I should have gone out earlier this week when it was sunny and beautiful. Instead I chose to wait until today when it is cold and windy and I already did an hour of personal training that smoked my legs.
When I got my bike out yesterday and got it ready to ride, I noticed that the battery on my Cat Eye (the little computer thing that measures pace and distance) was dead. I got a new battery and then wasted an hour trying to get the unit to recognize the sensor. No luck.
I got back from training, chugged some coffee, ate some Kashi, and bundled up to go. The Cat Eye still wasn't working, so I brought my Garmin. About 2 miles into the ride, I hit a bump and the whole Cat Eye went flying off my bike. I saw it bounce on the road and then disappear into the grass. Apparently I hadn't re-attached it correctly. I stopped my bike, went back, and wasted 10 minutes trying to find it in the grass. Eventually I did find it, re-attached it, and then started riding again. Bingo- it started working! Next time it doesn't work, I guess I just have to throw it onto the ground as hard as I can.
I thought I was golden from then on, but around the half-way point my shifting started getting funky. About a mile later it stopped shifting all together. Awesome. It was stuck in the hardest gear. I was 10 miles away from home, riding into wind, and riding mostly uphill. My already tired legs got one heck of a workout getting myself home.
Once I finally made it home, I brought the bike into the shop. They didn't think they could get to it immediately so I headed home. Just as I got home they called to say it was actually an easy fix and the bike was ready. I turned around headed back to Portland only to get to the shop and realize I didn't have my wallet. Back over the bridge I went again, got my wallet, and then headed back to the shop.
Putting my bike in the car the wind blew the door shut on my fingers.
Is this a sign that this is going to be a bad year for cycling?
Ugh! What a pita! I can't even imagine the frustration of only having one gear. I shift A LOT. I think that is a sign the rest of the year can only get better! :)
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