Well, I'm proud to say I finally brought my bike into my local bike shop to be tuned up. I live near Chicago so I was lucky that on the day I went to the bike store it wasn't below freezing, snowing or torrential rains. Sometimes I ask myself why do I live here but that's a separate story. Anyway, I want to make it clear that I'm no bike expert. For expert advice, stick to reading what Brian and Deb post on this Blog. All I have to offer is what I've learned from my experiences during the 2008 Ride to Empower.
When I turned 50 (which is starting to feel like a long time ago), I bought myself a fairly nice road bike. In my younger years, I always rode this kind of bike so that is what I am most familiar with. What excited me about buying my "birthday" bike was that it was made specifically for women. I am a little over 5 feet tall, and when I rode when I was younger I was prone to groin pulls. My new bike fits me perfectly, and I no longer have this problem. I never rode my "birthday" bike much until I signed up for the 2008 Ride to Empower. Let me say that when I took it in to the bike shop, the other day, it looked as if I got a lot of use out of it. It was filthy. I felt so proud.
I would like to share with you some of the things I did to my bike last year in order to make riding easier for me. I want to add a caveat, however, because I never want to say anything that might discourage any one of you from participating in the Ride. My caveat is that you don't have to follow my suggestions in order to be successful in the Ride to Empower. My purpose in writing is simply to share my experiences. Take what you want or don't want. You will be just fine whatever you decide!
Having given you my caveat, I will now talk about what made riding easier for me last year. As mentioned, I had my "birthday" bike for the 2008 Ride. My bike is fairly light weight and has a lot of gears, and I would be lying if I didn't say that it made riding easier. If you decide to buy a new bike for the Ride (in saying this I need to remind you of my caveat), then head over to your local bike store. When you go you can tell them how much you intend to ride, and they can make suggestions to you in this regard. You can also ask questions about different type of bikes to Brian and Deb by posting comments to them on this Blog. In considering whether to buy a new bike keep in mind that it's an investment that will last you for years to come.
While training for the Ride last year, I started to go from being a bike rider to a cyclist, and as a result, I upgraded my bike along the way. Here is a brief list of these upgrades:
1.Seat: When I started training longer distances, I noticed it was getting quite uncomfortable down below (if you know what I mean). I found out that there are bike seats made just for women. Luckily, my bike store had such an anatomically designed seat, and it did the trick. It brought a smile to my face. If you are riding long distances, it helps if you are comfortable. So, if you are experiencing discomfort from your seat, you may want to consider checking out a different type of seat.
2.Bike shoes and pedals: I always thought those fancy bike shoes that clip onto the pedals were only for those cyclists that speed by you so fast that you immediately feel inferior by their mere presence. Well, guess what? Even the inexperienced bike rider can wear these kind of shoes. I found that switching over to these type of shoes and pedals helped me in riding long distances. My bike store owner analogized clipping on your bike shoes to pedals to clipping on your ski boots to skies. Well, I'm not a skier but there seems to be a similarity between the two. I must admit trying them out for the first time was scary. I did fall 3-4 times but I did adjust to them fairly fast. They did seem to make pedaling easier and more efficient for me, but it was not a good feeling when I started to fall and there was nothing I could do about it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If you are thinking about investing in these accessories but are nervous about using them, I want to assure you that you will be able to master them in a short amount of time...just be confident.
3. Cat Eye Cadence Bike Computer:Our local coach last year recommended a CAT Eye Cadence computer. Such a computer is fairly inexpensive and fits right on to your handlebars. It tells you about your speed, cadence, millage, and related information. Once again, I will turn the floor over to Brian and Deb who can explain the benefits of this computer to you in more detail. All I will say is a cadence computer really helped me a lot when I was training.
4.Aerobars: I found that having aerobars attached to my handlebars made riding a road bike more comfortable for me. As best as I can explain, they are an accessory to your handlebars and are usually attached to the middle of your handlebars. There are different styles of aerobars. My aerobars allow me to lean my forearms on two pads, and then I can extend my hands out so I can hold on to an oblong shaped bar that juts forward off of my main handlebars. My aerobars give me a more comfortable place to lean while riding. I also get carpal tunnel from riding, and so when I lean forward on to my aerobars it takes the pressure off of my hands and helps minimize numbness. Also, it gives me a way to rest my upper body while I'm still pedaling.
5.Handlebar Tape: I also had my handlebars wrapped in a special tape that helped to minimize vibrations. The roads in Chicago are pretty bad, and having the bars specially wrapped did help to minimize the jarring I usually felt when riding over bumpy roads. This also helped my carpal tunnel.
6.Water bottle holders: I had 4 water bottles put on my bike. Even though my bike is pretty small, they all fit nicely. I had these put on after I fainted while riding from dehydration. In a later post, I will talk more about eating and hydration while riding. For now, I will simply say the more water bottle holders the better.
So these are some of my bicycle tips. Also, I always like to wear bicycle gloves. The ones with extra padding definitely help minimize the shock to my hands when riding over bumpy surfaces. Remember that I was not much of a bike rider until last year so I don't have years of experience to share with you. I'm hoping, however, that even sharing my limited experiences from last year will still be of help to you as you prepare for the 2009 Ride to Empower.
There are many different reasons why people will make the commitment to participate in the 2009 Ride to Empower, and along these same lines, there will be many different goals set in connection with the Ride. Despite all of these differences, what we all have in common is the desire to raise money for a worthy cause. When we come together in Las Vegas the differences among us are not what's important but rather the fact that we are there supporting each other and the Network of Strength. Our togetherness will symbolize what the Network of Strength is all about..ensuring that no one faces breast cancer alone.
I want to end by saying that I'm starting to receive comments to my postings. I would love to hear from more of you. This Blog is a way of feeling connected as we all move towards the Ride in Las Vegas. So, if you have any questions, please post them to any one of us on this Blog. Even if you don't have any questions, let me know how you are doing. I would love to start connecting with more of you!
