05.12.2010 (reprinted, with some revisions, with permission from the author)
today I went on my first official (i.e., non-bike-shopping-related) ride on a road bike. 30 miles or so on Beach Drive up to some place near the beltway in Kensington and back, about 2 hours. before yesterday's shopping spree, I never owned a bike that had gears or hand brakes, and had only ridden a bike once (that I can recall, at least) in the last ... 12, 15 years? but trying new things is now my "thing," and cycling had made it to the top of the list.
all in all, the day by any measure has to rate as an overwhelming success. I didn't feel so ridiculous in the bibs and jersey that I was unable to leave the house, which was somewhat surprising. I didn't have a major crash, which was very surprising. and I didn't have as much trouble getting my feet out of the clips (is that what they're called?? dang, I'm such a n00b...) as I thought I would -- with one hilarious exception that I'll get to in a second -- tho I was less adept at clipping in my second (right, as it happens; I'm a lefty, after all) than I would've thought. my butt hurts, without question, but that seems to come with the territory. and I learned that I can make the same wrong turn from the Rock Creek bike path that I almost always make from Rock Creek Parkway in my car, which was oddly comforting.
the one highly embarrassing/quintessentially "Andrew" moment of the day came early in the journey, as I was trying to make my way up to Park and Tilden to meet up with my friend Lynne...
