Triathlon Training

Biking

I have been taking spin classes for quite a long time. I love spinning, and I feel rather confident in the class, doing the jumps, hills, sprints, etc. without a problem, and while I am in the class I can visualize myself actually out on the road doing similar things. When I run I see packs of bikers riding very fast all in unison, like they are almost connected to each other and know each others moves.

I envisioned my biking experience to be similar to what I had seen and experienced in the spin classes. To start out, I do not have the proper biking outfit, which is fine, and I don’t have a helmet yet, so I had to use Bailey’s, which was a little snug and made me look ridiculous, not that I need much help with that. The first three miles were completely downhill and there was smoke coming off my brakes, because I did not want to go too fast, and all the while my husband was yelling at me to “STOP RIDING YOUR BRAKES”, “PEDAL”, “SHIFT INTO ANOTHER GEAR”, “YOUR GEARS ARE BY YOUR HANDS”, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING”, “GET OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD”, “YOU HAVE GOT TO GO FASTER”, “STOP”, “STOP”, “PULL INTO THAT PARKING LOT”, “SHIFT”, USE YOUR BRAKE NOW”, “STOP DOING THAT”.

In my mind I had a few choice things that I was yelling at him as well, but could not vocalize them for fear of falling off the bike. Well, to summarize, there are a lot more dangers out on the open road than in a spin class, little rocks, cars, cracks in the road, pot holes, bugs, all of which could send you head over heels, sprawled on the asphalt with my daughter’s pink helmet protecting only a small portion of my head, and my husband shaking his head in embarrassment. So, needless to say, I am going to require a little more practice on the bike.