I RODE MY BIKE YESTERDAY!
I rode 13 miles (during only about 10 of which I felt like I was going to crash at any moment) then ran 2.5 miles off the bike. This despite the fact that I had a repeat of my tire issues from the Tour de Palm Springs. Here is a highlight reel of my tire issues on that ride:
I rode 13 miles (during only about 10 of which I felt like I was going to crash at any moment) then ran 2.5 miles off the bike. This despite the fact that I had a repeat of my tire issues from the Tour de Palm Springs. Here is a highlight reel of my tire issues on that ride:
The front tire got a puncture and began to spew vile green liquid (Slime, a self-sealant in the tubes I use). I dismounted and spun the front wheel a few times until the vile green ooze did its job and sealed up the hole, maintaining plenty of air pressure to complete the last 17 or so miles of the ride. Then the rear tire went completely flat, so I changed out the tube, proceeded to inflate it, heard it explode, put the punctured tube back in and used my last CO2 cartridge to fill it, hoped the sealant would do its job, and proceeded the last 11 miles on it, during which it, like the front tire, maintained plenty of air pressure to get the job done. Now, today, I got to relive it all! I got all ready for my ride; snacks, water, helmet, new jersey, arm warmers in the pockets. Then off I went, only to be turned around after about 100 yards by, once again, green Slime spewing from my front tire, just as before. ( I had not changed the tube after the previous ride, having assumed it was "fixed"). So I came back to the driveway, replaced the tube, proceeded to pump it up to just over 100 psi, then watched in horror as the full tube squeezed out from between the rim and the tire, and shortly thereafter...exploded. Try as I might to blame this second, identical, explosion on anything other than myself, after close examination it turned out to be...my fault. Operator error. After two exploded tubes I finally figured out my misstep and learned my lesson.
Finally, I got on my bike and rode. And quickly discovered a busy main road at 5 pm on a weekday is not the best place to train effectively. But that's okay. My shoes have clipped in and out of my pedals without incident since I replaced the cleats, and by the end of the ride I was to the point where I would actually stay clipped in for long stretches of time! (The fallout of getting stuck to my pedals for those many rides is that I have gotten in the habit of unclipping at the first sign of ANYTHING, like a side street with no cars in sight, because I had to be prepared, since I never knew when I would get stuck. Now that I unclip cleanly every time, I have to consciously break the habit.)
My goal for the rest of my base training phase, which will last until the end of May, is to just get on my bike and ride as often as possible. I am not going to worry about too many speed workouts. I just need to get confident on the bike, improve my bike-handling skills, and get time in the saddle. Even if some days it is just commuting to work, in the dark with traffic and stoplights, it is still time in the saddle, handling my bike.
But I sure do look forward to those days when I can get in a good ride on a nicely paved, lightly trafficked road!
Finally, I got on my bike and rode. And quickly discovered a busy main road at 5 pm on a weekday is not the best place to train effectively. But that's okay. My shoes have clipped in and out of my pedals without incident since I replaced the cleats, and by the end of the ride I was to the point where I would actually stay clipped in for long stretches of time! (The fallout of getting stuck to my pedals for those many rides is that I have gotten in the habit of unclipping at the first sign of ANYTHING, like a side street with no cars in sight, because I had to be prepared, since I never knew when I would get stuck. Now that I unclip cleanly every time, I have to consciously break the habit.)
My goal for the rest of my base training phase, which will last until the end of May, is to just get on my bike and ride as often as possible. I am not going to worry about too many speed workouts. I just need to get confident on the bike, improve my bike-handling skills, and get time in the saddle. Even if some days it is just commuting to work, in the dark with traffic and stoplights, it is still time in the saddle, handling my bike.
But I sure do look forward to those days when I can get in a good ride on a nicely paved, lightly trafficked road!
No comments:
Post a Comment