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...
I had just gotten onto the bike path below Pennsylvania Avenue in G'town when I noticed that my chain had fallen off. I wasn't going fast at all, and my left foot wasn't clipped in, so I figured, "hey, no problem." well, for whatever reason, the fact that the chain is on the right side of the frame threw me, and instead of letting the bike tilt to the left -- as is my just-discovered wont -- and anchoring myself using my dominant leg, my body followed my attention and went right, toward the problem. only thing is, I neglected to free my right foot. and down he goes! luckily, the bike wasn't even moving at this point, and there was some nice, soft grass onto which I helplessly could plop -- but you and I both know that the universe wasn't going to let me off that easy. no, just feet away, in the open-windowed back seat of a cab stuck in traffic -- traffic on a Sunday afternoon? sure, why not? -- was a concerned female citizen and her friend. and as she witnessed my graceless fall, she uttered the words that now serve as the title of this post -- and which had the (unintended, I'm quite certain) effect of making me feel like a complete idiot. I quickly assured her that I was fine, and with all due speed got the chain back where it needed to be so I could make my hasty, red-faced getaway.
I had just gotten onto the bike path below Pennsylvania Avenue in G'town when I noticed that my chain had fallen off. I wasn't going fast at all, and my left foot wasn't clipped in, so I figured, "hey, no problem." well, for whatever reason, the fact that the chain is on the right side of the frame threw me, and instead of letting the bike tilt to the left -- as is my just-discovered wont -- and anchoring myself using my dominant leg, my body followed my attention and went right, toward the problem. only thing is, I neglected to free my right foot. and down he goes! luckily, the bike wasn't even moving at this point, and there was some nice, soft grass onto which I helplessly could plop -- but you and I both know that the universe wasn't going to let me off that easy. no, just feet away, in the open-windowed back seat of a cab stuck in traffic -- traffic on a Sunday afternoon? sure, why not? -- was a concerned female citizen and her friend. and as she witnessed my graceless fall, she uttered the words that now serve as the title of this post -- and which had the (unintended, I'm quite certain) effect of making me feel like a complete idiot. I quickly assured her that I was fine, and with all due speed got the chain back where it needed to be so I could make my hasty, red-faced getaway.
other than that, though, the trek was a blast!
here's a picture I took of Lynne and me with my iPhone after several unsuccessful attempts (these self-portraits are a lot harder to people than some people make it seem!):
and here's a much-better picture that a kindly passerby captured after watching me flounder in my attempts at said self-portrait:
today's post is dedicated to *my* Lynn, without whom I never would've even considered getting a bike. I'm just bummed she wasn't able to join us for the inaugural ride!!
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