road biking confessions #467 and #468
#467
i'm still afraid of my clipless pedals. every time i come to a stop, my heart catches in my throat and for a split second, i think i'm going to topple over. i have to mutter to myself "unclip, unclip, unclip". and i favour my left foot. i think if i tried to unclip with my right (and i know i should ... please don't scold), i'd lose both my mental and physical balance and over i would go. the scar on my knee from my last tumble has finally healed and is beginning to fade. i seriously do not want to experience another "knee incident" and thus have turned into some highly superstitious, obsessive compulsive, muttering crazy woman every time i come up on a red light.
#468
my biking form leaves a lot to be desired. whenever i'm working hard, climbing a hill or trying to open up a bit on the flat stretches, i instinctively lean to the right ever so slightly, as if i'm in a boat. my right shoulder drops a little, and i bend my right elbow further. sweep rowers (those folks with one oar -- scullers use two) are often instructed to lean into their rigger. in a sweep boat, i row on port and thus lean to the right just a little -- not the best rowing form either, but what can i say? from years of doing this, my left shoulder is a little higher than my right, though incidentally, my right bicep is noticeably larger than my left. yeah, i'm quite the sight in a strapless dress. as i realized this morning, just before i caught myself and kept myself from tumbling into a grassy ditch, there aren't any riggers on bikes.
i'm still afraid of my clipless pedals. every time i come to a stop, my heart catches in my throat and for a split second, i think i'm going to topple over. i have to mutter to myself "unclip, unclip, unclip". and i favour my left foot. i think if i tried to unclip with my right (and i know i should ... please don't scold), i'd lose both my mental and physical balance and over i would go. the scar on my knee from my last tumble has finally healed and is beginning to fade. i seriously do not want to experience another "knee incident" and thus have turned into some highly superstitious, obsessive compulsive, muttering crazy woman every time i come up on a red light.
#468
my biking form leaves a lot to be desired. whenever i'm working hard, climbing a hill or trying to open up a bit on the flat stretches, i instinctively lean to the right ever so slightly, as if i'm in a boat. my right shoulder drops a little, and i bend my right elbow further. sweep rowers (those folks with one oar -- scullers use two) are often instructed to lean into their rigger. in a sweep boat, i row on port and thus lean to the right just a little -- not the best rowing form either, but what can i say? from years of doing this, my left shoulder is a little higher than my right, though incidentally, my right bicep is noticeably larger than my left. yeah, i'm quite the sight in a strapless dress. as i realized this morning, just before i caught myself and kept myself from tumbling into a grassy ditch, there aren't any riggers on bikes.
posted by Amanda Bonner at 2:04 p.m.
1 Comments:
Haha, you should ride with me! We could be a chorus.
When I slow down, I say "click out" and always always with my left foot. I unclick WAY early, and often when I don't really need to. And then when I start, I say "click in." Yep, every time. And I practice and talk to myself, too: click out, click in. Both feet for practice.
I'm not sure I'm doing the pedaling in a circle thing right, mostly. I'm not sure I pull back and up properly.
But, I'm doing the having fun part so right!
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