We have bikedom!

The Buy

So the test turned into a purchase pretty easily. I got on the bike and liked how smooth it was and how easy it was to ride. But the biggest factor was that it just felt right.

I went to Cdn tire for my accessories- helmet, lights, and lock. As I get more acquainted with biking I'll get some panniers, repair kit and a basket for the dog. For now I just want to get used to being in the saddle and practicing turns. I'm not kidding. I turn like an old lady driving a cadillac.

I don't have a lot of bike appropriate clothing so I went to old navy and got a pair of long pants and cut them into capris. It's not a very fashionable look, especially with my ghostly white legs - but the hem wasn't getting stuck in the chain so I was happy.

The First Ride

I'm a little uncomfortable. Not physically, though my butt is sore. Emotionally. I enjoyed riding when it was easy. On the flat surfaces when no one was around and I didn't have to agonize about passing them correctly, it was great. But the goose was busy and there were lots of walkers. Should I say "on your left" every fucking time? Should I have just bought that annoying little bell after all-- I hate them as a pedestrian. They scare the crap out of me. In the end, I did neither. I slowed down and went around pedestrians in a wide circle. Which is my preference when I walk on a shared use lane.

But that wasn't the only thing, nor was it the reason why I'm feeling a little anxious. The thing is, it's hard to go uphill. And I don't mean "uphill" I mean just going up a little bit. You're supposed to shift down and I got good at that, but I would shift all the way down on little hills and then I would pedal and pedal and get slower and slower and slower. And since I didn't want the other people around me to know I was struggling - I powered through. And if my commute only had a couple of "uphill" moments I wouldn't think twice about it. But Victoria, as I have just discovered today from the perspective of a bike rider is a "hilly" place and my route would be hillier than most. The gently rolling hills I drive over every day are not so gentle on a bike. Damn.

So my first ride wasn't the moment where I realized that biking was the thing I'd been missing all these years and suddenly felt whole, it was more of a challenge.

Luckily for me, I like a good challenge and I still really don't want to turn this into a workout thing. But I'm okay with making this a challenge- if that makes sense. Which is why I didn't buy a computer - I don't want to get obsessed with how many K's and how fast - I just want the challenge to be more like, I ride 2-3 times a week and each week the rides get longer. My first goal is to get good at going up and down. My second goal is to get comfortable enough to bring runkie along. My third goal is to ride to my job on weekends for a month. My fourth goal is to ride to work on Fridays.