Today, I resolved to stop and take some pictures. :)

Stats

Bike: 12.71 miles

Time: 1:07:51

Avg Moving Speed: 12.1 mph

Max Speed: 19.3 mph

It looks like I set a PR for a mile! :03:56 (av speed of 15.2). 

The pace of the ride was quite varied. In addition to some fast miles, we also rode 3 total miles over 6 minutes. This was just the nature of the route. We rode just under 2 miles to get to the American River Trail, spent 7 on the trail, and it was another 4 miles home. That’s 6 miles on the road, with lots of traffic stops. I’m not above “coasting through” a light, but I always slow to ensure the coast is clear, down to the point where I’m basically balancing in a stop.

Conditions

It is gorgeous out. Hot (88°), sunny, very light breeze. We entered the trail in a new spot, and I got to seem some interesting sights, including:

  • A homeless community or two. I’m talking full-on communities of a dozen or so people each that we could see. (I felt safe with Lucus, but I would NOT go this way alone.)
  • Some very beautiful birds, including herons and yellow-billed magpies. Oh…and Lucus nearly ran down some morning doves. That wasn’t awesome.
  • A party on the river. People were sunbathing, listening to music and basically all-out partying. I’m not gonna lie…it looked pretty cool. Cooler than me, anyway.
And I nearly hurt myself. Oy. My shoelace wrapped itself around my pedal, and I didn’t notice until I couldn’t rotate the pedal any further. I’m proud that I didn’t a) Fall or b) Cause harm to another biker. It was a little touch-and-go, but I stayed calm.

All in all, this was a great ride.

This is my new bicycle! It is a 1976 Motobécane Grand Touring. There are two things that drew me to the bike. The frame (Vitus 172 double-butted steel) and the gorgeous leather bar grips. Look at the stitching! All the components are original; this thing is in pristine condition.

This is only important to the geekiest of geeks, but I’ve become obsessed with steel-framed bicycles. The ride is much more comfortable than aluminum (the steel absorbs shock), and it’s pretty much indestructible. It’s also lighter than you’d expect.

As the name implies, this is a touring bike. It’s meant to be loaded and ridden long distances. However, it’s much sprightlier than my hybrid, and it’ll serve me just fine in the triathlon this September.

I took it out for a spin this afternoon. It’s my first time on a road bike, so I wanted to go for my first ride with Lucus along. I’ll be honest. I was as nervous as I was excited. We did a short trip to the American River trail and back (with a couple of miles on the actual trail). 

I didn’t even try to ride in the drop position or change gears until I got on the trail. Do you see the gear shifter? It’s mounted on the body of the bike — not the handlebars. To top it off, you kind of ease it into position. It doesn’t click right in like my hybrid or even an STI shifter. I have a bad habit of over-shifting; this bike will certainly cure that.

This was an exceptionally easy ride. I wanted to get the feel for the bike, not break any records. 

Stats

Bike: 10:25 miles

Moving Time: 55:07

Avg Mov Speed: 11.2 mph

Max Speed: 17.7 mph

Elevation Gain: 29 ft 

{and yes, I’m wearing bike shorts under my dress}