It can be hard to break into cycling, especially as a female. It's an intimidating sport in a lot of ways. By blogging my trials and tribulations as a new cyclist, I hope to encourage others (especially women!) to join the sport. It isn't always pretty, but it can be a lot of fun out there.
About me: I'm in my mid-twenties, female, and new to cycling. In August 2010, I bought a Trek 7.1 hybrid, the first bike I ever rode that correctly fit me. My husband coaxed me out onto roads, and by the end of the fall I was reasonably comfortable on (slow) 30 mile rides, with one 50 miler to top off the season. In spring of 2011, I bought my road bike, a Specialized Dolce Sport. I'm basically in love with it.
Where I'm at now: I tend to average 12-13 mph, on varying terrain. I consider myself a decent climber given my experience and strength level, but I'm not very strong. I haven't mastered when and how to do standing climbs. I currently ride with toe clips. Longest ride so far was a flat 56 miles; with consistent training I know I can do more. When things go wrong I still get intimidated by traffic. My bike handling skills have a long way to go.
Where I hope to go: In the very near future, I plan to go clipless. More generally, I need to improve my confidence and my bike handling skills, and if I could drop a few pounds it would only make me faster. Long term (next year?), I hope to complete a century.
As of today, I am setting a goal to get in 50 miles a week, every week. If Sunday rolls around and I haven't gotten in any miles, guess I'm going on a 50-miler, even in the rain. 50 miles a week may be setting the bar extraordinarily low, but a glance at my training log shows that I've never consistently logged miles, so it's a start.
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