I like to ride my bi-cy-cle, I like to ride my bike...

If that little title sounds like someone who is trying to convince themselves of something,

well, that is the truth!

I got a new bike for Christmas from Frank.

And, Frank, like his father before him, doesn't believe in buying something that is "fine" or 

"good enough".  

He likes to buy the best.

So he got me a really nice bike for Christmas.

I have ridden quite a bit in the past

but I always used my old, tried and true, hybrid bike

that I got when Carter was a baby so that I could take him on little jaunts around the neighborhood.

It was not a road bike or a fancy bike.

It was a mom-with-a-baby bike.

Now I have a road bike.

The kind with skinny tires

and no pedals.

Yes, I am clipped into my bike for the first time in my life.

And

it scares me.

I figured I would probably fall down at some point.

Everyone falls down when they first start using the clip in shoes...

at least that's what they all tell me.

But I am no spring chicken and if I fall, I am very likely to hurt myself.

So today I decided to ride my bike.

For the second time, officially.

But the first time "for real".

I "rode" it once before but just around the neighborhood for a few minutes to see if I could do it without killing myself.

I shifted the gears up...and couldn't figure out how to shift them back down.

So I came home.

It was less than triumphant.

(I resorted to the internet to figure out the shifting *shakes head*)

So today I was determined to ride it for an actual workout.

I wanted to find the bike path near my house so that I can easily go on rides in the future.

I got the tires pumped up

(something else I had to google)

got on the bike,

refreshed my memory on how to clip in,

how to shift,

where the brakes are...

I clipped one foot in

and

FELL OVER.

Yep, sprawled out on my own driveway.

skinned my knee

scraped my new shoes

and twisted my hip out at a very awkward angle

that I think I will feel tomorrow...

or possibly later today.

This bike is making me feel like an idiot!

After I decided I wasn't truly injured

and after I scanned the neighborhood to see if anyone saw me fall,

I went for my ride.

It was fine.

My legs didn't really get too tired so that's good.

But I was paranoid about braking (and falling) and turning (and falling) 

so I didn't really go for a super long ride.

I was winded after I went up the one hill I attempted.

But when I got home and parked the bike

I felt pretty happy.

I will eventually like to ride my bicycle.

Update: a few hours later and I have discovered
(Why is my calf hurting? ...oh...)
a huge bruise forming on the calf of the other leg.
Oh man, I messed myself up!