It's Been Half a Century

...and I feel like it! We rode through Atlanta today in a mostly urban, hilly environment - all the way to Six Flags Over Georgia and beyond! (check out the map below for those of you unfamiliar with Atlanta geography).

http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ga/atlanta/625713264

I made it through most of the ride ok, but I started having horrible knee pain about 3/4 of the way through the ride. I can attribute this to several things (other than just getting old!)

• I am riding a Hybrid Bike (a cross between a mountain bike and road bike), which is about twice as heavy as a road bike and, therefore, puts extra pressure on your joints since it's more difficult to pedal.
• I don't have "clip pedals", which for you non bikers is a shoe that allows you to actually "clip" into the pedals (like skis) so you can use both your quads (to push down) and your hamstrings (to pull up). Without clips, I was pushing down only, creating more tension in my knees.
• My seat height was apparently 2 inches too short - that makes a big difference!

All that being said, I have invested in new biking shoes, clips, and clip pedals, which I hope to try out next week after my knees have healed (I am icing them as I type!).

Slowly but surely....