Well, this is it. After months of talking, thinking, debating, I took the plunge! I set up a blog to talk about my trials and tribulations of training to do a bike rally between Toronto and Montreal.
When I first considered doing the bike rally, In addition to panicking about the minimum fundraising amount of $2,500, I waffled A LOT about getting a new bike. Many factors were stopping me, cost, purpose, questions like did I really need the bike or was it just a passing fancy? Or did I just want to fit in the group or was it a necessity? When first asked about my bike, I proudly said "I'll use my hybrid" and I saw the looks of concern and the response was, invariably, "it will be hard but it can be done or I did it the first few years on a hybrid." I even had someone laugh at me when I mentioned I couldn't spend a lot of money on a new bike. I was also thinking about the disastrous attempt at joining a bike ride last year and feeling like I was in such foreign land (didn't complete the ride, struggled so much) that I didn't touch my bike again for a few weeks afterwards.
Fast forward to early spring and I'm sprucing up my trusted Blue, getting shoes, cleats and pedals. I was diligent with my spin classes, I was ready! Good Friday comes and the weather is glorious. Best day to attempt a ride with a friend to gain confidence and to get used to the pedals. All was well until the halfway mark when I stupidly tried to cycle across a street that had traffic coming up, stopped in the middle and fell. I fell two more times after that. At the third time, I declared that I had enough, took my shoes off and put on running shoes. My self confidence was in tatters, my running tights in no better condition. My left elbow had been banged 3 times on cement and concrete and was starting to throb. My knees were stinging from madly kissing the pavement. We stopped to do a photo op and even I couldn't get off the bike gracefully, I fell backward. It took everything I had inside me not to have a total meltdown. That day taught me some very important lessons:
1. My bike is too heavy to negotiate in traffic, let alone with cleats.
2. I don't have enough strength in my arms to make it enjoyable.
3. The bike doesn't really fit me, it's too high and although in very good condition for a bike this age, is not suitable to ride to Montreal.
So armed with this knowledge I decided to loosen the purse strings and go to a local bike shop to see what they have to offer. I wasn't sure what I wanted but I wanted something light!
I finally settled on a touring bike that is light, handles well, has disk brakes, looks sleek and is of the proper height for this fairweather cyclist. I put a deposit, went home walking on a cloud, not fully realizing I had just committed to spending $1,200 on a bike.
Waking up the next day with a full blown case of buyer's remorse, I quickly had my fears put to rest from the bike rally gang. My choice was good, it would make a HUGE difference to my riding. A couple of suggestions were made (dual purpose pedals so I can wear my spinning shoes) but overall my choice received unanimous approval. It's a bit heavier than a road bike but I just couldn't deal with the skinny tires.
Tuesday rolled in and off I went to be fitted. In one hour I was measured, looked at, determined which leg was the dominant one, given praise for my form (6+ years of spinning paying off!) and made last minute changes to my order. Then sent home to wait for the call to pick up the bike. The call came in on Thursday. I didn't cycle home on my new bike, I was too scared. I took it out the next day.
Oh.. my... goodness... what a difference. I knew there would be but still I was blown away. Light as a feather, for me... I had to work on the gear changing and breaking but overall it was amazing! I was now completely looking forward to my first training ride with the new wheels.
Needless to say it went amazingly well. I felt strong, a bit tired towards the end but overall totally happy with my choice. Still need to work on the getting off the bike lol
More to come but it's now very promising... I will make it to Montreal and Sun Streak will be there with me. Yes, the bike has been named :)
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