Intro to Cycling

My swimming is improving and the running I have no problem with but that still leaves one event of the triathlon unaddressed: Cycling. I've never owned or ridden a road bike. In fact, I think I can count on one hand how many times I've ridden a bike since I had two stolen from me five or six years ago. I quickly learned that researching bikes is not like researching running shoes, which you could do fairly well in an hour or so. Not so with bikes. Recognizing I was in way over my head I called a friend who knows his way around a bike. I started searching Craiglist and other sites trying to find something used that wouldn't require a month's paycheck to pay for, emailing my friend links every so often asking what he thought of them. He also graciously let me borrow his own bike and indoor training stand to start getting used to riding.

 

I took the bike out on the road the next day and needless to say, it was a little shaky at first. The road bike is a different beast, a little squirrely on the front wheel at first and so so smooth going down a hill. I put in some good miles and loved pushing myself extremely hard on the indoor trainer for 45 minutes or so out in the garage (my kids kept poking their heads out the door wondering if I was alright).

 

After a week or so I finally spotted a bike that my friend agreed would be good for what I needed at a price that was reasonable. I went to check it out, made an offer, watched the seller squirm because he didn't want to sell it to me at that price, kept my mouth shut as he was waiting for me to apparently offer more and then handed him an envelope of cash containing my original offer after he had agreed. I now have a bike. It fits, it feels good and I'm getting more comfortable riding it.