biked 8.3 miles to church today. (turns out the 0.7 miles i clocked on my test run yesterday was just me getting lost...) didn't notice the sore butt until afterwards because i was late and trying to book it. i already have one of those gel seat covers, which helps a little but there's still a fair amount of pressure on my tailbone. maybe i just have a tender tush, but enough about that... another point of adjustment that i still haven't figured out: handlebars. jen, i noticed that the bars block my view of the front wheel axle when i'm in drop position (not top)--is that bad? i don't really like holding on to the top of the bars because you don't get as good of leverage on the brakes. i adjusted the angle of the bar to be nice and comfy in drop position (angled downward to reduce the strain on my wrists because i was having a hard time grabbing the brakes when it was level). now that it's angled downward though, it's extremely awkward to hold on to the top position. people i've talked to say that you should position the handlebars so that you can bike in either position (hands on top or in drop), but if i only ever plan to be in drop position, does it matter how capable i am of riding with my hands on top? are we talking about just comfort here or serious ergonomics?

btw, where are the drowning hippo posts?

went biking today for 18 miles. i wanted to check out some alternative bike roads from MV to PA without having to bike down el camino. there are some decent side streets, but they add a couple of miles to my route.

my butt is really sore. there was no good way to segue to that topic of conversation, so i just decided to be blunt about it. yeah, i even went to the bike store to look at padded shorts, but they all just made me feel like i was waddling around in diapers. don't know how my ride tomorrow will be--it's 9 miles to church, and it still hurts a little to sit down.

other things i discovered: i have a terrible sense of direction. and if you're biking and go the wrong way, it takes considerable more effort to get on the right path. also while biking, i bumped into SJ and AJ. SJ was the one who found my bike for me on craig's list, and AJ works at BCM, where I volunteer. i imagine the number of bay area cyclists are relatively small, but it was still cool to see people i know biking around.

hey everyone! here i am to round out the posts with cycling entries to make it look like we're entering a triathlon or something. i'm a bit of a delinquent poster, but here goes: as of last friday, i am now the proud owner of a 2001 lemond buenos aires. it was found on craig's list, all thanks to my bike loving friends. i don't really know anything about bikes, but it looks pretty :D i'm still trying to figure out the proper adjustment of seat post/handlebars. i've never really ridden a road bike before, and the aggressive position is a little difficult to get used to. on sunday i rode to church and back, which was a total trip of 15 miles. it didn't help that i haven't gotten a rack installed yet, and i had to lug the 10 pound (or so) lock in my backpack the whole way. i've been meaning to bike to work this week, but haven't been able to yet. my commute would be an 11 mile ride one way, and my goal is to bike every day. considering i haven't done anything yet, i'm off to a slow start. it also doesn't help that i'm living with the slacker swimmer, and somehow every time she doesn't swim, it makes me feel a little better about not biking...