Playing catch up with this blog ...

Second day riding clipless

2:15 hours, 26 miles
Another day of riding. I felt invincible until I arrived at the first landing after the first incline of the bike/pedestrian pathway to the Bay Bridge. Everything was perfect. I clipped out, leaned to the right, but fell to the left. What the heck?! All I could do was laugh. Two bystanders confirmed that I was okay, so nice. All-in-all a slow'ish ride through Emeryville, Berkeley, and Oakland. No scraped knees today.

  M o n d a y ,  F e b r u a r y  1 0 ,  2 0 1 4  

First day riding clipless
1:15 hours, 16.25 miles

Finally rode clipless after a much needed rainy weekend. From Oakland, I rode to Bill Harwood's in Emeryville, then to Berkeley, Emeryville, and back home. All that without one fall. YAY! But wait, there's a bit more. I end my ride in front of our garage, which would have been sprawled had my feet been out of the pedals, but weren't. What a dramatic scene to the end of the bike ride. My first boo-boo - scraped my right knee.

  S u n d a y ,  F e b r u a r y  9 ,  2 0 1 4  

Celebrated our 34th-year Anniversary &
Weekend Training in the Rain ... 

didn't happen. So I spent 1 1/2 hours each day Friday, Saturday, & Sunday on a stationary bike and kept thinking to myself, "will my -ss ever get used to these hard bike seats?"

  F r i d a y ,  F e b r u a r y  7 ,  2 0 1 4  

All Geared Up and Ready to ... Go? 

We'll, not quite. Friday morning, 2/7/14, looked promising in Oakland for cycling. No rain yet, so I put all my cold weather gear on (almost like getting ready for downhill skiing) and walk out the door AND it's raining. YAY, for the much-needed rain!

Well, virgin cyclist will remain a virgin cycler-in-the-rain until the next storm and I'm extremely comfortable with my new clipless pedals and shoes. So off with the cycling gear and off to make hot chocolate :)

  W e d n e s d a y ,  F e b r u a r y  5 ,  2 0 1 4  

Ready to get clipless pedals 

Thanks Richard and Charlotte of Tip Top Bike Shop, I'm graduating to clipless pedals and cycling specific shoes.

  T u e s d a y ,  F e b r u a r y  4 ,  2 0 1 4  

First 2-hour Ride

Training is definitely different from a leisure bike ride or an errand to Costco on a bicycle. Thanks to Bill Harwood, his 3rd year riding for ALC, he took me through the hills of Oakland and Berkeley yesterday for about 1.5 hours.

Today, February 5th, he took me to and beyond Point Richmond for a 2-hour, 26.92-mile bike ride with one break.

  M o n d a y ,  F e b r u a r y  3 ,  2 0 1 4  

Training

Cycled out to the mid-point of the Bay Bridge on the new beautiful East Bay span last Friday and up to Grizzly Peak in Berkeley (well, almost) today.

  T h u r s d a y ,  J a n u a r y  3 0 ,  2 0 1 4  

Ready for my first outdoor training ride

Thanks to Tip Top Bike Shop I just got geared up and a new bicycle, after I learned from cycling friends and Tip Top that my older bicycle and gear were not appropriate for a fun ride. 

  M o n d a y ,  J a n u a r y  2 7 ,  2 0 1 4  

Onward to training

My current bicycle is a 27-year old Specialized Street Stomper, a road/mountain bike hybrid - not a bicycle that would make my training and 7-day ride a happy one. So Monday training started with the stationary bike at the gym, which will be the workout of choice with a spattering of isometrics when I'm not on the road. 

  S u n d a y ,  J a n u a r y  2 6 ,  2 0 1 4  

The decision to cycle

Since the AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride started in 2002 (San Francisco AIDS Ride in 1994) ... read more.