BICYCLES!

so...it's about time that someone else posted something on here! today was the third time that i commuted to work on my new bike. it's a specialized globe vienna 1:


i can actually ride it without going super slow and i've learned how to change gears (i know. it's pathetic that i've never been able to do that before). knowing how to change gears is super helpful on my ride to work (7.8 miles from riverside to butler) since i have a couple of steep hills. right now i'm riding with a regular backpack but it's really hard (especially on hills...i'm too scared to stand up with it on) since i have to put everything i need for work in it, so i'm thinking i might have to get a rack and some paniers or something like that. any suggestions?

my first commute was definitely the most eventful since i was yelled at two times. the first was by a really old man who apparently thought that bikers had the right to ride through red lights so i forgave him and was on my way. the second was by a guy who looked pretty much exactly like this:

he screamed "AMATEUR" as he was on his way past me, after almost hitting me...it made me a lot angrier than the old man did since you would think fellow bikers would be sympathetic. on the ride home, my water bottle fell out of the cage and i almost went over it, which was not so good, so i've invested in a water bottle that actually fits the cage. so far no problems.

last night, i dealt with 25mph gusts and some rain showers, but i made it home safely and without any nasty comments, so i felt very accomplished. i also rode in this morning and will have to deal with some pretty crazy wind on my way home, but i'm getting some pretty good exercise with all the pedaling i have to do in order to not get blown away or stuck at a standstill.

i also have a pretty sweet helmet with some little birds on it, which you can kind of see here on my 21 mile bikeride from a couple weekends ago:

or not...now that i actually uploaded it. but it's a giro skyla if you're interested in finding a better photo online.

amanda, javi, steve, my coworker jessie, and i biked to bristol and stopped at an awesome cafe, but i won't steal amanda's thunder. she's planning on posting about it on her own.

last thing: any suggestions for cyclocomputers with cadence? i wanted wireless, but i think it's too expensive.

last last thing: CONGRATULATIONS!