Maiden Voyage

Saturday was glorious - a brisk 37 with bright sun and almost no wind. In the sun it felt like the mid-40s. The first signs of spring were all around - people washing cars, kids playing ball, people on pleasure walks with their dogs. Even though we could see our breath, it was warm enough in our sun-drenched back yard I played with the dogs in just a long-sleeve t-shirt.

I had a cardio date scheduled with RTP but life intervened and we didn't made it to the gym in the morning. I wasn't phased; I'd already decided to go for a bike ride since weather.com predicted a high of 39... it was a 12 degree morning, so I needed to wait for the "warmth" of afternoon.

Pulling Donna out of the garage gave me butterflies. I couldn't believe how much I'd missed her and how excited I was to get going, temperature notwithstanding. As I shivered, pumping tires in the cold shadow of the garage I kept telling myself it would be fine because this 37 degrees was a far cry from the 37 degrees I'd experienced just 10 months ago in my first time trial.

This was also going to be my first ride after getting Donna back from the shop in December, when they finally figured out the shifters were defective. There'd been about a foot of snow on the ground at the time, so I had yet to test drive her to evaluate the repair.

RTP and I had a brief discussion about how our asses were going to hurt after this and took off. (It does. Shoulders too.)

I was instantly transported. It felt unbelievable, all the joys of cycling came rushing back - the speed, the power, the wind in my face. Riding her was simultaneoulsy like finding my way home and riding a new bike. It was immediately obvious I'd never truly experienced riding her last year - the shifting problems I'd gotten so used to, that had brought me to dread riding her, were gone. It was smooth and responsive and fun and gone was any hint of the panic and frustration I'd come to know from flailing chains and unengaged gears. I left RTP in the dust as I got aero and flew up and down the rolling hills of the adjacent neighborhoods.

It really was the maiden voyage for me and my 11 month old bike. Turns out I never really got to meet her before, and now that I have I can't wait to see where our relationship will take us.