Thursday: Rest
I had my biked tuned up earlier this week and hadn't yet tried it out, so I went for a short ride yesterday. I included some hills, because I wanted to test myself out as well. Bad news on both counts.
First, when I shifted into my easiest gear, the chain was rubbing somewhere, so the gear wasn't even usable. Um, I'm going to need that one in the race! And second, I'm really, really awkward and inefficient at standing up on the pedals. I think I'm going to need that in the race, too.
So today I went back to the bike shop and got problem one fixed. When I told the guy that I was going to ride up Bridger Pass on Sunday, he dryly commented, "Yeah, you're going to need that gear." (Of course, I already knew that, but it was so much worse when he said it.) I didn't even tell him about problem two.
Hey Julie! *phew* Glad I found you. What a weird feeling being cast adrift re: t.com ... I kept hitting my link and then sitting there, staring, hoping DESPERATELY that the forum/blogs would appear. heh.
ReplyDeleteANYway ... re: up on the pedals ... DON'T DO IT! You actually use up waaaay more energy getting off your seat. Hopefully you have a 3rd (granny) chainring and can just pedal up.
Yeah, that I don't have. It occurred to me yesterday that my real problem is having bought my bike in pancake-flat southeast Virginia and not foreseeing someday having to do a race through a mountain pass. I'm halfway considering doing the race on my husband's mountain bike, though I haven't trained on it one iota, so that's probably a bad idea too.
ReplyDeleteAnd I know what you mean about t.com. I clicked every tab, looking for something that would bring me back to the old site. I wonder, though, if this is NOT the new site but just a temporary thing to send us to while he works on the new site. Wish he would have clued us in.
Also, thanks for the advice. I will take it, and stay seated as long as humanly possible, but I'm really afraid I'll reach the point where I have to stand to move forward. I guess if I'm going 4 mph anyway, I'll just get off the stupid thing and walk to save my legs.
ReplyDeleteDON'T change bikes!!!
ReplyDeleteGoing up hills isn't rocket science. Find your pace, focus on something - some like keeping your eye on the top and visualizing you are pulling yourself to the top, hand over hand - me, I like my breathing pattern/mantra w/focus just in front of my front wheel - push pull push pull (push down on the pedal/pull up on the handlebar - right left right left) and take your time! You'll be fine. Seriously.