First Bike Ride of the Year

 

        Yesterday we went for our first bike ride of the season on the Cannon Valley Trail. We got there later than usual because we wanted it to warm up a little bit before we rode.

        We had planned to start out in Red Wing and bike to the midpoint at Welch. Due to construction on the trail we were not able to do this. We had to start at Welch and bike toward Cannon Falls. It wasn't going to be a problem.

        We got to Welch and unloaded out bikes. My job is to tie on our trail passes and put our water bottles and other things in their proper places while C puts the bike rack in the trunk. C brought out our helmets. I put on my helmet and instantly knew there was a problem. I had my hair tied back as usual and it was up too high. I removed the elastic hair tie and retied my hair lower. I think I got a piece of the scarf I had tied around my hair. Also the knot from the scarf was in the wrong place and had to be adjusted for the helmet to fit. I finally got it on and it didn't feel as bad as I thought it would.

        Then we headed out. We rode through the woods and saw the white and light purple flowers blooming under the trees. The birds were singing. The only thing that would have made it perfect is if the sun had been shining. 

        The latter half of the ride was a bit of a struggle. The trail to Cannon Falls is a a slight uphill slope with some flat spots. I ride in a higher gear than C does which meant I kept getting ahead of him. One  of the things I decided after his accident last year, which was caused by him riding behind me, was that I would make sure he was never behind me again. This was harder than I thought because I had to peddle slowly enough to stay even with him but fast enough to keep my balance on the bike. Two miles away from our destination, my head started to hurt. It was from the helmet. I was irritated, I knew the helmet was going to cause some kind of problem. I kept peddling. Once we got to Cannon Falls, I could take it off and give my head a rest.

    We got to our favorite stopping place. We locked up our bikes and I took off my helmet. Instantly the headache stopped. C got something for us to drink and a treat. I waited at our table.

    The hot drinks come with a small cow sticker over the cover opening. I took the sticker off and put it on the back of my helmet. Since our helmets are the same size and colour, I thought it would be good to have something to tell them apart. It felt good to sit and sip my drink. Eventually we had get up and get on our bikes again. I put on my helmet. My head ached a little once it was on, but it wasn't too bad. maybe I could get used to this. While I was waiting for C to get ready to get back on his bike, I caught a glimpse of a reflection of myself in a window.  I had tied on my scarf without looking in a mirror and realized that it was covering the entire top of my head. It didn't look good because the scarf was too big. I'd have to remember that for next time.

    The ride back to Welch was better as it was downhill. The sun was starting to come out. Even though I had on my usual large sunglasses, I missed having a visor to shade my face. (I usually wear a ball cap when I ride my bike.)

    Once we got back to Welch, C loaded the bikes onto the car and we drove to Red Wing. The local grocery store has good deli. We got some food and had a picnic in the park by the river near the train tracks. A train went by as we were eating which made me happy. We got some ice cream at the chocolate shop and went home.

    C unloaded the bikes. I fed the cats and changed out of my biking clothes. An hour later it was clear to us that we had overdone it, both of us were stiff sore and very tired. I don't remember feeling this bad after the first ride before. I was so sore that I took some ibuprofen before I went to bed which I usually don't do. I knew we were both going to sleep well.

    Wearing the helmet wasn't as bad as I thought. I will definitely need a smaller scarf.....