I was gifted a road bike a few weeks after I arrived...complete with clip-ons. If you are one of the uninitiated (as I was) these are replacement pedals that require a special shoe (the pair I have cost $280 but were gifted to me as well) and enable you to stay connected to the pedal and to proportionately apply your weight and energy with greater efficiency. When I bought these pedals (they were $85) I asked the man selling them to me if they were hard to use and adapt to...and he chuckled.
With that in mind, I set up shop in my garage and attached them, put on my new shoes and, then, "clipped in". Except I was unsure how to get out of them (twist your heal to the side I discovered later), and so as I ventured out of the garage and tried to stop--shoes firmly and efficiently connected to new pedals--I fell.
The fall was minor; thankfully; no one was looking to see me sprawled on my driveway looking foolish. The biggest takeaway from this painful experience was/is a lightly-sprained wrist and a new appropriate (perhaps, over-compensatory) caution as I prepare to take to the road.
Much of life seems to reverberate with a similar rhythm. We tackle something with less than adequate preparation and the result is that we end up sidelined with newly-discovered humility and/or pain that reminds us of the foolishness of the thing we jumped into too quickly. All too often this generates a reluctance to venture into new venues, rather then challenging us to prepare more intentionally.
Here's to getting back into the saddle (mine's a small Italian seat made for someone much smaller, I think, and requiring special much-needed riding shorts--$50) and riding--living--with new wisdom and a new appreciation for preparation.
I've not been back on my bike...yet. I am waiting for my wrist to heal!
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