Ride 2, Bitch-a-thon

Waaaaaa!

Whatever happened to me sailing along, taking in the sights and leisurely reclining in my big cushy seat as I returned to riding?

Biking was supposed to fun/easy. But it's not and I'm mad.

I know, it's immature for a 25 year old woman, okay, 29 year old woman to whine so shamelessly, but I'm crushed. I had big dreams and they got left on the side of a small incline as I pedalled for dear life as pedestrians passed me.

Pedestrians. Passed me. I was on a bike.

That's sad.

Worse yet, during my research phase I learned that your supposed to shift down. I was on "2" on one side and "3" on the other side. I don't know what they're supposed to do but I do know that's where they're supposed to be to make it easy for me to go uphill. As in a real hill. So if those gears didn't work a slight incline, how the fuck am I supposed to go on Finlayson?

It was awful. And there's always an audience around. So I have to pretend I can't see them staring at me wondering why I'm panting and grinding my way up a slight incline. Ugh. But this is classic. Whenever I start something new I suck at it in ways no one has ever imagined could be possible - I am the person who sustains bizarre injuries and develops rare ailments. I'm the person who sweats more than anyone else and is slower and more klutzy.

But I'm also the person who eventually catches up with the pack. And I'll keep riding and will get better eventually.

And so this post doesn't turn into a complete bitchfest I'd like to thank the awesome girl I met on the galloping goose trestle bridge who helped me get my chain back on (it came off after I shifted so much, so hard, in a desperate attempt to go up the incline for a second time that it made a grinding noise and the pedals stopped working on the way down the incline). She was really cool and helpful and convincingly acted surprised when I admitted I was a newbie.