Are You Ready For The New Biking Season?

The weather has slowly been getting nicer and it was time to take out my bike.  Like any hobby, you want to make sure that you and your equipment are ready for the season.  Learn as I say, not as I do.  

I have not exercised all winter since I had been very busy with work.  I know that is no excuse, but it is amazing when you are working hard all the time, that time just flies by.  On top of that, I can not say that my eating habits were the best either.  I guess you can say that I just took advantage of the winter season to let ME go!

Saturday is a gorgeous day for a ride and I wanted to take advantage of it.  I brought my bike up from the basement, along with my helmet and biking shoes.  I had to wipe off the dust so that I did not embarrass myself in public.  I got to look cool!  Right?  I made sure my tires were inflated and ended up blowing one after it was filled with air.  Luckily, the nice man at the bicycle shop when I got my bike, suggested I carry two spares just in case.

Once that was changed, off we went!  You could not have asked for a more beautiful day for a ride.  We traveled from NE Portland by Grant Park to the Eastbank Esplanade, then over the Hawthorne Bridge, down to the Waterfront.  Everyone that we came across was happy and filled with excitement.  It was a wonderful day to start off the season.

As we were heading back to where we started from, I started noticing my aches and pains.  You have to remember that I was so excited about going on a ride that I forgot to STRETCH before the ride!  Sometimes you just have to learn through experience and pain.

So before you go on your first ride of the season, be sure to stretch.  It is not a bad idea to take your bike in for a tune up to make sure everything is in working order.  You can take your bike to your local bike shop or REI.  The fee is generally inexpensive, plus it helps to maintain your bike so that it lasts for a long time.

Happy Riding!