Before I talk about my ride today, let's give credit where credit is due…
THIS MAN.
Okay, enough Nibali. Let's talk about me now. You didn't think we'd skip that part did you?
I left my apartment at 7:45 this morning after throwing down a whole grain waffle topped with natural peanut butter and honey. I had to take a friend to the airport to fly out this morning so I figured I couldn't let an opportunity pass me by. Know why? What's on the way back from MCI? Wheeler Downtown Airport. The Loop.
First things first. Bikes are meant to be ridden, not walked. DUH. And I'm accident prone (as you can see from my first post). Who trips in the hallway while walking her bike to the stairs to carry it to down to the car? ME. Fell right over my bike. And I'm wanting to switch to clipless pedals? Good gravy, girl. You can't even walk a bike the right way. Spilled my coffee all over my bike bag and myself. Great way to start the morning!
Dropped my best friend, Cynda, off at MCI and headed to Wheeler. It's cloudy and I'm hoping that the rain will stay away until after my ride. I've ridden in rain once (my very first bike ride) but I really didn't want to deal with wind AND rain today. The parking lot is full. Lots of people taking advantage of a pretty lovely Sunday morning to get on their bikes.
First learning of the day: some cyclists are the nicest people in the whole wide world. I unloaded all of my stuff and started to pump up my tires. For some reason, I was having trouble with the rear tire and the pump and a nice guy approached me and asked if he could help. He also noticed that my seat was crooked (probably from when I fell over my own bike earlier) and he fixed that and finished airing up my rear tire for me. I thanked him and he wished me a good ride. See? NICE. (He was probably laughing at my inexperience as he walked away).
Troubleshooting done. Let's RIDE.
I immediately realized two things (about a mile into my ride).
1 - I forgot to lube up. Uh-oh. I mean, you have to be nuts to be such a beginning cyclist and just FORGET to put lube on. Those lady bits are going to hurt later! I figured out why I forgot very quickly.
THESE:
Aren't they PRETTY?!? They came in the mail yesterday. LOVE the scorpion! I had to order new bibs because I ruined my Pearl Izumi shorts at the Tour de Cure last weekend when I crashed. And don't get me wrong, the Pearl Izumi shorts are comfortable. But these bibs? OMG. Castelli, you sure do know how to make comfortable bibs. They're the Cadillac (Cadillac not the right comparison for you? Enter your own…Ferrari, Lexus, etc.) of racing gear (at least so far for me). I knew immediately that I won't wear anything but bibs from now on. They go over your arms so they keep your shorts up. It's pretty helpful - and it keeps my belly fat (yep, I have it) from spilling over the top of my shorts. They also make my fat thighs look just a little less like sausages too. (Hey, it's spandex, I know - but anything that makes me look "less" awkward is appreciated).
Ok - enough about my bibs. This isn't a clothing blog.
2- I had to pee. Already. A mile in. Darn coffee. SO not a smart move on my part. Why am I not a man right now? Why can't I just kind of whip it out and pee off to the side? (This is legit, kids. I've watched a couple of shows that answer these type of scenarios…the guys bibs make it accessible to just take it out and remedy the situation). We women just aren't as lucky. Dangit. Why didn't I go to the bathroom beforehand? UGH. I won't make 15 miles with my bladder screaming at me.
I finished the first loop. 3.8 miles or so with my eyeballs floating in my head. Kind of hard to concentrate on anything when you have to go.
And now, I'm apologizing to all of you. But - I'm documenting my life as a CrazeeCyclist - so nothing's off the table and things happen.
I remembered that I had a clean tupperware dish (with a lid) in my car. I really didn't want to stop but the only other option would've been to pee my pants and let's face it, that just doesn't sound fun. I won't go into details - but 4 minutes and I was ready to set off again.
While riding today I felt awesome. There's something about being at the Wheeler Downtown Airport. A plane came in for a landing right over my head while I was riding and I couldn't help but smile. A couple of times I got passed by faster cyclists. I'm ok with that. You know why? Because today I PASSED A COUPLE OF CYCLISTS! If I could've high-fived myself I would have.
One guy that passed me yelled out "NICE JERSEY!" What?!? A compliment on my jersey style? I will take it. I'm picky about what I put on. And if I'm going to suffer on a bike, I want to look somewhat presentable. As presentable as you can be while sweating your tush off.
I will admit, I do feel like a badass woman when I wear this Sugoi skull jersey. It's just me.
Final thing I learned today: I have GOT to learn to ride with my mouth shut. I don't mean shut as in not talking. I mean shut as in keep my lips pursed together and open my mouth only when it's time to drink water. I ATE A BUG TODAY, YOU GUYS. Stupid thing just flew right into my open mouth. And that's a big target so the bug didn't have to try too hard. It's protein, right?!? Yuck. I tried to spit it out but swallowed it before I could make that happen. I really hope that never happens again.
15 miles today in 1:07. It was VERY windy today - not just on the back half of the loop - but throughout the entire loop. Good learning for me on how to try to control myself on the bike while the wind is trying to knock me over. Sara - 1 / Wind - 0.
https://www.strava.com/activities/56386050
Tomorrow night I'm going to hit the Indian Creek Trail again and Tuesday will be a rest day.
Life's an adventure y'all - it's an even better one ON A BIKE!
I am LOVING reading about your new love! It's so exciting and its nice to hear the happiness in your voice! Get on it woman and RIDE!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sara! I'm glad you are enjoying. I'm definitely a VERY happy girl these days.
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