the best. Among the times I was confronted with dogs, the most common place has been on 51st Avenue when riding around South Mountain. Just after the Shell station where most cyclists stop to, uh, refresh, there are some residences with outdoor dogs that are untethered. After a couple of times, we just expected them and rode as fast as we could...
If you have a better idea...please let me know about it!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sedona Bike Festival Ride this Saturday - FUN and Beautiful - two options! FREE!
WANTED! ROAD RIDERS
Celebrate May as our NATIONAL BICYLE MONTH!
May 28th, 2011 (Saturday)
* 2 SATURDAY MORNING ROAD RIDES IN VOC/SEDONA *
ORGANIZED BY: Verde Valley Cycling Coalition
Come join with the VERDE VALLEY CYCLISTS COALITION (VVCC) & friends Saturday morning, May 28th to participate in a bike ride through the beautiful red rock region of Sedona AZ.
Sponsoring a choice of 2 GREAT RIDES to suit your riding comfort level! This 2 group set-up offers a choice of rides so more folks can join us and ride at a pleasurable pace based on experience level. Each ride is fun & challenging, with good company and beautiful scenery to enjoy. HELMETS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED.
GROUP 1: Longer & semi-strenuous ride - average pace 14/16 mph - with few stops - length approx. 50 miles. Looping through Sedona, Page Springs, Cornville & Village of Oak Creek.
GROUP 3: This is a casual, less strenuous ride for beginner to moderate riders. A shorter & slower paced ride - with more rest stops - length approximately 15 miles.
• START TIME: 9:00 AM
• END TIME: 1:00 PM … approximate … depending on ride choice
• BEGIN/END LOCATION: Village of Oak Creek/Sedona. Rear parking lot behind the VOC Outlet Shops. Corner of Jacks Canyon Rd & Cortez.
Don't be shy. Come ride with us on Saturday. Come to the VOC to ride and meet cycling friends!
VOC RIDE LEADERS: • Thomas McGoldrick (928) 301-3621 • Heather Parris (928) 274-3109
Celebrate May as our NATIONAL BICYLE MONTH!
May 28th, 2011 (Saturday)
* 2 SATURDAY MORNING ROAD RIDES IN VOC/SEDONA *
ORGANIZED BY: Verde Valley Cycling Coalition
Come join with the VERDE VALLEY CYCLISTS COALITION (VVCC) & friends Saturday morning, May 28th to participate in a bike ride through the beautiful red rock region of Sedona AZ.
Sponsoring a choice of 2 GREAT RIDES to suit your riding comfort level! This 2 group set-up offers a choice of rides so more folks can join us and ride at a pleasurable pace based on experience level. Each ride is fun & challenging, with good company and beautiful scenery to enjoy. HELMETS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED.
GROUP 1: Longer & semi-strenuous ride - average pace 14/16 mph - with few stops - length approx. 50 miles. Looping through Sedona, Page Springs, Cornville & Village of Oak Creek.
GROUP 3: This is a casual, less strenuous ride for beginner to moderate riders. A shorter & slower paced ride - with more rest stops - length approximately 15 miles.
• START TIME: 9:00 AM
• END TIME: 1:00 PM … approximate … depending on ride choice
• BEGIN/END LOCATION: Village of Oak Creek/Sedona. Rear parking lot behind the VOC Outlet Shops. Corner of Jacks Canyon Rd & Cortez.
Don't be shy. Come ride with us on Saturday. Come to the VOC to ride and meet cycling friends!
VOC RIDE LEADERS: • Thomas McGoldrick (928) 301-3621 • Heather Parris (928) 274-3109
Monday, May 9, 2011
May 2011 - Girls Gone Riding Newsletter
Click on the caption of this cheesy photo of me after my first 100-miler three years ago to read May 2011 GGR Newsletter!
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| My cheesy grin after my first 100-miler three years ago! |
Monday, April 25, 2011
It's like falling off a horse, you have to get back on...
Despite the fact, that I have logged under 200 miles in the last two months, I finished 65 miles at the Ride For the Children this past weekend. I was shocked that riders finished after me cause I was pretty sure Peggy and I were the last riders. What's worse, we snuck out early. Not by much, but we wanted to avoid that mass start of tangled wobbly, hurried, bicycles. (It's like being in a crowded movie theater and someone yells FIRE!) It was a wise choice.
The hills were not as imposing as I remember and luckily the hazy April Arizona sun hid from sight for much of our meandering trip through beautiful Paradise Valley. We window shopped the behemoth homes and dallied with the camel at the six-mile rest stop since its portajohn beckoned without a single person there. (The portajohns at the start were like turnstalls with rows of coffee-laden riders waiting to get in. At one point, I couldn't believe we were actually back together on a charity ride once again. I am so completely and fully charmed to be able to be doing that again.
So it's time to get out and get my speed back up to par, chalk up more miles on each of my tires and look for the beginners who are seeking answers to riding as the road calls to them.
It's rebirth on a bike. I have more of a zeal and passion than ever before to share the love of bikes.
The hills were not as imposing as I remember and luckily the hazy April Arizona sun hid from sight for much of our meandering trip through beautiful Paradise Valley. We window shopped the behemoth homes and dallied with the camel at the six-mile rest stop since its portajohn beckoned without a single person there. (The portajohns at the start were like turnstalls with rows of coffee-laden riders waiting to get in. At one point, I couldn't believe we were actually back together on a charity ride once again. I am so completely and fully charmed to be able to be doing that again. 
Having just attended Charlayne's peddling clinic last week, I practiced some of the drills she showed us. I imagined I was unable to pedal downward, only upward. I could feel my cadence rising higher each time I remembered to do this. It's a great lesson to practice in your quest to round out your pedal stroke and increase your might while riding.
Each hour as we pedalled and moved closer to completing our ride, I thought little of our experience last August. Instead, I enjoyed the scenery, hoped the uphill would end soon and the wind would wait a while to fully engulf us--all of the things I would have done before. Occasionally, I felt that pinching pain in my ankle as a little reminder that I am not past the physical remnants of the accident and once, had to remove my compression stocking and release my swelling foot from the confines of my cycling shoe. And, the firey pain in my shoulder flared up as if to try to distract me from the goal. But the worst reminder was the moment the Bud Light truck zoomed a little too close as we were crossing the 101 at Pima Road. It's fierce, rolling pairs of rolling tires cause me to flinch as I felt its draft as it stormed by. I recovered quickly but it was unnerving all the same.
It's rebirth on a bike. I have more of a zeal and passion than ever before to share the love of bikes.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Jersey is ready to order today on GGR Blog!
Order one today and have it in time for March riding!
Just $65 plus $5 shipping/handling.
Look for the Buy Now Button on this homepage!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
FEAR cannot motivate but a 69-year-old man in drag on a bicycle can...
Fear can drive people to do some crazy things. Those are often terrible things that people regret.
Fear can also prevent people from doing some crazy things. Most of those crazy things are the very essence of greatness.
Recognizing that fear is having the effect on you and your actions that you DON'T want is so important. When you recognize it, you can change it.
It's often hard to know when fear stops being a natural barrier that your psyche creates to protect you and and begins being an unnatural barrier to the things you really want for your life. Sometimes it helps to have a good friend or partner who can help you recognize the difference. Sometimes it helps to have someone impartial to help review these ideas and decide.
This past Saturday, I helped to organize the Girls Gone Riding All-women's Bike Ride in Gilbert. It was the third year in a row. I haven't ridden except for a shaky spin around the block on my hybrid since I was struck by a tractor trailer in August while riding in an organized bike ride in Ventura, CA. There were months of surgeries and therapy. There were weeks and weeks of painkillers that blotted out many of my memories. There were periods of depression and grief over having lost the activity that really fueled my social and physical life. I have been blessed in the new year to really experience much healing, both physically and emotionally. I still felt a little lost, now and then, although I remained committed to the cycling community and to helping women feel more comfortable on a bike. But having had two difficult experiences trying to ride a bike again, I was avoiding getting back on like the plague despite success on a stationary bike or on a wind trainer in my family room.
Two friends, John Hernandez and Charlie Gerhardt, decided to surprise me at the ride by showing up on their bikes in drag. They had done this once before at an all-women's bike ride in Scottsdale. The results both times were hilarious. The two of them rode the entire route dressed up and with full make-up and wigs. They added so much to the ride and to the riders--both helping to bring in some of the cyclists struggling in the 25-30 mph winds.
Besides the levity and encouragement they provided to the ride, something else struck me. I remembered as I watched John make his way in after 60 long miles in terrible wind, that he had been off of the bike for at least 18 months or more after a terrible motorcycle accident three years ago. His leg was terribly damaged and he nearly lost it. It was many surgeries, infections and therapies that led to his restoration. Like me, he took to his wind trainer and it was so inspiring to see him finally show up on a road bike for a Sunday morning ride. Watching this 69-year-old, good-natured man enjoy his day, making others smile and completing 60 miles really affected me. Something afterwards reached deep within me and reminded me of the power and strength I had within me. I decided at that moment, that before the end of this week, I was going to get back on a bike and really ride.
And, today, I did just that.I thought I would ride my hybrid first but after not feeling natural on it. I got out my old road bike and pumped it up like I had hundreds of times before. I decided to head straight for the road since that was the fear I often battled. So, I headed around my neighborhood first and found my way up to my normal meetup point--a place I always meet Peggy to ride in the mornings. It felt completely normal and with that, came the normal wind often experienced in February. I was preparing myself for cars and trucks although the neighborhood was quiet. When the cars began coming, I was ready for them. I ended up on a busy road near my home to test my nerves. It was a little unnerving at first but I focused on keeping steady and staying well into the bike lane.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Which body part must one train to be a successful cyclist?
Some will say the core muscles are the most important to work to be a strong rider. Others will say, the calves, the thighs, the glutes...
Surprise! None of these.
The most important body part to be trained for cycling is: The BRAIN.
I know this to be true from my very beginning into the endeavor of cycling.
Prior to any group ride, I had a series of questions that I required be answered before I would even consider setting my alarm. How far is this ride? How many hills are there? How steep are they? What would you compare them to? How many hours will it take us to do this route? What will happen if I can't do it? Is there a SAG? Can someone help me change my tire if I get a flat? How many people are riding in this group? Is anyone going who rides at my pace (slow!)? What if I get lost? What if I am dropped?
I never saw myself as a worrywart but I was terrified I would experience one or, worse, ALL of the very worst answers to these questions. What's worse, I continued to ask these questions while ON the ride too.
I was only riding a few weeks when the ride leader, an incredibly patient man who is full of the HOLY CYCLING SPIRIT once told me: "Riding is 90 percent in your mind and 10 percent skill." I didn't believe him. He didn't know me. He didn't know what a completely inept example of an athlete I was. He didn't know I was never much of a physical person. He didn't know...
But he did know. Because as I continued to ride and pushed through the swirling fear, overbearing unknowns and the rolling eyeballs of seasoned cyclists on the group rides to grow stronger, I found he was not only right, he possessed an uncanny ability to not answer the questions but to squelch them. He refused to humor me with the answers because they would only be followed by more questions and more questions. When it came down to it, he had enough belief and faith in not only me, but every single person who showed up on a bike. And, what's more, it didn't matter what kind of bike or bike apparel or bike gear, he treated everyone the same.
With each mile, with each ride, my mind became trained. I trusted my body to get me where I allowed my mind to wander, and amazingly, I got there. I became limited only by where my mind would go. As my brain expanded to believe that I could ride 50 miles, I rode 50 miles. As I trained it to think it could ride 75 miles, then 100 miles, I rode it.
Today, as I contemplate the return to the road, I remember my retraining begins with my brain. I must continue to get on my trainer and the spin bikes at the gym to prepare my body for the miles. But like before, I can't discount that I have to train my brain. I am only limited by what my mind can believe. I will believe that I can get back on a road bike and ride for miles and miles. I will train my thoughts around seeing myself on a shiny new road bike zooming down the south side of Usery Pass. I will practice thinking and seeing and smelling and pedalling and....forgetting,
Until I have retrained.
Let the RETRAINING begin.
When the fight begins within himself, a man's worth something. - Robert Browning
Surprise! None of these.
The most important body part to be trained for cycling is: The BRAIN.
I know this to be true from my very beginning into the endeavor of cycling.
Prior to any group ride, I had a series of questions that I required be answered before I would even consider setting my alarm. How far is this ride? How many hills are there? How steep are they? What would you compare them to? How many hours will it take us to do this route? What will happen if I can't do it? Is there a SAG? Can someone help me change my tire if I get a flat? How many people are riding in this group? Is anyone going who rides at my pace (slow!)? What if I get lost? What if I am dropped?
I never saw myself as a worrywart but I was terrified I would experience one or, worse, ALL of the very worst answers to these questions. What's worse, I continued to ask these questions while ON the ride too.
I was only riding a few weeks when the ride leader, an incredibly patient man who is full of the HOLY CYCLING SPIRIT once told me: "Riding is 90 percent in your mind and 10 percent skill." I didn't believe him. He didn't know me. He didn't know what a completely inept example of an athlete I was. He didn't know I was never much of a physical person. He didn't know...
But he did know. Because as I continued to ride and pushed through the swirling fear, overbearing unknowns and the rolling eyeballs of seasoned cyclists on the group rides to grow stronger, I found he was not only right, he possessed an uncanny ability to not answer the questions but to squelch them. He refused to humor me with the answers because they would only be followed by more questions and more questions. When it came down to it, he had enough belief and faith in not only me, but every single person who showed up on a bike. And, what's more, it didn't matter what kind of bike or bike apparel or bike gear, he treated everyone the same.
With each mile, with each ride, my mind became trained. I trusted my body to get me where I allowed my mind to wander, and amazingly, I got there. I became limited only by where my mind would go. As my brain expanded to believe that I could ride 50 miles, I rode 50 miles. As I trained it to think it could ride 75 miles, then 100 miles, I rode it.
Today, as I contemplate the return to the road, I remember my retraining begins with my brain. I must continue to get on my trainer and the spin bikes at the gym to prepare my body for the miles. But like before, I can't discount that I have to train my brain. I am only limited by what my mind can believe. I will believe that I can get back on a road bike and ride for miles and miles. I will train my thoughts around seeing myself on a shiny new road bike zooming down the south side of Usery Pass. I will practice thinking and seeing and smelling and pedalling and....forgetting,
Until I have retrained.
When the fight begins within himself, a man's worth something. - Robert Browning
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Redemption looks like a red tricycle...
I lie in bed and all I can think about is cycling again.
I know I should be thinking about work. I know I should be sleeping. I know I should be contemplating many things that are more significant than my butt on a bike saddle. But I can't.
I imagine the Arizona sun playing hide and seek among the jagged mountains at South Mountain Park at the end of the day and zooming down San Juan Road toward the ramada.
I think of the group riding up to telegraph pass in Ahwatukee, many of us mashing as the sinewy men careen past us yelling GOOD JOB!
I remember the morning chill and the site of my friend's blinking light slowly heading toward me at our regular meeting spot for our morning 17 miles and I can think of nothing else.
It was these seductive thoughts that lured me to the garage a few days ago to pump the tires on my Trek hybrid and open the garage, strap on my old helmet and think to myself, it's time.
The air was cool and the neighborhood was quiet. I swung my battered left leg over the saddle and stood for a moment. What I imagined would be perfectly natural, felt foreign to me. My "Fresh and Easy" bike as I had named it with it's black canvas pannier on the back for shopping at the neighborhood grocery felt awkward, heavy and, well, frightening.
I took a deep breath and slid onto the seat. Instead of feeling like I had slipped on a comfortable familiar glove, I felt shaky, wobbly and scared. At the end of the driveway, I nearly fell and slammed down the wrong foot and felt lucky to be upright. Feeling so foolish, I swung my leg over again and dejectedly walked the bike back to its spot in the garage. I could swear the bike was sulking in shame over having caused the whole disaster.
At first, I didn't want to tell anyone what I had done. With so many well-wishers offering encouragement, I didn't want to broadcast what a dismal failure this first endeavor on a bike had been. But, I did share it with a friend who had, herself, been in two accidents, each time breaking her pelvis and also her wrist the second time. She assured me that this was a natural feeling and that it wouldn't last. Her encouragement went one step further, she offered me a loaner red trike that her significant other had in his shop.
The very next day, I was at the shop plopped atop the vintage 70s adult tricycle. Although it presents its own set of challenges of turning and managing it, the red tricycle is just what I needed. Riding the wind trainer is amazing because it feels real and spinning on the stationary bike helps me work up a sweat, but this is real outdoor movement. I felt alive as I wound around the parking area.
Belief is back and my failure, redeemed. I can hardly wait to ride it tomorrow...
I know it's only a matter of time before I can feel the feeling of clipped in feet and wind whooshing by me at 18 mph. But until then, my borrowed red trike will give me the exercise and the confidence I need to move in that direction.
I know I should be thinking about work. I know I should be sleeping. I know I should be contemplating many things that are more significant than my butt on a bike saddle. But I can't.
I imagine the Arizona sun playing hide and seek among the jagged mountains at South Mountain Park at the end of the day and zooming down San Juan Road toward the ramada.
I think of the group riding up to telegraph pass in Ahwatukee, many of us mashing as the sinewy men careen past us yelling GOOD JOB!
I remember the morning chill and the site of my friend's blinking light slowly heading toward me at our regular meeting spot for our morning 17 miles and I can think of nothing else.
It was these seductive thoughts that lured me to the garage a few days ago to pump the tires on my Trek hybrid and open the garage, strap on my old helmet and think to myself, it's time.
The air was cool and the neighborhood was quiet. I swung my battered left leg over the saddle and stood for a moment. What I imagined would be perfectly natural, felt foreign to me. My "Fresh and Easy" bike as I had named it with it's black canvas pannier on the back for shopping at the neighborhood grocery felt awkward, heavy and, well, frightening.
I took a deep breath and slid onto the seat. Instead of feeling like I had slipped on a comfortable familiar glove, I felt shaky, wobbly and scared. At the end of the driveway, I nearly fell and slammed down the wrong foot and felt lucky to be upright. Feeling so foolish, I swung my leg over again and dejectedly walked the bike back to its spot in the garage. I could swear the bike was sulking in shame over having caused the whole disaster.
At first, I didn't want to tell anyone what I had done. With so many well-wishers offering encouragement, I didn't want to broadcast what a dismal failure this first endeavor on a bike had been. But, I did share it with a friend who had, herself, been in two accidents, each time breaking her pelvis and also her wrist the second time. She assured me that this was a natural feeling and that it wouldn't last. Her encouragement went one step further, she offered me a loaner red trike that her significant other had in his shop.
The very next day, I was at the shop plopped atop the vintage 70s adult tricycle. Although it presents its own set of challenges of turning and managing it, the red tricycle is just what I needed. Riding the wind trainer is amazing because it feels real and spinning on the stationary bike helps me work up a sweat, but this is real outdoor movement. I felt alive as I wound around the parking area.
Belief is back and my failure, redeemed. I can hardly wait to ride it tomorrow...
I know it's only a matter of time before I can feel the feeling of clipped in feet and wind whooshing by me at 18 mph. But until then, my borrowed red trike will give me the exercise and the confidence I need to move in that direction.
Monday, January 3, 2011
I am ambivalent about my slippers...
You might wonder why I am ambivalent about my Ugg slippers. Seriously, what did they ever do to not be fully embraced? Sure, they are Uggs, not really glitzy or very feminine. In fact, one might say they are downright ugly what with their scuffed hide and he-man looking woolen cuffs. There are many more attractive slippers that also can keep one warm, that's for sure.
But the sheer appearance of these Ugg slippers has nothing to do with my ambivalence toward them.
Since my accident in August, I have been learning to walk again. I am now the proud stepper of someone who no longer relies on a cane to get around. I can walk, on my own, putting one foot in front of another. I don't lose my balance, I have minimal swelling around my recontructed ankle that had been spun from facing forward to attempting to walk to the left on its own and, most of the time and I can walk heel-to-toe after warming up my aging, patched up bones.
My Ugg slippers are seductive in the guise of practicality: they provide me with the stability to walk while keeping my feet warm. Each day that I keep my feet warmed inside these Uggs, is one more day I don't attempt to don the shoes of a grown-up consultant seeking additional clients or seeking business for the clients I already have. Each day I slip into my Uggs is one more day I avoid putting on my Specialized racing shoes to see if I can stuff my Size 11 Frankenstein-ish looking foot into it and 1. Will it fit in them again and 2.Will it find its home in cycling shoes once again.
I have been able to find patience over the years for children learning to potty train, for fingers learning new keyboards, for employees learning new skills and for doctors who have overbooked appointments. Finding the patience for my ankle to decide it's ready to conquer old things that are like new again has been a hunt for which I have experienced more obstacles. The alternative is foolish abandon and snubbing reality which could lead to prolonged impatience.
In the meantime, I have vowed to do those things I CANdo with full on enthusiasm--trading my Uggs for sneakers is where I am today.
But the sheer appearance of these Ugg slippers has nothing to do with my ambivalence toward them.
Since my accident in August, I have been learning to walk again. I am now the proud stepper of someone who no longer relies on a cane to get around. I can walk, on my own, putting one foot in front of another. I don't lose my balance, I have minimal swelling around my recontructed ankle that had been spun from facing forward to attempting to walk to the left on its own and, most of the time and I can walk heel-to-toe after warming up my aging, patched up bones.
My Ugg slippers are seductive in the guise of practicality: they provide me with the stability to walk while keeping my feet warm. Each day that I keep my feet warmed inside these Uggs, is one more day I don't attempt to don the shoes of a grown-up consultant seeking additional clients or seeking business for the clients I already have. Each day I slip into my Uggs is one more day I avoid putting on my Specialized racing shoes to see if I can stuff my Size 11 Frankenstein-ish looking foot into it and 1. Will it fit in them again and 2.Will it find its home in cycling shoes once again.
I have been able to find patience over the years for children learning to potty train, for fingers learning new keyboards, for employees learning new skills and for doctors who have overbooked appointments. Finding the patience for my ankle to decide it's ready to conquer old things that are like new again has been a hunt for which I have experienced more obstacles. The alternative is foolish abandon and snubbing reality which could lead to prolonged impatience.
In the meantime, I have vowed to do those things I CANdo with full on enthusiasm--trading my Uggs for sneakers is where I am today.
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