My first team ride, two weeks late!

The season started without me and I'll be joining my first team for my first (their 3rd) ride of the season. We'll be riding 25 miles on Saturday starting in Los Altos. I'm hoping for good weather and very small hills (if any)!

I was trying to think of something clever to write today, but couldn't come up with anything original... instead I'll repost a silly story from my first two times on my bike. From this story (and numerous others that I haven't posted) I have learned that I am one of the few who need to clip out BOTH feet with stopped. Seriously.

Don't expect updates like this every day - I can guarantee you it won't happen! Enjoy!

From August 2006:
On August 6, 2006 I went for my first-ever road bike ride using clip-ins that attach your cleats to the pedal. I was told that I would fall over at least 5 times before I got the hang of it. At guess what- they were partially right! I went for a ride with my friend, Team in Training Run Team Coach, and fellow Ironman participant- Amy. The ride was a relatively flat, 12 mile, out-and-back ride from her house in Palo Alto up to Foothill Expwy, down to Chain Reaction in Los Altos, and back again. Everything was going alright, although I was a bit unsteady and shaky on the bike for the first 8 miles or so. As I approached a busy intersection (Foothill and Magdalena), I clipped out as instructed and was completely stopped like an old pro when suddenly the force of gravity was too strong for the foot that remained clipped-in and I toppled over the other side of my bike. I wasn't hurt, but needless to say, I remained shaky and unsteady for the remaining 4 or so miles. But I completed my first ride without too much fuss!

The second ride was on August 9th with my friend, Team in Training Run Captain, and fellow Ironman participant- Marlies. She was a bit tougher on me than Amy (after all- it was my second ride), and we did a similar but more challenging course that involved "rolling hills" for about 15 miles in pretty bad heat. As I approached the Foothill Expwy and Magdalena intersection, I yelled to Marlies that this was the place of the incident on my last ride. Again, I clipped-out like an old pro, put my unclipped-foot on the ground, and was completely stopped when AGAIN I was overcome by the power of gravity on my unclipped-foot and AGAIN toppled over the other side of my bike. This time I landed half on, half off a curb so it really wasn't as light as
the last fall. I finished that ride with a few war wounds on my legs, my bike, and my pride. The good thing was, that after only two rides I was starting to improve! I am not the fastest rider, I am not the strongest rider, and I am definitely ready for many hills, but I like riding, and I love my bike!