So I bought a bike…
About 8 years ago, I met my now-husband and love of my life through an online dating app, in which I described myself as “adventurous and outdoorsy.” (Those of you who know me well can laugh here). Unfortunately, these words had different definitions for each of us.
My husband, Kent, rode a bicycle directly out of the womb. I’m fairly certain that is a true story. He thought, how much fun could it be if we could go riding together? I wasn’t so sure, but hey, I’m an adult now, it won’t be like when I was a kid (feel free to reference my About Me page for a good laugh) – how hard could it be?
I didn’t have a bike, so we went to a local bike shop where we picked out my first mountain bike, a Giant Revel. The store clerk told me to ride it around, try it out, see how it felt. You see, I CAN’T DO THAT. I really didn’t know how to ride, and really didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of Kent and this bike shop worker.
I asked Kent, “Why don’t you ride it for me and see if it’s a good one or not.”
After all, I didn’t know anything about bikes. He was confused by this.
“What good would it do for me to ride around on a bike too small for me? A bike that I’m ultimately not going to be riding?”
Both he and the shop worker kept telling me to try it out, and both were pretty confused when I ultimately (and adamantly) turned them down.
Convinced it was “a good one,” I paid for my brand new bike with no test drive, and off we went! I don’t think Kent knew what he was getting into at this point. I think he thought that there would be a foundation of some basics there. BOY, WAS HE EVER SO WRONG! He took me out to ride, but I was petrified.
“HOLD ONTO MY SEAT! DON’T! LET! GO!”
“HOLD ONTO MY HANDLEBARS!”
“CAN’T YOU PUT TRAINING WHEELS ON THIS THING??”
In the end, I think we both gave up. I was too terrified. And he just really didn’t know what to do with me, as this was such a natural activity for him.
Riding the trainer…
Fast forward a couple more years, and now Kent is biking even more. I’m busy too. I’ve got a lot of stories to watch on TV, wine to drink, and snacks to eat… I’m working full-time, volunteering with an animal shelter, and somewhere in there I was going back to school part-time for my second degree. Because if there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s over-commit!
Kent decides he wants to take his cycling to the next level, so he gets a smart trainer and starts using Zwift. He says he’s going to set up my mountain bike with a trainer tire so I can do it too. I wasn’t super interested or motivated. It sounded boring. And it sounded a lot like exercise. But sure enough, he gets me set up, and now I’m sitting on my bike on this smart trainer. My avatar is all kitted out to look as cool as me, and we’re ready to go! I think I went about 4 miles before getting off because I was certain I would die. I really wasn’t so sure how this would pan out. But it had been kinda cool, riding through this virtual world with other cyclists. And I really wanted to see more. Ultimately, it became a sort of obsession.
Once I really got going, I started to feel like I needed some things in order to be successful. Finger-less gloves. I needed those because my hands would sweat and slide around on the handlebars. A heart rate monitor. I mean, Zwift tracks it, so I should have it, right? A power meter! Kent put his foot down at this one. He insisted we hold off on that until we see how far I take this. “But you have one!” I had to point out. He said we would spend that kind of money when, and if, that time came.
I had to get those funny, padded shorts. I mean, let’s be real. If you’re spending any length of time on a bike, you want some cushion for those… more delicate parts. I bought a pair, and I felt ridiculous. It felt like I was riding a horse, or wearing a diaper. I thought it looked even more ridiculous. Good thing I was riding inside, because there was NO WAY I would be caught dead in public in these things. But finally, I told him I needed those fancy shoes and pedals, so that I could clip in, because when I go really fast, my feet fly off the pedals! He conceded to this, thinking it wasn’t a bad idea, and bought me both for Christmas. So now I’m prepping my water bottle, pulling on my fancy shorts and finger-less gloves, and clipping into my mountain bike for my big indoor trainer rides! I’m doing workout plans and feeling real pro!
Outside again…
In his infinite wisdom, Kent thought I could be ready to try this outdoor thing again. I don’t really see why – indoors I’m fantastic! We decided to leave on the pedals and clip in for my ride. I mean, I can do it on the trainer, I should be able to do it outside, right?
Well, it didn’t go as you might think. Surprisingly, clipping in and out, stopping and unclipping – these were things I didn’t appear to have issue with. My issue was simply RIDING THE BIKE. I couldn’t get started – AT ALL. Kent would stand behind me and hold onto my seat until I could pedal. Once I was pedaling, I could (most of the time) clip in the other foot. But I wobbled all over the place and couldn’t ride in a straight line. I couldn’t ride without aiming at things either: trees, dogs, babies, other cyclists… you name it, I was a one-woman wrecking crew. But I could come to a stop, unclip, and put my foot down, most of the time, without falling. Does that make any sense?? Once again, we kind of gave in. I was frustrated and crying, Kent was frustrated and probably trying not to leave me in the woods… Biking in the real world just wasn’t for me. I’d have to further my career in the virtual world. I had no way of knowing all that was yet to come…