Big Training Day

Big training day today on the bike. I rode 20 miles. Not that that’s so long, for a touring cyclist, or even that I’ve never done it before—I have; but it’s been a couple of years or so. Between back and knee injuries, taking care of Dad, and of course, working, all I’ve done since about late 2003 was a half-hour or so ride here and there, though for most of last year I was doing 20-30-minute stationary bike workouts, a couple/three times a week. So I guess that helped.

Still, this is the longest I’ve been in the saddle for ages. And with a new seatpost and saddle to make it even more interesting. I won’t say it was painless—there’s a certain amount of adjustment going on—to the new saddle, the new leg position, and most importantly, the new upper body position. Since I jammed the saddle toward the back to make my knees more comfortable, I now have a somewhat longer reach to the bars. I’ve compensated somewhat by raising the bars as far as the stem would allow, but it’s still not the same as it was before I moved the saddle. It’s not awful, but it’s definitely requiring an adjustment period. I’d like to find a handlebar stem with a shorter extension, which would bring the bars even closer, and that might be possible eventually. But my tour starts in two weeks, and I don’t it happening before then—not even sure I could find the right stem before then, never mind get it installed and get accustomed to it. You try out new gear BEFORE a tour, not ON the tour. But it may be that I’ll simply adjust to the bars where they are. It’s not a huge difference from the previous position—just noticeable.

And the new saddle. Well. It’s not awful either, but it’s not my old saddle for sure. That one practically disappeared—I was generally not even aware of it. This new one, by contrast, starting announcing its presence at about mile 16. Again, not awful, but it required some moving around and scooting forward and back before I felt comfy, and it still wasn’t as great at the old saddle. But the old one is too short for the knee comfort that I need. Arrrrgggghhhh!







So, why do I love this sport so freakin’ much? Because despite the need for apparently constant tweaking, the minor pains and stiffness, on the bike is where my body wants to be.