Shortly after my last post (which was ages ago, I know), I witnessed Mr. Lady Roadie have a VERY close call with a van. We were on a route near our house that we've done a few times before. We turn onto a very busy road that has 3-lanes in each direction, which admittedly, we have no business biking on. However, we make a left turn onto it with a light, and take the very first right, so we're basically off it before the light has changed to let new traffic in. If drivers kept their heads, it would be fine, but of course you can never count on drivers.
We were coming up on the right turn to get off the road, Mr. Lady Roadie (MLR) in front. A van passed me too close, giving me maybe a foot of clearance. Not close enough to do more than unsettle me, but I shouted up to MLR to watch out as the van pulled up next to him. Before the words were completely out of my mouth -- when the drivers side mirror of the van had passed MLR but the entire body of the van was a foot next to him -- the driver drifted RIGHT, bringing the van within inches of MLR.
I screamed, convinced that I was about to see my husband being killed in front of me. Of course it was over in seconds, and the collision didn't happen. MLR was fine. We had turned off the main road pretty much as this was happening -- which is why the van drifted right, I suppose, as they took the fork with us. I broke down in tears for about a second once I realized MLR was safe, and then instantly shifted to my big ring and SPRINTED to catch up with the van. Probably not the smartest decision, but I was in full mama bear mode, ready to pull the driver out of his van and assault him. He slowed when I shouted 'HEY ASSHOLE' and let me pull up next to his window. I'm sure he thought I was a crazy person - I probably was a crazy person, shouting that he nearly killed my husband, before I pulled off the road.
MLR kept his head and pulled up next to the driver, trying to explain the 3 foot passing rule, but the driver just kept saying 'I couldn't give you more room without going over the line'. I would love to sit down with this man and have him explain to me why he'd rather hit a cyclist than drift over a white line, or better yet, wait THREE seconds and switch lanes to safely pass. He was in a work truck, and MLR was smart enough to memorize the company name and truck number before he pulled off the road. We each called the company individually to complain, and I genuinely wanted the guy to lose everything he had - his license, his job, his house, his family - but of course the receptionist was nice so we instantly lost steam, and I'm sure no matter what nothing more than a verbal warning was going to happen. I guess I don't REALLY want the guy to lose his house and family, anyway.
Of course there were some things for us to learn from the situation. We should have taken the full lane on the busy road. We're on it for such a short time, just pedaling quickly trying to get to the turn, that neither of us was really thinking about the lane, but we should have controlled it from the start. That most likely would've prevented this situation, although it's sure not our fault.
That's the positive, I guess. And that MLR is okay. But the big negative is I developed an extreme fear of cars, which has plagued me all summer. You just don't get over a close call like that quickly, and I think being the one to see it happen is worse. Two or three weeks after the fact, drove out to a nearby town to do our favorite 30-mile route. It takes you through great views, lots of terrain, good roads, and is just a nice varied ride. However, we'd only done it on weekdays before, and this was a Thursday I happened to have off work. It just didn't occur to us that the route would be busier on a Thursday morning than a Sunday morning. About 5 miles in we ended up on a pretty two-lane road with a high speed limit, which is normally fine, but with the morning commute was fairly terrifying. I kept going until the next turn, but I was shaken up, and the fear from the van incident came rushing back. When the next road turned out to be mildly busy itself, I pulled off in a driveway and basically refused to continue. I was too scared to let MLR bike back to the car himself, too scared to even bike to the next driveway when we realized someone was probably home in ours. When we called my dad he gladly rescued us, but I just hated being out there scared, hated abandoning such a nice ride, especially knowing that this is going to be with me for a while. When we were waiting for my dad to pick us up, I saw someone texting while driving, which didn't help matters. It really is scary out there.
So for the past month we've been sticking to low traffic, very familiar routes, even doing a lot of bike path riding. It isn't ideal. I hate that I've lost my nerve. If we drive an hour we can get to some beautiful, very low traffic country riding, but I want to be able to bike near our house, and I'm worried about what will happen when we move away from bike baths and Beach Drive in the future. Century training is still going well, I'm still hitting my weekly goal mileages, but I am definitely much more limited in where I feel comfortable.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
I'm back! I don't know why I completely abandoned posting, as I did not abandon cycling. Since my last post AGES ago, I successfully upgraded to clipless pedals (have not yet fallen once), upgraded my wheels and spent the winter training to Coach Troy (mileage dropped drastically of course but less so than the previous winter). I got a slow start to this season due to some family issues, but I'm currently looking for a century to register for.
Yesterday Mr. Lady Roadie and I went to Crystal City to see a pro crit race, which was hugely inspiring. I would pay all my money to have the legs those guys have, even though it would look freakish on a lady. They are SO STRONG. All day at work I've been distracted by thoughts of training. I do fully realize I have never been serious enough about training and getting in mileage, not even close. I think at some point I planned to commit to 50 mile weeks, which would've been nice, but it didn't happen. Work is unfortunately busy this summer but I think I have to start riding 4 times a week anyway. I'm very interested to learn what kind of cyclist I can be with some actual consistency. Last year I spent a lot more time talking and thinking about biking than I did actually riding. I'm not going to get serious about training until July but I'm going to try to fit in midweek rides the rest of June, so I'll have a little bit of a base to increase on.
Yesterday Mr. Lady Roadie and I went to Crystal City to see a pro crit race, which was hugely inspiring. I would pay all my money to have the legs those guys have, even though it would look freakish on a lady. They are SO STRONG. All day at work I've been distracted by thoughts of training. I do fully realize I have never been serious enough about training and getting in mileage, not even close. I think at some point I planned to commit to 50 mile weeks, which would've been nice, but it didn't happen. Work is unfortunately busy this summer but I think I have to start riding 4 times a week anyway. I'm very interested to learn what kind of cyclist I can be with some actual consistency. Last year I spent a lot more time talking and thinking about biking than I did actually riding. I'm not going to get serious about training until July but I'm going to try to fit in midweek rides the rest of June, so I'll have a little bit of a base to increase on.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Apple Fritters and Bike Mechanics
Yesterday we drove 40 minutes to meet some friends for a 30-mile ride that detoured into an apple fritter festival. We've never gone riding with these friends, so we were super excited to be finally getting out with them. Normally I'd be nervous about being outclassed, but they were both on hybrids and haven't been training like Mr. Lady Roadie and I have, so I wasn't worried, slash, they are friends and its weird to get competitive and self-doubting in situations like this (I'm not sure what's wrong with me there).
Anyway, it was a beautiful day and I headed out in front. Four miles into the ride, I shift as I'm starting a light ascent and appear to drop my chain, although from the reactions of the riders behind me I wondered if it was especially tangled or something. I coasted to a driveway and looked down to see a single length of chain. My chain BROKE!
I was super bummed. After standing around for a minute and guessing that you can't do anything to temporarily fix a broken chain, the boys rode back to get the cars and my friend and I sat down to wait. We took a look at the chain and decided to look for the link that apparently popped off. Somehow, my friend found it, and somehow, I figured out how to get it back on. It was the master link with keyhole-shaped holes on either side so it was just a matter of slipping it in correctly and pulling the chain tight. Another cyclist stopped when he saw us in trouble and helped out, providing some crucial moral support.
When the boys came back with the cars I was riding up and down the driveway problem-free. We ended up leaving the cars nearby and finishing the ride, with a bonus 4 miles as we repeated the beginning of the ride to get to the cars. It was a gorgeous day, lots of horse farms, lots of manageable hills -- basically my favorite type of ride. (I did get called the n-word by a passing driver, which was especially confusing since I'm not black). Overall, a success. Everyone got their apple fritters!
However, I do still have bike grease on my hands.
Anyway, it was a beautiful day and I headed out in front. Four miles into the ride, I shift as I'm starting a light ascent and appear to drop my chain, although from the reactions of the riders behind me I wondered if it was especially tangled or something. I coasted to a driveway and looked down to see a single length of chain. My chain BROKE!
I was super bummed. After standing around for a minute and guessing that you can't do anything to temporarily fix a broken chain, the boys rode back to get the cars and my friend and I sat down to wait. We took a look at the chain and decided to look for the link that apparently popped off. Somehow, my friend found it, and somehow, I figured out how to get it back on. It was the master link with keyhole-shaped holes on either side so it was just a matter of slipping it in correctly and pulling the chain tight. Another cyclist stopped when he saw us in trouble and helped out, providing some crucial moral support.
When the boys came back with the cars I was riding up and down the driveway problem-free. We ended up leaving the cars nearby and finishing the ride, with a bonus 4 miles as we repeated the beginning of the ride to get to the cars. It was a gorgeous day, lots of horse farms, lots of manageable hills -- basically my favorite type of ride. (I did get called the n-word by a passing driver, which was especially confusing since I'm not black). Overall, a success. Everyone got their apple fritters!
However, I do still have bike grease on my hands.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Tour du Port
Today we did Tour du Port in Baltimore. Mr. Lady Roadie has done this ride for 4 or 5 years straight now, and last year I did the 30 mile route with him, on the old hybrid - I think it was my longest ride to date.
This time we did the 63 mile ride (64 due to briefly getting lost), which is a new record for me. I've been pretty apprehensive about this ride. I knew I would finish but I was worried how miserable it would be. Luckily, it was AWESOME. I'm way overdue for a good ride, and this was definitely it. The weather was perfect, probably starting in the low 60s and hitting the high 70s by the time we rolled in. Knowing how far we had to go, I saved some in the tank for most of the ride and ate a lot at both rest stops, which set me up to finish strong. Around mile 58 or so, the group we were with started getting a bit competitive, or at least Mr. Lady Roadie and I did. I couldn't believe how much energy I still had left, and my legs were doing pretty good -- it is a reasonably flat route, with some small hills at the end as you reenter the city. I was dealing with some lower back pain for the second half of the ride, but it was manageable. The last 5 miles or so I basically laid it all out there on the road, and it was a lot of fun. Without the competitiveness at the end, I could've gone another 10 miles, easy.
No bonking, no mechanical issues, and a gorgeous day. I think the biggest lesson to take away from today is that I need to eat more on rides. It was so much more fun when I kept up my energy levels over the whole distance. Today was basically what I was working toward all season, but now I'm wondering if I can't fit in one or two even longer rides...
This time we did the 63 mile ride (64 due to briefly getting lost), which is a new record for me. I've been pretty apprehensive about this ride. I knew I would finish but I was worried how miserable it would be. Luckily, it was AWESOME. I'm way overdue for a good ride, and this was definitely it. The weather was perfect, probably starting in the low 60s and hitting the high 70s by the time we rolled in. Knowing how far we had to go, I saved some in the tank for most of the ride and ate a lot at both rest stops, which set me up to finish strong. Around mile 58 or so, the group we were with started getting a bit competitive, or at least Mr. Lady Roadie and I did. I couldn't believe how much energy I still had left, and my legs were doing pretty good -- it is a reasonably flat route, with some small hills at the end as you reenter the city. I was dealing with some lower back pain for the second half of the ride, but it was manageable. The last 5 miles or so I basically laid it all out there on the road, and it was a lot of fun. Without the competitiveness at the end, I could've gone another 10 miles, easy.
No bonking, no mechanical issues, and a gorgeous day. I think the biggest lesson to take away from today is that I need to eat more on rides. It was so much more fun when I kept up my energy levels over the whole distance. Today was basically what I was working toward all season, but now I'm wondering if I can't fit in one or two even longer rides...
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Bonk.
Recently we've been quickly upping mileage, in a last-ditch effort to "train" for the 65-mile Tour du Port ride October 9th. 65 miles (at my pace) is no big thing to Mr. Lady Roadie, but I've never done more than a flat 55 so I'm a bit anxious about it. Two weeks ago, we did a 40 mile ride on some busy, wide-shouldered roads around here -- not my favorite type of ride, but we got the mileage in, although we were plagued with mechanical issues (Mr. Lady Roadie had a loose bottom bracket and got a flat, I had a loose bolt related to my back brake and by the time we were nearing home I had to keep manually widening the brake to prevent rubbing). I didn't feel strong, possibly related to allergies, but it was fine.
This past weekend we drove out to Damascus to get in 50 miles in the countryside, a ride I would normally enjoy much more. Unfortunately, the weather was just awful -- COLD for this time of year, alternately windy and rainy. We also had to re-learn the hard way that Damascus has some serious hills. About 6 miles in, we came upon a short steep hill. I shifted up two gears to prepare for a standing climb, but it turned out that put me in way too high a gear for the steepness of the hill, and I basically gracefully dismounted instead of letting myself fall with the bike, and walked the rest of the way up. That was more an issue of inexperience than a lack of strength/fitness, so I didn't beat myself up about it.
Then about another 2 miles down the road, we hit a hill that was just as steep but 4 times as long. I knew I didn't have the fitness/strength to do a standing climb for as long as would've been necessary, so I did a seated climb until I couldn't turn the pedals anymore and gave up. I wish I'd tried harder but I honestly think this is the first hill I've hit that I just physically could not make it up. My emotions were raw after the effort so I cried a bit as I was walking up the hill to catch up with Mr. Lady Roadie, stopped to pull myself together, and continued walking towards him. An oncoming car rounded the bend, slowing down as they pulled up next to me, and while I assumed they were going to ask if I was okay I didn't want to deal with it and avoided eye contact. When the car stopped right next to me I couldn't help but look over, and this obese man, smoking a cigarette, had the nerve to roll down his window, point directly at me, and laugh "tee hee".
I'm not proud of the words that came out of my mouth, after that.
When that situation resolved (thankfully without him getting out of his car), we continued on our way, both of us secretly wondering if we were really going to finish this ride. Luckily, that was the worst of the hills, although the weather kept getting worse and worse. I ate what seemed like a lot early on, to try to make the experience less miserable, had a Pay Day at a gas station at mile 30 and then apparently made the decision that to eat any more would be to admit how many miles were still left to ride, so I didn't. I started having coughing fits, from the cold air that my lungs are not yet used to, and just settled into my misery, pedaling and pedaling. At mile 40 I still didn't think we would make it back to the car. At mile 45, Mr. Lady Roadie said we were almost there and it didn't make me feel any happier. At mile 47, I said it seemed like we'd been going uphill for the past 6 miles, and Mr. Lady Roadie responds with "we're going downhill now." I promptly burst into tears, in utter despair -- 3 miles from the car! I continued crying for another 2 miles, pedaling and pedaling, stopping when I finally recognized our last turn. I didn't feel any better when I was off the bike, nor when we were in the warm car, nor when we ordered tacos at Cal Tor. It took until I was finished shoving my 2nd taco in my face until I was ready to admit that life was worth living.
Ladies and gentleman, I think that was my first bonk!
And, the worst part is that of course I ate so much the rest of the day (and the following day) I'm sure I more than made up for the calorie deficit. I don't bike to lose weight, but it would be a nice side effect, especially after dealing with 20 miserable miles because for whatever reason it didn't occur to me to eat. By the time I suspected what was happening, I decided to hold out for the tacos anyway, which was possibly not the most logical decision but I guess that's part of the bonk in itself.
But hey, we did finish the ride, despite our doubts. Thankfully, the weather forecast is looking much better for next weekend, and Tour du Port shouldn't be nearly so hilly. I'm just going to make sure I eat a LOT of food on the bike.
This past weekend we drove out to Damascus to get in 50 miles in the countryside, a ride I would normally enjoy much more. Unfortunately, the weather was just awful -- COLD for this time of year, alternately windy and rainy. We also had to re-learn the hard way that Damascus has some serious hills. About 6 miles in, we came upon a short steep hill. I shifted up two gears to prepare for a standing climb, but it turned out that put me in way too high a gear for the steepness of the hill, and I basically gracefully dismounted instead of letting myself fall with the bike, and walked the rest of the way up. That was more an issue of inexperience than a lack of strength/fitness, so I didn't beat myself up about it.
Then about another 2 miles down the road, we hit a hill that was just as steep but 4 times as long. I knew I didn't have the fitness/strength to do a standing climb for as long as would've been necessary, so I did a seated climb until I couldn't turn the pedals anymore and gave up. I wish I'd tried harder but I honestly think this is the first hill I've hit that I just physically could not make it up. My emotions were raw after the effort so I cried a bit as I was walking up the hill to catch up with Mr. Lady Roadie, stopped to pull myself together, and continued walking towards him. An oncoming car rounded the bend, slowing down as they pulled up next to me, and while I assumed they were going to ask if I was okay I didn't want to deal with it and avoided eye contact. When the car stopped right next to me I couldn't help but look over, and this obese man, smoking a cigarette, had the nerve to roll down his window, point directly at me, and laugh "tee hee".
I'm not proud of the words that came out of my mouth, after that.
When that situation resolved (thankfully without him getting out of his car), we continued on our way, both of us secretly wondering if we were really going to finish this ride. Luckily, that was the worst of the hills, although the weather kept getting worse and worse. I ate what seemed like a lot early on, to try to make the experience less miserable, had a Pay Day at a gas station at mile 30 and then apparently made the decision that to eat any more would be to admit how many miles were still left to ride, so I didn't. I started having coughing fits, from the cold air that my lungs are not yet used to, and just settled into my misery, pedaling and pedaling. At mile 40 I still didn't think we would make it back to the car. At mile 45, Mr. Lady Roadie said we were almost there and it didn't make me feel any happier. At mile 47, I said it seemed like we'd been going uphill for the past 6 miles, and Mr. Lady Roadie responds with "we're going downhill now." I promptly burst into tears, in utter despair -- 3 miles from the car! I continued crying for another 2 miles, pedaling and pedaling, stopping when I finally recognized our last turn. I didn't feel any better when I was off the bike, nor when we were in the warm car, nor when we ordered tacos at Cal Tor. It took until I was finished shoving my 2nd taco in my face until I was ready to admit that life was worth living.
Ladies and gentleman, I think that was my first bonk!
And, the worst part is that of course I ate so much the rest of the day (and the following day) I'm sure I more than made up for the calorie deficit. I don't bike to lose weight, but it would be a nice side effect, especially after dealing with 20 miserable miles because for whatever reason it didn't occur to me to eat. By the time I suspected what was happening, I decided to hold out for the tacos anyway, which was possibly not the most logical decision but I guess that's part of the bonk in itself.
But hey, we did finish the ride, despite our doubts. Thankfully, the weather forecast is looking much better for next weekend, and Tour du Port shouldn't be nearly so hilly. I'm just going to make sure I eat a LOT of food on the bike.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
First (Real) Solo Ride
Went on my first real solo ride last weekend. I know it's silly that I've been riding for a year and haven't been out by myself yet (beyond one 4-mile jaunt last spring), but that's what happens when your spouse is into cycling, I suppose. Anyway, this past weekend Mr. Lady Roadie had a century on Saturday, and was not at all into the idea of spending any more time on his bike on Sunday, so I went out alone.
It was no big thing -- I took a well-traveled path to the road that is blocked off to cars, did 16 miles out and back. I was afraid I'd get bored or unmotivated alone, but that wasn't the case at all. It did help that there were lots of cyclists on the route for me to focus on and pick off one by one (or get passed by!). I did pass two men up hills which I got a kick out of, although I've realized that Beach Drive is the reason I'm under the false assumption that I'm a decent climber. Noobs abound on that road since it's blocked off to cars on weekend, and a lot of fit men can keep up with me on the flats before showing their true noobishness at the first sight of a hill. So, while I guess this means I'm not actually a good climber, it also means that I'm not a noob!
It turned out I was a bit more motivated without Mr. Lady Roadie, to my surprise. On the way home I tackled a hill he's been bragging about, and while it wasn't pretty, I did make it up. I don't think the extra motivation and lack of boredom would last on a longer ride, and if I got into a complicated traffic situation I'd be missing the company of a more experienced rider, but it's nice to know I can do 20 miles in this area on my own just fine.
It was no big thing -- I took a well-traveled path to the road that is blocked off to cars, did 16 miles out and back. I was afraid I'd get bored or unmotivated alone, but that wasn't the case at all. It did help that there were lots of cyclists on the route for me to focus on and pick off one by one (or get passed by!). I did pass two men up hills which I got a kick out of, although I've realized that Beach Drive is the reason I'm under the false assumption that I'm a decent climber. Noobs abound on that road since it's blocked off to cars on weekend, and a lot of fit men can keep up with me on the flats before showing their true noobishness at the first sight of a hill. So, while I guess this means I'm not actually a good climber, it also means that I'm not a noob!
It turned out I was a bit more motivated without Mr. Lady Roadie, to my surprise. On the way home I tackled a hill he's been bragging about, and while it wasn't pretty, I did make it up. I don't think the extra motivation and lack of boredom would last on a longer ride, and if I got into a complicated traffic situation I'd be missing the company of a more experienced rider, but it's nice to know I can do 20 miles in this area on my own just fine.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
A Few Rides
Have slipped out of my cycling funk, mostly by lowering my expectations of myself I think. When you immerse yourself in a sport its too easy to think that because you are reading about it, you should be able to do it. Of course training and fitness are what matter. Mr. Lady Roadie didn't make his century (long story -- he and my dad are doing the route this weekend), so I got to go out twice last weekend. The first, just a hilly 20 miler, reminded me that I need to spend more time on the bike. My quads were aching, which I took as a good thing since that's the first step towards getting stronger. The second was just a recovery ride down Beach Drive, which is closed to car traffic on weekends and is therefore popular amongst both cycling groups and kids on tricycles (I'll get into the dangers of this another day). Mr. Lady Roadie had to ask me to slow down, which is a first! (Of course this is because he had put in a lot more miles than me the day before).
We also did one of the Potomac Pedalers CC group rides this week, just a short 13 miler. I was nervous starting out but immediately realized that it was a very relaxed ride. We cut through residential neighborhoods and bike paths (with a few short, STEEP hills that killed my knees), and I tried (unsuccessfully) to master riding in an unpredictable group. Too often I found myself having to hit my brakes too hard, and then pedal hard to make up for the loss of momentum, in order to keep up. Towards the end of the ride the speed picked up a bit, and we got dropped a tad, although it was more a motivational issue than anything else -- I was tired of all that starting and stopping! I need to learn to not overreact to the changes of the riders around me. Not sure if I'd do the ride again, as I wasn't a fan of all the bike path riding, but I'm glad we're trying out different rides in the area and meeting new cyclists (even older ones).
We also did one of the Potomac Pedalers CC group rides this week, just a short 13 miler. I was nervous starting out but immediately realized that it was a very relaxed ride. We cut through residential neighborhoods and bike paths (with a few short, STEEP hills that killed my knees), and I tried (unsuccessfully) to master riding in an unpredictable group. Too often I found myself having to hit my brakes too hard, and then pedal hard to make up for the loss of momentum, in order to keep up. Towards the end of the ride the speed picked up a bit, and we got dropped a tad, although it was more a motivational issue than anything else -- I was tired of all that starting and stopping! I need to learn to not overreact to the changes of the riders around me. Not sure if I'd do the ride again, as I wasn't a fan of all the bike path riding, but I'm glad we're trying out different rides in the area and meeting new cyclists (even older ones).
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