This is Beauty:

She is stunning. And fast and most of all, comfortable. I cannot believe how comfortable she is. She is the kind of comfortable that makes her feel like an extension of me while I am riding her, rather than feeling like I am fighting against her. I’ve thought about getting a road bike for about 2 yrs now, but this year I’ve actually been quite committed to cycling and it was a better time than any other.

Of course, there were many things that I said I’d never do. Like worry about cadence. Or use clipless pedals. I never even wanted to hear about them. But, while I still want to stick my fingers in my ears and holler “LALALALALAH” every time I hear the word “cadence,” The merits of clipless pedals seemed a bit more logical to me at this time. I figured if I was going to have the fancy road bike, I’d better learn how to ride it properly. So I got myself some shoes and clipless pedals as well. Of course, that means the first long ride on my new bike will also be a ride in which I attempt to stay upright while connected to my bike. I mean, these shoes, will be connected to these pedals:

And I was convinced that this would make me fall. Honestly, I managed to get all clipped in without even knowing it. At some point, before I wanted to, it happened. And it really wasn’t a big deal. The thing about clipless pedals is instead of feeling like you are pedaling seperate from the bike, it sorta feels like you are one with the bike. Amazing.

I didn’t fall. Not even close. I know it will probably happen at some point, but it didn’t happen today.

Sunday I’ll be taking a much longer and hillier ride. I am not sure exactly how long it will be, but I am eager to give a road cyclist ride a try!

Of course Bug would be a major player in my new endeavor! This is Bug with her tug a bug. Notice her awesome bike shorts and jersey, her jersey is decorated most appropriately. With lady bugs. Sarah, Grant, Bug, and I set out for a ride yesterday evening. We had it in mind to do about 12 miles. This was farther than Bug had ever pedaled before. Prior to this, she had pedaled 8 miles with my mom.

At about 7 miles, we stopped for dinner. Bug pedals for ice cream!

In the end, we completed 15 miles of biking, this is Bug feeling triumphant. She did a great job, and didn’t complain about speed or about being sore. Sarah watched her carefully, she was a good help for about 10 of those 15 miles, and then I had to do all the rest of the work.

I knew that towing the bug would probably continue to help me build muscle during this training process, but I had no idea just how much. Today is the first day this year that I have been sore after a ride. Even after the first day of Ragbrai, my legs were sore but not tired. Now, my legs and arms hurt. It takes concentration and endurance just to keep us both upright and adjust to the constantly moving bike. Then there is the power needed to pedal an additional 60 pounds, sometimes without help. Training with Bug is going to be serious business! Thankfully it seems that it will be serious business that Bug will enjoy. Hoping to get her out on the bike again on Tuesday.

Last Sunday, during a lovely 28 mile ride on the Wabash Trace to Silver City, Mary, Stella, and I decided to plan a 44 mile ride the next week. We decided to go all the way to Malvern on the Trace. Stella had said there were some fun things to see, and I was eager to see them. Saturday night we had some major storms roll through, but Sunday dawned cool and beautiful and we started our ride at 7a.m. Mary and I got on the trail, but to our surprise, there were trees to portage!

The storm had knocked 7 trees right over the trail, so there was a lot of stopping and starting in those initial miles. A lot of our ride was cooperation that looked like below. Stella and Mary lifting Mary’s bike over a dead tree.

The ride was wonderful even so. The day couldn’t have been more beautiful, the company fantastic, and 44 miles while long, felt really really good. We saw all manner of fun things. Deer, a baby coyote laying on the trail, lots of other cyclists and runners, and I have one picture I am saving for another day. We had lunch at a sub and ice cream shop in Silver City. We met a lovely older gentleman there and we talked to him during our time there. We also have ice cream sundaes. Well deserved on such a lengthy ride!

Today’s ladies ride was the long version. So worth it for the view of the Missouri River we got!  Lots of hills which I love, and lots of lovely women riding.

After I got home I was able to get the lawn trimmed before the second planned ride. Then I met up with OrangeKathy in order to do a little more road bike test riding. I tried out some women specific frames as well as some men’s frames. Since I am tall, I thought this would be a wise thing to do. The reach is far too long for me to be riding a men’s bike, so I took a women’s specific bike out for a longer ride. It was a bit….disappointing. There were issues with the size of the handlebars and this created pain in my neck, back, shoulders, wrists, hands, even down into my knuckles. Yep, it was fast. But that doesn’t mean I liked it!

Tomorrow we have a 7 a.m. 44 mile ride on the Wabash Trace planned. Last week we made it down to Silver City. This week we fly on by to Malvern. I am really really looking forward to hanging out with the girls and getting my miles in.

When our friendly neighborhood meteorologist decides not to ride on a particular night due to potential rain, rather than tease him about being a wimp, I should listen. Lesson learned.

At the trail head it was sprinkling but barely. The trail was dry and it was cooler than it had been in a long time, so we decided to ride. We were all there, why not?

A little over halfway through, we began to see the error of our ways. It was raining harder, the trail was muddy and mushy, and we spent the last portion of the trail just trying to keep our bikes upright through the slop. At some point we just had to let go of the fact that we were getting dirty and go with it. Otherwise it was just too annoying. There was no way to make it better. So, of course, pictures had to be taken!

As you can see, I am muddy right up my back, into my hair, and even my helmet is muddy. I figure some people pay good money for mud treatments, mine was free. Mud was Iowa White courtesy of the Wabash Trace.

In the end we only got 10 miles of riding done. We managed to organize a bikeflight back to the trail head. I was feeling fortunate because I keep an old blanket in the car, so I didn’t destroy my seats.

Once I got home, I had to empty my bike bag, and then use the outside hose to wash off the bag, water bottles, shoes, socks, then take an outdoor shower before I got inside to take an indoor shower. What a mess! What a good little adventure!

I’ve been considering a road bike for a couple of years now. The Beast is fine for an all around bike, but with its issues, I thought that supplimenting it with a road bike would be a perfect compliment. So, I am in the process of test riding some bikes. I’ve been out test riding, but really felt the need to get a longer ride under my belt to make sure my hands and wrists are not bothered by the road bike positioning.

So, yesterday evening I had OrangeKathy meet me at our favorite bike shop so we could take a road bike out for a longer spin. It took a little while to realize that every move I made on the bike made me unstable. I will also have a lot to learn about shifting. But it also became very very clear that all I’ve been doing on my Beast is building muscles….just for this moment! In fact, the difference was so striking that I began to understand why everyone told me I could not take the Beast on the first day of RAGBRAI, a warning I ignored. On this type of bike….I am zippy!

Let me introduce you to player #1 in my journey to cyclist. This is The Beast. It is a GT Slipstream from 1999ish? I think? They stopped making them soon after. This is purely a comfort bike, a cruiser. Best suited for riding the boardwalk on the beach. Why do I have it? Because when I purchased it, I had a terrible time with my hands and wrists. tendonitis made my hands ache, hurt, or fall asleep on a mountain or road bike. Even a hybrid put too much pressure on my hands at that time. So I spent what was a goodly amount of money for a young woman newly out in the workforce for this bike. Consequently, The Beast has a ton of wonderful memories attached to it. Many of them with my Mom, who is the person who gave me the love of biking in the first place. But that is a post for another day.

The Beast is old. Heavy. Not built for the type of biking I am currently doing. But I do it anyhow. The major problem is that the upright positioning of this bike puts all the pressure on my lower back, and then I end up with a very sore back. I then start to compensate by pulling myself off the bike seat, and end up with sore wrists for overcompensating. She has 21 gears, but I never use the bottom 7 anymore. Ever. Even on day 1 of RAGBRAI and all those hills. She is geared low, and so once I hit 18 mph, I am just spinning for no reason. She has her frustrations. But, The Beast will continue to be a major player because she is my bike. She is the tool that I have for the job. And, she may be a Beast, but she is a trusty Beast.

Tonight we took a 15 mile bike ride on the Keystone at 8:30 pm. This helped with the oppressive heat, even though we were in the dark for half of it. It is ok, the Beast is fully decked out with lights of various sorts, so riding in the dark is no problem at all for her!

OK friends. You can clearly see I am not posting much in the way of crafts. The honest truth is I don’t seem to have much in me at the moment. I want to bike. I am motivated to bike. I want to be outdoors even in the oppressive heat and humidity. The first day of RAGBRAI changed everything for me, even my attitude toward myself.

So…rather than a complete failure to post, I’d like to take you on a journey. A journey of the transition of Shells  from “fat asthmatic who likes to ride a bike sometimes” to cyclist.

I have 6 consecutive days of biking planned from tonight on as long as the weather holds. I will blog about it. I might even throw in a couple pictures of knitting, but I will make no assurances of such.

I, too, can become a cyclist.