We have a new member of our family: a Specialized Dolce road bike.The cost of Said New Member of the Family was equivalent to the hospital bill after giving birth. The main difference? This baby doesn't cry and was able to ride from birth. To say I am thrilled is an understatement. I have wanted a road bike for two years but minor things like unemployment and starting a new business made this an impossibility.
When I won the Microsoft Office Winter Games Contest, I received the cash equivalent of a trip to Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show. Hence the new road bike and dental appointments for the entire family.
Mama's gotta be practical as well.
I first fell in love with cycling in high school when an ankle injury forced me to forsake my dreams of playing college soccer. I spent hundreds of hours biking on Calgary's extensive network of bike paths, which my dear dad introduced to me when I was 13 years old.
I bought a mountain bike 10 years ago, thinking it would ignite a flame by combining two of my great loves: cycling and mountains.
It never really did.
Sure, I enjoy mountain biking but doing so is an impossibility with two small children. It's heavy, clunky and slower than a stream-lined road bike. Add a bike trailer that hauls 80 lbs of kids and you get your butt kicked by Grandpa on the bike paths.
I only wish I was kidding about this.
What finally moved me to action: a small chunk of cash to play with and a persisting knee problem that has temporarily forced me to abandon running and high-impact sports.
Basically, this just means that I am old and my body is starting to fall apart.
I bought my bike from Wheat Ridge Cyclery, a local leader in bikes, clinics and services. I was so excited about connecting with such a great business that I even signed up for their Women's Only Bike Maintenance Clinic.
Me. The woman who can barely figure out how to pump my tires.
I opted to ride my bike home from the shop and followed the Clear Creek Trail for the duration of my ride. It was there I vowed to kick some serious trail rat butt with my ultra-fast bike.
And then I spotted my first victim. It was all too perfect. Not only was he male but he was also on a mountain bike.
You know. The slow kind.
I kicked my bike into high gear and started pedaling, my prey within reach.
Until he saw a girl trying to pass him and kicked it into even faster gear.
We dualed it out until in the end, I waved the white flag and he left me in his dust.
In my defense, he was probably an Olympic mountain biker or something.
Next time, I'll just go after Grandpa to save my ego.
Posts
21 Comments:
I love the way you describe the bike. I am really thinking about to buy a new one... I love change bikes from time to time (I know that I am weird).
Not weird at all. I'd have done it much sooner if I could afford it. :-)
So jealous! If I lived in Colorado, we'd totally be bike buddies. I have an old road bike I love to ride.
Funny about Grandpa. I'd do the same!
Wow, you'll have fun on that! I still like mountain biking better, but only on trails. If you can't get to the trails you've got to have a road bike. Are you going to go clipless eventually? I'm clipless on my road bike but I'm changing back to "toe baskets" this weekend. I don't like feeling stuck in the pedals.
Yeah, I'll probably go clipless eventually. I'll NEVER do it with my mountain bike. There is just too much getting on and off your bike that I could never manage to clip out fast enough before falling over. At least on a road bike, you're not constantly stopping and starting.
Congrats on your new bike!! I remember when I bought my Cannondale (which is nicknamed "The Monster")and could not wait to ride it.
My husband and I are avid cyclists and he bought a Specialized 2 summers ago. I didn't think it could be lighter than mine, but it is and he proves it on every single hill he crushes me on! :)
If you ride a lot, then you will move into clipless sooner than you think...but they do take some getting used to! I have been known many times to look a lot like Marty Feldman- I stop and ust fall over. haha.
Congrats again on a sweet ride!
Congrats on your new addition! Yeeha! Yep, back the toe baskets ASAP. You'll beat that guy no prob next time you go clipless. It is so much more efficient and you'll never go back, I promise!
Oh no! All this pressure to go clipless. May have to cave sooner than later. :)
I have a $100 bike I bought YEARS ago when I was in college to ride to campus and back and forth across campus since I excelled and have classes alternately completely across campus all day long. While dating my husband and I took bikes out to Antelope Island for a little biking. It's trail riding but really it's mostly flat terrain-but it still kicked my butt. (literally. I was bruised and couldn't sit for weeks. I didn't realize you were actually supposed to stand up as you went over bumps on the trail.) Which is why I've still never gotten into mountain biking.
My brother and sister both have ridden, for several years, in the annual MS bike ride. A 40 mile ride that I fear would kick my butt. When I do go out riding I make my sister hook the trailer onto her bike and haul my kids around. :)
My oldest got his first bike last fall but never really rode it so I'm actually looking forward to getting it out this year. I was thinking I could ride with him because I may actually be able to keep up with him. :)
That is so awesome. I would prefer to be horsewhipped than have to mountain bike. I admire you even more, now.
Horsewhipped? Talk about extreme sports. :-)
Nicole--I really want to do the MS 150 next year. A lot of training but an awesome cause!
Once again an awesome post!!! Don't worry soon you'll be kicking Olympic butt all over!!! P.S. - I'm running a cool giveaway on my blog - it's only open to Canadians, but I thought you could enter and if you win you could give your folks address in Calgary and they could enjoy the $100 worth of gift certificates!!!
Kicking Olympic butt my butt. :-)
You never cease to amaze me. Do you ever tire yourself out? :-)
Congratulations. I hope you get to put it to good use.
ENJOY.
That's awesome! Congrats.
MS 150 is a great goal to have! Organized rides (for a cause) are so much fun- you meet really great people on the road and also those that volunteer.
We have done the Tour de Cure for a long time and it's fun!
We got on the road yesterday for the first ride of the season and it was an awesome way to celebrate the first day of spring!
What is it about men who go along slow until they get passed by a girl? It cracks me up!
I am not much of a biker- I tried mountain biking once and was in such distress after that I never wanted to try it again (I was pregnant at the time but didn't know it and suffered long term sore bottom :)
Way better use of monies than going to Vegas-
wow- my word veri- is ststst-
Oh, a girl and her bike!
I'm impressed that you got the bike and took on another cyclist! I have a "mountain" bike, but, uh, you know, no mountains. Guess it's better called an off-road bike.
Post a Comment