Week 5 - Not Good

This week's ride took us back up to Tramway since the winds were going to be calm. I was feeling confident with my bike nicely tuned up. I find that at the beginning of the ride, I am not the fastest, but not the slowest, so I am somewhere in between and often left alone with no coaches or mentors. About 10 miles into the ride Heather and I were approaching the Tramway/Central intersection. Another rider, Dale, sped up to catch up to us so it was the three of us crossing the intersection. We made it across and were going through the light when things went seriously wrong. I was looking to my left to make sure there were no cars around and when I looked up, I saw Dale right in front of me and panicked. I thought I was going to hit her. The next thing I know is that I am on the pavement in the middle of the intersection. Things flew off my bike and I was trying to collect them. I looked up and saw Dale falling on the ground. I grabbed my bike and went over to where she was to help her. She stood up and was having a hard time walking so Heather and I got her to a place to lay down.

Several people stopped to see if we were okay which was nice, but then you ge the a_ _ holes that honk at you to get out of the way. We called 911 right away because she was in serious pain and could not stand or sit up. A guy in a TLC truck stopped and assisted with a emergency kit he had. Heather and I did what we could to clean off any cuts and scraps that were visible. Eventually, the team that was behind us showed up and helped us with bikes, helmets etc. When AFD showed up they took over with her and only then did I notice blood oozing from my body. Needless to say, I have severe road rash. As I was peeling off my clothes Frank noticed that I had road rash in places I don't remember hitting. The good thing is that I am ok. Dale on the other hand did not fair as well. She broke her wrist, hip and pelvis. I feel just awful and have been racking my brain to figure out what went wrong. I may have just clipped the back of her tire that made her out of balance when she looked back at me. I don't know.

This horrible experience has made me question what I am doing. I am totally freaked out that I may have killed someone or myself. While I understand that we need to go longer rides, should we be on Tramway? Is there a better place for me to ride as a novice. Do I continue and ride with guilt, or can I overcome this experience and learn from it. Right now, I want to crawl under my blankets and hide.


My thigh is looking pretty in purple.


My knee bled and bled and bled and...


Grease and more bruises.

And, there are many more I will not show you. Please pray for Dale! She will be in rehab for 6 months as part of her recovery.

Week 4 Ride

This week our ride took us to Tramway. This ride was to be an introction to "hills". Anyone who has ever driven on Tramway knows that it can be hilly. You don't realize it as much as you are driving, but on a bike... you feel it. We started out at Tramway and Candelaria. We rode south to the County Line turn and went north. We rode to Central, and I have to say it was miserable. The winds kickec up to about 30-40 mph. I felt like I was going to be blown off the bike. At Central we were to go up Route 66 to continue riding the hills. Since it was so windy, everyone rode back to the cars and we were done. Round trip was 18 miles. This week's ride is going to be back up to Tramway to see if we can do it again.
Back at home, Frank and Jan's husband Tom were manning the yard sale for us. This if our first fundraiser. I was excited to make $200. This was after I paid my helpers MacKenzie and Bailey.

Still looking good after riding in the scary wind.

Can you believe no one wanted a working microwave?

Week Three Ride

This week we rode 28 miles. The ride took us from 528 & Alameda to the intersections of 550 and I-25. The ride going toward Bernalillo was terrible. We had a strong head wind and my chain and gears were not working properly. I had to stay in a higher gear most of the way. I am taking it in for a tune up this week. The ride back was better as we had the tail wind. But we made it in 2.5 hours. The rest stop was at the FINA gas station in Bernalillo. This week we are to increase our workouts to 45 minutes to an hour twice. The ride this Saturday should be about 35-40 miles.


It sure is nice to ride with family and friends. Heather and Jan... you are looking good.

Week Three Training

I missed the team ride on Saturday because we went camping with our bible study group. While I felt a little guilty not going, it was sure nice to get out of town for a couple of days. Frank and the girls did tons of fishing. I mostly relaxed and ate. Oh, I did take a hike with the other ladies for some exercise. We got home on Sunday and I got on the spinn bike right away to get one more training in. This week our team ride is scheduled to be 30 miles. I'm a little worried. I also want to ride by bike to work again but there is construction on my route. Once that is cleared, I will give it another try.

I didn't make it home :(

Well, I left work around 4:30 and started on my way home. The wind kicked up but I felt good about the trip. I made to the corner of Northern and Quantum and when I went to change to a lower gear, the chain fell off. I flipped the bike over and reattached it and started on my way again. I made it 2 feet and the chain came off again. I guess I am doing something wrong. After the third time, I decided that if I couldn't get going I was going to call Frank. Well, I managed to do something to make it work. So I started going up the hill very, very, very slowly. My goal was to Destiny Center. And, I didn't make it. I was about 100 feet away and my legs died, probably because I was going uphill in a high gear. So I just stopped to catch my breath and drink some water. I knew that once I got to Blades it was easy sailing.

While I was resting, a familiar white Expedition drove by. The driver had familiar hair that was standing up. Yep, it was my husband. He decided to not necessarily look for me but to find me and take pictures of my torture ride home. He pulled around and came out to adjust the bike so my legs wouldn't die so quickly. I told him I wanted to try to make it home. So he and the girls left and waited for me at the edge of next intersection. As I was coming down the hill, my heart melted. Frank was standing there taking pictures of me and Bailey was jumping up and down encouraging me. Yelling... go mom, you can do it. As I got to the inersection, I decided to stop. The wind was awful and the dust was stinging my legs as I was riding. If he hadn't been there, I would have tried to go all the way.

I am not giving up. I will try it again next week. Isn't my family wonderful?

Riding to Work...

This is looking back.


OMG... I rode to work today. I left at 7:20 at made here by 7:40. Not too bad considering I had to climb a couple of hills and I was doing it in a high gear. And then to top it off, I dropped the chain twice trying to get into a low gear. The gears are going to kill me. The trip is only 4.5 miles from my house. The ride home is going to be my challenge. It is mostly uphill until I get to Blades. I may be calling Frank to come and get me if I can't work out the gearing. Here are a couple of picures.






This is what I have to climb coming home.
OH JOY!

Week 2 of training

This week seemed to be a little easier for me in training. I only rode the spin bike once and did the team ride Saturday. This ride was only 10 miles. I know I could have done more, but we started late in the afternoon and I needed to be somewhere by 4:30. I have to say, I felt great on the ride. We were going at a steady 12-15 miles an hour and finished the ride in less than an hour. I am excited to do my first longer ride and see how I feel. My biggest problem is going to be keeping my self hydrated. When we finished yesterday, I drank 32oz. of Gatorade in 10 minutes. I think I am going to use a camelback because I am not carrying enough water with me.
What a learning experience this has been for me. I am also encouraged when I see my other team mates. We are all different levels and the coaches and mentors take care of all of us. Some left on a 20 mile ride yesteday, and then there was one lady who wears an oxygen tank and went on her first 10 mile ride. While she was not fast, she did finish. No pictures this week, I forgot my camera and also have to get a bigger bag for under my seat to put all my stuff in. It is amazing all the suff you need. Still learning...
XOXO