What is the average age a child learns to ride a bike? It’s sad, but I don’t even remember how old I was! I do, however, remember my sweet pink Huffy! Oh I loved that bike! But, once I grew out of my Huffy, I didn’t ride a bike anymore. A little over three years ago I bought a Trek Mountain bike. I had not ridden a bike in years, and I was thankful that old saying “It’s like riding a bike” held true, I didn’t lose my skills of being able to actually ride one! I spent $400 on my mountain bike and I thought to myself, “Damn, why are bikes so expensive?!” Then I met my fiance in January 2009 who is a semi-pro cyclist and made me realize that a $400 bike of any kind is pretty much crap quality. I was shocked to hear that in order to buy a decent bike you had to spend thousands, and I mean thousands of dollars. After taking my mountain bike out several times I realized I enjoyed riding it a lot, but wasn’t a big fan of technical mountain bike trails. Rocks, stumps, roots, why on earth do I want to ride over all of that?! I was more of a fan of dirt paths and the road. So, this past August I bit the bullet and bought a brand new road bike. This time I spent a whole lot more than $400. In fact, I’m pretty sure my new bike was more expensive than our damn dinning room table! Road biking is a completely different feel than being on a mountain bike. Skinny tires, different handle bars, different gears, it’s a lot of getting used to. I think my favorite is the ass padded shorts. Yes, that’s my term and I’m totally kidding. I hate bike shorts! I feel like I’m wearing a diaper! Not to mention my ass is still sore from the seat! Oh, and let’s not forget clipless shoes and pedals. Why they call them clipless is beyond me because you are doing exactly the opposite, clipping in! I like to practice this craziness on a trainer where I cannot fall over! Then there’s riding on the road…with cars. This is probably the biggest obstacle for me. I was so used to riding my mountain on dirt paths, trails, and if I was on the road they were typically very quiet. But taking my road bike out in a busy town where the roads are narrow, the cars drive fast, and the rider (me), isn’t experienced is a panicking experience. Bike paths are my best friend because I don’t have to worry about cars and it allows me to feel more at ease and get more comfortable on my bike. But, despite my preference of being on a bike path, this upcoming Saturday I am registered to ride my very 1st road ride. This does not take place on a bike path! This takes place in NH on main roads where I’ll be forced to ride with other riders and cars. I’m excited and surprisingly not nervous about it yet. It’s not a race which takes the pressure off a bit. The ride is called the Krempels King of the Road Challenge which is a fundraising event for the Krempels Center, a nonprofit organization devoted to people who have suffered brain injury from trauma, tumor or stroke. Right now I’m registered for the 30 mile ride. There’s a 10 miler, a 30 miler, and a 55 miler. I have not yet decided if I’m going to stick with the 30 mile ride or drop down to the 10 miler. 30 miles is certainly not a problem for me physically as I’ve done rides up to 27 miles with ease. My reservations are that I’m also signed up for another half marathon on Sunday morning. I know the 30 mile ride is hilly and a bit of a challenging route, and where I’m hoping to hit a PR at Sunday’s half marathon having sore and tired legs from the day before may make this difficult. I have done trainings where I have ran and rode in the same day and have been totally fine physically without being sore or tired, but the distance wasn’t as long. These training days were more like a 6 mile run followed by a 23 mile bike ride in the same day. Of course, my fiance thinks I will be fine and that I should stick to the 30 mile ride, but he’s also inhuman when it comes to his athletic abilities! Either way, whichever mileage I choose, my goal is to just have fun and enjoy the ride!
To learn more about the Krempels King of the Road Challenge please visit their website at http://www.kingchallenge.org/