Lean to the right

It's been like a month or so that i rode my bike, but today i finally got back to it. During the week, I had gone to J.R's house so he can show me how to use the bike trainer. I did practice at his house, but I lied to him on Saturday when he asked if i had been practicing.. hehehe Well, i did that afternoon. See, one of my problems is that i am afraid of clipping in and out and also, falling too much. In the last ride, i took many breaks so i can avoid being on the bike.

Well today was much different. I was excited to meet JR, but at the same time very nervous. The one thing that has been on my mind, was the many times that i fell while riding the bike. There was no group today, so I could not just "fall behind". Anyhow, I got there before JR; i tried to practice getting on and off the bike, what the fear hit me. I figured, I would just wait for him to get there, in case I fall.. hehehe

When JR, finally got there, I did mention to him, it took a lot of me, to finally get into the biking gear- tight shorts, shirts, etc. I figured, if i am going to become a true cyclists, the least i can do is start dressing the part.

We chatted for a bit, an soon after, off we were, riding on our bikes. We had met at the parking site where we had the AIDS Lifecycle first ride. the lot was big and very little traffic, so the fear of falling onto traffic was gone.

I was becoming comfortable with my riding. I didn't clip into both shoes right away though. i needed to trust my bike some more.

Finally, i met a problem: i had a difficult time making a right turn. for some reason, going left was okay, but not the right. I had not mentioned it to JR; but he soon found out.

As i was going into a right turn, i lost control of my bike. I was able to clip out of my left foot, but not my right. I lost my thoughts and wasn't sure how to stop my bike. Do i just brake? How do i stop? Well, my thoughts did not help. I came to the conclusion, I WILL FALL! I hit a sidewalk, but I realized there was dirt to fall on. As i was going towards the "fall" i brought my arms out, like a gymnast would do, when they are mounting off a platform, like a VICTORY sign... and i fell into the dirt. i could not stop laughing. I had been on the bike for a bit, and i finally fell, but i fell into something "soft" compared to the concrete. JR came over and looked at my bike; he was laughing too-- too bad there was not a camera for that.

He basically started to show me, how to make right turn. You just have to "lean to the right". It sounded easy, but of course for me, it wasn't. I mentioned to him, that i was only have a hard time doing the right turns but not the left. BIG MISTAKE for telling him; he quickly mentioned that we would turn around and go the opposite way so i can hit more right turns instead of left. As always, i feared so i told him to continue 2 more laps before we go opposite way.

We did turn around, soon after, and the rest of the ride was great. I started to get the handle of how to LEAN TO THE RIGHT or the LEFT; how to make a stop, without tipping over, how to go faster and slow down, but also how to be clipped in both pedals. I felt great about this ride.

So, at the end of all this, he said we did 10-15 miles- with less breaks as compared to my first ride. I only fell ONCE; i trusted my bike into making my turns and i was clipped in.

Today was a great day! We ended the day by meeting Vince for lunch. Pancakes are the best meals around! I am sure the guys enjoyed the Cheesecake pancakes. LOL.

Anyhow, here is just a glimpse of my day today. Thanks to JR for pushing me again. As for the rest of the group- i shall be with you all soon! Until next week!

xoxo
Jose
Here is a picture that JR took of me- "riding and clipped in".