My First Clipless Ride

I said I would come back to that short and not so sweet ride. So here it is.

It was about a month ago, when I decided that it was about time to take my tri bike out for a first ride. Let's see. First ride on something that is not a mtb, first ride with clipless pedals. Mmmm calls for some scratches and a bit of pain.

So, that day, I figured, because it was an easy ride in Zone 1 that it was the perfect time for a non-stressful ride. HeHe (sarcastic)


I thought that slow was equal to low heart rate. Errr no. Stress = high heart rate. So my low intensity training was gone. Oh well, at least I'm learning to use the clipless pedals! Everything was perfectly fine, I was able to unclip/clip properly, until I arrived at a cul-de-sac.

I stop and put one foot on the ground by unclipping successfully. Hurray!
I start to pedal again, with one pedal clipped in, only to realize that I forgot to set my bike to a lower gear. Oh No!
My leg cannot rotate with enough strength, I need my other leg. Quickly. Arggg!
I cannot clip my second leg. Cr*p!
I have to stop and put my unclipped foot on the ground. I said my unclipped foot!
I'm leaning on the wrong side! Nooooo!
I wipe out at 1 km/h. Even if I had one foot unclipped. Great! First reaction: Get back up as quickly as possible, and make sure nobody saw me. Second reaction: Go back home as quickly as possible, before it happens again, avoiding humiliation in front of high school students heading out home.

Oh well, I bet I'll be careful about leaning on the right side the next time! I hope at least you've had a good laugh on that one! :) I am still laughing about it myself!