(Stationary) Bike Ride

Yesterday while watching Jay and Emma play in Debbie's back yard (while she ran to the store) I figured I might as well ride the stationary bike they have on the patio. I adjusted the seat, turned on the timer and decided 15 minutes would be a good start. With all the Tour de France I've been watching, I felt like it was a fitting activity. Boy, do I admire those cyclist more now that I rode for a whopping 5.1 miles in 15 minutes. Within a minute of my "ride" my arms were getting achy in that leaned over position. You basically are bent at the waist! It sure doesn't look that uncomfortable watching it on TV. But I peddled on! I then thought it would be fun to assume the time trial position where the elbows are close to your sides and you are basically resting on your forearms. Just shoot me now! I couldn't imagine riding in that position for the hour that some of these athletes do.

Well, towards the end of my "ride" I got into a good cadence by really focusing on pushing and pulling the peddles down and back up. At first, I figured it would just be more work, but in reality it made the peddling smoother and easier in many ways. All in all, I'm glad I gave it a go. I was pretty proud of my 5 miles at around 20mph. (Most of the cyclist travel at about 30 or more mph.)