Firsts

First first

A day shy of four months, and I'm back on the bike. Yep, the last real ride I had was on Earth Day 22 April (and my last ride blog entry). Torrential downpour (and consequential inundation in parts of the Metro), on and off cough and colds for me and my kids, household chores (no more house help) and all sorts of errands kept me from one of my most favorite things in the world.

A sunny four-day weekend finally gave me the chance to hop on Ruth for a quick spin around UP, the first time in a disappointingly long time. Trails would've been better, but I was just happy to finally break a sweat due to exercise. I'd already gained back 3 of the 5 kilos I'd lost since September last year

Second first

Because of the ride, I finally got to try my new Pacenti Neo-Moto 2.1 tire on the rear. I'd mounted it on a week after I bought it in May but only got to ride it briefly back and forth to church (900 m away) once. It was a good fit, until I noticed a couple of weeks after mounting that it had expanded to the point that I was getting some minor rubbing on both sides of the outermost knobs. Bummer. It noticeably had more rolling resistance than the Quasi-Moto it replaced, and I'm actually contemplating putting that back on. But I hate how the Quasi is on dirt, and it's an absolute pain in the derriere to swap tires.

I need a new frame

Third first

After riding mittless for almost two decades, I finally decided to get new gloves. A friend's crash got me thinking more seriously about protecting my hands during rides.

I got the Giro DNDs (for Down N Dirty) the same time I got the Neo-Moto, but never got to ride them until now. I opted for these minimalist gloves because I like to feel my grips. I'd always felt my Oury grips to be a wee bit on the thick side, but using the gloves made them feel a wee bit thicker. I probably just need to get used to them. Or I could finally pick up the ESI Chunkies I ordered from a friend (sorry Elvin!).

The Ourys are fairly tacky to begin with (even with bare hands), but the way the gloves stick to the grips is crazy. I reckon the benefits would be more apparent over longer rides since I can loosen and relax my grip on the bar, lessening fatigue.

Fourth first

I got an Android smartphone in July and downloaded Strava. I'm no techno-idiot by any means, but I never got to play around with the app before this. Murphy's Law being what it is... I turned it on as I rolled out the front door, noticing that it wasn't logging the ride only after my fourth lap around the University Oval

I finally managed to get it to work and logged my last 2 laps before I pedaled home

It was a good ride. I didn't feel as tired as I thought I would afterwards, considering my current (un)fitness level. And the ride back to the house along the short up gradient portion of Commonwealth Avenue wasn't as tiresome as it normally is.

My first ride in a long time. Definitely not my last.