Clipless Connection

Finally. My new bike came equipped with clipless pedals. That’s one incentive to learn to ride them. Warm weather might be an equally good incentive, but it doesn’t look like that will happen.
So, the new pedals are on my old bike, which is in the trainer. I managed to get my feet out of the clips. It was much easier than I had expected and not necessarily any more difficult than getting my feet out of the toe clips. I can see that the difficult part would be putting my right foot down on the ground while the left foot is still clipped in.

I didn’t fall down once from the trainer. Monday will be the first day that I can go outside and try the clipless pedals in a real situation. It will be interesting to see how many times I fall down.

There is a video of a terminal cancer patient who cycled across the US. Nothing like putting some of us to shame. I couldn’t keep up her pace without the health issues that she has. As inspirational as her story is, I disagree with her comment that her transcontinental tour is only newsworthy because of her condition. She claims that there is no story when a healthy woman bicycles across the US. Everybody who takes on this endeavour has a story. Some may be more interesting or less dramatic than others, but the mere act of riding across the country creates the story.

Jane, the aforementioned woman, refused to let her cancer wear her down. She is proof that conquering the disease, or at least holding it at bay, is as much a mental feat as a physical one. The same can be said for doing a long distance tour. While the physical component is obvious, the mental aspect of touring supercedes physical ability. With the wrong attitude, the most physically fit person finds such a trip grueling and impossible. The right frame of mind in some mysterious way makes physical challenges easier to overcome.

This DOCUMENTARY feautres lots of on-bike footage, which shows the magnificent scenery across the USA. I am ready for such a ride.