Zest Magazines Erica Bund on Training for London – Paris

So, this weekend I went out for my first ride of the New Year. It was the first time I’d had a chance to take my new Ridgeback Radium road bike out for a try. It was quite a different riding experience from the upright hybrid bike that I had been riding previously and I knew it would take a bit of getting used to. After making a few adjustments, I found that it was a lot more comfortable than I’d expected. The thin tyres aren’t as scary as I’d thought either. The ride is very smooth, and I found that changing gear was easy once I got my head around how they worked! (I never had gears on my bikes as a child.)

Once it was all set up, off I went. I’ve been a bit lazy until now and have always chosen the easy routes (by this, read flat). Today though I added a gentle slope and felt very proud of myself when I reached the top, even if I was puffing! I rewarded myself with a drink of water before setting off again, only to turn the corner and see another, less gentle, slope heading off in front of me! I did make an attempt at it but, I have to admit, it was a bit much for me on my first ride, so I turned around and headed back the way I came. And here is what surprised me the most – going downhill was a lot more difficult for me than going up! Not in terms of effort – of course I could just freewheel down picking up more and more speed as I went, but, at the end of the day, I’m a bit of a wimp! The riding position of a road bike means I’m leaning forward so that downhill feels even steeper! So, instead I managed to go down at snails pace, hands gripping the brakes and with one foot hovering protectively above the ground, until the road levelled out and I could go back pedalling on my way. Ok, so I think a little more practise will be needed…