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I got in a bike ride over the weekend.  Here it is Super Bowl Sunday and my day involved nothing about watching a football game.  wow, am I demented or what?!

This is the first time I have been on a bicycle since October 9th of last year when I had a kidney stone.  This was a huge ordeal where, after 2 months, I ended up having surgery to have the darn thing removed.  Ugh.  Learning moment: drink your water.  Don’t add protein.

Back to the weekend ride; preparation included installing my new saddle, cleaning the major chunks of goo from the ride last October, and pumping up the tires.  After that, it was all about getting my riding gear on and mentally preparing for the upcoming effort.  Then, I headed out the door and off to the American River Bike Trail, just 4 miles away from home.

It was a little windy with the gusts kicking up over 20mph, and I resolved to go against the wind early to enjoy the fruits of my labor and an easy return trip home.  This ride was only to see what kind of shape I had deteriorated to, not as a normal ride which would tell me how long it took to get from point A to point B and give me an idea of my level of fitness.  Good plan?  It sure turned out that way!

So off I went; wind in the face, pavement rattling under the wheels, feet spinning wildly, and that familiar feeling of freedom tweaking my emotions.  The thousands of bicycle miles I have logged in the recent past help me easily contol my expectations.  And since this is the seasons First Ride, I expect to go about 25 miles, experience much discomfort (new seat and unused squishy muscles) and hurt when finished.  And by “hurt” I mean the hurt is everywhere.  And by “everywhere” I mean deep, inside pain in every muscle group that only goes away with time.  And for the record, I was not disappointed in either catagory.

I ended up riding 34 miles and learned a few things:

• the new seat needs to be re-positioned forward about an inch
• my old butt needs about a month of riding before it is going to feel okay after a ride
• I have gotten very good at changing tubes on the rear tire

The first two points were pretty well known.  I knew the seat was not perfectly set.  I could see it lined up properly and had the correct angle, but sitting on a saddle for a few minutes and actually riding on it is very different.  You learn things when you sit for a while, and you know what I learned?  Riding a bicycle is hard work and you best get yourself as comfortable as possible!  So the seat is going to be tweaked until it is just right, and that might take a few rides to until it is perfect.  The part about “my old butt” needing some time in the saddle is pretty much self-explanatory.  I’m just lucky to have not gained a bunch of weight while I was off eating and drinking for the past 4 months.  So there’s that…..

The bullet point above: “changing tubes on the rear tire” is a bit of a quandry.  Going back to the last time I rode the bike it was giving me trouble.  During Levi’s Gran Fondo, which is a difficult 103 mile ride put on by road racing superstar Levi Leipheimer, and was the last time I was at a really good fitness level able to enjoy such an event.  Anyway, I had two brand new tires on the bike and suffered two rear-wheel flats during the ride….with one of them happening while speeding down an 18% decent to the ocean!  Yep, that is a scary time to have a tire go soft and could have caused major damage to me and CashFlow (my bike).

Out on the bike trail having a flat is only “inconvenient”.  You don’t really have a problem unless you are in a pace-line with other riders or are pushing the limits of centrifugal force inside a turn.  Get a flat during this time and you will find it can really hurt!  Other than that, you have to stop, get out of the way, and change a tube.  No big deal.

On this little trip to the town of Folsom and back, I had to do this not once, not twice, but thrice (is that how you spell it?).  The first tire change came at mile 6.5.

“OK” I thought, “the bike has been sitting, waiting for four months, this is expected.”

The next one happened on the way back somewhere around mile 25.  Since I used an old tube from last season I was not surprised.  Not happy about it, but not surprised.  And I promised myself I would look at what is causing the problem when I get home.

The third malfunction happened at mile 35, and really annoyed me.  The ride began sometime around 2:30 and here it was almost 4:30, the sun was going down, and there was about 1 hour of sun remaining in the day.  And, there were mosquitoes flying about….and I HATE mosquitoes!  Especially early in the season when they can be especially ravenous.

So, flat #3.  Clock ticking.  Sun going down.  Mosquitoes.  And I am beat.  The ride has given me great pause.  Here I am riding at about 17 mph and not feeling particularly well after just 30 miles.  I have been feeling “not strong” for about 15 miles.  I mean, what kind of shape was I in to enjoy the previous ride?  Wow.  Anyway, back to this repair.  The wheel is off, I am swatting at and/or getting bit by flying adversaries I can pay little attention to, the inside tire has nothing poking inside to cause a flat, and I am only interested in finishing this thing out.  Now the new tube is seated, tire is hooked to the inside rim, air is going in, and that all familiar 90 pounds of air is holding the rubber taut once again.  The wheel is back on the bike and adjusted to the middle of its track, and off I go down the trail again.

For the record, I did not complete the ride as expected.  With the sun casting its yellow/orange hues all around, I used the cell phone to call the wife for a pickup at the park.  She complied and I was comfortably inside a car after just 34 miles.  Heckuva way to start the season!

The bike is now back in the rack and will receive my full attention before the next ride.  Might be a couple of days though….I still hurt!