LOOK OUT Lance Armstrong.....I'm the guy in your way as you ride by

So, today was the inaugural ride. I decided the best way to do this was to let the kids ride their bikes to school (which is what they have been bugging me about) and test everything out. I get out my specially designed riding shorts; which by the way feels as if I am wearing a huge woman's pad between my legs. Then there was the specially designed shoes that go with the pedals that I bought which have tiny clips in them so your feel feel like they are cemented in (must be what an outgoing Mob Boss feels like as he enters the river).

Next it was time to don the helmet. Perfect fit and fit as though I remembered it. So out we went. To the end of the drive and walked all the bikes across the street. The kids mounted their and so did I. For 2 minutes, I struggled to get my feet clipped in (never having practiced this ahead of time). I finally got them in and as we approached a stoplight, I panic'd as I couldn't get my feet out of the clips until brut strength won out. So we got to the school without much fanfare, but with much worry from me as my kids rode in the bike lane on the street (not sure we can do that again). The one thing that I also didn't figure out ahead of time (because I had ridden bikes before) but how to switch gears. I could switch them down, but I couldn't figure out how to gear it up. So at the school, after about 10 minutes of following all the moving parts, I figured out this very complex riding machine.

Now it was time to head home. It is a 2km ride there, so 2km ride back. As I started back my vision of Grandeur gave way to my body mocking me. It was basically all downhill going to school, so now it was all uphill going home. The old saying it's like riding a bike, you never forget. You may not forget, but your body sure has a short memory as to how hard it was. The heavy breathing and the now burning, shooting pain in my legs was telling me that uphill was probably not the way to start training. So half way back to the house (only 1km into my ride home) I had to stop, take off the shoes and walk the rest of the way home. I did get a bunch of strange looks as people know that is not the way to ride a bike.

I guess the moral of this story is going to have to be....use a trainer (that is a stand the rear wheel goes on so you can ride inside as a stationary bike) until you build up the required muscles to be able to venture outside to an even harder challenge.

Sorry muscles, we will work more tomorrow.