June 12: On the Bike

Today was the day to get comfortable with Jan’s racing bike and clock some distance on the road.  I am happy to report I achieved those goals:  I biked 20 miles on the w&od trail on a really hot, humid day.  After getting the bike seat adjusted at the bike store in Reston and figuring out (almost!) how to work the gears, I was in really good shape, I thought.  About 3 yards into the trail, I made a sudden stop because I thought I forgot my car keys, and my left clip didn’t unclip so down I went.  Yay, I thought.  I knew I was gonna fall sometime, and I wanted to get it over with early.  It was only a bloody knee, but probably a mis-aligned knee too, as I was gonna come home and run but my knee felt too funky.  Off to the chiropractor first.  Thanks to the helpful guys in the truck who stopped to see if I was okay.  And how embarrassing that I couldn’t have just fallen out of sight of everyone!

That bike trail is another world.  A very testosterone-laden world.  It was not highly traveled during the time I was on it, and of the people I encountered I only saw one or two other women.  Mostly it was fine; one or two times I was on high alert.  But no evil came of anything so I’m gonna go with it’s a safe trail. 

Covering that distance was not hard, although it took a lot of time and I was so afraid at times of going airborne, so I just backed it down.  Who can account for a cat running out in front of you, or a dog that an owner isn’t watching who suddenly wants to visit?  All the critters, they gravitate to me, which is fine, but not when I’m going 35 miles an hour.

I am still wobbly on the bike and feel like a total outsider to this biking world.  It’s kind of like a cult.  I just tell the other cult members hello, I’m clueless, I don’t know what I’m doing, forgive me, I will try to stay upright and ride in a straight line.