25.83 miles (Airen 1) 12/21/2016

It is really funny, but some of my best rides start out with my brain telling me other wise.   I get out their and my noodle will be saying ah ok this will be fine, ok ok you don't have to go that far.  But when I ignore the preprogrammed ramblings in my head and push on like today. The end of the ride is really rewarding an my body and legs feel amazing.  No 25.83 miles is not exactly wow, but I was on the verge of calling it quits, but I said no, my legs don't hurt and it was only my subconscious that is telling me to stop and that not a good enough reason.   When it come down to it, it really is about mind over matter.  I remember a couple of rides back feeling really awful at the beginning of the ride and then after about 6 to 8 miles feeling like I could climb up Everest Backwards on my bike. Well maybe not that extreme.  Don't get me wrong I have been out their and if after that I really don't feel the love, I do have the smarts to call it quits.   Riding while feeling really crappy is no fun.  So being a smart rider is being a wise, in stead of ill informed rider who makes them self sicker. 

As for being informed I took my bike to the bike shop that assembled the bike and got it tweek for the better.  They raised the handle bars, the bike seat, and find tuned the gears a little.  I also learned the real reason for my toes going numb. The peddle is to small for my feet.  So in a couple of days I'm going to replace my peddles for wider ones.  And they are also going to be moved further out, because my back heals plow into the back of the bike.  I have been riding pigeon toed.   I want to figure this all out so I don't hurt my self.    I also order a new bike speedometer, so I can keep better track of everything.    

Oh yeah about going fast, Holy shit. I am the wind hear me roar!!!!!!   Bwhahaaaaaa!   No not really, but I just like the way it sounds.  
I was not planning to go break neck speed, but my competitive side got the better of me.    A man in a grey full body cycling suit was right beside me and he had a road bike too and well I could not resist.   We did a back and forth of passing each other and then I was like ok let's up the anti.  Climbing hills comes in handy and I left him behind.  Or may be he let me go ahead I really don't know.  But the curious thing was when we got to the end of the trail when it open up into a parking area.  He did follow me around back to the other side, but going up hill he did not pass me until I swollowed a bug.  Yuck!  Then he passed me while I was hacking and cough my brains out.    What ever the out come I love going fast, but it's more fun to race.  And I'm not ignorant, their are people out their that can use me as a rag for their bike.     
 

15.15 miles. 12/20/2016

Took a easy ride with hubby and had a pick nick.    Here is what I got to do, raise my handle bars, and raise my seat.  I think that my main problem with my feet going numb.    I research alternative shoes to wear instead of cycling cleats and well their is non.  So I'm going to buy some laceless shoe's and call it good.  

26.74 miles 11/17/2016

Yippy road 26.74 miles today on the new bike.  I broke the ride in half 13.37 for the first ride took a break and did another one with no hill climbing.  Again it ride so smooth.   I felt like a happy ice cube riding my bike, it was so cold 48 degrees brrrrr.  Walking is one thing, but getting on your bike and riding when it's cold is another thing.  I was bundled up, gloves and a double layer of shirts. My nose was frozen, my face was frozen and did I mention I was frozen.  And yes before I did the ride I notice that their was ice and frost all over the place.   Hmmmm  wait a minute?   Yeah I'm a hard core cyclist now, I ride below the freezing point. ha ha.

I split the ride in half because my toes are going numb, so I got to figure out what going on.  I should really being wearing cleats on this bike, but I have watch enough videos, no no and did I mention no!   My arm's and leg's sometimes don't match up with the signals my brain tell them and I can't do cleats.  If you think my grammer and spelling are atrocious now?  it's going to get even worse after me doing a head dive to kiss the dirt.  So no cleats.  However I'm going to be looking for different shoes.  

For scarier news.  I almost wiped out.   On the way home from the first ride we went under a bridge path and as you can see all the flooding we've been having here the river has deposited a lot of mud.  Well I was not thinking the mud would be that bad or that deep.  On my old bike I wouldn't have blinked an eye the tire is wide and has grip.   I could not go around it and the moment I was at I had to go thought it.  :/     My tires have no traction their completely smooth.    And just to give you a idea how deep it was, if I were to steep into it, it the kind that would suck your shoe off.    Yes I did scream and yes I did slide and how I manage to stay on the bike is beyond me.  The sliding part was the worst.     Their were a few other spot were their was mud, but it had already been scraped off by the City's Parks Division with all the trees that fell over.   

On the second part of the ride at the 1 mile pool area, their was a guy in a Kayak taking advantage of the very strong water current coming over the break.   I hope he had warm cloth on.  

I hate people who have small dogs.  Let me clarify! I hate people who have small dogs that instead of gently pick the dog up, instead yank the dog off it's feet thought the air to get it out of the way.  These people have plenty of time to pick their dog up.    Little dog can suffer from damaged trachea's and other breathing problems and eating problems, because of this. Small dogs are very delicate.   I've seen people to lazy to pick their dogs up, use the chain as a way to pick the dog up with out bending over.    (Face Palm). 

Going to take a break today.   Maybe.  Or at least try to.  .....??   But my next ride is going to be with the Pain Cave. ;)   Who says your pain cave can't move along with you. 
  

25.74 Miles. Great day to ride.

Great ride today with hubby, kind of muddy and a bit chilly, we were bundled up so no big deal.  

Did I mention I love my new bike.  I road 12.12 miles the first time through the park with hubby.   

I have no prior experience on a road bike, but I can tell you this much this, is an awesome bike, it rides so easy, I could easily see my self doing 50 to 70 miles on this bike.   My first ride picking it up and going home with it, I was so tense and my feet and legs and hands did hurt a bit, but today nothing hurt.  However by watching videos I do need to move my bars up maybe a tad.
This bike ride so much smoother than my hubbies bike I had to keep slow down continuously, so he could catch up.  Chris bike is the exact same model of my bike for men and it's really heavy as is my first bike, but that is not a bad thing.   The first 12.12 miles were so easy and smooth I got home and was like, did I just go for a bike ride or do nothing?                                                                                     The  

12.12 miles really felt so easy that I decided to go for another ride, but this time on my trusty steed'et.  (female)   I know have dub the pain cave bike.  This is the bike that I want to get my heart pumping and give my legs a great work out.   Note: I don't want to say old bike, but cause it's my first bike and it means a lot to me and dubbing it the pain cave, reminds me that their is still some more awesome riding I can do on it. 

I add on to today's ride 1 hill climb on the new bike and 4 hill climbs on the Pain Cave.  I do realize now I'm going to need a lot more practice on the new bike.  Changing gears on the Airen 1 is night and day compared to my Pain Cave ;)   On the Airen 1 I have 3 options for holding one and only 2 access the breaks.  I caught my self braking with my other bike brakes, invisible brakes.  LoL   That was a eye opener.   The Airen 1 is making me a lot more aware of  my surroundings, even more so.  I really got to pay attention, because if need be I got to move my hand to the breaks and fast.    With the Pain Cave, the breaks were always right there.  

Their is nothing more nerve wracking than having a unleashed, (luckily friendly dog), but never less too happy and go lucky.  Started wagging his tail and trying to get some attention from me on my bike.  Yikes!  That was the beginning of the ride.  That's not all then on my Pain Cave towards the middle of the ride, I almost creamed a little dog. :(   Uhgg!  Rolling eyes.
I grew up with dogs, you think I'd be a dog person.  Nope! I'm a Cat person.    Close your eye's if your a dog person, but this is a observation I have noticed for a long time.  When you see people with out dogs they always walk in a nice predictable line.   Dog people are all over the place and kind of reminds me of those old Family Circus cartoons when the children would be tracked with dashes all over the front yard and what not. 

And one more thing, I now am scared of leaves.  Why, well my bike tires are road bike tires and leaves are very slippery and their were lot's of leaves and mud.  So the whole first part of the ride I was playing avoid the leaves, because leaves hid things.  One the second part of the ride, I hit a big stick with my Pain Cave bike, I was thinking to my self it that would have been the other bike would I have been able to get out of it.    So like I said, I hyper aware, don't want to crash on this bike.  


And after I was done riding it I gave it a bath, with out spraying it.  Use a tooth brush to get the leaves and mud out and then dried it off with a towl, put it to bed, read it a bed time story.  No I'm not that psychotic.  LOL






Did I mention lot's and lot's of trees down in the park and lot's of flooding from the rain. 

12/12/2016 8.24 miles First Bike

Did a short ride on the other bike.  Trying to get back into the swing of things.  

DAY 2 Of riding.

Not as wobbly as I was on the ride home.   Didn't take it out on a long ride, just around the block or maybe a mile or two.   This time I wore gloves, made holding on the bar easier.   The biggest difference between the two bikes is my old bike I maintain a up right sitting position, the new bike make me lean way forward and down.    This is what I have to get use to.   I'm use to having my hands on the breaks all the time with the old bike, with the new bike I three different options and only two of them allow me to rest my hands on the break.     Another thing is I've got freaking huge feet, I wear a size 11 in women's and a size 12 in men's.  Yeah I tend to like men's shoes because their actually more comfortable on my toes. On the way home I had to ride pigeon toed, because my heels were hitting the back.   Today it was better and I didn't hit the back once, but still have to get use to the whole feel of the bike.   And another thing I have to consider logically I need to lose more weight.   I ended up gaining 8 pounds over this month.  Oh well at least it's not 20 to 25 pound. But I can see being thinner would help.   My old bike seat is aligned to my hip bones for greater comfort, the new bike seat is not and I can really feel it, but then again it's new.  Being on the new bike it is making me work different muscles and I feel I'm putting more weight on my legs and my toes.  After a short ride I can really feel it.    So I guess just more practice and it won't be that bad.   Other wise I'm still very excited.  All I have to do is do my home work by watching videos on how to take care of my bike, so it dose not end up looking like my old bike and a lot more practicing.    

AIREN 1 Has Landed.

No this is not photo shopped, this is me actually standing in from of my new bike.  Insert (Giddy laughing) here. 
This bike is day and night to my other Diamond Back, this is a lean light riding machine all I can say is WOW!   I have a new found respect for people who ride these.  I can see were if you don't handle your self right on this bike you can wipe out really easily.  So no I will not be flying like the wind on this bike for a while. Practice and more practice.  I only rode it 3 1/2 miles home, their is no way I'm stuffing this in the back of the car.  Uh uh.  Nor will I lock this bike anywhere.  This is to be use for riding from to a home that's it.  The other bike will be use to go place were I can lock it up.    For now I'm going to alternate between the bikes, this way I can practice with the gears and get use to how it feels.

New seat so yes my butt was sore, even on a 3 1/2 miles ride.  And my hands hurt too be cause holding on to the bike is a lot different.  And because the angle of my body is different on the bike, I was using different muscles, heck even my toes were sore??   Maybe I was really tense riding the new bike.   And did I mention it's light, Really super light.  Yeah I know what I said about stick to the the first Diamond back, but now I have two bikes.  :)   And I can change my mind can't I.  ;)      I can tell you this much it was very cold, rainy, but when I was on that bike, I could hear the birds singing and see the sun shinning.  This makes me happy.

FREAKING OUT 2 & EXCITED!!!!!

You have no idea how excited I am.  Really super excited it here and it's mine all mine, box included.  :)      It a day late, but that ok.  WOW!      And holy moly it fit into the car so tight, no room to spare at all.   For a few second I was sweating bullets.   Got it in as snug as a bug and took it right to the bike shop for assembly, no way I'm doing that.    They told me it will be done by today.  :D    
My legs are feeling like puddy. :(    I have been so busy painting , painting and did I mention painting.  No bike riding what so ever.  I been getting home around 8 and 9 at night because of out of town work. 

 Twin City Floor Covering in Yuba City.
11 hours of love.   And oh and one of my window paintings was featured in the local news paper.  :D     2nd page.   That below. 
So Yes I am happy.  And I'll be even happier riding my bike.