The beginning

I want to thank everybody who has donated so far (Judy and Lou, Jenn, Dad, Sarah, Iffy). It means so much to me.

My first update is that I bought a bike 3 weeks ago. It took me a while to decide what I wanted. I actually test rode many bikes over a 4 week period and was going to get a hybrid when Sarah convinced me I really needed a road bike. I settled on a Specialized Dolce, which is an entry-level road bike designed for women. I got a great deal on a 44cm 2006 that they were desperate to get rid of now that the 2008 line is coming out. I love the bike.

So far I've done two 12 mile rides and one 16 mile ride. The first ride I was still getting used to the bike. By the third ride I'd really settled into the bike and things felt great. My ride is 40 miles but I'm not worried because the 16 mile ride I did right after my hour long spin class so I effectively did ~35 miles (including some killer hills in spin). I need to find some good "real" hills to practice on.