Feel the fear and do it anyway! My first ride in a year!
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Feel the fear and do it anyway! My first ride in a year!
I had a great spin today along 6 miles of trail which ran mostly along a little river. Fields of grass, cows and horses to keep me company plus I met a good few others using the trail too. Couldn't have asked for a better re-introduction to the bike! This same trail is on my way to work so I was doing a scouting mission to see how long it would take in the morning. I'm planning to drop the car at this trail and cycle the rest into work.
Wind was so strong today! 40 minutes up 20 back! So an average of 12mph. Wasn't pushing too hard though as it was the first time back on the bike in ages.
I'm 315lbs and 5'11. The poor bike is a Brodie Romax with flat bars and slicks which did a good job on the trail. Alot of it was the small gravel stony covering.
As I was sitting in the car before the ride I was quite nervous. Weird. It took me 10 minutes to psyche myself up to get the bike out of the car. I'm not sure why, maybe I was thinking of getting a puncture, falling with the clipless pedals, or breaking the poor bike with my weight. If I'm honest I think the biggest source of the anxiety was the feeling of people looking at the 'fat guy on the bike'. But like the book says, 'Feel the fear and do it anyway'. So I did and I have to say I loved it.
Next time I do it I'll take a few photos!
Wind was so strong today! 40 minutes up 20 back! So an average of 12mph. Wasn't pushing too hard though as it was the first time back on the bike in ages.
I'm 315lbs and 5'11. The poor bike is a Brodie Romax with flat bars and slicks which did a good job on the trail. Alot of it was the small gravel stony covering.
As I was sitting in the car before the ride I was quite nervous. Weird. It took me 10 minutes to psyche myself up to get the bike out of the car. I'm not sure why, maybe I was thinking of getting a puncture, falling with the clipless pedals, or breaking the poor bike with my weight. If I'm honest I think the biggest source of the anxiety was the feeling of people looking at the 'fat guy on the bike'. But like the book says, 'Feel the fear and do it anyway'. So I did and I have to say I loved it.
Next time I do it I'll take a few photos!
#2
Banned.
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 742
Bikes: Trek
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 264 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Yes pictures! It's intimidating I guess for some after time off or when new to things. My wife, an Athena started riding years ago. I invited her to a forum ride (30+ riders from the SoCal forum) back in 05. She was sweating bullets, mumbling, getting mean on me because she was so nervous. She did a few rides with us then next thing you know, she's up in the mountains climbing 3,000 to 5,000 ft zooming down the curvy mountain roads with no problem. Then we hit the trail and she jumps in with the guys no problem.
Yes, take pictures, I like pictures!
Mountain roads and inline with some bike forum members a few yeas back (she's second in line wearing blue)
Yes, take pictures, I like pictures!
Mountain roads and inline with some bike forum members a few yeas back (she's second in line wearing blue)
#3
Just Keep Pedaling
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Lakewood, CA
Posts: 3,355
Bikes: 99 Schwinn Mesa GS MTB, 15 Trek Domane 5.9 Dura-Ace, 17 Trek Emonda SL6 Pro & 18 Bianchi Vigorelli
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 251 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 67 Times
in
34 Posts
Pictures are AWESOME. I hope to be getting to bike commute again sooooon. Depends on if a very much hoped for transfer comes thru to a location closer to my home. Right now the bike commute would be excessive to say the least.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,549
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5224 Post(s)
Liked 3,581 Times
in
2,342 Posts
courage is not the absence of fear. it is acting in spite of it. credit: Mark Twain
well done Sir!
well done Sir!
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 5,791
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1020 Post(s)
Liked 463 Times
in
293 Posts
Breadbin, congratulations. You are moving in the right direction.
The pictures in Post #2 look very familiar.
Oh wait, ClydeTim has been banned as a sock puppet. I wonder who he was in a forme BF life?
The pictures in Post #2 look very familiar.
Oh wait, ClydeTim has been banned as a sock puppet. I wonder who he was in a forme BF life?
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 118
Bikes: Kona Big Unit Single Speed, Kona Private Jake Single Speed, Jamis Renegade Elite
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 40 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Hardest ride, the first ride, is in the books. Keep at it. Some days it takes me a lot of pep talk to get on the bike but as soon as I get those first rotations of the crank and start up the hill from my house...it's all good from there.
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
yeah I totally agree, I always always love when I'm up on the bike and when I'm finished a ride. I'm exhilarated, euphoric even but always have a hard time making myself go for the ride in the first place. I wonder why that is. I know how good it makes me feel about myself, but it's like I forget or something. I need to push myself more and make it easier to get out on the bike. I need to be more organised.