This weekend was a perfectly normal weekend for me-since Thursday I've logged around 90 miles on my bike. Nothing too crazy, no camping trips, no big group rides, in fact, I don't think any of my rides were over 30 miles. Just lovely, sunny day bike riding with friends.
Today's ramble was with a friend from college who is brand new to biking. She just bought a used bicycle and it's been fun to take a step back in time with her to when I was new to this whole world of biking. Together we rode from Eastlake to Capitol Hill to Lake Washington and then back through the Arboretum.
Now that #bikeeverywhere month has started, riding with Amara was a great reminder that we all start somewhere as cyclists. It felt so good to slow down a bit, chat as we rode up hills and through the neighborhoods. Our leisurely pace allowed me to explain tricks that I find helpful when biking in traffic (such as avoiding the door zone), how I assert myself for making left turns, and how to trigger the lights using the bike sensor.
Riding together, it made me wish that I would have had a bike mentor when I was learning the ropes. I will always remember when I got my first bike with Presta tire valves and trying in vain to air up the tires. Nobody at the bike shop I had bought the bike from took the time to explain this basic step to me and for the life of me, I could not figure it out. (I wasn't opening the valve- just putting it on the pump. Ha!) I took my bike into 20/20 Cycles and thankfully wasn't laughed out the shop as they showed me how my bike tires worked.
I am so looking forward to riding more with Amara and hopefully more friends, as they too discover the fun of life on two wheels!