Training Rides 1 & 2

Pictured: some folks from Tea'm Sweet Leaf, and some from Austin Cycle Camp. Plus a piece of my shoulder.

Saturday the 16th was supposed to be Team Sweet Leaf's first scheduled training ride, and I was really nervous about it. Up until now, I've been "training" by riding circles around The Veloway (a 3.1 mile bikes-only road near the end of MoPac), and it's nothing like the open road we'll be on during the race. It's mostly trafficked by pleasure cruisers and lollygaggers, and I know it hasn't helped my riding much.

So I was secretly happy when our ride got rained out. In fact, I'd decided beforehand to skip the ride, and didn't even know it was canceled until later that day. But I made up for it the next day by joining the Austin Cycling Association on a two-hour 22 miler up in the Northwest corner of the city. It turned out to be a lot of fun--all of the riders in my group were friendly, and most of them were happy to ride at a leisurely pace. I did pretty well (despite forgetting my water bottle and briefly being chased by dogs), and I was (stupidly) emboldened by how easy the ride seemed.

This past Saturday, we finally had our first official team ride, tagging along with the folks at Austin Cycle Camp. We started in south Austin and rode about 16 miles, through downtown Buda and out toward Kyle.

At first I rode really well, keeping near the middle of the pack. But it quickly became apparent that these riders were far more experienced and athletic than I was. After a while, we broke off into groups, and I struggled just to stay in the middle. After the turnaround, I fell way behind, and ended up riding the last 15 minutes completely solo. It wasn't the distance that hurt (we actually rode 5 miles less than my ride the weekend before), it was the brisk pace. And by the end, my legs felt like logs. Burning logs.

In any event, I've now got two actual rides under my belt, and I'm serious about improving. Looks like it's gonna take a while, though.

The Accidental Cyclist

I’m not a cyclist. It’s true that I own a bicycle, and I theoretically know how to operate it--but up until now I’ve never ridden more than a few miles at a stretch. That’s about to change. I bought a helmet, a cycling magazine subscription, and some shorts with a generously padded butt. I’m ready to hit the road! Or route. Whatever you call it.

This April, I’ll ride from Houston to Austin (more than 150 miles!) on my bike.

I’m doing this for three important reasons:
1) To raise money for the National MS Society
2) To challenge myself physically and mentally
3) I’m pretty sure we’re going to get really drunk afterward

I can’t do this alone. I need two things from you:

1) Your encouragement (or good-natured heckling)
2) A financial pledge (say, $10? Or whatever works for you) toward my fundraising goal of $400.

You can provide encouragement via Facebook, Twitter, or this blog, and you can pledge money via my fancy internet pledge page.

Your pledge will not go unrewarded. For one, you’ll get the satisfaction of helping to fund Multiple Sclerosis research. For two, you’ll get a personal shout-out from me, via every means of communication at my disposal. One lucky pledger wil also get a totally tricked out t-shirt that I’m going to make from some leftover iron-on letters (seriously). Sound good? You know it does! So do it now!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MathHasBike
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/mathsmath
Blog: http://mathhasbike.blogspot.com
Pledge: https://secure3.convio.net/nmss/site/Donation2?idb=1962934977&df_id=26281&FR_ID=12962&PROXY_ID=7603830&PROXY_TYPE=20&26281.donation=form1