It's like riding a bike.

Well, last night I had Sean tell me how to ride his trainer/rollers. I really felt like doing something physically active and riding my bike in the fridgedness that was Provo last night was not an option. I had been meaning to learn how to ride on roller so I figured it was a good time to start.

When Sean rides, he usually sets up in front of the TV and puts on a dvd of the Tour de France or something like that. I decided I'd put in my roommates Incubus Alive at Red Rocks dvd. I figured the music would pump me up and I'd be less likely to lean over and crash from following some weird camera angle or something. I could just imagine riding on those rollers while watching a video of the Tour...as the bikers come whizzing around a corner a camera angle from the biker's POV is seen and I naturally and instinctively lean into the turn as well only to find that I'm not going around a turn...I'm carefully balanced on a stationary trainer with rollers roughly 15 inches wide and so natural laws insue...I topple off the trainer and run straight into the wall. Yeah, that really didn't sound like the kind of experience I was hoping for so I opted on Incubus.

For the first...hmmm...say 2 miles or so of riding I rode one handed (that is, one hand was on the handlebars while the other was on the back of the couch helping me keep my balance.) I'm sure it was slightly commical to watch me as I started. I would slowly lift my right hand from off the couch and feel it out for a moment or two before steadying myself again. I think my first real stretch of time not holding onto the couch lasted for about....well, atleast 10 seconds before my balance wavered ever so slightly and I reached out for the couch again.

After awhile I got the hang of it and rode just fine. In fact, by the end I even felt comfortable enough to take one hand off the handlebars to wipe some sweat off my face before it reached my eyes. I didn't however have the confidence to attempt to retrieve my bottle of water from the cage mounted on the bottom tube of my bike in order to get a drink while maintaining to ride. When it came time for me to get a quick drink I opted to stop just long enough to take a sip before jumping back on and getting back to business.