When I was very young, I was given a set of Donny and Marie dolls as a birthday gift. They were my first Barbie type doll, and I loved them. Marie had a purple and pink handkerchief hem dress and Donny had a purple jumpsuit with a wide belt buckle. I took them to church to show them off and accidentally dropped Marie in the toilet. I pulled her out by the feet, and unsure of what to do with her soppy self, I left her on the back of the potty, never to be seen again. The actual Donny and Marie entertained my family nearly weekly on the Donny and Marie show.
This morning, to prep for our ride, I put my new moldable shoes in the oven to heat up. While they heated, I prepped my feet, adding multiple layers of moleskin to the funky spots on my feet. When the shoes were ready, I put them on and stood eating cereal with bent legs for about 10 minutes until the shoes were cool. After I put them on again, minus the moleskin and double layer of sock, I had perhaps the best fitting pair of shoes I have owned in a long time.
We drove to the train station, planning to ride to Oceanside and take an Amtrak home again. After doing a few doughnuts in the parking lot to practice with my new shoes and clips, we took off toward the Aliso Creek trail. Everything seemed to be going well, my adjustment period for the new clip system seemed well underway by the time we reached Marina Hills Drive and Niguel. About then, is when all hell broke loose. Suddenly I understood why cyclists always take such care to clip in while crossing the street.
In my last pair of cycling shoes, a pair of Keen mountain bike shoes with a recessed cleat, I could start cycling from any position on the pedal and clip in once I had cleared the intersection. With my new Bont Tri shoes, the sole is so stiff and slick, unless I am completely clicked in, I slide off the pedal to often painful and humiliating effect. Particularly humiliating when a long line of cars is waiting to turn after I eventually got across the road after falling off my pedals many many times.
Although I felt the increased power promised by the bike shop (as in 20 percent greater effectiveness in each motion), as the day wore on, I became less and less confident in my new shoes/clips. Perhaps I just don't ride that way...
My cycling style is lackadaisical, whereas these shoes are precision. I found myself singing the part of Marie in "I'm a Little Bit Country, I'm a little bit Rock and Roll." These shoes are definitely Rock and Roll. I will find my rock and roll, just give me time!
At one point on our way back north on the PCH, JE and I locked handlebars. Terrifying! When I flung away into the concrete barrier, I had already unclicked and was able to bounce off the wall using my foot--my new shoe.
We ended up cycling to the Fisherman on San Clemente Pier for lunch. We celebrated our 12th Anniversary today. Hurray us! Coolest part? I still really really like him (He is my heart, too. But that I still like him is a major bonus). The food was great. We ordered the crab feast (as usual). They improved the vegetables from steamed summer squash and carrots, to grilled summer squash and carrots. And we replaced the rice pilaf with their amazing potato wedge fries. After the ginormous meal, they brought me a giant slice of Birthday mud pie--chocolate ice cream on a cookie crust with hot fudge and whipped cream. There is always room for ice cream. We enjoyed it, most of it, so much!
When we rolled out of there and got to our bikes, it was after 4. We decided to just retrace our tire tracks and ride back to the car. At the end of the day, we rode over 52 miles on some of the craziest hills in Orange County. But calorically, we earned our lunch!
Swimming tonight was a nice way to stretch and unwind. No laps, just play. Then the hot tub for stretching. I am so sleepy!
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