My first 20 mile cycle ride

Well, I finally did it. Not that I have been trying very long. I bought me a Schwinn road bike 3 weeks ago and have been riding 5 days a week. Up until yesterday my longest ride was 10.3 miles.

Yesterday I set out on my ride in hopes of doing 20 miles but not knowing if I could make it. After mile 5 which was mostly uphill, I thought I wasn't going to make it. I turned left onto Bacchus where I pulled off the road and looked down the long hill in front of me deciding if I really wanted to go for it. I took a couple drinks of water and decided that this was the day I was going to conquer the distance.

I put my water bottle back in the cage, clipped in my shoes and started hammering down that long hill past the dump. I wanted to keep my speed up as high as I could since the other side of the hill was just as steep going up.

I churned all the way to 38.9 miles an hour, a little scared since that's faster than I have ever gone on a bike without a motor, and all I have is a measly helmet to keep my body from coming apart in case of a crash.

Luckily I was going fast enough to only have to drop 2 gears going up the other side. Other than that my ride was pretty uneventful and serene.

I'm not sure if it was harder than I expected or easier. I do know that it was awesome to pull into the driveway at exactly the 20 mark. It took me 1hr 17min 59sec at an average speed of 15.4mph.

I didn't quit! I wasn't sure if I could do it but once I made the decision to roll after that 5 mile mark there was no turning back. Cycling is not only a physical strain but also a mental strain. You can really find out a lot about yourself and your abilities when you're on a bike. You have to make yourself do things your mind and body are saying no to. Once you get there you want to do it again. It's a feeling of great accomplishment once you reach the end. This is a very fun and healthy sport.

My brother Tim talked me into getting the bike so I could train for mini triathlons and I'm glad he did. The bike actually does 2 things for me. First, it's the best training you can do to race motorcycles and I know it has made me better since last Sunday my track day went exceptionally well. And the second thing it's doing it making me lose weight like crazy. Last Saturday I was 178 lbs and this Saturday I'm at 171 lbs and you can start to see a 6pack forming. I can't tell you how exciting that is for someone that has never had one.

Here is my route from yesterday: