Sunday, May 30, 2010

Good Grief! Do I Really Need All That?


I'm waiting for the day when I head to North Pointe to do some biking and forget to bring my bike! So far, I've faithfully toted it along on the back of the truck.
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Considering all of the items that I absolutely MUST have with me when I bike, it would be easy to overlook the most important thing, especially if you're me. (Once upon a time, I made a tuna/macaroni casserole and forgot to include the tuna fish).
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I love the gizmo attached to my racing bars that tells me how fast I'm going, the time, how many miles I've biked, how long I've been biking, my average speed and the temperature. I appreciate the racing bars because they allow me to rest my forearms on the pads and grip the extensions. Using them puts me in a more aerodynamic posture and changing from being upright to bending forward just plain feels good.















********************************My biking shoes have clips on the soles which fit into receivers on my bike pedals. As I pedal, this system allows the upward motion of my legs as I'm pedaling to propel me forward in addition to the downward force exerted by my legs on the pedals.

My wrist Road ID holds a bunch of information on a personalized plate, including: my name, address, blood type, husband and son's phone numbers, my doctor's and hospital name and my health insurance company name and policy number. I ordered it a few years ago on
http://www.roadid.com./




My sunglasses are bifocals allowing me to read my map as I was learning the route and also to read the smaller numbers on my digital handlebar gizmo.








I love athletic clothing. If cute clothes weren't available, I doubt I'd be as interested in working out as I am.




Don't you just love this racerback top? Besides being a bright color which makes me highly visible on the road, it has a cool design inconspicuously printed on the right side.













My husband laughs at me because I love buying socks. Nothing feels better on my feet than slipping into a pair of nice clean, white socks. Yes, they absolutely MUST be bright white.









I always carry my cell phone, just in case I need assistance. I've never had to use it for that purpose.









I've included the overall triathlon bike route along with some close-ups of the route.






















































On my drive home, I always treat myself to a glass of cold water infused with a packet of Emergen-C.









If you've hung in with me to this point, I thank you. As you can see, gearing up for cycling takes some forethought and conscientious preparation. I hate forgetting anything so I meticulously make sure I include all of the above.
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I'll take you along with me on my ride on my next blog post; trust me, I'll do all the pedaling!!

7 comments:

Linda Yezak said...

Oh, I love this. My reminder that I need to get in better shape.

Funny, I don't remember bike riding to require so much equipment. Things change . . .

Cheryl Peters said...

LINDA: I'm glad you enjoyed the show-n-tell session.

The amount of equipment necessary is dictated on the basis of how serious you are about biking. Competing in the biathlons and triathlons requires a few extra gadgets.

I'm a bit of an overachiever in some aspects, not all, thank God.

Jana said...

I like the inventory photos. I recently started a walking program and relate to the importance of the correct (i.e. bright white) socks. Your biking outfit has motivated me to go shopping for some more fashionable duds for my walks. ~~I enjoy your blog! I lurk around here frequently.~~

Cheryl Peters said...

JANA: Thanks for lurking and now even commenting. You've made my day!

Oh yes, get some cool outfits just for your walks. They'll beg you to put them on and go out to strut your stuff!

Linda McMann said...

That is a lot of paraphernalia, but all is essential for your ride! Especially the cool clothing - it makes you go faster, no?

Anonymous said...

I can so relate! Not to biking of course, but about having to have all of the "essentials" when planning any kind of trip of event. I'm always over prepared for any event.

Cheryl Peters said...

PARROT: Yes, it does! It's works like this: If I like what I'm wearing, then I feel good. When I feel good, I function better. Thus, cool clothes equals speed!

DARKSCULPTURES: Oh, goody. I always enjoy finding someone who thinks like I do. I'd much rather be over-prepared than ill-prepared.