BDOB and Learning Valuable Lessons

BDOB means Bad Day on The Bike! Well I look happy don't I? It was not a fully bad day on the bike, it was really just a bad moment...and I did learn some valuable lessons about bike mechanicals and bike checks pre-ride.

This is my friend Christine. She and I were both happy at this moment.

I was riding along just fine until about 3/4 through the ride when my back wheel started to fish tail and rub my back brakes. I was unable to turn the pedals over. My bike was shifting itself without any help from me and we were in huge traffic and having to cross about 4 lanes of traffic. Once stopped at the traffic light, I tried to ride though the intersection when the light turned green, but I could not turn the pedals over and I could not get any momentum. I did not know what was wrong and thought it was just operator error. As we left the meet up spot, and started to climb back up, it became more and more obvious that I had a serious problem and the whole team left me in the dust and I could not get my bike to pedal and it was shifting itself like crazy.

Luckily Coach Ed was behind me and was telling me how I should proceed. He was watching what was going on with my bike. We pulled over and he made one fix. We started off again and the same problem...dovetailing, wobbling and shifting itself. We pulled over again and I got off the bike and he took an even closer look. Well glory be! My rear wheel was not tightened down by the quick release. The wheel was flipping and flopping in the hub and it had caused my brakes to engage! It was an easy fix and then we smoothly sailed up hill the rest of the way back to the finish!

The moral of the story? Give your bike a serious check up before you ride it each time. Check all the parts that could potentially cause you trouble! I take the front wheel off and never take the rear off...so I always check the front quick release and never the rear. Big mistake!

Another life lesson learned!

I am off to have my car serviced now!
Cece

The New Yorker and the Black Leopard Cubs

When a NYer goes to Santa Fe, it is like going to Big Game Country. So when Cece was cycling and doing her triathlon practice on Sunday morning, it did not surprise her to see big game! She saw 4 black leopard cubs! She was cycling along and she sucked in air...."OMG black leopard cubs!" Even though she was racing for time, she slowed down considerably and was a bit scared that the black leopards had come down to where she was cycling. She approached slowly as she watched them cantor across the road and into the bush. She was nervous that they would jump out at her....and maybe their mom would have her for lunch...where was the mom? But as she slowed and approached, she realized that they were 4 pure black kittens about 4 months old! Big game! For sure! She stopped and greeted them and then continued on her way laughing at herself. Black leopards...right!

She was doing the tri route in reverse saving the long climb back up for the end. She parked at the Indian Arts School

and saw this beautiful mural. She realized a lot about her fitness now compared to what it was this time last year. Then, she was riding with a shoulder that would eventually need surgery and that took its toll. Today the ride was so manageable and fun. She was relaxed and optimistic.

Once back at the Community Center, she worked on her running and counted exactly 200 steps she would have to run in cleats with her bike, before she could mount her bike. She practiced this. Not too bad.

Driving back into the city , she was taken a back by the beauty of the earth once again. It never ceases to surprise her and she remembered her first ride to SF when she visited over 17 years ago and fell in love with the land and sky! At that time, she knew she would move here.

She got off the highway in Bernalillo and came in from the north . It was a perfect day for a nice ride and a wonderful drive.<>

She was surprised that Bernalillo is undergoing a face lift. This time she came in from the north. Usually the opposite, so she only sees the older part of town...now there is new growth and development. She remembers when practically the only place to eat was the pizza place....now they have everything!

Cece thinks that for the next few weeks that she will make the trek to SF to practice. When you have asthma, even a few thousand feet elevation change is noticeable...so practice will be beneficial to help with the breathing!

And....We are Off!

Today begins the first day of training for the new team! Each Saturday this blog will be updated with info about the rides with photos and funny stories.

I cannot believe I did not take one photograph this morning! It is very unlike me! So, I had to dig into the archives and get a pic that would do the person justice...even though it is several years old!

This is our coach Clyde! I was thinking that today we met lots of new friends who we will spend the next 4 months training with every week...some maybe a few times a week! Already , it is a happy group and we had many laughs and much hilarity.

Today we did a very short 17 mile ride to , as Clyde calls it , "The Bike Magnet" which is the gas station at the top of Corrales Road and 528. It just seems to draw cyclists in and not many are able to get past it without being magnetically drawn to it!

A good beginning with a few mishaps...but luckily nothing major!

Tomorrow I am off to Santa Fe to climb some hills and to practice running in cleats and to figure out JUST HOW FAR I have to run in them to mount my bike. I am going to count my steps and then train just that many steps. Yes, I am not a runner.

In Team in Training, we are all riding to fund cancer research so if you would care to donate, please click on the link on the right....and push the easy button! It is that easy to donate!
Thanks,
Cece

Update: From Ride of Silence/See Previos Post

Paseo del Norte Mulit-Use Path
Posted on May 12, 2010, 12:19 pm, by Jennifer Buntz, under Announcement.
Good news for the Paseo del Norte Multi-Use Path where it runs adjacent to Paseo del Norte Boulevard. NMDOT has completed their study and determined a concrete wall barrier will provide the best safety option to protect path users. They are planning construction of this barrier from east of the Rio Grande to just west of where the bike path crosses Rio Grande Boulevard. Debra Bauman from NMDOT made this announcement at the monthly Greater Albuquerque Bicycle Advisory Committee (GABAC) meeting on Monday, May 10. The estimated cost of this project is around $85 thousand dollars, with a portion of the funding coming from Bernalillo County ($20k) and the remainder from the State of New Mexico. Construction should be completed sometime this summer

The Ride of Silence

We met as a team to cycle in to the Ride of Silence in honor of Dave Anderson....we that are working to end cancer and find a cure ...came together to mourn another needless death.

Dave Anderson was out cycling with his wife and family on a designated bike path when a car careened off the highway and killed him. His wife was ahead of him at the time and looked back to see the crash.

As we arrived after riding to the site in silence, we immediately saw a crowd of cyclists and friends and mourners gathered at the crash site. Bike upon bike lined

the thin fence that could not have hoped to hold the car back from the cyclist. We watched the cars go by thinking what a very freak accident this was....and how easily it could happen again. Many cycling teams were present and dressed in their kits representing their

teams...a solemn show of support.....and it was good to see so many people all present to pay their regards. It was a quiet crowd...thoughtful, prayerful...mindful...cyclists who arrived on the scene during the accident were there, the police at the scene were there...church members were there ...

When we first arrived, we were each given a beautiful flower and we all put the flowers around the ghost bike...the symbol of the life lost so needlessly. Many prayers were said....many tears were spilled...

The Ghost Bike is now a permanent memorial to Dave Anderson. His wife and daughter placed the first flowers and they and their pastor greeted the mourners. It has only been a month since their lives changed forever. Let us hope and pray that not one more cyclist is killed by a car.

Silly Yoga?

I have met a very nice woman in my new yoga class. I do not think, that at this moment, she quite knows what to do with me! She tilted her head after class and told me "I never laughed in yoga until you came along!" Thus, silly yoga was born!

I think that sometimes, in yoga we just end up laughing at ourselves, because we try so hard...when the goal is not to try so hard....but just to breathe and ease into in...but those times, when it does not ease in....are the times, I seem to have a battle with my body and try to muscle it and end up laughing at the hilarity of that!

Take the other day. We were into a pose similar to happy baby..only on the left side we were to straighten our leg. My leg would not straighten ...tight cycling hamstrings...and I started to roll around on the mat. I tried to "make" it happen, but the leg just would not stretch! This got me giggling. Then my new friend started to giggle and I think I heard my yoga teacher giggle too!

OH! Silly yoga! What a joy!

Sag Support! Try it, You'll Like It!

I think many cyclists do not really like to give up their role on the bike, to drive a car and be the support vehicle for a ride. But I am here to tell you that it can be fun! It is also a comfort to the cyclists. Having been on the receiving end of the benefits of the SAG vehicle, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to give back!

Some of the Team is doing the Santa Fe Century while others will do the Century in Lake Tahoe.

The friends you make through Team in Training can be friends for life...and many become just that! It was fun to meet new cyclists and to see friends who chanted 'Thank God for the Internet!" We were reunited on this ride after many weeks of back and forth emailing!

I will tell you what! I was pretty glad I was warm and cozy today! The Team had to cope with some mean hill climbing and also a fierce wind...no matter which way they turned! Everyone did such a great job and everyone was happy!

Lots of wonderful bonds are being forged.....like with these two guys below...maybe they are the wolf brothers...or perhaps the Blues Brothers in disguise! And yes, Ed, I skipped the blackmail pic of your butt! ...but could not resist mentioning it! LOL

Where is Coach Mike? I never got a pic of him...he was busy cycling back and forth! I overheard him say, "I did not start to feel good until I started climbing!" In my world a statement like this is beyond comprehension! He is such a wonderful addition to the Team and to the Wolf Brothers below! Everyone is relaxed and happy...and supported! What a pleasure!

There is an entire family cycling this year and it was nice to meet a few of them. I look forward to sagging the SF Century for this team in a few months! GO TEAM!

Fighting cancer one pedal stroke at a time!