Triathlete Jen was in town this past week, and after a great ride on Saturday and some positive reinforcement from her (she says I'm a "strong cyclist!" I've never been called a strong any-sort-of-athlete before!), I decided it was time to take the next step. So when we returned her rental bike to Sports Basement (which is quickly becoming my favorite sporting goods store, thanks to its better-than-average selection of cycling and triathlon gear), I brought along my bike and traded in my flat pedals for a pair of Look pedals and shiny new tri shoes.
Love my new shoes!
Once the pedals were installed, Triathlete Jen gave me a little clipless pedal lesson in the parking lot. First she held the bike while I snapped my feet in and out of the pedals a bunch of times, then once I felt more comfortable I rode some circles in the parking lot and practiced stopping and starting. It all went surprisingly smoothly, until I actually tried to get off the bike and remembered that you need to unclip both feet to do so.
I've yet to take a real ride with the new "big girl" pedals. I rode around the neighborhood a bit yesterday, but I still have to really think when I start and stop, and I know I'm not ready to maneuver busy streets just yet. This weekend I'll have to drive somewhere that I can practice without all the traffic.
So far, I've only toppled all the way over once, when I didn't unclip in time while practicing on my street yesterday. And I managed to get by with only a minor scrape on my knee. Here's hoping the worst is over!
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