Graceful Maneuver

Long story short, I’ve had some minor life bumps lately that have kept me off the bike. But I finally had some time to myself this weekend and it just happened to be 70 degrees and sunny at the same time.

In November.

In New Jersey.

I was getting on that bike no matter what.

Since I’ve gotten my new shoes and pedals, I’ve only ridden maybe twice. I’ve had some issues clipping in to the left pedal. It’s not the clip in to the pedal part. It’s the flipping around of the pedal to get the clip in side where it needs to be. Thanks to many well experienced people both at the LBS and on this blog, I’ve been very cognizant of making sure I can stop and land safely. So far so good.

I happily hopped on my bike and made sure to clip in on the left side first. I serenely rode down to the bay. I noticed a lot of sailing ships and decided to stop at the park that overlooks the bay.




Ok, I’m thinking. I need a landing zone. I pass by a police car parked by the pathway there where Vinny, a cop I’ve known for years, was taking a break and just looking out over the bay. I pass by a woman taking pictures of the beautiful boats on the water. I unclip my left foot and keep half pedaling with my right. I decide to turn onto a boardwalk path in order to get to a bench there. I’m doing fine until I also unclip my right foot just moments before I see that the boardwalk I am approaching is about 2 inches higher than the path.

The following things run through my brain in about the time span of one second:

A. I know from experience that the bottoms of these shoes are so slick that I can’t pedal without being clipped in. My shoes just slip off the pedals.

B. I know that once I hit that 2 inch bump, it’s going to slow me down too much and I’m not going to make it to that bench over there.

C. The grass is not only damp, which will make my slippery shoes slip, but it is also an EXTREMELY popular area for large groups of geese who spend a LOT of time there.

As my bike hopped up to the boardwalk, where it abruptly ceased to propel itself forward and instead leaned toward the grass, I said aloud to no one in particular, “Oh man. This is not gonna be pretty.”

My bike comes to a stop, my foot hits the wet grass and goose poop, slides like wax on ice, and I fall off the bike directly into a large pile of poop. I could not have made a more perfect landing into the most heavily concentrated area of poop if I had tried. Of course, I quickly get up to see if anyone saw me.

Vinny the cop is in his squad car, kindly looking the other way, probably laughing uncontrollably.



The lady taking pictures is still taking pictures of boats.



Ok, I only have to be embarrassed in front of one person.

Sure enough, as I rode out of the park, Vinny, with a big smile on his face, yelled to me, "Hey Linda, how's it going?"

I answered, "Slowly."

You would think it would be a "crappy" ride home.

But I actually laughed the whole way with this ridiculous grin on my face that said, "Yep. That's me. Grace in action!"

Autumn Sunday Morning

There are days that just seem to start out in a dreamscape for no particular reason. Perhaps it’s just the newness of a season.

I woke up to a 60 degree, beautiful Sunday morning. I had to be at work earlier than usual at my weekend job and I had been on the late shift the night before. So on Sunday I slept in until the last possible moment and then jumped into Bike Mode.

To be truthful, I need to be a bit clearer on this.

It’s called “Let-the-dog-out-feed-the-dog-make-coffee-drink-coffee-eat-a-yogurt-and-a-banana-let-dog-back-in-get-into-bike-clothes-fill-water-bottle-put-water-bottle-on-bike-get-camera-put-in-pack-get-out-door-with-bike-Mode”.

The air was crisp and cool. The sky was cloudless. The only sounds I heard were the early morning crickets and the occasional car. The middle of September at the shore brings things back to normal and I once again, can feel blessed to live in such a beautiful area, and then on top of that, blessed to have such a great bike to take it all in with.

It was great to see that the waters of the Barnegat Bay once again belong to the locals and the fishermen who make a living from these waters. No jet skis and no power boats today.



On the way home I ride over a little bridge. I always look out over the river it spans to see the view. Apparently I wasn’t the only one taking in the peace of it all. This heron (in the middle of the shot) and I were both content to just sit and look for a while.



The beauty of life on 2 wheels…

Well, Almost...On Two Levels

I have the day to myself today until 3:30 when I have to go to work so I decided that this morning I would go to the bike shop and get my new shoes and pedals so I could ride like the big dog cool people.:o)

The derailleurs needed a slight adjusting anyway. I was really looking forward to being able to ride in the big chainring without it sounding like I was dragging my metal cup along a jail cell door.

Now, to backtrack a bit, I received a comment on my blog yesterday from a guy named Frank. It turns out this particular Frank was The Frank that won the Orbea that Elden of Fat Cyclist gave away. Long story short, where does he live? About 2 miles from me. I have an actual cycling celebrity in my town! Holy Shimano! He was kind enough to tell me to give him a shout if I ever wanted to go on a ride. I told him if he ever wanted to go SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW, sure.

It turns out that he was also planning on being at the bike shop this morning for a group ride. Our emails crossed each other so he was unaware that I was at the shop at the same time but when I got there, there were quite a few people outside waiting for the ride to start. I asked an older gentleman if he knew who Frank was but he did not. I then thought I recognized Frank but if it was him, he was deep in conversation with 2 other guys so I didn't want to interrupt him. I'm sure we'll run into each other again in the near future anyway.

I brought the bike into the shop and told them I needed shoes and pedals. I got the pedals but they didn't have the shoes I wanted in my size. They're on order and I'll have them later this week. I did buy and take home the pedals (and a pair of socks) because I at least wanted to drool over the new pedals until I was able to put them on the bike. I was a tad disappointed but it's no biggie really; it's not like I can't ride the bike and golly gee whiz, now I'll have to go back to the bike shop again! What a non-bummer!



I got home much earlier than I expected and was able to get a nice 10 miler in. I haven't been able to ride much more than 2 days this past week so I wanted to really take full advantage of a sunny, cool Saturday where the shore traffic wouldn't be an issue. I took my time and on the way home, because I could now use the big ring without frightening small children and dogs, I was rolling along at about a 14 mph clip on the flats, which is really good for me. It seems it takes me about 5 miles to warm up to the point where I can start pushing it a bit and feel good. I am told the new shoes and pedals will make a big difference too so I have that to look forward to.

So I didn't get my shoes, and I didn't get to meet Frank, but I had an awesome ride so what more could I ask for?

Labor(less) Day

Today was the first time in many weeks that I was actually off from both jobs on the same day. I had to work a lot of hours this past week and I haven’t had any time to ride. So I wanted to wake up really early today and get on the bike. However, my body had other plans.

I slept in until 8 which is very late for me. I couldn’t seem to wake up. I felt physically drained and my eyes felt like they wanted to keep closing even though my brain was awake. Even after 3 cups of coffee, I was still out of it.

I finally reached a point in my thought process where I decided to ignore my body. It was a cool, cloudy day, I was off, I had a new bike, and I was not missing out on this chance. Even if it was only a 5 miler, I was getting on that bike.

I was curious also to see how fast I’ve been going on it. Not that I felt like I was breaking any land speed records but I felt like I was at least hitting 15 mph once in a while where on the Trek I was lucky to break 10 mph.

As some of you are aware, I have an unfortunate history with bike computers. A friend of mine gave me his old, fully-functional-at-the-time-it-was-given-to-me VDO C3 because he was upgrading. Since I got the Dolce I have spent probably about 3 to 4 hours trying to get the VDO to work. I tried left fork, right fork, left handlebar, right handlebar, all batteries out, all batteries in, (yes, they are new batteries), one out at a time, moving the magnet up and down every section of spoke, having the magnet hit the sensor, having the magnet so close to the sensor that a piece of paper could barely fit through it and every variation of all of the above, including prayer. No matter what I do, I can’t get it to register anything when the wheel turns. It’s working; it has a display and the green LED lights up on the sensor when the magnet goes past it. However, it’s a case of “the lights are on but nobody’s home”. I finally took the Trek computer off my Trek and put it on the Dolce and in the process I messed up the screw on the Trek magnet.

I now own an original Frankenometer. Pieces of both equal one that works and I’m not messing with it!

I also wanted to see how the stem pack I had gotten would work on the frame. Instead of putting it on the stem where I have the Frankenometer, I put it on the top triangle off to the side where I can easily take my camera out when needed. I was curious to see if my knees would hit it.

Ignoring the fact that my eyes were half closed, I pushed the bike out the door and rode away in the opposite direction from the water because I figured that’s the place where all the cars would be heading. I kept riding farther out of town until I realized I was fairly awake. I decided to just go for a 10 miler and take it easy.

Once I got about 5 miles I felt better. There was nothing but the open road in front of me with very few cars and I was going to take full advantage of it.

Just as I was feeling my oats, some guy passed me on my left.



No, he did not say “onyerlef”. Obviously an amateur. Hmph.

I kept going and at about 8 miles my knees were feeling a little sore so I turned around. I wanted to go farther but I didn’t want to get stupid about it. I stopped in a park and sat under a tree, watching the kids around me playing and of course, admiring my bike.



The stem pack was working really well. I didn't even know it was there and didn't come anywhere near my knee.

I passed by a school where there is an electronic readout of your speed. It said I was going 12 mph. I looked down at the Frankenometer and it also said 12 mph so it seems to be working fine. At one point on the flats I was up to 16 mph. I was really surprised at that but I really shouldn’t be with this bike.

On my way back home, the traffic was getting heavier and slower. Although I am not a fan of his, there’s a line from a Springsteen song, Born to Run, where it says, “sprung from cages on highway 9…”.

Well, here’s a shot on my way home of the same Route 9 he sang about but it doesn’t look to me like anyone sprung.



I finished a great 15 mile ride feeling great and I am much more awake now. Nothing like a bike ride to snap you out of it!

Oh, one other thing…at one point in the park I saw the below sign:



But I felt the sign would have read much better with the following:

Old Bicycles Don't Die...

After they have helped us to grow, they help other things to grow too.



I saw this around the block from my house and it really made me smile!

I'm Still Smiling With No Sign of Stopping

This morning it was finally a little cooler out. Not that the very hot weather has stopped me yet from riding this new machine these past few days, but it made me want to get out there even more.

At one point on this morning's ride, I was just in The Zone. There was no sense of my pedaling. I was just gliding and flowing. I think I was breathing and there was a shadow on the ground ahead of me while the sun was at my back whose legs were rotating. (The shadow's form was pretty bad but that was ok.)

The fall is my most favorite time of year and is just around the corner. I am so psyched to be able to go on some longer rides and have this bike!

Yesterday Ed brought his camera to work so I could extract the photos he took while they were buying me the bike at the shop. The pictures are a little out of focus and actually, that pretty much conveys how it all felt to me.It seemed like a fuzzy dream and his shots are perfect.

My favorite part of the pictures is the look on Ellen's face! She was getting as much joy out of the situation as I was. She's the one in the pink shirt. Ed was beaming too and I wish I had my camera with me at the time. Actually, come to think of it, I did have it in the car but was too awestruck to think of it apparently.

Just an utter state of disbelief...



...followed by an utter state of disbelief.



This was not the bike I took home but the photo was taken when Greg was sizing me up for the 51 he knew I should have that I was certain I shouldn't have that he insisted he thought I should have that I finally realized I should have.

And here I explain to Greg that I am quite aware that riding a bike with Crocs is not conducive to good pedal action and had I known that I was going to get the bike of my dreams while dressing for work today (we have no dress code) I would have at least worn running shoes.

He was not convinced.



Next equipment purchase will be Look Elle pedals and Specialized shoes!

Maiden Voyage

Yesterday morning I woke up, took Emma for a good walk, ran a few errands so that I could ride without any distractions, and came home to get ready to ride My Bike.

Right before I wheeled it out the door, I stood there looking at it. I still couldn't get over the fact that this was My Bike.

I almost lowered the seat before I left because I was pretty sure that it might have been adjusted by Greg at the fitting to be a tad too high. I decided to just bring a hex key and leave it alone, but at least if needed on the ride, I could take care of it.

The reason I changed my mind was a lesson I think I finally learned at the right time, and to my great advantage.

On Thursday when The Most Supreme Bosses were buying me the bike, I told Greg, the bike shop owner who was helping us, that I was absolutely sure I needed a 48 cm frame. He said,"No, I can tell by looking at you that you're a 51." We went back and forth a bit and I could tell he was getting a little miffed. He said he would put a 48 together for me if I wanted but then explained why I probably was a 51 due to the fact that bike frame top tubes are different now than they were 30 years ago. (HINT NUMBER ONE, LINDA). He was pretty insistent and stated that he was 99.9% sure the 51 would be better suited. He felt I would be too cramped on the 48 due to the shorter top tube and there would be a crazy amount of seat post sticking out.

I thought back to all the times in my life I was "100%" sure about something, only to have to admit later that I was wrong. It was like God was saying to me, "Linda...NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO LEARN THIS LESSON???"

Right then and there I told him I would go with the 51. Ed and Ellen were telling me to let him put a 48 together and check it out but my gut told me to go with Greg's expertise and not mine. Being as Ed and Ellen know me like a book, I said to them, "You know how there are those times I'm 100% sure about something and then I find out I was wrong?"

They immediately nodded in recognition of this trait of mine and that was that. We all agreed on a 51.

The second I got on the bike yesterday after Greg had properly adjusted everything for me, I knew he was right about the size and I was very happy I didn't lower the seat. I would indeed have been too squished. The bike felt like it was made for me. The word that came to my mind was "fluid". The bike just flows.

I rode it down to the bay. There was somewhat of a headwind as Hurricane Bill's winds were off the Atlantic but it was pretty easy for me to push through them. My first thought was, "Wow, I'm in better shape than I thought!" only to be followed a hundreth of a second later by, "Duh. It's the bike, dummy."

I sat in the gazebo by the bay for a minute and took pictures of the bike. There were people around looking at me funny. Did I care? Nope.



On the way home I inadvertantly rode through some gravel. Before I realized what I was doing, I leaned over the handlebars to gently run my fingers over the front tire to dislodge anything. I have not done that in 30 years and it was like breathing. I then reached down to my right and felt for the back tire. My first thought was, "Wow, where's the tire? This wheelbase must be a lot longer than my Cuevas racing bike's was."

Immediately I realized what the problem was and actually laughed and shook my head to myself.

"No Linda, it's your stomach fat that is now in the way."

Well, now that I'll be able to go on longer rides, I may eventually have an easier time of reaching for my back tire.

I rode home and got ready for work at the supermarket. I don't remember anything at the store except thinking about that ride. I even had printed the picture of my bike below and put it in my pocket so I could look at it at any time.



I am such a dork! And I don't care!