Inspecting the vines

Bike On Mums have had a week of solo riding as Mum1 has been out of action.
Get better soon Mum1. It's not the same without you to talk at.

Bike On Mum 4- our casual cyclist

Bike On Mum4 goes for a ride along the cycle path in Hawkes Bay.

Mum4 has been thinking about getting a new bike, one that sqeaks a little less,
and Bike on Mums are working on a plan for that.

In the meantime Mum4 continues to only ride in a way that can be described as 'sauntering.'

Bike on Mum 3 - My New Bike

(AKA A Girls Gotta Shop Part 2)

Time to bite the bullet – every time I ride with Revolve I feel I am holding them up, and it’s not from lack of fitness – I need to get a road bike.

I let Tim loose on this project with clear instructions that it had to be a nice colour. Oh – and with a budget constraint. He delivered a bunch of options, but his clear recommendation was the Kona Lisa Road.

After much analysis of the options (yes – I made up a spreadsheet!!!!!!!) with Meg, I decided to go with his choice. The order went in.

Meanwhile, I had to keep on riding my mountain bike which was rapidly losing its appeal now that I knew a better proposition would be arriving soon (I bought it online from Bike Barn – it was a web-only sale).

The Revolve girls do their group ride on Saturdays. Due to work commitments I was unable to join this week’s ride so on Sunday I tried to do a similar ride to that which Revolve would have done on the Saturday. I included the Mt Vic Lookout and the Prison Hill on the peninsular. 52 Kms and felt pretty good other than a bit of a sore bum. Tim thinks it might be the seat angle.

Bike on Mum 3 - My Biggest Ride to Date

Its January 22^nd and I’m doing a Revolve ride from Wellington to Johnsonville, then to Makara and back to Wellington.

It could have been worse, but not much. I fell off; my clipless pedals were too tight and I couldn’t release my shoes quickly, and I had no idea how to use gears properly on hills. Just to top it off, I was informed that there was one small hill to deal with on the Makara leg. That comment has the makings of a Tui Billboard. Little Hill? Yeah Right! That is a bit like saying that the Sistine Chapel is an interesting bit of interior decoration.

One of the funnier incidents (and by funnier I mean funny now that I look back on it) occurred when I was riding up the aforementioned hill and I couldn’t stop – I was unable to get my feet out of the pedals. I recall grinding passed the girls that had stopped and seeing the look of confusion on their faces as I just kept on going. As I said – funny now but at the time terrifying.

All that to one side, that was a 59 Km ride so I was very happy afterwards. Suffice to say, job one for Tim when I got home was to loosen those pedals.

Continued to crank out the miles on work commutes, adding distance on the way home to lift my mileage.

One issue is eminently obvious – I need a road bike. My mountain bike is great, but woefully inadequate for the job in hand. 

A small hill at Makara?????

Bike on Mum 3 - A Girls Gotta Shop

I need bike kit, so off I went to Penny Farthing Cycles in Courtenay Place. Was helped by a really good guy there who was comfortable getting me reasonably priced starting gear rather than trying to sell me top line stuff. I recommend that store highly.

Actually – I sent Tim off on a search-and-find mission around several shops first, checking out options and locating kit with pretty colours. He whined a bit but I know he loves checking out techy geeky bike bling so he was hardly a martyr. His first recommendation was a Pinarello Prince. What’s really cool is that I actually know what that is now – and apparently Pinarello is not a small principality near Monaco!!!!!! I bought clipless pedals, a new helmet (that is a really really pretty colour of blue and matches my cycling shirt), gloves, arm warmers, bike shoes, cycling socks, and some cool Tiffosi cycling glasses (which Tim and Gabe are trying to steal and are telling me that they don’t suit me).

I have been riding to and from work trying to get used to clipless pedals. I appreciate how they improve my pedalling efficiency incredibly, but they are a bit unnerving to get used to.

To be totally honest, I started my work commutes with a sneaker on one foot and my cycling shoe on the other just to be on the safe side.

Bike on Mum 3: 15th Jan – Hell Yeah I’m Nervous

So – I have joined the uber-babes that make up Revolve (if you live in Wellington, check them out at revolvetraining.co.nz), headed by the intrepid Ashley and Marjolein. My first outing with the Revolve girls is around the bays to Island Bay, and then back into town.

I’m nervous on Saturday morning and can’t even eat a proper breakfast. Tim drives me into the city for the rendezvous and I’m conscious of how fidgety I am – I’ve never ridden with a group before and have no idea what to expect or what I have let myself in for.

I made Tim drop me off around the corner so that I arrived under my own power, even if its only 50 meters away.

What can I say – it was amazing – great people in the group, very friendly and welcoming, and I rode 39 Kms with them (ending with a café stop in Island Bay). This was totally cool and I loved it.

My only issue on the ride was that I felt totally under-kitted.

Bike on Mum 3 - Dipping My Toe In The Water

Dec/Jan 2010

In December 2010 I did a grand total of three rides: 10, 19 & 13 Kms respectively. I know it does not sound like much but for me it is a big deal - I’m just getting used to riding and dealing with road raffic.

Whilst on holiday over Xmas and New Year, I did another ride in the Hawkes Bay – which is an excellent place to be a cyclist (whether its on or off-road). I’m jealous as hell – wide roads, considerate drivers, light winds, amazing countryside and variety, and a Council that seems committed to enabling cycling enjoyment, freedom and growth within it’s boundaries. Kudos to Mayor Lawrence Yule (of Hastings).

Returning to Wellington, I got out a bit more, and I completed my longest ride ever; a 37 km double loop of the Miramar Peninsular. Despite it being pretty much a flat circuit, I don’t think I’m using my gears properly so am making it a lot harder on myself than it should be.

However, I am making progress and getting a little more comfortable on the bike.

Bike on Mum 3 - My First Post

Please  Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Hi, I’m Sandra, I’m a cycling newbie, I’ve got a bunch of cycling goals, and I’m a Bike on Mum to boot, so welcome to Sandra’s epic ride.

This is my weekly Bike Blog, which I am generally aiming to update by Sunday of each week. In this blog I will be giving you the lowdown on my cycling activities over the week and my development as a cyclist (for now just understand that I am reasonably fit but a bit of a pedal masher – soooooooo much to learn and so little time to do it in) . . . but first a bit about me.

Cycling is reasonably new to me and, with the exception of riding to school (which was, suffice to say, a good while ago) in Palmerston North each day, the only biking I have done recently was several years ago when I completed two small triathlons. Over the last two years I have been concentrating on running, which is great, but now I feel like a new challenge. My goal for this year is to do Round Lake Taupo for at least 2 relay legs (so 80kms).

I’m married to Tim, who is on his own epic journey back to health, and have a 14 year-old son, Gabriel, who is an avid water polo player. You’ll see some photos of them over time – I’ll be the midget between them as they are both over 6 feet tall and I’m only 5’4” - but I still kick their butts on a bike.

We live in Wellington on the Miramar Peninsular and have some very good riding options available to us, although by-and-large Wellington is a pretty scary place to ride.

In order to give you quick catch-up, in my first few entries I’m going to review what I’ve been doing over the past couple of months to bring you up to date.

Hawkes Bay; said by many (including well respected authors and cyclists) to be
the cycling capital of New Zealand.

The Real Women's Duathlon are holding one of their races here on April 3 and Bike On Mum1
thinks we should enter. A fantastic idea.
Bike On Mum1 thinks we could walk the walk/run legs and do the 10k ride but I think we will do
the 20k and I know we will be running.

Bike On Mum3's new bike

Bike On Mums are happy to welcome someone willing and able to be a proper road rider 
to the Bike On Mums programme.
Bike On Mum3 likes to keep her bike in her office (looks like she is using it to hide
her filing or to stop people sitting on the chairs). 

Bike On Mum2 receives her new bike 21 January 2011

Bike On Mum2 rides her new bike for the first time. 
(Video was filmed by Bike On Mums assistant aged 10)
She is an enthusiatic supporter of the www.bikeon.co.nz  'Bikes in Schools' program 
which is up and running in the beautiful school she teaches at; Maraenui Bilingual School.
The success of the program in this school is due to support given by the wonderful teachers
and principal.
Paihikara Runga.

14 Feb 2011 Bike On Mum1 sees her new bike and laughs.

Bike On Mum1 gets her new bike. And she seems happy (even if it is a Jamis..)
Since January she had been riding an old Worldrider dug out from the back of her garage. The best that could be said about it was the neon pink colour made it visible from some distance. 
We will see if she goes faster up hill now.
Bike On Mum1's fitness is improving quickly as she now expects to contribute to the conversation
whereas a few weeks ago I was able to do all of the talking. 
I will find some steeper hills for her to keep her occupied.

Bikeonmum

Welcome to Bike On Mums

Welcome to Bike On Mums.
We are a group of Mums who like to ride bikes for fun and fitness.
And we support http://www.bikeon.co.nz/.