This weekend, I finally took in the bike that my mom's friend donated to the Sarah Mennone Insanity Cause (ie my triathlon training). It hasn't been used in about 20 years or so (ok at least 10), so it needs some work, but in general, it's a good bike. Someone at the bike shop even offered to buy it (I turned them down since it's a short bike and I'd have trouble finding a frame that small again). I have to wait until next Wednesday to get it back, but luckily I have a sweet boyfriend who offered to rent bikes with me yesterday. We went to a shop in Georgetown, they handed us 2 bikes and shooed us back out. No helmet, no instructions, just be back by 6.
So...they say you never forget how to ride a bike. I didn't forget, but I think there were some experiences that I never got around to as a kid. For example, riding up a hill. Or riding next to cars. I grew up in a residential neighborhood, where if someone whizzed past you over the 25 mph speed limit, your mom probably knew you they were and would ream them out later. Or if she didn't know, your neighbor did, and would follow similar lines. But now if someone yells at me for going too slow or not making it up a hill, if a car honks or swerves too close, there's no one to fix it. A terrifying and necessary realization to come to.
In general, I need to dedicate some serious bike time now that the weather has gotten nicer. My butt is sore, so I must have done something right! I'm looking forward to learning a lot as I move forward in my training.
By the way, does anyone know how gears work?
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