I Went for a Bike Ride
This morning, I swapped out the handgrips on my bicycle, attached a cage and water bottle to the frame, and affixed a Take A Look mirror to my $300 bicycle helmet. Then I went for a ride in the summer sun.
Hold on a second… why the heck do I have $300 bicycle helmet? I’ll tell you why, because I’ve already had way more concussions than the average person. That’s why.1 Reading a bunch of lab tests online, I chose one from amongst the top-ranked for absorbing shock at various speeds. It’s MIPS and all that. There were a few ranked higher, but the performance differences were negligible, so my final selection came down to price and aesthetics.
I’m still getting the hang of using the helmet mirror, but already I can tell you, I won’t willingly ride without one from here on. It’s so much easier to see what’s going on behind me, which allows me to ride with more confidence. Back in the day, I used mirrors attached to the handlebars, but a helmet mount has much more range, doesn’t stick out into traffic, and kids don’t steal them.
I didn’t ride long, unfortunately. Two miles, maybe three? I’m not sure. I need an app to start tracking my rides. I wish I could blame the heat for holding me back. It is hot. And that was an issue. But the bigger problem is I’m well out of cycling shape. Upon getting home, I was feeling the cardio, and my legs were starting to go to Jell-O. I can’t imagine going on one of the 12-20 mile rides I used to do daily, but I’ll get there.