Went out for my first long ride!

[zoidberg]

OMG I am in love.

I went about 18 miles, which I think might be the longest ride I've ever done and certainly the longest since I got my drivers license (so...20 years ago, give or take).

I averaged 13.2 mph, honestly not sure if that is good or not. I just rode so that I felt like I was doing some work but not so fast that I felt uncomfortable. I don't know what my speed goal should be.

Legs were solid the whole time, but my hands and wrists got a bit tired. I guess these big old t-rex haunches are good for something after all.

I crossed traffic 4 times (including 2x a 4 lane divided road that is fairly busy). This is something that really scares me, so I feel pretty proud that I just went for it.

I did not crotch myself this time, but I almost fell over when I stopped for a water break. Getting the first foot out of the clipless pedals is easy, the second foot is going to take some practice.

All in all, I had a fantastic time and am almost giddy over it.

[venice2007]

Sounds like a great ride! Good job!!

[coconutbug]

Woohoo! Glad you had a great ride.

[kams]

Oh good, I'm glad to hear more!

13.2 is good! Also, that route has so many bridges, underpasses, etc, that you just can't safely go as fast there as you could on the road. At least, I can't.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it. The pedals will come together - you're already ahead of where I was, as I was still sitting on my trainer because I was afraid of falling again, lol.

[katinthehat]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you have a cadence sensor for your bike? I find it a lot easier to focus on cadence when I'm riding than on speed, especially getting started.

[zoidberg]

Apr 28, 2013 16:08:09 GMT -5 katinthehat said:

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you have a cadence sensor for your bike? I find it a lot easier to focus on cadence when I'm riding than on speed, especially getting started.

No, I was just using my garmin. I have zero bike accessories.

[katinthehat]

the sensor pod is not expensive - www.amazon.com/Garmin-Speed-Cadence-Bike-Sensor/dp/B000BFNOT8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367184219&sr=8-1&keywords=garmin+cadence - and well worth the purchase I think.

For me, when I started riding as an adult, I thought my legs were supposed to feel like I was doing leg press the whole time. Like my automatic default was back to when I was 10 and riding my single speed huffy and I was either mashing it to get up the hill or not pedaling at all coming down the hill. Having a cadence sensor helped me to get a "feel" for a good solid cruising speed on the bike.

[Deleted]

Great job! I did my first long ride this weekend too, total of 25 miles friday night, though there were some pit stops.

[trigal]

Nice job! Don't worry about speed right now. At this point, you just need to get some time on the bike.

[sadlebred]

Sounds like a fun ride!

As for the tired hands and wrists, do you have a pair of padded cycling gloves?

[zoidberg]

I don't, I guess I should get some? It wasn't terrible, I just felt like I had to rest my hands in a different position after about half the ride.

[sadlebred]

Yep...it will help, especially as the rides get longer.

[zoidberg]

Ok, I will get some, thanks for the rec.