Swim Bike Run Survive: Journey 70.3: The Inaugural Tri Bike Ride

Cathy goes from wobbly to ROARING!

Someone in my Women for Tri online community recently posted: Mother Nature must never have trained for a triathlon. So many of us have been stuck training indoors this winter and early spring. Finally, with a forecast for near 70 degree temperatures on Saturday, and after 2 months of being restricted to riding my Tri Bike on the trainer, I declared this is the day I’m going to do my inaugural ride on my birthday present. Here’s how it went:

I feel like a kid just learning to ride a bike again. I am excited and nervous at the same time. As I’m getting ready, I hear the WPLJ radio DJ Jayde honor her mom the first award for Women Who Roar – she just turned 60 and is getting ready for her first triathlon in Miami after being inspired by the “Iron Nun”, Sister Madonna Buder, who holds the record for being the oldest person (of men and women!) to finish an Ironman at age 82. I think back to my previous post how Katy Perry’s song roar provided the inspiration during my first Olympic distance race: http://swimbikerunsurvive.blogspot.com/2014/10/westchester-olympic-triathlon-eye-of.html . I am inspired to get out there and ROAR!

I make my husband, Mike, put the bikes on the car and drive a mile to a dead end flat street where I can practice first. The landscapers have blown debris all over the road so after a brief ride, I say the hell with it and just go on the intended route, a recently paved, wide road with rolling hills where I intend to do 2-3 loops.

First Loop: I’m wobbly getting down and up in the aero bars. I’m not sure I can balance right shifting unless I’m in the aero bars. My husband, out on his tri bike for the first time this season, admits the first ride out for the season always reminds him it’s different than a road bike. I’m cautious going down the hills, wanting to stay up right and on the brakes. But phew, I did it without crashing.

Second loop: I’m getting the hang of this! I’m still a little cautious on these downhills but I have the feel getting up and down in aero and shifting in either position. I stay in aero more. And is it in my mind but this road, which I’ve ridden many times on my road bike, seems easier. Is it the bike? Is it all of the winter interval TriDot training? Probably both.

Third loop: I see Mike, and he’s surprised I want to do a 3^rd loop. I stay aero the whole time!!

I finish. I feel like a kid again who has just learned to ride a bike for the first time, just like my Tri friend Stephanie’s 8 year old daughter Jos was doing at the same time. Stephanie who promised her a new bike for her birthday if she learned to ride her current bike, says, “guess like all us, new gear inspires!”