Road Rash...

Last night I went for a bike ride with some friends in Piedmont Park. Rebecca is looking to do an MS150 ride at Callaway Gardens this fall and instead of her buying a bike I offered up my old cannondale that has been rusting away in the back porch. I spent some time cleaning the gears and fixing the rear derailer which was not functioning properly, adjusted the seat and obviously brought the tires out of deflation. As I stood it beside my new road bike I felt a sense of sadness for the neglect I had brought upon it...but one glance back at my Orbea made that feeling go away. :)

So Sara, armed with my mtn bike, Rebecca and I set off to the park for a quick spin to see how the road bike suited her. It didn't take her long to feel comfortable and she was quickly racing ahead. I remember thinking how nervous I was everytime I hit a twig or bump in the road...one false move and there goes 6 hours of surgery and 3 months of recovery.

Those of you who haven't felt the drastic difference between road and mtn bikes will appreciate the fact it takes some getting used to. One small glance back at Sara and I sent Rebecca tumbling to the ground. My biggest fear was that she suffered a broken bone, but after several minutes we realized the road rash and cuts were thankfully the worst of it. She handled it like a trooper but it got me thinking about how one second can change it all. I'm glad that I've been taking it easy on the road bike but my next course of action is to get my clips off the bike and put some 'safer' pedals on...it's just not worth it.

I'm hoping that my feeling of anxiety goes away on the bike because it's something I really enjoy...but after last night, I'm not in as much of a hurry as I was before.