Learning to Ride a Bike

As I mentioned last week, I got clip in pedals and shoes for my road bike. This makes biking easier and I'll be able to go faster and do hills better with these shoes and pedals. People thought Kari and I were nuts for riding 150 miles without them, but we're all set for the ride next year.

However, one of the cons of these shoes is that your foot is literally stuck to the pedal. You have to yank your foot out of the pedal if you have to stop, and it's a little bit more difficult to start riding again because you have to take a moment to click your shoes into the pedal.

I decided to go on a 'practice run' this morning. I went on a leasurly ride around my neighborhood. I was doing pretty well until I came to a stop sign. I stopped properly enough, and was waiting for a car to go by. As the car went by, I started to ride and I couldn't get my foot clipped into the pedal, so therefore I wasn't able to pedal or make my bike go. As if in slow motion, I started to fall toward the side where my foot was clipped into the pedal. I didn't have enough time to get my foot undone, and sure enough, I fell hard on the cement ground. I caught a good portion of the fall with my hand and hip, and I'm going to be bruised and sore for a few days.

I wasn't going to let that get me down, so I picked myself up and off I went for a longer ride. About 20 minutes later, I had to come to a stop again to wait for a car. As I started to go, the same thing happened again. I couldn't get my food in the pedal, I lost all momentum and started to fall toward the side that had my foot stuck to the pedal. I fell again on the same side as before. And this time someone saw me. They pulled up beside me and asked if I was ok. I was more embarrassed than anything, so I told them I was fine and they went on their way.

I was a tad shaken up by this point, so I quickly made it home. It's like learning to ride a bike all over again. It kind of hurts, but I won't let that stop me from riding. I just need some more time to practice.