I recovered pretty good from Ride #1, and since it's Christmas long weekend (and a Merry Christmas to you!) I had the opportunity to go for another ride today... this time through Golden Gate Park, from Haight to Ocean Beach.
Its a ride I have done a number of times before on the MTB, and I distinctly remember that my hands hurt more than my arse... and why? There is a stretch of road that's very cut up and it's bump-bump-bump for about 1/4 mile. Through the bumps I tend to stand on the paddles so the bottom gets a little relief. But through this stretch I literally death grip the handle bars. Right now I can say my hands and arms are more sore than the lower half of bod.
I worked on changing gears today... and I did improve. For starters I now know to soften the gears for a hill climb, I need to push the metal and the black plastic shifters. I know, in 5 months, I will look at what I wrote and ask myself WTF (re description of shifting gears)... I mean, at this point in time I get confused with what's up/ down. I get by via remembering what I need to do dependent on the road situation.
Well today's ride is a bit smoother than yesterday... oh except the bit about getting chains crossed... that's the next lesson.
Ride #2: 7mi... i.e. 4% of the goal
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Ride #1, 24/12/09 - to the shops, Panhandle, Laurel Heights, Presidio + GG Park
I decided to go pick up some coffee beans from Peet's after the bike shop - which we were out of and no caffeine makes J1 and J2 very grumpy. The nearest Peet's is just at the end of the Panhandle, conveniently the bike shop is just on the other side of the 'handle, and there's a bike path pretty much the whole way.
I know riding to the shop is kinda like blah but you know what... it's the first solo ride I've done on a SF roadway. It wasn't too bad, other than that you have to weave pass transients pushing trolleys and some more aggressive riders (for heaven's sake, I was ONLY going to the shops).
By the time I locked my bike up, J1 called to see where I was since it's been 20 mins since I left the bike shop (we live 5 mins from American Cyclery, and hopefully he was calling to check that I wasn't a crumbled heap on the side of the road vs. seeing how the bike was). He met me at Peet's, couple of mins later, on his zoomie wheels.
He suggested we go for a little spin, sure I said. Got to remember... J1's idea of a 'little spin' is not that little. I should also get used to this idea of little since it's still very little vs. 175mi. And ALWAYS have water on me.
From Peet's (Broderick @ Oak), we headed up to Laurel Heights, then cut across the Richmond into Presidio. I had no idea where on earth was he planning to go (maybe to Marina?) but I had to protest after we reached the Presidio Gates. Legs were giving way. EEK. We came back via GG Park and practiced gear changing on some smaller hills nearby. Home pretty shortly after.
Distance travelled today: 4mi... OMG it's only 2% of the ride distance.
I know riding to the shop is kinda like blah but you know what... it's the first solo ride I've done on a SF roadway. It wasn't too bad, other than that you have to weave pass transients pushing trolleys and some more aggressive riders (for heaven's sake, I was ONLY going to the shops).
By the time I locked my bike up, J1 called to see where I was since it's been 20 mins since I left the bike shop (we live 5 mins from American Cyclery, and hopefully he was calling to check that I wasn't a crumbled heap on the side of the road vs. seeing how the bike was). He met me at Peet's, couple of mins later, on his zoomie wheels.
He suggested we go for a little spin, sure I said. Got to remember... J1's idea of a 'little spin' is not that little. I should also get used to this idea of little since it's still very little vs. 175mi. And ALWAYS have water on me.
From Peet's (Broderick @ Oak), we headed up to Laurel Heights, then cut across the Richmond into Presidio. I had no idea where on earth was he planning to go (maybe to Marina?) but I had to protest after we reached the Presidio Gates. Legs were giving way. EEK. We came back via GG Park and practiced gear changing on some smaller hills nearby. Home pretty shortly after.
Distance travelled today: 4mi... OMG it's only 2% of the ride distance.
the challenge is ON...
I hate bikes. As in bicycles.
Prior to the last year, my 'biking' experience involved a BMX when I was 10, and then a bike tour around Amsterdam in 2004... I probably didn't have the best 'concentration' at that point in time, and you get the idea. I almost fell into a canal.
Oh after the canal incident, I tried getting on a bike one more time... as a tourist in 05, with Blazing Saddles bike rental at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. I rode to Sausalito, with great difficulty especially since I have NO IDEA what the gear shifters do. I think I took the entire 3 hour they said I'd need.
So what on earth am I doing... thinking I can do the MS Society's Waves to Wine charity ride? All 175mi (282km) of it. But here are the top 5 reasons I'm doing it...
1) I could really lose 20kgs/ 40'ish lbs.
2) Over past 2 yrs my main sport has been dragon boating, which is a very anaerobic exercise. Since I hate running more than I hate bikes, I thought it might be good to cross train via setting a distance riding goal.
Oh and the ride is in September... so lots of time to train (though I'd hope to be able to do some 'Centuries' i.e. 100mi/ 161km races by May).
3) Biking seems to be the kind of thing I should be able to fit into the schedule... I mean, it's a mode of transport, and it's actually shorter for me to bike to work from new house vs. public transport
4) I can do with more tone, body wise
5) Other friends have done this ride and all agree it's by far one of the prettiest ride around, also I already have a friend, C, signed up to do this with me
J1 was supportive. He hasn't decided whether he's doing W-to-W with C and I, but J and I have started heading out and practicing hill climbs - in my case, it's called learning to change gears properly.
Through a series of events - I bought a new bike. It's a 2010 Specialized Dolce Elite Triple, in silver with white trim (it is the only colour it came in). It's a pretty darn fancy bike - by my standards - and Mark from American Cyclery at first didn't put this bike in the lineup of bikes I was test riding... but by my 3rd test ride (3rd bike), he thought it was good for education reasons to try a bike with Tiagra shifters. Unbeknown to him, I knew a little about 'em before heading into the shops... it helps with J1 has those on his bike, and that I have done quite a bit of reading.
I did check with Mark and asked whether it was too good of a bike for me... but he consider it as an entry level bike, and I know he was reluctant to get me to test ride it. But I also knew... those shifters were going to feel pretty darn good vs. the click and flick thing the Sora offered.
So 2.5 hrs and 5 bikes later... the challenge is on.
Prior to the last year, my 'biking' experience involved a BMX when I was 10, and then a bike tour around Amsterdam in 2004... I probably didn't have the best 'concentration' at that point in time, and you get the idea. I almost fell into a canal.
Oh after the canal incident, I tried getting on a bike one more time... as a tourist in 05, with Blazing Saddles bike rental at San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. I rode to Sausalito, with great difficulty especially since I have NO IDEA what the gear shifters do. I think I took the entire 3 hour they said I'd need.
So what on earth am I doing... thinking I can do the MS Society's Waves to Wine charity ride? All 175mi (282km) of it. But here are the top 5 reasons I'm doing it...
1) I could really lose 20kgs/ 40'ish lbs.
2) Over past 2 yrs my main sport has been dragon boating, which is a very anaerobic exercise. Since I hate running more than I hate bikes, I thought it might be good to cross train via setting a distance riding goal.
Oh and the ride is in September... so lots of time to train (though I'd hope to be able to do some 'Centuries' i.e. 100mi/ 161km races by May).
3) Biking seems to be the kind of thing I should be able to fit into the schedule... I mean, it's a mode of transport, and it's actually shorter for me to bike to work from new house vs. public transport
4) I can do with more tone, body wise
5) Other friends have done this ride and all agree it's by far one of the prettiest ride around, also I already have a friend, C, signed up to do this with me
J1 was supportive. He hasn't decided whether he's doing W-to-W with C and I, but J and I have started heading out and practicing hill climbs - in my case, it's called learning to change gears properly.
Through a series of events - I bought a new bike. It's a 2010 Specialized Dolce Elite Triple, in silver with white trim (it is the only colour it came in). It's a pretty darn fancy bike - by my standards - and Mark from American Cyclery at first didn't put this bike in the lineup of bikes I was test riding... but by my 3rd test ride (3rd bike), he thought it was good for education reasons to try a bike with Tiagra shifters. Unbeknown to him, I knew a little about 'em before heading into the shops... it helps with J1 has those on his bike, and that I have done quite a bit of reading.
I did check with Mark and asked whether it was too good of a bike for me... but he consider it as an entry level bike, and I know he was reluctant to get me to test ride it. But I also knew... those shifters were going to feel pretty darn good vs. the click and flick thing the Sora offered.
So 2.5 hrs and 5 bikes later... the challenge is on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
