Today was the first day I rode on my own. After 2 days of group rides, it was good to get out on my own and do an easy spin after 2 days of long, hard efforts. I spend a lot of time riding both my road and mountain bike alone in Wyoming, so I was happy to have the opportunity to ride solo down here.
My morning spin was followed by an afternoon massage that Evan arranged for us ahead of time and more of the usual. Fantastic food, relaxation and an evening core strength workout and yoga session out on the patio. The Cycling House sits upon a hill overlooking mountains and saguaro cacti and I did my practice as the sun set into the gorgeous desert skyline.

I had a lesson I learned early on in cycling prove itself again today. After 15 minutes on the bike, I realized something was wrong with my cranks. I tried to fix the problem on my own a few times but honestly, I really didn’t know what I was doing. I decided to do what everyone should do if they find themselves in a similar situation. I asked for help.

I pulled onto a safe side street and used my cell phone to call my bike shop in Wyoming. After the shop owner helped diagnose the problem and ensured me that I wasn’t doing permanent damage to my new bike, I pedaled away for 3 more hours with my mind at ease.

Often times, being a woman in a male-dominated, technical sport is hard. Walking into a bike shop or rolling up to a group ride can be intimidating. In the few years I’ve been riding bikes I’ve learned a lot because I try not to be afraid to ask questions, no matter how stupid I may think it makes me look. I know that in the long run it’ll make me a better rider.

Tomorrow we have an early wakeup call for a 5 hour ride and a 27 mile climb up Mount Lemmon. I have a hunch tomorrow’s blog will be more about pain, not relaxation….