Okay so I bought my first road bike. It’s a humble Merida alloy bike for starters. It’s also the cheapest I could find. In fact, Anton (my riding buddy) and I think it’s quite a steal.
The first 30 minutes was really tough. The body’s warming up. The brain is telling you to stop and take a break. The leg muscles ache easily.
It’s a test of willpower.
I figured riding solo would be tougher in terms of safety because you’ve got less eyes to check the road with you and less hands to help you when you fall. In a way it really was tougher, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected.
The tough thing about riding solo is really the knowledge that you can ride at your own pace. You have the liberty to relax and do whatever you want along the ride.
When I was riding with buddies, I was pushed to keep up. I was challenged to keep kicking. I can’t stop because they don’t stop.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17
I rode out around 6:30am to Daang Hari and finally segueing to Daang Reyna. Here’s the route I’ve taken today:
It’s a long 25KM ride. Pretty straight compared to my last ride at Nuvali and my first 30KM ride along Daang Hari to Cavite. This one’s the easiest route I’ve taken so far.
The thing about this ride is, I’m not used to this new Merida bike. It felt heavier, shorter (in terms of body length from arm to seat), and overall it felt slower. I think I need to have the adjustments checked by a bike buddy.
Oh, and before I forget, I haven’t shared with you why I got into riding. Ultimately, I’m trying to lose weight. I was 190lbs last time I checked. I’m trying to cut down to 170lbs by February 1.
It’s a small window and it’s a pretty tough goal.
But I’ll try my best to make it – one day at a time.
With Anton’s help and with much prayer and discipline, I hope I can make it.
Afterall, I used to look like this:
Pretty much sums it up huh?
Hope I can go back to pic #2 before my wedding day.
Until then, it’s going to be long ride.