Friday August 1, 2008

Easy come�easy go�

Thursday morning I got up early to ride my bike before heading off to the hills of South Dakota for a family camping trip. I actually bounded out of bed, excited to ride my first long ride at 5am. I grabbed a bottle of water and headed to the garage to get my bike, but when I got there, my helmet was sitting on the ground but there was no bike. It was gone. Gone! I couldn�t believe it: someone had stolen my new bike.


We live in a very nice suburb of Denver, there is little to no crime in this area, we hardly ever lock our doors. But, we had been warned by our neighbors to make sure we keep our garage doors closed; that people often find things missing from their garages. We figured it had to be a teenager because there were so many other more valuable items they could have stolen. But the bike was easily accessible (which I did on purpose to make it easy for me to get to) and provided a convenient get-a-way. My husband felt terrible since it was he who left the garage door open (I�m not even allowed to park in the garage, but that�s a whole other story). So, I�m sure I can leverage that guilt to get another bike and maybe an even nicer bike? Maybe if I turn on the tears. Well, it�s worth a shot�

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Wednesday July 30, 2008

I did it; I bought a bike.

I did it; I bought a bike. After much research and contemplation, I decided to go with a hybrid. I realize a road bike is lighter and would be easier to maneuver but my earlier �road incident� coupled with some sticker shock lead me in the direction of a hybrid. Have you seen how much road bikes go for? And I�m not even talking top of the line ones, but just regular road bikes that regular bike riders would buy. My husband was incredulous �I can buy a lawn mower for less than half this price, and that even has an engine!� So while I know going uphill won�t be the smoothest, I think my mid-grade hybrid bike will be just fine� for now.

As soon as I got home from the store I took it out for a spin. It felt wonderful to be outside riding with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair, but truthfully, it was a lot more challenging than I anticipated. After just a few minutes I was breathing pretty hard. I just figured all my spin classes would have me in good riding shape. I had assumed the bike section of the biathlon would be the easiest. I�m starting to rethink that. I�m glad I have 8 more weeks to train. I�m going to need them!