Weekend Bike Rides

I am not in horrible physical shape.  In fact, although I am a wee bit overweight, I suspect I can walk or run or swim or cycle longer or faster or both, than many of my 54-year old counterparts.  And that is not to say that I am fast.  But my motto is "But I can do it, and I am better for it."

This weekend that Spouse o' Mine and I went on two bike rides.  Saturday and Sunday. 

Saturday's was a long bike ride all by my lonesome.  It wasn't meant to be that.  That Spouse o' Mine  & I meant to meet folks at the local bike shop and ride down a particular routs for about ten miles:  Twenty miles roundtrip.  But then that Spouse o' Mine decided he would do that, and then ride on home for an additional twelve miles.  That is not unusual in our rides.  I would ride back into town and get the car.  That would be fine, except I knew I would be riding w/ fast cyclists (a couple of the police cyclists and a woman triathlete) and so I KNEW I would be dropped and have to cross the Viaduct (big bridge) by myself.  I don't like to do that.  So I decided to park down another way to preclude the Viaduct, and meet the pelaton as they came down the road we were taking.  And again, that Spouse o' Mine had a better idea: "Go ahead and head out and we will catch up."

And so I did.  And there lies the rub: they never caught up with me, and I rode it all alone.  It was OK, but I would have liked some company.  That was yesterday.

 

Today after church, we opted to get out and ride before the wind started up.  I hate wind.  And it WILL start up any day in Kansas. 

 

Sadly, it started up just after we got on our bikes, and we had a headwind.  There is only some comfort in a headwind:  coming home, you will enjoy the tailwind.

 

Provided THE WIND DOES NOT CHANGE DIRECTION.

 

Pooh.

 

The wind changed direction.

 

But even before that, about four miles into our ride, I noticed that one of my shoes was not clipped into my pedal.  What does this mean?  Cyclists often wear special cycling shoes which have cleats on the bottom of the shoe.  The cleat clips onto a special pedal on the bike.  This enables the cyclist to pedal in a 360º motion, rather than just down.  Push and pull, all around.   

 

My cleat was not functional.  At mile 5, we stopped and I maneuvered the cleat into the pedal, and off we went. 

 

Miles down the road, I called for a rest.  But OMIGOODNESS!!!!!!

 

When I braked and went to "quick-release" my shoe from the pedal, it did not come.  (For a "quick-release", all a cyclist needs to do is slightly twist his shoe maybe 1/2" and the shoe is released from the pedal.)  I had rammed the cleat into the pedal and there was no quick-release.  For too many seconds, I was locked in my pedals, and I began sputtering bad words (on a Sunday!) as my bike slowly came to a halt and I was STILL locked into my pedals. 

 

I have only seen something like this once before: that Spouse o' mine had new pedals, and he was not sure how to use them, and sure enough, at a red light, he came to a stop, still locked in, and he fell over just completely sideways. It was awful to watch and yes, he did have road rash, and there was some awful skin left on the road where he landed.

 

Why am I telling all this?!!  

 

Well.  Despite the lone ride on Saturday, and the limp-along ride today, it was a good weekend of riding.  I am so glad we made an effort.  We should all do this, you know.