So I got a little ahead of myself on my exercise routine. I’m totally loving riding our bikes and I just wanted to take it to the next level. So my husband and I outfitted my bike with clip in pedals and shoes. My husband is pretty handy and he assembled them on the loosest setting so they are easy to clip in and out of.
I thought this will make my pedal more efficient, increase my speed, and make the hills even easier to conquer. What I didn’t anticipate was my overall clumsy tendencies and my inability to properly mount and dismount the bike!
So of course, I assume this is the natural course for someone new to clip in pedals so the first four times I fell because I didn’t get unclipped quick enough, I just chalked up to the learning curve. I was then able to ride 3 times without injury, so now I’m feeling pretty cocky.
Then comes Tuesday morning. I’m confident now on the bike with the clips. We ride our 14 mile ride and come home. I’m zooming up the driveway, unclip the right side and somehow the left doesn’t unclip that fast. BOOM! I fall over and the handlebar gores me to the left chest. Thankfully, it didn’t break the skin or a bone but the resulting injury was impressive. I have a hematoma the size of a grapefruit and the color of an eggplant.
You know the lesson here is that you don’t have to get all technical….just get out and move. You don’t have to become Lance Armstrong, you’re not competing in the Olympics, and you need to respect what you are good and not good at in life. I don’t need clips to ride my bike and guess what….I won’t be riding with clips anymore!