If any of you know me, and I think like three of you do, you will know Bonnie Blue Bell (my bike) and I have a tenuous relationship at best. We were okay in the beginning, BC, before clips. Those cages I had at first were a little difficult to get used to at first. But get used to them I did, and that lead to some blazing fast transitions when I competed in tris. I didn't have the shoes to clip in and out with, run through transition in, then switch to my running shoes. I had my sneakers on, slid into my cages, and slid out when I was done riding, dropped my bike and my helmet, no shoes to have to change. It was pretty, it was the only tri associated event which I did faster then my husband and irked my father in law silly when he saw I transitioned faster then Brad. Hahaha, that will be the only time I am faster then Brad unless they do a tri where you have to talk, iron and use the loo. I would whoop the hell out of him then!
Anyway, all I kept hearing was how your pedalling was so much better and stronger with the clip less shoes. Okay, lets try it. That's when Bonnie and I started to not like each other much. The first time I fell and hurt myself with shoes that clip in, it actually wasn't on Bonnie, but I fell on a mountain bike because I couldn't unclip one of my shoes. I really walloped my head on the retaining wall of my driveway, smashed my husband's new cell phone in my bike shorts, plus totally tore my legs up on a plethora of bike parts from chains, to cranks, to pedals. REALLY, I am supposed to do better with these stupid shoes? Brad even got me a nice pair of Shimano cycling shoes to ride in, they made things a bit easier, they were new and fit well. I did notice a difference in my up and down stroke. Way stronger. So I kept trying to get comfortable with my feet stuck to my pedals.
Then we went for packet pick up one day for an upcoming race. While we were nosing around 3 Sports, one of my favorite shops to nose around, after we picked up our packets, I saw THEM. A pair of Shimano Triathlon shoes (different from cycling shoes because cycling shoes have two or three straps to triathlon shoes one big strap that looks like they strap the wrong way). Girl triathlon shoes and they were pretty, all white pearlized leather, with pretty light blue accents and catch this. They matched Bonnie! With a name like Bonnie Blue Bell one can guess my bike isn't red right? Sah-weet!!! Brad saw me looking at them and handling them with care so he had the guy he knows over there bring out a pair in my size. Darn if they didn't feel and look perfect. So Brad bought them for me, I am not going to say what he dropped on them, but he got them in the hopes I would want to wear them and that I might learn to love Bonnie and riding her with him someday while wearing them. I laugh every time I tell people my bike and shoes had to match so I can look good because Lord knows I am never going to place in a tri compared to some of the fabulous ladies I compete with, so I might as well look good while I am out there.
Okay, back to the present, yesterday my husband convinced me to ride with a bunch of cyclists who do the Rocketts Landing course. Rocketts is an Oly distance triathlon that Brad and I doing this May I think it is. He knows how shy I am about riding. I get scared of cars hitting me, scared of getting dropped by the pack, scared of getting lost. But he convinced me only after he promised he would ride with me, however slowly that might be. So we went. Thankfully the first person we met up with is this nice guy named Craig we know. Next Laurie, who organized the ride, pulled in. I really like her, she is such a mellow soul, nice to be around. There were a few other people I knew, and before you know it we are all hopping on our bikes and getting ready to go. There were a few people there that Brad had spoken pretty highly of from the last week. I guess they brought some of their cycling buddies with them and boy were they snobby. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound like sour grapes, but the way they looked at the slower of us in this group, and I mean we were most definitely slower, was reminiscent of how you look at what you just scraped off of your shoe that you shouldn't have stepped in. Truly, maybe that's why I prefer doing triathlons, because you don't get many elitist snobs.
But then you had my husband, who could totally be a snob if he wanted to, telling me how proud he was of me. That was after he showed me I was in the wrong gear going up that big ol' hill when we first started, kept pushing me onward and encouraging me, telling me I could ride the 20 plus miles. I fell in with two really great riders, Ruth and a guy named Brad of all things. When I did, I encouraged Brad to ride with the fast cyclist. He didn't want to, but I asked him to make sure and let us know if we were going to miss a turn etc. With his promise, he took off to catch that fast pack, all by his lonesome. Catch them he did, because he is good like that.
My newly formed trio took turns doing our own little pace line. Okay, maybe not at the 22-24 like the "fancy pants" riders were riding, but 18-20. We each took turns pulling and dropping back, and I really started to get comfortable with my gears. My Brad doubled back at one point to let us know there was a left we needed to make, and I started drafting on him from there. I was actually drafting at Brad's pace, I was in the twenties. WOW, this is what it's like to be fast. I drafted on him going up hill too, and I was never off of his wheel for the last 5 miles of that ride. Brad said I looked like a different rider who first started with a struggle with her gears.
I was so pleased with myself! I kept pace with one of the big boys. My big boy, who isn't one of those snobs, and who couldn't have been more pleased that I was there unlike the fast and furious riders. I chatted with my two new cycling buddies for a bit after we were done. Very nice people indeed!
Will I go back next week? I don't know, even though I am an adult, it still kind of stings when you stink at something and there are those who want to make sure you know it, but I will never get better if I don't keep going. Ah, there's conundrum...
Something to think about for sure, I want it to be someday that the only things that sort of smarts after a ride is my behind and not my ego...
1 comment:
Dee:
Love the post! Keep it up.
Every cyclist I know, from the beginner Cat 5 to the most elitist Cat 1 has turtled while still clipped into their pedals. Remember this, it will happen to you again and I promise not to laugh!
One of the reasons I enjoy triathlon so much is the people. Twenty years ago, in addition to doing triathlons, I was also a Cat 3 cyclist and the cycling community had more then their fair share of elitists and snobs while the triathlon community, only a few were elitist. This, I think, was because of the nature of the racing. In cycling, all road events (except individual time trials)were pack races and you did your best to drop the weakest rider or try to break away. You also had to be at a certain level just to compete or you will be spit out of the back of the pack. Also, there were often a lot of bumping and altercations within the pack.
Triathlon is a sport that most anyone with a reasonable level of fitness can compete. Also the participants are mostly on their own and the competition is much more relaxed. In fact, most of the participants I see during a race are not even in my age group. So you don't have the level of competition that you see in cycling.
I look forward to you next post
Post a Comment