Bike-funk

Last Friday I had the privilege of having a bike fit done at a fabulous local cycling store, Bloomington Cycle and Fitness. Ever since the end of last season, I had planned on getting aerobars installed on my road bike sometime this winter. I wanted to have some opportunities to try them out on the trainer prior to taking them out on the road. I put it off for much of the winter for a variety of reasons, namely laziness.

I finally got around to getting up to Bushwhacker in Peoria to purchase the aerobars earlier last week. I had a gift certificate I wanted to use, which is why I purchased them from a shop out of town. In addition to the aerobars, I purchased some new pedals and shoes. Aesthetically, in my opinion, the shoes are quite cute (as cute as cycling shoes could be anyway ;-)). Additionally, they are significantly better than my previous pair. What I had were definitely functional, but they were also quite large and clunky...they were a "walkable" cycle shoe. Plus, they were black and purple! The new ones are white and celeste...and match my bike perfectly. **"celeste" is the technical name of the kind of odd blue-green of my bike. I love it! One of the BCF guys taught me that when I dropped my bike off**. The new pedals are "road" pedals...and the new shoes have carbon soles and are quite narrow and sleek. They feel great on my feet!

I was very excited to work with Scott at BCF for my bike fit. He was patient, kind and very obviously knowledgable. It was neat to hear him talk about his profession as well; he has a clear passion for biking and helping cyclists, new and experienced alike, enjoy the sport and become better at it as well.

Scott spent a long time studying me as I pedaled and soon began making adjustments. I had absolutely NO idea just how many tiny adjustments could be made to a bike. Each adjustment he made, though, made noticeable changes in my comfort, posture and/or pedaling efficiency. I had a lot of fun during the fit; I found the process fascinating!

I was surprised by how comfortable I felt in the aero position (albeit in a stationary position on a trainer!). I had never ridden with aerobars prior to that day. Plus, you can't help but feel a bit cooler in aero...ha...dorky, but that's how I felt anyway.

Later that evening, I completed a 75-minute ride on my newly-fit bike on the trainer at my apartment. Honestly, I was surprised by how frustrated I quickly became. The shoes felt like the stiff leather was digging into the fronts of my feet. The saddle felt extra-high and my bum started getting extra-sore. It all just felt...awkward. I worried about the shoes...sure I liked the way they look, but if they dig into my feet who cares?! My forearms felt odd against the pads on the aerobars. I became grumpy and hated my bike for a while. For the life of me, I couldn't get my heart rate to get up to the higher zones as prescribed by my coach. It was quite frustrating.

Sunday, I rode again. This time, I rode for two hours on the trainer. The shoes started feeling more "broken-in" and I began to realize how much more smooth and efficient my legs were moving in the new pedals and shoes. I started to enjoy being in the aero position more and noted I was already able to tolerate it for longer periods of time than I was just two days prior. However, I still had to fight to get my heart rate up. I felt as if I was going to explode...I dripped sweat all over the black mat under my bike. I tried higher cadences and harder gears to no avail. For some reason, my heart rate fell short of my goals for the entire workout.

Monday (yesterday), I rode again...for 75 minutes. I had the same heart rate issue...the darn thing is just stuck beating in zone two while on the darn bike. Apparently I've forgotten how to work hard while on the bike. Sigh...I definitely feel as if I'm in a bike-funk.

Funk or not, I am looking forward to some REAL spring and summer weather (I specified "real" because we actually had a snow day here yesterday...never mind the fact that it's technically spring, based on the calendar!). I am eager to get on my bike outside. I'm nervous about all the changes...between the new pedals, shoes and aerobars...and about the fact that my saddle is significantly higher than it was previously. Actually, my feet won't even brush the ground when I'm up in my saddle if I extend my legs out of the pedals! Yikes. This feels significantly less "safe and secure" to me. Nervous or not, though, I can't wait to try out my newly-fit and moderately tricked-out bike on the open road.

Happy training!