Turn, Turn, Turn

Last night, I tried my new cycling shorts for the first time. Up until now, I had just been riding in regular capri pants. This was not working out, since my bum would hurt for about a week after each ride. If you have ever tried to ride for any length of time you might understand why. I decided that if I was going to make any progress on the bike, I would need to wear something cushioned.


If you are unfamiliar with cycling shorts, they basically contain a large padded part that goes across your butt and through to the front and all of your sweat soaks into it like a giant sponge. They are also intended to be worn commando. I learned this fact after a debate with my husband and a search on the Googles. (Although, I also learned I'm not the only one who thinks this is a little weird and kind of gross.) Apparently, wearing undies is unacceptable, brands you as a newbie and can lead to saddle sores. So, who am I to ignore the advice of people who actually cycle? Anyhow, after getting over this fact and also a momentary flashback to middle school from feeling like had a giant maxi-pad in my shorts, I settled into the bike.

What a difference! I rode comfortably my whole ride and was very glad I bought them. Yea, for cycling shorts!

As for the ride, well, it was so enjoyable that when I got to my intended goal of 30 minutes, I actually wanted to keep going. I'm not sure how my time or settings compare with anything road related, and I'm going to have to wait until the weather warms up a bit to find out, I felt pretty proud of myself. I have read that you are supposed to keep your cadence between 80-110, so that it what I tried to do. I kept it at 83 for most of my 10 mile ride. (The photo was taken at I was stopping.) I am going to have to play with this a bit more to see what feels most comfortable, but for the balance of effort and the distance I went, I think the settings were just about right. I'm hoping to be able to push up the resistance a small amount more over time, but I"m not sure if that is the right thing to do. I will need to read more about it.