Wednesday 9 January 2008

small personal triumph

I have now managed to cycle to work three days with my clip shoes and pedals! On Sunday Ant put the pedals on for me and I tried them out a bit on our road, going back and forth, clipping and unclipping my shoes to get a feel for it. Then Ant and I cycled to the park nearby and met Sarah so I could ride around a little there. It was terrifying and I found that unclipping was very stressful. I began to panic as I slowed down, worried that I might not be able to unclip and then fall over with my feet still attached. I had one close call, which was really fine in retrospect, but I was so nervous that I freaked out a bit before successfully unclipping. These last three days I have been cycling to work a bit more cautiously and I can now unclip more quickly as I approach a set of lights or a junction. I am hoping that I make it to the end of the week without incident; that shall be a major triumph.

4 comments:

Jayme said...

I am so impressed with your cycling accomplishments! You have come such a long way in so little time. Way to go!!!

Rachel said...

Can I ask why you would clip in - it does sound rather unnerving (kind of like driving a stick shift and being stuck on a hill:)

Sarah said...

I guess I failed to explain why clip pedals are so great. Oops. When my feet are attached they stay on the pedals in all weathers and this makes pedalling easier. But the more important reason is that I can power the bike on the up stroke of my legs as well as on the down stroke as usual. This means more speed (if required) and different muscles to share the load of a journey. Plus they are pretty cool and bear the marks of a "real cyclist". :)

Rachel said...

Thanks, Sarah. I am a newbie when it comes to biking, but since Patrick got a new one in Nov., we are hoping to get into it as a family:)