Lets Talk Serious Biking.

Up until now, I have felt like runner on a bike. And, as of now, I still feel like a runner on a bike.

But I am ready to change this.

Last week I paid $36o to get a professional bike fitting. It was a 4-hour process.

He is using the measurements and angles that were determined to find me the perfect bike! However, this cost also included adjustments made to my current bike. My current bike will never be a perfect bike - the frame is too big and heavy. But, with the adjustments, my current bike is a lot more comfortable:

- The seat was moved up, and back

- The handle bars were moved down, and moved forward

- The cleat at the bottom of my shoe was moved directly all the ball of my foot.

I rode twice with these changes and I am thrilled with the results.

Friday's ride = 23 miles @ 19.1 mph. I did the EXACT same route last week at 17.9mph.

Saturday's ride - 47 miles @ 19.9 mph. That is a new PR for me - I have never averaged that speed unless I was racing. Also for 47 miles? I almost seem like a real cyclist!

One thing I need in order to be a true cyclist is the proper gear. The only gear I have thus far is a sub-par bike and a helmet. No gloves, no shorts, no water bottle, no extra inner tube and I DONT EVEN HAVE A PROPER BIKE PUMP.

The bike pump is my first priority.

So you know these skinny road bike tires? They have a presta valve. The cheap bike pumps come with an adapter for these valves but they dont work. Where does one buy a presta bike pump? This is what I need to figure out. I can tell you where they dont have them though - Target and Walmart.

YES, I braved Walmart on my hunt for a bike pump. And, I went with the kids in tow. We lucked out and got one of the TWO double-carts my Walmart has. Despite that, you can tell the kids are not thrilled to be there:

There was free pizza, though..and they really liked that:

We did buy a pump but it was another adapter pump so of course it didnt work. Now, I have to go to Walmart AGAIN to return it.

But the trip to Walmart was not a complete waste of time because Brenna did get this skirt for $5, because you know she doesnt have enough stuff like it:

Also, Walmart has the best donuts. Better than Krispy Kreme and better than Duncan Donuts.

Wow, that was tangent?

What was I talking about??

Oh yeah! Cycling gear!

So after I get a bike pump, I also need cycling gloves. To be honest, I am not sure why I need cycling gloves, but every single person tells me that I do.

I also need cycling shorts. Someone (a professional) has a surplus of shorts and offered me some...this is easy enough. I really cannot see myself purchasing cycling shorts; they are expensive! And ugly.

A repair kit + extra innertube in a must, although that means first I need to learn how to change a tire. Somehow I have managed to get this far without ever having a flat...*bangs ferociously on wood* Hmmm, this is definitely a high priority item.

Since rides are long, the temperature at the start of the ride is colder than that at the end of the ride. To account for this, cyclist wear arm sleeves...like this:

I made my own arm sleeves using a pair of babylegs. (If you dont have kids, babylegs are baby leg warmers)...like this:

Mighty clever, huh?! I am not sure if anyone noticed that my arm warmer was indeed a baby leg warmer...I tried to hide the Babyleg logo. But anyway, if they did notice, they were kind enough not to mention it out loud.