Tour de Lakeshore Drive

I took my first ride on my new Trek 1600 today! I finally picked up my first ever road bike on Monday and hadn't been able to ride until this morning. With the excessive heat, torrential rains, friends' bike injuries and brokenhearts I was unable to ride. I also had extreme fear of riding with clipless pedals for the first time. I've heard stories of people falling over in traffic forgetting that their feet are clipped in. The man who helped me at the store told me that, "when, not if, you fall over it will probably be in front of a bunch of handsome men." Thanks. That really built some confidence in me. Speaking of confidence builders! Does anyone remember when I fell off my bike in the third grade after slipping on some pebbles turning a corner? And then I cracked my elbow and had to wear a cast during Jenny O'Connor's birthday pool party? Oh, I remember.

I looked pretty professional in my helmet, bike shoes and tight spandex padded pants that were so thin that you could see my crack if fully bent over. There's great freedom in speeding down the open path and comraderie when passing fellow cyclists. There's a nod and wink of appreciation during that brief encounter. This is a note for all runners (me included): Please run along the dirt path provided for pedestrians. This way I won't run you over and the dirt is better for your knees anyway.

Happy Trails!